As Leon confidently ascended the elevated platform designated for the first ranker, the crowd went into a frenzy. Even the rankers standing on the same platform had a shocked expression. exchanging bewildered glances between themselves after seeing a surprisingly new face at the high stage.
The glass screens suspended in the air, broadcasting the event to those seated afar and even those watching remotely, displayed Leon's image prominently. His presence at the pinnacle of the stage sent shockwaves throughout Laurelia Sanctum.
Whispers and murmurs swept across the space, creating an atmosphere of disbelief and astonishment.
"Who's that guy?"
"Is he the first rank?"
"What about others, is this ranking really real?"
"Is this some sort of error or a prank?"
"I remember him – the Baron's son who failed his awakening. How could he suddenly emerge as the first rank?"
"He was even crippled, wasn't he? How can he awaken again and claim the top spot?"
The confusion and astonishment spread through the crowd, a sea of faces reflecting shock and disbelief. Not a single person was present there, who wasn't surprised by this reveal. Leon's guardians, his father and aunt, stood among them, their astonishment mirroring that of the others, perhaps even more so.
Unlike the rest of the world, they knew Leon had his successful awakening 2 years ago. They've seen him train and push himself to limits in these past 2 years, but even they hadn't anticipated him rising to claim the first place in the rankings of the world's best academy.
As the murmurs spread like wildfire, Alora, Leon's aunt, turned to her brother, Darren Heartwell, her voice trembling with a mix of amazement and pride. "Is this really happening, Darren?"
Her brother, Darren, stood frozen for a moment, his eyes fixed on the stage where his son stood proudly. "That's truly my son up there, isn't it?"
"I knew his hard work would pay off. He's been training tirelessly ever since then. Celeste would've been so proud." Alora said, her voice tinged with a touch of melancholy.
Celeste Lightborne, Leon's mother and her sister in law, was still unconscious even after all these years had passed.
With the help of the Blake family, her condition had improved drastically over the years. As the corrosion of the curse placed on her reduced and stopped spreading any further. But even they couldn't help in curing her completely.
Hearing his wife's name, the memories of the beautiful past came to Darren's mind, but he stopped himself from thinking about sad things, because today was probably the biggest day for his son.
Meanwhile, not everyone in the audience shared the same sentiment of joy. The leaders of other guilds, parents of other high-ranking students, and members of influential families were struggling to process the unexpected turn of events. Their expressions were a mix of disbelief, curiosity, and in some cases, even suspicion. Everyone was looking at the stage waiting for an explanation.
As the tension in the air grew palpable, the stage where Leon stood became the epicenter of attention. The faculty members, sensing the need to address the crowd's confusion, exchanged quick glances before one of them stepped forward.
"Now I know many of you might find these rankings as surprising or shocking, but let me reassure you, these are all unbiased and given after a thorough check of everyone's abilities and their performance in the exams."
A hush fell over the crowd, all eyes turned to the staff present on stage, listening to his explanation.
"This year was perhaps the most challenging one for us to decide the rankings, especially the first 5 students, it was a very close call and even us at the academy had to watch the clips many times to decide upon the first rank." The announcer said making everyone curious. Then with a graceful wave of his hand, a sense of wonder filled the atmosphere as a large scroll unfurled itself against the sky, accompanied by bursts of colorful fireworks. The scroll revealed a list of names, each written in a different glowing hue.
"These are the results of the ranking," the announcer's voice echoed, capturing the attention of all present.
As the crowd's gaze fixed upon the scroll, the following names illuminated the sky:
1.Leonard Heartwell
2.Moksh Blackwood
3.Katherine Winston
4.Valtor Shade
5.Qingyue Grayborn
6.Vanessa Belmont
7.Edward Sinclair
8.Zirix Drakkar
9.Amaya Stormswill
10.Firsjen Scarlett
11.Lincoln Korbil
12.Sunaina Vaidya
13.Elroy Morris
14.Ziona Boulderhelm
15.Morfius Thornfang
"These are the top 15 of this year. For those who are feeling dissatisfied with the results don't worry, cause to quell your curiosity, we have prepared this. The highlights of everyone's journey in the entrance exams. This will show you what all these students did and went through."
With a mesmerizing transformation, the waterfall behind the stage ceased its cascade, morphing into a mirror-like still surface. It flickered to life, displaying the recordings of various students going through different phases of the entrance exams.
As the staff said, every student was amazing in their trials. They were all flawless and almost neck to neck with each other. The rankers were showing their all in the battles they fought, the speed, reflexes and the presence of mind showed by them was far surpassing the other students. The rankings aside, it was evident that every student had displayed exceptional qualities.
The difficulty of exams and their trials change every year, so there was no need to hide these videos, when these worked very well for the promotions.
After the last recording concluded, a sense of satisfaction lingered in the air. But soon even that silence stopped as people started cheering once more. The murmurs of appreciation gradually subsided as the announcer took center stage once more, his voice carrying a playful edge.
"So you guys still want more huh." he remarked, drawing laughter from the audience.
"But we have nothing for you about any other toppers anymore _ " He stopped speaking, creating the environment of curiosity and then continued - "But for the record breaker, the underdog whom no one saw coming, the one who truly emerged as a surprise package. The one at the top, the number one Leonard Heartwell."
At the announcer's words, several lights turned on Leon who still stood with the same confident expression, looking around at everyone.
"Now this guy right there had broken the record of passing the Spectrum maze in the least amount of time. Not only in this year, no, but all those before him too."
"He had broken the previous record set by Rio Blake 2 years ago." The announcer of the event said.
"You guys feeling curious yet. Do you wanna see his results now?" the announcer inquired, his tone dripping with anticipation.
A resounding chorus of "YES" echoed throughout the crowd, a clear testament to their eagerness.
"Or perhaps you're more interested in watching his journey unfold?" The question was met with an enthusiastic chorus of "YES" and applause.
The crowd erupted in roars and cheers as the announcer announced all the news. Everyone wanted to see the recordings of this new talent that popped up suddenly. The guild members who were working as scouts started calling their superiors informing them everything and discussing what to offer to this new prodigy if they could fool him.
The screen first showed the numbers of his results in bold letters
[Leonard Heartwell
[Challenge - Spectrum Maze
[Clearance time - 27 min 56 seconds]
A breathless hush settled over the crowd. The seconds ticked by in near silence as everyone processed the information. The realization dawned – the record had been broken. It was real. Somehow this guy whom no one knew existed, or seen as a challenge, appeared out of nowhere and even broke the record of zenith academy's history.
Previous record for clearing the spectrum maze was set by Rio, and even he took 28 minutes and 10 seconds.
The difference between them might be less in numbers, but it was enough when it comes to records and now that belonged to Leonard.
"I never thought his records would be broken in just 2 years."
"Yeah, all the previous records lasted for decades before someone could beat them. "These guys are all monsters."
"When did he even awaken? I remember he was a cripple just 3 years ago, when his sister joined the academy."
"Yeah, there were even memes about this guy back then. It means he just went from a cripple to a record breaking genius in just 3 years at maximum."
"This is too much right. Look at those noble kids' faces. I bet they must be cursing their luck to compete in public exams, and now standing beneath a Baron's son."
"True. Hey, do you think he's more talented than Rio?"
"What kind of question is that? Can't you see the results, this guy will definitely be even more talented than him."
"Yeah, Rio had Blake family behind him, while this guy is just a Baron's son. Yet he still became this outstanding in this little time. If he had the similar resources like Rio he would simply leave everyone behind."
The discussions like this were going on, as cheers echoed through the hallways and open stage. Every drone focused on Leonard and his recordings playing in the mirror screens.
Outside the celebration ground, hearing the loud roars Rio had a smile on his face as he heard the announcements.
'He's sitting on the shoulders of a God, and yet the world sees him as down to earth. What a funny way his halo works.'
"The academy set the stage and he became the limelight, then let me steal the show and change the highlight."
###
A/N - let's steal the show.
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