Endurance Contest Rules

With the singing contest resolved, another contest was about to start. The announcer walked onto the stage once more and exclaimed, "Congratulations to the winner of the singing contest, Lenira! We hope you can become the next star in the future. But now, it's time for the next contest! Ladies and gentlemen, please give a warm welcome to this year's ability contest participants!". A few youngsters walked onto the stage, and presented themselves to the audience. There were seven participants altogether. Four of them were Voltars, two Shades and one weird looking Human. "Mom, look! There is a Human on the stage!", I exclaimed while pointing at the boy. She smiled and replied, "He's not a Human, he's Eterian. They look like Humans, but they are much different from them. I'm surprised someone actually showed up, this should be interesting". Mom never told me about Eterians before, which made me even more interested.

I pestered her with some more questions, but it was Suly who provided me with answers. "Eterians don't usually appear outside their area called Land of Mirages. People can visit them and we trade with them as well, it's just that they keep more to themselves. Eterians can live for a very long time. Their lifespan is about four times as long as yours, and they age slowly. That Eterian over there, although he looks young, he should be about sixty or maybe seventy years old". That shocked me to the core. He looked maybe twelve or thirteen. "How can that be possible? You are joking, right? Heh, to think I almost believed you", I replied. "It's true sweetie. Eterians live much longer than Humans, that is because their bodies are special. Although that Eterian over there is older than me, he is still a child. They age slowly, and develop slowly too", mom added.

I refused to believe it, but mom wouldn't lie to me like that. She wouldn't try to trick me. 'In that case, he is older than any of us here. Perhaps grandpa is older than that young looking boy, but still…', I thought. I had no clue how this was possible, how could someone stay a child after so many years? "Moreover, they are master illusionists. The reason they are so good at illusions is precisely thanks to their bodies. If they grew up as quickly as you, they wouldn't be as good as they are. At least, that is what we assume", Suly said.

"What do you mean by master illusionists?", I asked. "Precisely what I said. They are masters of illusions. They can make something appear or disappear", she replied. "They can do that? Does that mean we saw the real him, or was it an illusion?", I asked. "That was his real form, if that's what you mean. He was really on that stage. That Eterian is very young, his ability to use illusions is not that great yet. He might be able to affect one or two people, but not the whole Arena", mom replied. "Doesn't that mean he can cheat? He can make the judges like him a lot, and give him better scores?", I asked. "The judges are not that simple, Anna. Besides, they know about Illusions. If his illusions are any good, he has a chance of winning though. It's not cheating, that is his ability", mom added.

I still felt like that was cheating, but decided to watch and witness that ability myself. The first contestant was a Voltar. He extended his hands, and commanded the electric energy into all sorts of shapes. At the end of it, he made an arrow and flung it upwards. 'Although it looks decent, I've seen much better with the use of Formations. I guess he's not bad', I thought, but then the Voltar simply stopped. People cheered and clapped, while I was left dumbstruck. To my surprise, the judges gave him high scores too. They also commented on how well he controlled the energy and whatnot, but then he just left the stage.

"That's it? His performance didn't even last a few minutes", I asked. "Anna, these are not some great performances, but a showcase of one's abilities. It doesn't have to be spectacular, but effective and strong. As long as it is, the judges will award high points. The number of contestants is low, because people usually don't want to display themselves like that. You know, keep a few hidden cards and whatnot", Suly explained.

I nodded, and watched the next contestant enter the stage. This time, it was a Shade. The judges told her to begin, and she simply disappeared. "What, where did she go? Is this an illusion?", I asked confused. Mom explained, "No, it's an ability a few Shades have. They can meld into shadows of other objects, and stay hidden. It's one of their traits, and this one is a bit more rare than others". The Shade got better scores than the Voltar, and seemed quite happy about it.

The next two were Voltars again, and they displayed their electric energy just like the first guy. One of them scored better than previous contestants, hence it was his score others had to beat. Then it was time for the Eterian. He entered the stage, and looked at the judges. That was it. Nothing else happened, he just stood there and the judges looked at him. After a while, he walked off the stage but the judges remained silent. "Is that the illusion you guys spoke of? I saw nothing really", I asked confusedly. Mom nodded, "Yes, and it seems the illusion worked. Let's see what the judges award him".

A few moments later, the judges finally showed some life. They discussed something between themselves, before announcing the score. He got thirty-five points out of forty. That was the highest score so far, but no one really saw anything. "Were the judges so impressed by his illusion?", I asked. Suly shrugged, "We don't know what they saw. There might be a few reasons they scored him so highly. One such reason could be that his illusion made a huge impression on them. Or perhaps he controlled the voting to a point. We don't know". After the Eterian, the other Shade and Voltar got good scores, but not good enough. The Eterian was a winner. The prize for winning was a special sort of medicine and some money. When I asked about the medicine, Suly and others just kept quiet.

"It was nice to see Eterians trying to leave their area, and integrate a bit. Since the contests are over for today, we should go now. Tomorrow is your contest Anna, therefore it's better that you rest properly", mom said. We left the private section, and headed back to our room. Aunt and the rest promised to stay for one more day, and watch my contests. Mom on the other hand made some preparations for our return, and told grandpa to attend otherwise he would walk back home. She also gave me some medicine and other stuff. I couldn't use it during the contest, but she made me promise I would use it, in case something went wrong.

I stayed inside the room for the rest of that day, and read some books. Mom told me to relax and get a lot of rest, after all the endurance contest was really difficult. Mom woke me up the next morning, and asked if I was ready. "I hope so", I replied a bit nervously. After a quick breakfast, it was time for me to take on the endurance contest and try to win that mysterious pet. Mom took me to one of the hallways for the contestants, and handed me the badge. She told me to clip it onto my clothes, and just walk through the hallway. "The best of luck, Anna. If it's too hard, just give up. To mommy, you will always be a winner. Me and others will root for you, now go", she said and waved as I walked further in.

After a bit of walking, a Shade appeared in front of me and checked my badge. "Welcome to the endurance contest. Follow me, I will take you to the waiting room", he said. Just when we left the hallway, I could see the stage on my left and a lot of stuff on it. "These are some of the obstacles you guys will face. More about that later. This is the waiting room", the Shade said and pointed at a small building underneath the pillars. We walked inside, to see at least thirty other people already waiting there. 'So many contestants… It's a bit cramped in here though', I thought surprised by the sight.

The Shade asked, "Surprised? These are not all contestants. There are about twenty more at the other entrance. Find a seat or place to wait, while I explain everything". I found an empty space, and awaited the explanation. "Alright guys, listen up! There are a few rules you will have to abide by during the contest. The first rule: You have to complete each course by yourself. Any external help will automatically disqualify you. The second rule: You are not allowed any medication, food or drinks during the course. While on a break, you are free to eat and drink, or take care of your injuries. There is another exception. If you try to use any skill or body enhancing medicine, you will be automatically disqualified", he said while scanning the room.

He then continued after a short pause, "The third rule: Five contestants with the slowest times after each course, will be disqualified. There are three courses in total, each one progressively more difficult. We remove the weaker contestants for their own safety, but also due to time constraints. The fourth rule: If you lose the badge, you are disqualified. Make sure the badge is kept safe, and attached properly. Lastly, your time will be accumulated over the three stages. The fastest cumulative time, wins. If you have any questions, you can ask them now".