Looking Ahead

Max clenched his fists, feeling frustration boil inside him as he watched his sister and Samantha applauding for Alex. Why did he always have to ruin everything? He thought of the private conversation he had with the bishop after Alex defeated the Tera.

"Max, you have to become stronger than the Fire Heir for the sake of your family and humanity. The Fire Hero was actually insane and killed thousands of humans. You have to be stronger than Alex because someday you might have to stop him."

Since that day, Max had been training every day to be ready to defend humanity against Alex. He was stronger than Alex now, but Alex's natural talent still left him feeling inadequate. Max had been practicing his element for a long time, but he could only create a small branch, while Alex had burned a stick to ashes in his first class.

Even after being in a coma for a month, Alex still achieved results close to those of Max, who had trained the entire month, during the initial assessment at the institute. Although everyone in the institute believed that Max was the most talented individual since the heroes of the elements, even receiving an unprecedented apprentice rank, Max still felt inferior in terms of talent compared to Alex.

Frustrated with everything, Max turned to Samantha, who wasn't clapping or congratulating Alex. When she caught his gaze, she blushed and said, "Max, in my opinion, you were much better than him."

Max felt a rush of relief and gratitude wash over him. He smiled at Samantha and said, "Thank you, but there are no better or worse. We're all learning, and Alex and I were just lucky this time," blaming luck for his performance.

"My dear students, it's already late, we're finishing here for today. You can go home, but don't forget to train every day, and Alex, no burning anything," Olana said, and Max was the first to leave the classroom.

Alex laughed and said, "I'll do my best not to burn anything."

As Max walked away from the classroom, he heard Alex's laughter behind him. Max clenched his fists again, determined to prove himself against Alex, no matter how talented he was.

When Samantha left the classroom after saying goodbye to Olana, only Alex, Emily, and Olana remained in the room. Alex and Emily were leaving the room when Olana said, "Alex Stern, you're not thinking of leaving without explaining in detail what happened in your potion class today, are you?"

Upon hearing this, Alex gulped, and Emily said before running out of the room, "Good luck, see you tomorrow, Alex."

Alex was now alone with Olana, and he told her everything that had happened. Olana made sure to give Alex a half-hour lecture, and then she sent him home.

After arriving at his small dorm room in the institute's dormitory, Alex flopped down on his bed, feeling exhausted from the day's events. The room was sparsely furnished, with only a small desk and chair, a narrow twin bed, and a small wardrobe. The walls were painted a dull beige color, and there was a single window that looked out onto the institute's courtyard.

As he lay there, staring up at the white ceiling, Alex couldn't help but think about how crazy his first day of classes had been and what the next few years would be like. After a few moments, exhausted, he closed his eyes and fell asleep.