Chapter 15

The morning of the proving didn't start how Nick had wanted. Mainly because Trent apparently disabled his alarm. Instead of waking up with plenty of time to eat and get ready, Nick was instead woken up by a rather chipper Keith.

"Seems you've had a falling out with your roommate." Keith was fiddling with Nick's alarm as he hurriedly got dressed. Nick and Trent didn't get along, but to sabotage Nick on the day of the proving was going a bit far.

"He's lucky he's not here." Nick was imagining a few painful ways he could take out his frustration on Trent.

Keith tossed Nick and apple, and started heading towards the door. "Tell ya what Nicky, head over to the obstacle course, and I'll make sure you can get your revenge a little later today." He laughed and disappeared.

Nick finished getting ready and ate the apple quickly. If not for Keith, he would have been starting the proving on a completely empty stomach. He then drew some of his physical energy, sprinting as fast as he could towards the course. As he neared though, he let his energy go, making it appear as if he had jogged normally all the way there. The other first years still did not know he had unlocked his powers.

"Look who finally decided to join us." Keith called out as he approached, directing the attention of all the first years and Naomi in his direction. "Now that Nicky has arrived, the lovely Naomi can continue her explanation." He grinned at Nick.

"Glad you could join us Nick." Naomi shot him a look that was between a greeting and a warning. Showing up late was not high on the whole proving himself to her spectrum he supposed.

"As I was saying. Once you complete the proving, you will all be assigned your class ranks. Additionally, this will signal the end of your introductory training, and you will begin taking your classes at the Academy-"

"-Which start early, so make sure to set your alarms." Keith interjected, and Nick could tell he was fighting hard to not laugh.

"Jerk." Nick whispered, but he too was trying not to laugh.

"Do I need to separate the two of you?" Naomi's look was easy to read this time, and her threat was clear.

"Anyways...these classes will be attended by students of all four schools, and will cover a curriculum that has been deemed important for students at the Academy. After your classes are done for the day, you will then have additional training, with all the other Phys, at the main training center."

Someone in the group of first years let out a groan, earning a sharp look from Naomi. "Your training following the proving will be based upon your skill level. We will not hold those with more ability back for those of you who struggle-"

"-Nick" Trent whispered from the group of first years, causing the others to laugh. Nick couldn't wait for Keith to come through with his promise.

Naomi's anger flared, but she quickly composed herself. "As such, there is a chance those of you who rank higher will be paired with students from different years. Take that opportunity to learn all you can, and always work towards bettering yourself."

Naomi motioned for the first years to stand, and started walking towards the start of the obstacle. The others had likely run this course hundreds of times over the past three months, but this was Nick's first time being this close.

"The first part of the proving, is to see how quickly you can complete this five mile obstacle course. Keith will be running along it with you, to ensure you do not cheat." She paused and looked at Keith, who flashed an evil smile towards the first years. "Cheaters, will be punished accordingly by Keith, and your ranking will suffer."

They had reached the start line. "At the end of the course, you will be given your time, and will wait patiently for the entire group to finish. Once that happens, we will begin the sparring portion of the proving. How you do in both parts of the exam, will dictate your overall ranking." She looked out at the group. "Now, who wants to go first?"

"I think the slowest should go first, so we aren't stuck waiting on him." Trent's voice again. Nick was fuming.

"And who is that?" Naomi was smiling for some reason.

"Obviously the only Phys who can't use his energy, Nicholas Stryder." The group of first years chattered in agreement.

"If that's how you all feel, very well." Naomi looked directly at Nick. "Would you come up here Nicky, seems you get to go first."

Begrudgingly Nick walked forward, silently cursing Trent and the others. He was hoping to keep his energy a surprise for the sparring, but he guessed he would have no choice but to show the others his power now.

"Once you turn past the tree line, they won't be able to see you use your powers." Naomi whispered into his ear as he took up his position. Grinning, he stopped from reaching towards his energy.

"You're evil."

"I want to watch their faces when you do use your powers Nicky. I don't take kindly to the way they've treated you." She stood back up, and nodded to Keith.

"Are you ready?" Keith nodded, mouth full of apple. He seemed to have an endless supply of those.

"Go!" Naomi yelled, starting a digital clock on her wrist. Nick could see it was mimicked on Keith's, as he took off at a sprint. It seemed agonizingly slow compared to how fast he could go with his energy, and he could hear the first years laughing.

They're going to regret that. Dagr was soaring lazily ahead of him. The dragon seemed just as agitated by the first years as Nick was.

"I cannot wait." He turned the corner, and now that he was hidden behind the tree line, he saw Keith nod. They both pulled in their physical energy, and like lightning, Nick took off through the course. Nick knew without his energy, this course would take him close to an hour. With his physical powers coursing through his veins, he finished it in mere minutes.

"Shall we make them wait?" Keith asked him as he finished. Nick nodded, a smile on his face.

"Yeah, I didn't get to eat breakfast yet." He smiled at Keith, and the fourth laughed, sending a message to Naomi with the device on his wrist.

"Well, shall we fix that?" Keith pulled out another apple, tossing it at Nick, as the two turned back towards the Academy. They had a good forty minutes to grab some hot food, before the next first year was sent through the course.