It was not the first time I was mounted on Styx, holding the reins tightly in my hands.

It was not the first time I felt his cold skin, the rough ebony scales, his horns. Nor was it the first time I felt his breathing and beating heart as he stretched his wings and moved his muscles.

Yet somehow, I was even more nervous.

I took a deep breath, the air leaving my lungs shakily.

“There will be three stops and four lanes. We want to be among the first six thousand before the first stop, yet we need a good boost for the final lane.”

The moment we entered the enclosure space, Ergos sent the race’s information to our crystals. Four lanes were an average number, all things considered. If they were normal-sized lanes, that was.

From within the walls, I could hear the gears and mechanisms moving, the front gate starting to shake. Signaling us it would open soon.

My heart continued to race wildly against my chest.

“Just fly as fast as you can, and I will support you. Unless we are too far behind, save your power.”

I could hear my heartbeat echoing in my ears, ringing in my head, the sound getting louder and louder. In front of us, the metal door began to rise, basking the dark room in a blinding light.

Styx growled, its vibration reaching each of my bones.

Forcing a smile I put on my goggles, my grip on the reins getting tighter. So tight all my knuckles were white.

“Show them why we should respect our elders.”

At the exact moment we heard the signal—

We were already gone.

With one quick boost, Styx was in the air with his wings wide open, the wind hitting against my face. And from this point onward, it was complete insanity.

From every single fathomable direction, dragons collided and roared through the skies. Styx dodged others’ attacks with precision, almost instinctual. I leaned my body and adjusted my legs, trying to make it easier for him to maneuver.

Left and right, up and down; I could hear dragons crying in pain and riders screaming on top of the crowd’s cheers and claps.

The people watched behind the mana barriers, and though I could see the multiple silver orbs floating across benches, I couldn’t see what they were showing.

Nor did I have the privilege to wonder.

Before I could get too lost in my thoughts. a four-legged dragon came from above. I could see the dense, purple smoke before they even opened their mouth.

My eyes quickly ran through our surroundings, desperately searching for something.

We were not in the underground; there were no buildings, no structures. Only the clear sky above and the woods below, both brimming with dragons and their riders—all desperate to win.

I pulled Styx, trying to steer us to the right and then down. The elder dragon understood exactly what I wanted, being two steps ahead of me.

As Styx veered to the right, the four-legged’s poison descended to the dragon who was right below us, making the animal cry in pain and slow down as they breathed in the purple smoke.

In the same heartbeat Styx ducked and dove downwards, as a wingless dragon charging at full speed collided with the four-legged instead.

Someone narrated the race, yet I could barely hear them amidst the roars, cries, and explosions.

I briefly glanced at the black crystal on my wrist, our position being displayed with glowing numbers.

7789th.

I cursed, bracing myself as I tapped Styx to fly faster.

Five times I almost slipped out of my saddle, tearing the skin in my hands as the leather reins scrapped against my skin, again and again, every time I pulled and held it tighter.

As we began approaching the second lane, I spotted the mountains.

They had hundreds of small entrances—tunnels that would direct the riders to the first stop. The entrances had different sizes, and it took me a few seconds to spot the ones ideal for Styx.

When we entered the entrance, the walls around us getting narrower the more we crossed the tunnel, all sounds were muffled. I could hear the other competitors from the haunting echoes that ran across the mountains’ paths, yet that was it.

Once we got to the end of the tunnel, we found ourselves in an open area.

At the exact moment Styx and I stepped into the area, my black crystal glowed up. My eyes were already reading the message’s contents, my brain processing the new information.

Stalactites filled the cave’s roof, crystals from all colors shining and illuminating the space as more and more dragons and their dragons arrived and departed.

On the other side, there were five big entrances—each leading to a different type of lane.

The stop points in a traditional race were not only for competitors to catch their breath.

It was to make our strategies.

During the first and last lane, competitors could engage in direct combat with each other. However, the purpose of the middle lanes was solely to choose the path best suited to the dragon and rider.

To beat other racers through speed and quick thinking.

We all had five minutes to rest and plan, counting the moment we entered the stop point.

I didn’t plan to use all my five minutes, at least not at that stop. We needed to close the distance, and do it fast.

With one glance, I immediately discarded the second and fifth lanes. They were both far too narrow, playing with extreme temperatures. The risks were too great for us.

The first lane was the safest. A wide lane in the woods, few constrictions and obstructions. Yet for that reason, it would be one of the lanes most sought after. Unless I was absolutely certain and confident about managing Styx's speed, going for the first lane was a poor decision.

Which left me with two options. One was a simple lane with a lot of obstacles.

The other was ¾ underwater.

It took me less than ten seconds to make my choice.

I opened one of the pockets in the saddle, taking a larger pair of goggles and quickly tying it on Styx. The dragon gave me a side glance, barely moving a muscle as I set up his goggles.

I quickly explained to Styx my reasoning, his ears twitching as I spoke. I was not even done when Styx opened his wings and charged toward the fourth lane. 

As I had predicted, the fourth lane was one of the least chosen paths.

The deeper we went into the tunnel, the darker and colder it got. It came to a point where I could barely see anything, forcing me to grab some glowers in my pockets.

They were small flasks containing specific fluids. Once the fluids were properly mixed, the alchemical reactions would create an effervescent glow—hence the amazingly creative name.

I shook three flasks repeatedly between my fingers, as fast as I could. At the exact moment the flasks began to glow, Styx dove in one fluid motion—right into the water.

My body was immediately covered by a gelid embrace, almost making me gasp. Holding my breath, I watched as Styx used small boosts of air to navigate through the underwater cave, swimming at an unbelievable speed. 

Still, he was not the fastest. 

After my training, I could hold my breath well enough, and Styx had a good dark vision. On top of that, Styx was an experienced racer—he knew how to gauge his depth. If we played our cards right, we could advance well in the ranks.

From time to time I would see shadows in the water, the light from the glowers illuminating spikes and rough walls that could cause more than a simple injury. And soon enough, even with Styx swimming that fast, I saw it. 

Traces of blood.

Though there was no way for me to smell it, it was impossible for me to miss that unique color.

And with that amount, it had not been a small injury, or from just one person. Even with Styx being careful with his maneuvers and speed, I had scraped my shoulders and arms on the rocks more than once. 

So I could only wonder what inexperienced riders and their dragons had accomplished in this lane.

When my lungs were beginning to hurt, I saw the light at the surface. The moment Styx broke the surface and we arrived at the second stop, I took a deep breath and glanced at my crystal.

4531th place.

I let out a relieved sigh, not bothering to contain my smile.

“That’s how it’s done,” I said to Styx, patting him lightly.

The space was almost identical to the previous stop point, with the difference there were only three paths.

I began reading the new information, frowning the more I read. The middle one was just like the previous first lane; a wide path in the woods. I ignored it. 

The left path was a closed lane, with very active geysers, smoke, and hot temperatures. Styx had a cold core, which already made the left lane unappealing. The right one, however, was not much better.

Yes, it would put less strain on Styx’s core since it was colder.

Yet it was in the middle of a tempest.

Even when the lanes were artificially created, to race with violent winds, lightnings, and heavy rain…it was troublesome.

And knowing the quality of Ergos’ alchemists and builders, I knew for a fact the lanes would feel as real as they could be.

Time escaped me as if it was sand falling between my fingers. I had to make a choice and make one fast.

A dragon’s core was their most important organ after the heart.

For that reason, forcing a dragon to race in an environment that opposed their cores was one of the fastest ways to exhaust them. And even if Styx was in excellent form, he was still older.

I pulled Styx’s reins, signaling him it was time to go. As I steered him to one of the paths, I checked our position one last time. 

4958th.

I clicked my tongue, making Styx fly a bit faster. Our position hadn’t dropped that much, yet getting closer to 5000th wasn’t good. Especially when we had two more lanes to run.

Yet not even thirty seconds into the third lane, I stopped worrying about staying above the 5000th place.

Because I realized far too late I made a huge mistake when choosing the lane. And this mistake could very much cost us the entire race.