CRYSTALLUM LOST DREAMS | Fantasy Novel |

Chapter 6 - Part 2

The race continued at a tight pace: on the fifth lap, Xanter kept attacking the second position, but Vernon Zala managed to cover the holes in his trajectories remarkably well and accelerated vigorously on the straightaways.

After three laps without overtaking, Losh Gani lost ground to the leading group. Among the snorts, Aran said, "I don't think it brought him much luck." He shrugged.

In the next five laps, Numal caught up with Xanter and overtook him right on the final straightaway, but there was no applause to hail him.

"Is he slowing down... Aran, why is he slowing down?" Elidana asked curiously.

"He overdid it. He ran out of energy and can't continue; for him, the race is over now," explained Aran.

Meanwhile, Marmorel took advantage of the brief lull to rest her head on Aran's shoulder. The half-empty bottle of mead slipped from her hands.

"Hey, are you okay?" Cora asked, but received no answer. Marmorel was as red as a pepper and kept her eyes half-closed.

Every pilot pushed to the limit lap after lap: Losh and Vincent managed to overtake Laratt, who was then keeping his distance from Xanter behind him.

On the twenty-third lap, only Xanter Roha and Laratt Tena were left on the track; the others had already retired, unable to continue the race: their Seorite was completely exhausted.

At that moment, Laratt was handling the turns with precision. However, in the middle of the twenty-fourth lap, Xanter's pressure forced him to delay braking in a turn. The Edel Wings pilot took advantage of the mistake, slipped inside, and emerged from the turn in the lead. A good portion of the stands exploded in a single cheer of celebration.

"This is the first time a rookie has led the race in the final laps," commented the spectator in front of Cora.

Marmorel looked at Aran, who was cheering. Cora observed that gesture. The girl's cheeks were red, her chest incandescent. Fez, on the other hand, swallowed, clutching the bolt as if he wanted to choke it. He, too, had his eyes on her. "Hey," Cora whispered to Elidana, as Marmorel took a long breath and slowly approached her friend's lips.

Xanter slowed down; he had given everything. Laratt overtook him with extreme ease.

"I'm sorry for Xanter. He did well, but his race is over. Too bad, he lacked experience," concluded Aran with a bit of bitterness, but he seemed to be the only one in the group who didn't notice Marmorel.

The Edel Wings pilot stopped under the second-to-last turn, on the gravel that covered the area in front of the stands. Aran ran towards the track, along with the other fans, just a few meters away from him. Xanter Roha hit the front part of the vaasp, above the compartment that held the Seorite.

Marmorel closed her eyes, but Aran was no longer sitting by her side. She slowly proposed herself after taking a long breath. "Aran, I..." she whispered, finding warm lips.

Elidana and Cora became powerless spectators. The friend's kiss was too quick to do anything.

"Aran, I... love you," sighed Marmorel with a sincere voice, sealing the moment. But when she opened her eyes, her expression became that of a person whose hair had just been torn out... one by one. She lost her breath. Something was wrong. It wasn't Aran who had reciprocated her gesture of love. "Fez!" she exclaimed, pulling her head back; her red hair came off the sticky face of the young boy.

He, on the other hand, slumped in the seat, a satisfied expression on his face.

"No..." murmured Cora, surprised. Elidana had no words.