The Oakhaven Proving Grounds was a brutal stretch of cracked asphalt, sharp elevation changes, and magical traps. To the thousands of spectators in the stands, it was entertainment. To the fifty drivers lined up at the starting grid, it was a meat grinder.
Caelum sat in the driver's seat of the disguised obsidian sedan. Through the Ghost Screen, the car still looked like a rusted, rattling heap of scrap.
"Stay low in the seat," Caelum muttered, his eyes fixed on the holographic countdown hovering over the track. "When the mana-gate drops, the first turn will be a bloodbath. The sensory mages will try to stall our engine."
In the specially designed containment unit beside him, Elena gripped the armrests. Her silver eyes were wide, reflecting the flickering runes on the dashboard. "Caelum, look to the left. It's him."
Caelum glanced out the window. Three lanes over sat a gleaming, gold-plated interceptor. It was a masterpiece of Inner City engineering, bristling with elemental cannons. Behind the wheel was Julian Valerius the High Lord's nephew and the man who had laughed when Elena was cast out.
Julian looked over at Caelum's rusted van and sneered, making a "thumbs down" gesture. He didn't recognize the man he had once called a "servant dog," but he clearly intended to make an example of the slowest car on the track.
3... 2... 1... GO!
The mana-gate shattered into light.
Forty-nine engines roared, releasing clouds of colored exhaust. Julian's gold interceptor surged forward, leaving a trail of scorched earth. Caelum, however, didn't floor the accelerator. He waited.
"Why aren't we moving?" Elena cried as cars drifted and collided all around them.
"Patience," Caelum whispered. He felt the Eternal Heart thumping beneath the floorboards, hungry for the hunt. "Let the amateurs clear the first narrow."
Ahead, the first turn;a sharp hairpin bordered by "Gravity Wells" claimed six cars. Metal screamed as vehicles were crushed into the size of soda cans by the magical traps.
"Now," Caelum said.
He tapped a hidden rune on the steering wheel. The rusted engine didn't growl; it let out a high-pitched, metallic whistle. The sedan didn't just accelerate it launched.
The G-force slammed Elena back into her seat. Through the perception filter, the car still looked like it was falling apart, but it was moving at a speed that defied physics. Caelum wove through the wreckage of the first turn with surgical precision.
"He's coming back for us!" Elena warned.
Julian Valerius, seeing the "junk pile" actually making progress, slowed his gold interceptor. He veered into Caelum's lane, his rear mana-thrusters glowing red. He was preparing to unleash a "Firewall" spell from his exhaust to melt Caelum's tires.
"He thinks he's the only one with magic," Caelum muttered. His silver lines flared. "Elena, hold your breath."
Caelum shifted into fifth gear and slammed his palm against the dashboard. "Sovereign's Drift: Phase Shift."
For a split second, the obsidian sedan became semi-transparent. Julian unleashed a massive wave of flame, but the fire passed right through Caelum's car as if it were a ghost.
Caelum accelerated through the flames, appearing inches behind Julian's bumper. He didn't ram him that would reveal the car's true strength. Instead, he used the First Gate's pressure to create a localized vacuum.
Julian's gold interceptor suddenly lost all traction, its wheels spinning uselessly in the airless pocket. The gold car fishtailed wildly, slamming into a concrete barrier with a satisfying crunch of expensive metal.
Caelum didn't look back. He shot past the High Lord's nephew, crossing the first checkpoint in the top ten.
"One down," Caelum said, his silver eyes cold. "Twenty miles to go."
Author's Note:
The trials have begun! Caelum has shown that a 'junk car' can outmaneuver the elite, but Julian Valerius won't take this humiliation lightly. The real traps are yet to come.