Azrael stepped onto the first pillar.

It felt as though the needle sized pillar had enlarged and turned sticky to accommodate his feet.

His body did not so much as wobble, balancing as though he stood on solid ground.

"Nice," he muttered, looking toward the finish line a kilometer away.

Zephyr landed next to him, his body tilting to the side before catching itself.

He did not dare rest his entire foot on the pillar. He landed on his toes, choosing to balance himself that way.

Nyx and Malaric did the same.

But their pupils dilated as they watched Azrael, who had planted his full foot on the pillar without hesitation.

"Okay, meet you at the finish line."

He saluted with two fingers, then began to run along the pillars.

Before he found his balance on one pillar he had already jumped to the next.

The other three watched in shock as Azrael left them behind.

"Okay, this was a bad idea," Zephyr said as he began to move.

Although not as fast or precise as Azrael, he did not waste time trying to balance himself either.

"Let’s just make it a race between the three of us. We can’t beat him," Zephyr said, turning to look at the other two.

"You’re right," Nyx sighed, jumping to another pillar.

Malaric followed suit.

Behind them, at the spot where they had met Yvonne earlier, Zuriel and his group still stood, watching wide eyed as Azrael crossed more than a quarter of the pillars in under a minute.

"Do you think he is cheating?" Valdren asked, his voice shaky.

Zuriel looked at him with dead eyes. 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

"Do you see him using essence?"

Sirris studied Azrael’s back with the scrutiny of a hunter.

"It is pure talent. I detect no essence usage even after activating my Eye of Truth."

Zuriel sighed.

"How did he become like this so fast?"

Sirris shrugged.

"You can waste your time thinking about that, or focus on completing your laps."

As she said those words, she jumped onto one of the pillars.

She moved like a feline prowling toward its prey, dropping to all fours and gripping the pillar with a hold that made it impossible for the wind to shift her.

Zuriel watched her as he tightened his fist.

He breathed out.

"Okay."

"You made it back pretty quickly," Yvonne said, looking at Azrael with a smile.

She was perched atop a tree, lying lazily with a fruit in hand.

"Thank you," Azrael replied, already turning to start his lap again.

"What do you plan to do?" Yvonne asked, landing between Azrael and the pillars.

Azrael furrowed his brows.

"Continue the course."

"Did I forget to mention it?" She asked with a smile. "First place gets to forfeit all their previous point deductions. So congratulations."

She was about to shake Azrael’s hand when her head snapped toward the pillars.

Time seemed to slow in her perception as she leapt forward.

She caught Zephyr before he could fall, placed him back on the pillar, and reappeared before Azrael just in time to complete the handshake.

"Why did the wind suddenly blow so hard?" Azrael asked, feeling the chill creep up his spine.

Yvonne shrugged. "Who knows."

She leapt back up, landing on the tree again.

"Here," she said from above.

Azrael turned toward her.

Bam.

A red fruit landed squarely on his head before falling to the floor with a soft thump.

"Thank you," he said, picking it up.

Yvonne nodded.

[Congratulations to the host on completing the quest. All rewards have been sent to the inventory.]

The screen flashed in his face before vanishing quickly.

Time passed in a blur, and Zephyr reached the finish line second.

It took another five minutes after Azrael had arrived before Zephyr got there.

"How did you do that?" Zephyr asked, one hand on his chest, body bent forward at the waist, the other hand pointing at Azrael.

"Do what?" Azrael asked in response.

Zephyr looked at him.

At that moment, the urge to pounce on Azrael stirred in him.

"Not now," he consoled himself as he walked toward the tree.

He slumped against the trunk, resting his back on it.

"Where is the instructor?" Zephyr suddenly asked, looking up at Azrael who stood over him.

Azrael’s frame cast a shadow over Zephyr.

Azrael pointed upward.

"In the sky?" Zephyr asked with furrowed brows.

"No, on another planet," Azrael replied, shaking his head.

"Really?" Zephyr’s brows furrowed further. "How was she able to save me from falling if she was that far away?"

Azrael shook his head in disappointment.

"You dummy, she is on the tree."

"Ohh," Zephyr hummed, scratching his head.

Azrael nodded, but his mind lingered on what Zephyr had said.

Throughout his entire time on what he could only describe as a floating island, Yvonne had not visibly left her spot on the tree.

"She is so fast I cannot even register her movements," Azrael sighed.

It brought the sudden gust of wind back to his mind.

"Almost everyone I have met here is strong enough to kill me with a single breath," Azrael sighed, sitting down beside Zephyr.

Zephyr heard him but said nothing.

After all, it was nothing but the truth.

The next person to arrive was not Nyx.

Neither was it Malaric.

It was Sirris.

She leapt from the last pillar, her body twisting gracefully mid air before landing cleanly on the ground.

Azrael barely registered the display, not giving it a second thought.

She did not spare him or Zephyr a glance either.

She turned straight back toward the pillars and began her second lap.

That was when it clicked for Zephyr.

"Are you not going to complete your laps?" He asked.

He did not look away from the pillars as he spoke, but Azrael caught the question regardless.

"Perks of finishing first," Azrael shrugged.

To him, doing it or not was simply a matter of time and energy. There was no such thing as failed balance on a pillar. Not anymore.