Tales From The Kronos

A lot of people were around, some were preparing to film the event while some were just here to see it. Neither Snow nor Silva knew much about cars or racing, but they would need to find a way to somehow win the race. They were waiting for Eida to get Neige, while waiting, Neige tried looking around for Kairo but he was nowhere to be seen. If he didn't come, Eida would win by technicality, but he knew it wouldn't be that easy.

"Snow! Silva!" Shouted Eida, followed by her friend Neige. "The other racer isn't here?"

"No." Answered Snow. "But he should arrive soon, the race will start."

They all stayed in silence, waiting for their opponent to arrive. It lasted for a few more minutes, but he finally arrived. Kairo was here, Snow wanted to go see him, but he figured that it would be better if they talked later, he needed to focus on the race.

Another man, probably the referee, came running toward them.

"Eida, are you ready?"

She nodded her head confidently, and confidently got into her car. She looked toward her friends with excitation, smiling at them.

"So, you're coming?"

"Wait," Silva said as if something was worrying her "I think we should try to stay outside actually. If Kairo does cheat, then it will be easier to see."

"That's not wrong." Said Neige, looking at his car. "I think it's also better for me to stay out of it, I'm not sure my body can take it. I'll stay outside with the girl, the boy will go with you."

"Me?" Asked Snow. "Why me? I could stay outside and help too."

"No, you won your last race, I think that you could help more with your driving experience."

"Sure... My 'driving experience'..." Snow wasn't sure but he was kinda happy to experience the race from the inside. He got into the car and sat on the passenger seat, next to Eida.

"Good luck to you two. The girl and I will pray for your success."

Silva and Neige left, leaving the two others in the car. The other car got next to them, ready to race. Snow looked and was assured that it was his old friend. Kairo however didn't even look at him, only focusing on the road ahead.

"You know each other I think, right? Don't you want to talk to him before it starts?"

"No, it's fine." Answered Snow "I'll do it after."

The referee stood between the two contestants and started to speak in a mike. Everything seemed way more professional than the race Snow was in, but in the end, it was still street racing.

"Hello everyone! Tonight, we will witness the finale of our yearly competition! On my left, is the racer that comes from the true shadow! No one heard of him before, and yet he managed to win every race and get to the top. Kairo! On my right was supposed to be Neige, one of, if not the best pilot around here! But he got in an accident, so instead, his friend, the girl from behind the scenes, will race for him! Acclaim and cheer for Eida!"

The public was on fire, everyone was screaming and cheering like they waited all of their life for this moment. The man with the mike got close to Kairo and continued talking to the crowd.

"The goal will be to arrive at the other side of the city, near the sunset bridge. Anything is allowed, the first to get there is the winner. But first, let's ask for a pre-race interview before we begin. Sir, do you have anything to say?"

Kairo took the mike and looked Snow straight in the eyes with a serious face, he stayed silent for a while, before answering with an equally serious tone.

"Neige, we both are fighting for something greater than us. Forget that I'm your friend, and race with the intent to kill me."

Kairo immediately looked at the road in front of him. The commentator seemed a bit confused but still kept his joyful and energetic tone.

"I'm sorry sir, I think you're confused. Neige isn't here, he got in an accident. Do you have anything to say to Eida, your opponent?"

"I have nothing to add." Answered Kairo.

The man was a bit surprised and stared at Kairo in confusion but quickly went toward Eida to ask the same question.

"And you, so you have anything to say to everyone watching us?"

Eida looked around a bit afraid. She wasn't used to all the attention since she would stay in her garage most of the time, but she still tried saying something.

"Well yeah... I want to do my best because... I... Err... Want to make my friend proud."

"It's great." Said the commentator "I'm sure he will be proud of you. Is everyone ready? The race will start! Don't blink, or you might miss a lot!"

The man stood in the middle and slowly started a countdown while the crowd was cheering their favorite.

"Ready? Get, set, go!"

The two cars started at the signal, and the race started. Eida was focused on the road, while Snow was looking at Kairo, making sure he wouldn't try to cheat in some way. They managed to stay in front of him, which made Snow relieved.

"We're going pretty fast, it should be alright."

"I don't think so." Eida looked concerned, even despite their clear advantage "He could go faster, I know these kinds of cars. He's staying behind for a reason."

"A reason?" Asked Snow. "But which one?"

"I don't know, maybe there's a trap ahead, or he plans to bump us from behind to make us crash. He's your friend, do you know what he would do?"

Snow thought for a while, Kairo was often the one full of resources. If he really wanted to, Kairo could easily beat them at anything.

"There has to be a way to know." Snow said, lost in his thoughts.

"Well if you know a way, do it now. There is a bridge soon, if he decides to act, he will do it now!"

Snow didn't have a lot of time to think, he kept his eyes on Kairo, unsure about what he should do. He always could use his firearm to shoot the tires of his opponent's car, but he didn't want to do it. It was mostly because he still wanted to save his friend from his madness, and even if it could bring problems, Snow still had hope deep inside.

Snow stayed in his thoughts for a while, but to its surprise, Kairo took another turn. It didn't seem to be the optimal way, so it didn't really make sense that he would take another path. Snow was relieved until he heard Eida's frustrated voice.

"Dang, the bridge is broken." Said Eida, with a frustrated tone.

Snow turned to check, and the bridge was indeed broken. Did Kairo know? Is it why he took another path? There wasn't much they could do now, but even despite the clear roadblock, Eida kept going toward the broken bridge at full speed.

"Should we take another path?" Suggested Snow, but the woman wasn't any signs of stopping.

"And lose time? Nah. The bridge is inclined upward, and since it's broken now, it should work like a ramp. If we go fast enough, we should go above the bridge."

"Should? I don't think it's a good idea."

No matter how much he tried, Snow couldn't stop Eida. They really were about to jump on the bridge with the car. It was at least 20 meters, there was no way that they make it to the other side.

"Please stop, we can find a way."

"Come on, don't you feel excited? Going full speed, uncertain of its success. Feeling the engine of the car working, the tires rolling on the ground, hearing the wind outside as we race through it. That's what makes you feel alive!"

Eida seemed exhilarated by the race, a bit too much for Snow's taste. They were about to jump above a bridge and risk their lives and she looked like she was enjoying it. But at the same time, Snow couldn't help but feel the same. It was like a feeling he never had before, and he was as happy as scared to feel it.

"Maybe it's not so bad after all."

"Of course, it's not bad, it's great! Now prepare yourself, it's the first time I'm doing something like that."

Snow knew he should feel scared, and yet, he felt excited. His heart was pounding in his chest as the car was going as fast as it could, and in an instant, ended up flying through the air. It felt like an eternity, the world looked like it stopped. Snow couldn't feel his heart beating anymore, and after a while, the car finally landed on the other side of the bridge.

"Yaaaaay, that was awesome! See Neige, you should have more faith sometimes!" Eida took a second to think about what she said, before correcting herself "Wait, you're Snow, not Neige. I'm sorry, you just look so similar."

"It's okay."

Snow still couldn't believe that he was alive. He looked behind to see how big the broken bridge was, but when he did, he saw a kind of black slime pending behind the car. He couldn't believe his eyes, but just in the blink of an eye, the matter disappeared. Was it a hallucination? Either way, he needed to focus on the race.

"Sometimes, you just have to believe, and everything will be alright! And thanks to that, we're really far in front of him now, we should be guaranteed to win now."

Snow was relieved for sure, but he also knew that Kairo had more than one trick, if he stopped here, it wouldn't be the Kairo he knew. The only thing he could do for now though, is to calm himself. His heart was still pounding in his chest, and he had no idea how they both survived.

Even despite the seriousness of the situation, Snow still enjoyed the moment. It reminded him of his old adventure with Polyetta, his leader. Before they were part of the Kronos and tried to save worlds. It was a simpler time, and thanks to Eida, Snow felt like he was living it again.

However, the race wasn't over yet, and he knew he would need to keep his cool if he wanted to deal with anything Kairo had in mind.