After into athletic wear, Hades was ready, while Elena, for her part, was also dressed in athletic wear with white sneakers and a matching t-shirt.
—"We'll take the Route 5 bus to the subway; that way we'll get there faster."— Elena said, leading the way. They both left the house and walked to the bus stop; this time they weren't traveling by car.
Hades, for his part, simply followed Elena's directions.
They arrived at the bus stop and had to wait another 10 minutes before the Route 5 bus arrived. The ride took 30 minutes, and they got off right at the subway entrance.
The subway ride took approximately another 30 minutes, and after getting off the train, they both went up to the street.
The place was a complete mess; the traffic jam was endless. —"That'll take you a couple more hours."— Elena commented before leading the way to the academy. —"We're 5 kilometers from the academy."— But the street was already packed with people.
Elena stopped for a moment and told the boy, —"Follow me closely and try not to get lost."— With that, she walked alongside the crowd, all heading in the same direction.
The street was filled with boys, girls, men, women, children, and the elderly, rich and poor no distinction was made, and they were all going to the academy. A few blocks away, they heard a man shout, —"Exam guide! Buy your exam guide!"—
Elena just glanced briefly at the man and sighed in disgust as a group of people bought the exam guides.
—"Damn scammers, they never change."— Elena muttered before continuing on her way with another annoyed sigh.
—"It's a scam."— The boy said, making Elena smile as she nodded. —"They're opportunists who prey on clueless people. The first time I came, I bought two study guides."— The woman paused, recalling the moment, her face contorted in disdain as if she'd just eaten something awful.
Elena added: —"My face was priceless when I found out those exam guides were useless for getting into the academy."—
—"How much did you pay for each guide.?"— Hades asked.
Elena held up two fingers. —"Back then, they were about 20 gold coins, which was $2,000 each."—
Leaving the boy speechless. —"You paid what.?"— This time, Elena just nodded silently. The woman didn't want to talk about it anymore, so they both remained silent.
After walking a couple of blocks, they came across a line of people. —"We're here."— Hades said with a smile, but Elena quickly stopped him, shaking her head. —"No, wait a moment."—
Hades had no idea what Elena was doing, but she had already come with her four children, so she had some experience and often helped family, friends, and acquaintances with this kind of thing.
—"Wait, Hades wait, don't rush,"— the woman said, followed by a gesture with her hand.
Minutes later, a voice was heard approaching slowly until it passed right by them. —"All those who have woken up this morning, please come forward to gate."—
After hearing the man's words, some people raised their hands and stepped aside, trying to get his attention, but he didn't stop. He simply repeated the same instruction: —"All those who have woken up this morning, please come forward to gate."—
At that moment, Elena gestured to Hades to come closer.
Elena took a breath and spoke. —"Okay, Hades, it's time to go to the front. Don't despair, and don't run. Just walk and keep walking. If someone tries to cut in front, let them. Never argue, never fight. Everyone will get their turn eventually."—
Hades nods, but Elena continues: —"When you get to the front, there will be several lines. Everyone was awakened on different dates. Starting with today, then yesterday, 3, 4, or 5 days ago, then there are those awakened last week, those from 3 and 4 weeks ago, and finally, those from last month."—
—"When you find your place, don't speak, don't chat, and don't argue. Just stay silent until you go to the front. You'll enter in groups of 100, and you'll have to take four different tests: ( strength, speed, endurance, and finally, meditation. ) I'll be at a coffee shop three blocks away until 4 p.m."— Elena points to the street.
—"Okay, I'll do my best. Wish me luck."— Hades said before starting to walk with the other young people toward the academy.
After walking a few steps, Elena suddenly shouted. —"Good luck...."— Hades didn't respond; he simply raised his hand in a gesture of understanding.
Seconds later, Hades disappeared into the crowd. Elena took out her cell phone and began sending a series of messages to her son Jacob and her second daughter, Teresa.
[I need you to go home, buy, and replace Hades' mattress.]
Without explaining anything else, Elena put away her cell phone and turned around, heading back to the cafeteria.
If they want to be part of this, both her eldest son her sister have to earn their place, because since Hades came into the family, they've never mistreated him, so the woman was sure the boy wouldn't complicate things for her family.
This time, Elena is more than certain that Hades will become one of the most important people in the city.
⁜ ⁜ ⁜ ⁜ ⁜ ⁜ ⁜ ⁜ ⁜ ⁜ ⁜ ⁜ ⁜
Hades didn't take long to arrive in front of the Academy gates, and while he waited, he followed Elena's instructions to the letter.
Remained completely silent, watching the students wander around. Some students formed small groups, while others shouted to be attended to.
It was at that moment that a group of five students approached and joined the line, but Hades ignored them. Meanwhile, others became angry and argued until a man in athletic wear, with an instructor's ID badge hanging from his chest, approached the group, shouting. —"All those who woke up today, line up to my right."— With that, the group of students immediately began to move...
Hades, for his part, followed the instruction and took his place.
The guy shouted another instruction:— "Those who woke up yesterday, line up to my left.."—
Another group of students immediately moved, forming another line. —"Alright, now both groups go through the door and enter the academy."—
The two lines of boys walked toward the door, and each boy entered the academy. But suddenly, the fourth boy was forcefully repelled and thrown more than 5 meters into the air as a red light flashed.
The instructor smiled and shook his head. —"That's the first and only warning. From our side, anyone repelled by the door will be denied entry to the Academy forever."— With that, the instructor gave the order to advance again, and ten to twenty young men left both lines.
When the first 100 young men had passed, the instructor stopped the line with the following words. — "Good, that's the first group. Now move forward to form the second group."— The two lines resumed their advance. Hades entered this second group along with other young men of the same age.
The moment Hades crosses the threshold, a golden light flashes and blinks a few times, catching the attention of several people. No one intervenes, nor do they call out to him; they simply glance at him briefly before resuming their activities.
Although some of the students sneer, the more intrigued ones ask the instructor about it. However, he doesn't even look at them, as if the incident never happened. Only two or three understand what's going on and turn to look at Hades more closely, as if they want to memorize his face.
***********************************
When the second group enters, the 100 students are divided into groups of ten, including both boys and girls.
The first group of ten is lined up lengthwise. Another instructor approaches and gives instructions. —"Alright, guys, now you're going to lift that sack."— The instructor said, pointing to the stack of sacks a few feet away. —"Just walk over, grab it, and lift it."— The first group of boys nodded and walked to the front of the sacks.
Hades, for his part, wasn't very confident in his strength, but he followed tinstructions nonetheless. He approached the sack, grabbed it with both hands, and lifted it with force.
The boy lifted the sack so easily that even Hades was surprised when it was up.
—"Good, now all of you who managed to lift it can put it down."— The instructor said, pointing to the floor. —"Everyone who managed to lift it, move on to your next test. The rest of you can leave. You'll receive some instructions as you leave."— With visibly defeated faces, some of the boys moved away. The more daring ones tried to lift the sack again, but no one else from the first group succeeded.
Of the group of ten, only six remain. These six are stopped and wait for the group behind them to finish their first test. Those who manage to pass are added to the first group until the group of ten is formed again.
The second test is a speed test.
This time, the group of ten boys must run one hundred meters, but this time none of them hold back and they run as if their lives depended on it.
[100 meters in less than 15 seconds.] After that time, those who don't manage it are expelled from the group.
The third test is one of endurance:
This time, the group of boys has to complete 10 laps of a track in the shortest possible time, carrying a 70-kilogram load on their backs.
Two or three people manage to finish, while the rest are eliminated.
In the fourth and final test, the boys are taken to a room and separated, where each is given a meditation method with the following instruction: —"You must attract spiritual energy and enter the first cycle.—" This time, each boy has a maximum of two days.
Obviously, Hades is bewildered upon hearing this, but he doesn't lose heart. The boy simply takes the pamphlet in his hands and begins to read. As he reads, a strange energy surrounds him.
When he learns all the content, for no apparent reason, Hades' body begins to glow with a milky white light. The spiritual energy around his body is so dense that it distorts his silhouette.
Ten minutes later Hades officially manages to enter the first stage, officially setting his first record. Seconds later, a couple of knocks make the door ring.