Chapter 12
The final leg of the American Triple Crown was brutal.
I knew it before the gates even opened. This race was different. Not just harder. Heavier. Like something was waiting for me at the end.
Between races, while staying in America, I had spent time with her. Secratiet. Not on the track, but in the quiet moments. Early mornings. Empty stables. Late nights when the noise was gone. I talked. She listened. Sometimes it felt silly. Sometimes it felt real.
I told her about my fears. About limits. About how the system always showed numbers, but never meaning. She never answered with words. Just presence. Calm. Strength. Patience.
She had raced from 1970 to 1973. She had carried the weight of the world and made it look easy. I looked up to her. Not to take anything from her, but to understand her.
Now, in this race, I finally began to feel it.
From the start, my body screamed. Muscles burned. Breath came short. Stamina dropped faster than expected. My legs shook. My mind fought to stay clear. Every skill was active. Gold Swinging Mastro. Professor of Arc. Beeline. Straight Way Recovery. Rushing Gale. Concentrate. Take the Lead. Unrestricted. Final Push.
Still, it was not enough.
Pain rose. Fatigue pressed down. Every warning told me to slow. But then I remembered her. Not her speed. Not her wins. Her calm. Her trust in the run.
Then it happened.
Domain awakened.
The world changed. The track felt longer, but clearer. My vision sharpened. My body felt strange, light and heavy at the same time. Red Shift LP 1211-M activated at the final corner, but this time I did not force it. I listened.
And I felt her.
Not as a ghost. Not as a power. As understanding. The advice she had been giving me all along without words. Do not fight the run. Become it.
My body adapted. Every stride found its place. Every turn flowed. Limits I had trained around no longer mattered. I finally understood what it must have felt like for her. The quiet certainty. The full trust in herself.
I was not copying Secratiet.
I was answering her.
The system could not keep up. Speed, stamina, power, guts, intelligence went beyond numbers. Domain did not steal anything. It unlocked what had always been there, built from effort, failure, and respect.
I crossed the finish line first. Clear. Absolute.
The system showed one line. Domain activated permanently. Potential maximized. Run 1 complete.
As I slowed, my heart pounding, I felt peace. Not pride. Not hunger. Understanding.
I finally got the message.
Later, the name spread on its own. International Super Car. The second coming of Secratiet.
I did not reject it.
I did not claim to replace her.
I accepted it as proof that I had earned the right to run beside her legacy, not in her shadow.
Run 1 was over.
But now, I was ready to race not just with power, but with meaning.