The morning sunlight streamed through the window, but Zeki barely noticed it. He got up, changed clothes mechanically, and walked into the living room. In the kitchen, the smell of fresh coffee and the sound of his parents' voices pulled him back to reality.
"Good morning," he said, stepping into the kitchen.
"Morning, Zeki," his father replied, not taking his eyes off the newspaper. "And don't go eating junk first thing in the morning."
Zeki glanced around, ignored the processed options, and grabbed a banana. "I'll just have a banana."
He sat down on the couch, slowly chewing.
"Zeki, can you grab the broom from the balcony for me?" his mother asked.
He stood up, went to the balcony, picked up the broom, and handed it to her. "Here, Mom."
Back on the couch, he checked his phone. 10:00.
I better hurry so I won't be late.
"Mom, Dad, I'm heading out so I don't get late."
"Already?" his father asked, finally lowering the newspaper. "Well, anyway, I know you'll pass. It's that guild you were talking about yesterday, right?"
"Yeah. It's the best in São Paulo, but also the hardest to get into."
"I know you'll make it, son," Cleiton said, genuine pride in his voice. "You've worked hard for this."
"Wow, that's rare—seeing you encourage him," Claudia said with a smile.
"Well, he deserves it. He's very dedicated."
"Thanks, Dad. Bye, Mom. Bye, Dad." Zeki felt an unexpected warmth from his father's words.
"Good luck, Zeki. We're rooting for you," his mother said.
"Do your best, kid."
Zeki left the house, feeling motivated. As he walked, the busy streets of São Paulo felt like an anthill full of competitors.
This guild… I have to make it.
Finally, he arrived.
The building was massive—a towering structure of glass and steel that seemed to touch the sky, with an imposing, modern façade. A crowd of young people—some as nervous as him, others overflowing with confidence—pushed together at the entrance.
Up close, this building doesn't seem that big, he thought, trying to calm his racing heart.
He took a deep breath and stepped inside.
The interior buzzed with anxious chatter.
"Wow, I'm so nervous. What if I fail?"
"Relax, I'm sure I'll get a high rank right away. I'm ready!"
"I'm confident too. I didn't come all this way just to get kicked out."
As Zeki walked through the lobby, he heard his name being called.
"Hey, Zeki! What's up?"
He turned and saw Bia and Gustavo approaching.
So they came, he thought, surprised. Bia, I expected… but Gustavo was so set on not coming.
"Hey, Bia," he said, walking over.
"What's up, man! Ready for this?" Gustavo said with contagious energy. "This guild is awesome. I'm getting a high rank, you'll see!"
He never misses a chance to mess with me, and now he acts like we're friends… what do Bia or his mom do to make him act like this?
"So, shall we?" Zeki asked.
"Let's go! I'm curious to see what it's like inside," Bia said excitedly.
"That's right! I can already see it—I'm walking out of here as the top of the guild. And you, Zeki, have you accepted you're gonna lose to me?"
"If that's what you think," Zeki replied calmly.
"Man, Zeki, I'm so excited! But yeah, let's go!"
The three of them walked in together, ready for whatever came next.