"See you Monday..."
"Ah, yeah. See you..."
Kristina and I stood at the entrance to the subway station as we headed separate ways.
Her mom and Maxwell were looking at us with grins that made things extra awkward.
Excusing myself, I waved goodbye before walking away.
It was a silent walk. The sky was starting to grow dim, but I didn't mind. Mr. Brok might be wondering why I'm taking so long though...
It'll be a pain to tell him I ran into my classmate. He'll definitely bother me with questions...
I'll just say that nothing happened... Yeah, nothing happened....
...Right?
My memories flashed back to my conversation with Kristina as my face started to warm up.
"Why...?"
My slow walk home slowly started speeding up until reaching a full sprint.
"WHY DID I SAY SOMETHING SO EMBARRASSING?!?!"
I cried out as the pedestrians looked at me like an idiot.
________________________________________
"You're late! What took you so lo—whoa."
Brok blinked as he took one look at me. "What's the matter with you? Got chased by a dog or something?"
I stumbled through the doorway, half-bent over and gasping for air.
"Just…" I wheezed, hands on my knees. "Went on a run…"
"Sure... Anyways give me the ingredients. I'll make dinner."
"Alright..."
________________________________________
Dinner took a while. Not that it mattered. I couldn't even taste it. I just ate with a blank expression, brain running on autopilot, until the taste of dish soap snapped me out of my trance mid-scrub.
Once the dishes were done, I dragged myself upstairs and flopped onto my bed like a sack of emotional potatoes. I grabbed my phone.
After my last one shattered into oblivion, Mr. Brok had replaced it with a new one — higher specs, cleaner display, even ran games at max settings. Ah, bliss.
Naturally, I opened a game, played for a bit, died a few times, got bored, and did what all the truly exhausted people do: endless scrolling.
They say the old civilization had faster internet than we do today. Can't say I believe it, but I'm willing to worship at their fiber-optic altar if it means loading screens become extinct.
Still, the pioneers who rebuilt society after the Collapse? Geniuses in their own right. Our tech might not be as flashy, but it works. And somehow, even with the distortion fields dividing nations, the world still feels connected online.
I saw videos of cherry blossoms from Taiyou — the far eastern country with shrine maidens and poetic festivals — and snow-covered peaks from the icy land of Snjór.
And then there was my timeline.
Celebrity drama. A new movie that looked like a hollow cash grab. Someone aggressively eating fried chicken into a microphone.
Same old, same old.
I set the phone down and stepped out onto the balcony.
The city glowed with neon and spotlights, shimmering like stars scattered across the ground. Fitting, really — Astrum. A city that sparkled like constellations, even if the people inside it felt a little dimmer sometimes.
It's a good thing my house is in a good viewpoint. I can admire the view here anytime I want.
But even as I watched the calming scenery, my thoughts wandered back to something Headmaster Valen said a month ago:
"People are watching."
Creepy.
That's all I can say.
I still didn't know what he meant. Maybe he was being metaphorical. Or maybe he was just weird. Either way, I didn't want to think about it.
Things had been peaceful lately. I'm not exactly winning popularity contests at school, but I've got Elio and Kristina.
And the rumors about me have started to die down a bit too...
Overall, I can say this school year's turning out to be better than my entire Middle school experience.
I sighed and smiled.
I need to move forward. Forget Veda Corp. Live my life.
Graduate, get a job, earn some money, then travel the world to look for someone I've been wanting to see.
That's why I'm working so hard in the first place.
I looked at the moon above me, shining so stunningly it rivaled the lights of the city below.
Now that I'm thinking about it, I wonder what Elio and Kristina's plans are after graduating? With their perks, they have a high chance of joining the Hero's party.
If that happens, then I'll be spending the next few years in school alone, huh?
...
I stood there in silence, letting the night breeze wash over me, until my eyes grew heavy with sleep.
With a yawn, I turned and headed back inside
________________________________________
A dimly lit room.
Dust hung in the air, caught in pale slivers of light leaking through warped shutters. Broken toys lay scattered across the floor—dolls missing eyes, wooden blocks split down the grain. Beyond the doorway stretched a hallway so dark it looked endless.
A small boy sat in the center, dark hair matted from tears. His hand reached out, fingers shaking.
"Ren… Didn't you say we'd always be together? Why are you leaving?"
The older boy in front of him didn't flinch. His expression was unreadable, but his voice carried some anger.
"It's obvious, isn't it? Did you really think I wanted to stay here with you my whole life?"
The smaller boy's eyes wavered. "W-what?"
Ren exhaled in irritation. "C'mon, Aran. Are you that slow?"
"I don't understand…" The boy's voice broke, lips trembling. "Big brother…"
He stepped forward, but Ren's palm slammed into his shoulder, shoving him back. The boy's feet tangled, and he crashed to the floor with a hollow thud.
"Aran!" the caretaker's voice called out from behind, frantic, but she didn't reach him in time.
The boy pushed himself up slowly. His eyes met Ren's.
A pair of glowing purple irises stared back—cold, unblinking, and distant.
"Don't you touch me," Ren said, each word clipped and final. "You've done nothing but be a burden my entire life. I'm tired of cleaning up your messes."
"Big Brother, please don't—"
"Shut up. Don't ever call me that again."
The space between them seemed to stretch, swallowing the boy in silence.
Aran's eyes started lour out an uncontrollable stream of tears, but he was in too much of a shock to cry out.
Instead, his breathing became intense as he watched Ren walk away, holding a man's hand.
The caretakers surrounded him with worry, trying to ask if he was okay, but he couldn't respond.
He couldn't hear a thing. Only his heartbeat and a ringing in his ears could be heard as everything started becoming darker around him.
________________________________________
[BEEP BEEP]
The sound of the alarm clock woke me up.
My eyes were wide open while a few drops of tears flowed down my face.
I sat up and wiped my eyes.
"What the hell... That dream was different from the others..."
[BEEP BEEP]
I looked to my right and saw the alarm clock before pressing the snooze button.
[4:00 AM]
"It's so early."
The apartment was still, the kind of quiet that made every sound feel intrusive.
A faint hum came from the fridge in the kitchen, and somewhere outside, a lone car rolled down the empty street.
Standing up, I decided to put on a tracksuit and went outside of the house for a run.
"I'll be back."
It's been a while since I've had a dream like that.
I was a little shaken up, but going on a run early in the morning always helps to calm me down.
Speaking of, I've been training less ever since school started back up. I gotta keep in shape if I want to have a chance in proving my worth in Potentia.
Sparring lessons have also started to happen less often. Can't help it, Mr. Brok's a busy man. Maybe I should start going to a public gym?
Elio's physique seems to be apparent even with our school uniforms. Maybe I can ask him for some workout advice. His fighting style too...
From what I've seen during some of the fights we were in, his style looks like Lucida-style Boxing.
It's a style that focuses on quick knockouts by hitting critical points and countering at the right moment. But for Elio, he puts more emphasis on hitting critical points because of his perk. Why wait for an opportunity to counter when it's almost guaranteed you'd land the first hit, right?
It's way different from my style.
Mr. Brok taught me disarms, throws, grappling and some striking, but the problem with this is I have no specializations. Still, the techniques have been handy so far, so I've got no complaints.
It wouldn't be bad to add to my limited arsenal though...
After running for a while, I decided to catch my breath for a moment and sat on a bench.
"Hoo... Glad to see I'm still healthy."
Going back to earlier, I thought about increasing my arsenal, so that means I should learn some more moves.
My ground game with the Jiu Jitsu Brok taught me is solid. I can even make Mr. Brok tap out in some of our training sessions.
If I were to judge myself, I'd say my striking needs work. These past few fights, it worked because I relied on my reflexes, but it'll definitely benefit me more if I improved on that aspect.
After resting, I stood up.
I closed my eyes and imagined Elio's image in my head and copied his stance.
Light on his feet, using his shoulder as a guard, eyes focused....
After that, I tried to think of someone to fight. For some reason, I immediately thought of Pincer's face.
[Whoosh]
A jab. In my mind, his head recoiled a bit.
[Whoosh]
Another jab hits his nose.
The imaginary Pincer tries to swing back, but swayed back and countered with a step in then a left hook.
He was stunned for a moment. I tried to capitalize by charging in, but suddenly, the imaginary Pincer turned around and his back suddenly shot out several spikes.
I lost.
I opened my eyes and looked at my fist in disappointment.
I sighed.
"Of course..."
When I fought Pincer during the sparring match, I got lucky because of the terrain and because I fought dirty. I know that much.
In a fair fight, the gap between our abilities is too much.
Well, I won't let that stop me from trying. I'll close that gap soon enough. I'll show them that I'm more than what they think I am.
________________________________________
The next day
"Man, it sucked that we couldn't hangout last weekend..."
I told Elio as he crossed his arms with a disappointed look.
"I know, my weekend was hellish... It would've been way more fun if we got to meet up."
Elio replied.
"Hellish...? What happened during those two days?"
"...Big sis saw that I wasn't paying attention to my training. So she took me to the gym. It was so bad, I felt like puking..."
Elio's eyes shook as he recalled what happened.
I patted his back.
"Lilia's love is tough, huh?"
As we got closer to the school, we saw Kristina walking towards the entrance. It looks like she was fixing her hair.
Seeing her made me think back to what happened on Saturday, physically cringing.
I'm sure she thought that was creepy. Gods, I don't know how to face her right now...
Before I could blend in with the crowd, and stay hidden, Elio suddenly called out to her.
"Morning Kristina." He waved at her.
"Wha— hey!" I tried to stop him.
Turning around she realized it was us.
"Morning, Elio!" She said with a smile.
Our eyes met before her smile widened.
"Morning, Aran." She leaned in slightly, lowering her voice. "Well, got something to say?"
"Ah... Good morning, Kristina."
She chuckled and moved ahead of us with a spring in her step.
"C'mon, let's get going!" She called.
Elio shrugged and followed, but not before glancing at me. "You two are acting a little differently. Did something happen?"
"Nothing," I said quickly, shoving my hands into my pockets.
"Uh-huh." He clearly didn't buy it. "Well she seems to be in a good mood, so I guess there's no problem."
"Yeah, let's stick with that."
The way she acted last time and now really is a complete 180.
As we followed Kristina inside the school gate, we noticed a large crowd forming in front of the bulletin board.
"Hm?" Kristina tilted her head. "What's that about?"
"Maybe we should check it out." I said.
The three of us made our way through the chatter and squeezed into the edge of the crowd. Students were murmuring, some with excited faces, others looking downright annoyed.
Pushing forward, I finally caught sight of the bulletin board.
Pinned right in the center was a fresh announcement, bold letters practically screaming at us.
[Potentia Academy Hero's Party Recruitment Representatives]
My eyes widened.
It was that time now.
Three months ago, there were rumors of a Nationwide tournament where different schools throughout Lucida chose student representatives to compete for the chance to join the Hero's party.
As for why students are being selected, the prophecy states that the hero and his allies are supposed to be young children.
This destiny stuff is pretty strange...
"What the- I'm on the list!"
Elio exclaimed, pointing at his own name.
[Elio Tonitru]
My eyes widened.
"Whoa! That's so cool Elio!" Kristina excitedly said.
"Hm... I wonder who else is on this list..."
She continued to read the bulletin board, squinting her eyes, hovering above the text.
"Pheobe, makes sense. Luke isn't participating... Makes sense, he's the chosen hero...Hold up, Pincer?"
After hearing his name, I looked up to see.
[Pincer Spicu]
It really was there.
Elio raised a brow.
"What about him? A friend of yours from class?"
"It's the opposite. I've seen him scowl at Aran often, he doesn't like him. I don't know what his deal is."
Elio put his hand on my shoulder.
"Aran..." He called. "Want me to teach him a lesson?"
I jumped up and stopped him from the thought.
"No no no no! I don't really care that much!"
"Is that so?"
"Yep! Definitely!"
Kristina crossed her arms.
"Don't worry Elio, as long as I'm in the same class, he's not laying a finger on Aran!" She said in a smug tone.
"How... Reassuring..." I chuckled awkwardly. "But still, it makes sense for him to be there. He's one of the upcoming talents after all."
"It doesn't mean he can be a jerk to you..." Kristina told me.
I shrugged.
"It's not that bad. I got so used to it, I don't even notice it anymore." I cleared my throat. "Anyways, let's keep reading. Who knows, your name might also be listed, Kristina."
"Huh? C'mon there's no way I'm—" she stopped after looking at the bulletin. "I AM?!"
Written on the announcement was her name.
[Kristina Glacia]
"See? I told you!"
"Whoa! Then that means we're in the same boat!" Elio celebrated. "Up top!"
He raised his hand for a high five which Kristina happily obliged.
I watched them celebrating. They're incredible.
It only makes sense though.
No doubt the word of their talents have spread throughout the school. If they do become members of the hero's party, then they get to travel the world, maybe go on adventures and meet tons of people.
Because of their service, the members of the hero's party also get compensated handsomely, basically setting them up for life, too.
Sounds like a dream.
Of course, consent from a parental figure is also needed, but all of that stuff was decided from enrollment.
I really am happy for them. I can't believe two of my friends have been presented with this opportunity.
But for some reason...
It feels a little lonely.
If they make it… if they join the hero's party… then they'll be out there saving the world while I'm still here, stuck in the same hallways, eating the same food, watching from the sidelines.
We'd still be friends… right?
I quietly looked at the ground. Deep in thought.
No, I can't be thinking like this. Stop being selfish.
I shook my head.
Yeah, this is good. They deserve this...
My ears started to muffle out all of the surrounding noises. Only the sound of my heartbeat repeated in my head.
Thump… thump… thump…
I focused on my breathing, before cracking a smile.
"Welp, I think I've seen enough," I said, turning away from the board. "I'll get going now."
"Hold on." Kristina's voice stopped me mid-step. "There's… another name here."
She leaned closer to the paper. Elio joined her, both of them scanning the list with matching looks of curiosity.
Kristina's lips curled into a grin. "Oh, this is good."
Elio walked over and put his arm across my shoulders, smiling.
"And just where do you think you're going?"
"Huh?"
"Take a look!"
I stepped back toward them, and my stomach tightened as soon as I saw it.
On the list of the students chosen to represent Potentia Academy, was my name.
[Aran Aranea]