The street market was bustling with people. There were numerous food stalls to the sides of the roads in the market, and one could get a variety of delicacies just by walking three blocks on the market street. The ride from the neighborhood Demund was in to the market took about twenty minutes on bike, but it was definitely worth it. The air was filled with the smells of roast pork, frying oil, meat skewers glazed with sauce over a charcoal fire, and deep-fried dough.

“You sure I don’t need to pay anything?” asked Jothan. Demund had decided to use food as a way to reconcile with his friend. Jothan was leaving in two days, and Demund wanted his last memories of their friendship to be the best one he could manage.

“It’s fine! I told you,” said Demund, “and I also have to pay you back for the burgers at your party. They were really good.”

Suddenly feeling hungry, Demund reached for a meat skewer from the paper bag he had. He had bought 10 meat skewers, 2 hotdogs, and some fried noodles for now and split the contents evenly between himself and Jothan. A third of his monthly allowance was used up, but hey, the month was almost over so he could spend without worrying.

Likewise, Jothan was also chewing on a meat skewer. He had already finished half his hotdog and was smelling the noodles he was holding.

“I’m glad we came here before I went,” he said through mouthfuls of food. “I never realized how much I missed the dishes here. Do you think the Preliminary Islands will have food like this?”

“Probably.” Demund knew that the Islands were the biggest non-continental area of land that existed on the planet, so it probably had to have the dishes from their area. “But they’ll probably taste a little different. You can find any dish almost anywhere, you know.”

“I’ll enjoy myself now just in case.”

They walked in silence while chewing on their food. Once in a while, Demund would see something delicious and buy two portions for himself and Jothan. The place was pretty crowded, so they had to make sure not to spill their food on other people.

After seeing even more people rush in, Demund signaled to Jothan to see him where their bikes were parked at. They had left their bikes under some trees near the market. While evading the influx of people, they safely made it to their bikes and sat on some boulders nearby.

Demund finished a skewer and tossed it into an empty plastic bag. Realizing he had meatballs, he used the skewer again to stab some food and ate it whole. Jothan was also busy eating, so Demund decided to start.

“You’ll be gone soon. And soon you’ll be in the Preliminary Islands, taking elite courses.”

Jothan looked up from his food and stared at Demund.

“Yep.”

“You’ll probably not return here until a year has passed. And even then, you’ll only have a few days to spend your time here.”

“Yep.”

Demund’s miniscule worry grew silently.

“You’ll have to study and train harder than the rest of us, but it will all guarantee a good future for you.”

“Yep.”

“You’ll meet new friends. Maybe even find a girlfriend too. All the people there will be talented. Maybe you won’t even miss this place anymore.”

“………………..”

Demund couldn’t maintain eye contact with Jothan. His eyes looked too earnest, too determined for the future. And who wouldn’t be? Who wouldn’t want a life at the Islands. No person in their right mind would deny an offer to the Islands.

“So you’re really going.”

“…………..Yep.”

Demund felt weird inside. He was feeling happy for Jothan, and a part of him had pride that his friend was class B+. But another part of him dreaded the separation, dreaded the change that would result from Jothan leaving. They had been best friends for eight years…and now he was leaving.

Or rather, Demund couldn’t go with him. His ability had been classified as little to no use.

Demund’s mind reflected on the experience he had in the dream.

Why was I so happy to be reborn? If I was going to never see this life again, why was I so glad?

Would my parents feel this way too if I had died? Would Jothan feel this?

Demund shut his eyes tightly. It was just a dream. So many emotions had gone through him that day that he was in a loss for what to feel at that moment. But he knew one thing was certain. This wouldn’t be the end. The future was big and large. Before the Islands were established, numerous E class (ability-less) humans had been the ones to discover science, literature, space…

Demund had more time than them all. He could gather more experiences than what a normal person could gather several times over. It was just a dream, but by exploring its limits, Demund could improve his everyday life. And maybe, just maybe he’d be able to join the superheroes as a secretary or manager. It was too early to give up. It would take time, but it was possible.

“Hope we can meet again,” muttered Demund, “so you better not forget about me. Or any of us.”

“Course not! We’ve been friends since forever! You better not be the one to forget.”

Jothan peered at his friend’s back. It looked lonely, but Jothan knew Demund would be able to adapt well without him. He always did. Where Jothan failed in group project participation, Demund had excelled. He was suited for a normal life.

“I’ll buy you souvenirs when I visit. And also, can I have one of your skewers?”

“………..Really? That’s what’s on your mind?”

“I better make the best of what’s left, right?”

Demund was stunned for a split second before remembering his friend’s character. Jothan was quick to recover, optimistic, and didn’t dwell on problems of the past.

I’m always learning from him, thought Demund. He’s right. Time to move on.

“You know what, pay me back for everything you’ve eaten so far,” stated Demund honestly.

“What! That’s not fair!”

“If you show me your superpower, I’ll make it free.”

“You know I can’t—you know what. Fine. Here goes nothing.”

Jothan understood Demund’s intentions. They were just joking around. Possibly the final laugh before they split their paths. Since that was the case, Jothan intended to make the biggest fool out of himself. Demund would overreact to his overreaction, and they’d continue until they both fell laughing. It was something they did once in a while.

“BY THE POWER OF THE STORM AND WIND, I CALL UPON THE ICICLES OF WINTER,” chanted Jothan, without anything in mind, “TO MAKE THE TREES WEAR THEIR CLOTHES BECAUSE THEY BECAME COLD—”

Demund looked at Jothan with a smile on his face. It was fun to have little moments like these. Who knew when they would be able to fool around again. When they grew older, they would grow out of these little plays and move on to something that the adults would do, something more sensible and mature. This was the perfect time to finish their final mindless drama, between the boundary of being a child and becoming an adult.

Then Demund realized the temperature had suddenly dropped drastically. The air was suddenly becoming powdery.

Something was definitely wrong. It was summer!

“Umm, Jothan—”

“BUT YOUR MIGHTY GALE WILL BLOW THEIR CLOTHES AWAY—”

Mist came out of Demund’s mouth and he realized he was shivering. This was definitely weird. The trees around them suddenly began to shake violently.

“AND I TELL THE EARTH TO FREEZE BECAUSE OF EMBARRASSMENT—”

Demund slipped where he was standing and fell on his buttocks. The ground was covered with ice. The leaves were falling off from the trees at an alarming pace, and if Jothan’s chant continued, who knew what disaster he would chant out-

“VOLCANOES—”

“Jothan, stop! Stop chanting! Open your eyes!” shouted Demund.

Jothan stopped spinning and opened his eyes. At the sound of Demund’s sudden cry, he stopped all the noise coming from himself. He looked around to see any abnormalities that might have caused his friend to suddenly shout to him.

“What’s wrong?”

“What’s wrong! Your power has manifested! Look around you—”

And Demund realized the trees had their leaves, he wasn’t shivering, and the ground was sturdier than ever. His breath created no mist and the air wasn’t powdery. Jothan stared at Demund with curious and slightly worried eyes. Demund was still plopped on the ground, and it was as if everything he’d seen happen, didn’t happen.

“What the heck?” exclaimed Demund.

What the heck indeed.