More than half the competition was eliminated. That couldn't be right.

I scrunched my nose as I tilted my head. It took me a few seconds to regain my focus. I couldn't believe what I heard. Surely, the Headmaster was exaggerating.

Headmaster Vafaren sat down, but he stopped halfway, glaring at Headmaster Mishal as he stood up. Headmaster Vafaren closed his eyes, holding his hands together.

Headmaster Mishal stood up and smiled. He examined the room, nodding his head. "I rarely do this, but since the results have been far better than expected, I feel compelled to express my appreciation to a few groups, specifically the four most proficient groups."

Allura tilted her head and narrowed her eyes, focusing on the Headmaster, almost like she was startled, but I thought nothing of the Headmaster's actions. The Headmaster was just incentivizing others by doing better, and even if he was a scumbag, this was nothing more than generous praise.

Headmaster Mishal pointed at the crowd, then at a specific table. "Faction sixteen, you may stand." The Headmaster continued talking once two elves stood up. "This faction has eliminated fourteen groups, making it the fourth-best performance." He paused, waiting for everyone to applaud.

Ash glanced in my direction, whispering as everyone applauded. "We didn't make the cut."

Ash was right, we barely slivered a few eliminations, and the fourth-best had fourteen. We were a far cry from making the top performances.

"Faction 229 had the third-best performance, but unfortunately, they were eliminated." The Headmaster continued, pointing to another group. "The second-best performance belongs to faction 107 with thirty-four eliminations!"

My eyes met Ash's as we both glared at Allura. She was also shocked, looking at the group the Headmaster pointed to.

Valis and his teammates stood up as everyone applauded their group. Valis's teammates were ecstatic, but Valis, on the other hand, clenched his fists and stared at the floor.

Ash loosened his posture and whispered, stretching his legs. "No way." Allura remained indifferent, continuing to clap while viewing faction 107.

'Did he really survive in the nick of time?' I gripped my fist, clenching it even harder.

"Now, a faction I really have no words for," the Headmaster said, extending a bright smile and showing his teeth. His eyes met my own as he pointed to my area. "Faction sixty-eight eliminated 109 groups!"

Everyone became quiet, glancing at us, but Headmaster Mishal broke the silence by clapping, and everyone followed suit.

Ash almost fell off his chair, but he repositioned himself, tilting his head and peering at me. He turned around, facing Allura. Ash opened his mouth and got ready to talk but closed it. He stood up, remaining quiet.

It took a few seconds to frame my thoughts as I struggled with the confusion surging me. I lifted my finger but placed it down, standing up and remaining silent. '... No way...'

Allura stood tall, letting a faint smile escape, but that smile soon faded to her usual neutral expression.

As I tried to focus on Allura, I reduced my breathing. I thought the number of eliminations was unbelievable... I thought Valis not being eliminated made the situation even more bizarre... Little did I know, the greatest amazement was right next to me.

"Shall we eat?" The Headmaster said, snapping his finger. Headmaster Mishal probably issued some sort of signal because a plethora of waiters came out of the kitchen.

The waiters wore skates as they coasted toward every table.

The waiters held trays of food as they sped through every table, sliding the trays on the middle of the tables, and they separately served drinks and various desserts.

One waiter approached me, asking. "Would you like a drink?"

"Sure," I said, blinking, but I shrugged, glaring at the waiter. The waiter and I awkwardly stared at each other.

"Grab your cup," Ash shook his head.

I picked up my glass cup, bringing it near the waiter.

The waiter held a deep breath, pouring a clear liquid into my cup. He spat some liquid onto the surface of my cup, but it turned into fire, burning away and turning my drink blue. The waiter skated off, acting as if nothing had happened.

"This isn't normal," I said, blinking. I placed my cup back on the table, staring at it. "Right?"

Ash held a chicken leg, eating it as he talked. "Eat up before the food gets cold!"

I placed some lamb chops and chicken legs onto my plate, but I still couldn't believe Allura did what she did. I glanced at her while she ate her salad.

She bit a forkful of salad, but she stopped, placing the fork back down. She turned her head, casting her gaze down at me. "Do you want something?"

"Uhh," I opened my mouth, unsure what to say.

"You look like a creep, staring at me like that," she said with a sigh, shaking her head.

I closed my mouth, looking down at the floor. Shaking my head, I looked up at Allura. "I'm just curious how you eliminated so many groups."

"Me too," Ash added while he bit into his food.

Allura picked up her fork, taking another bite. She spun the fork in the air from its bottom. Closing her eyes, she opened them and shrugged. "I thought I was just watching."

"We get it. We were wrong," I said, gazing down at my food and then Allura. "How were you able to do that? Taking out that many people alone is absurd."

Ash finished his chicken leg, leaving no meat. He placed it on his plate while he leaned toward me. He unintentionally breathed onto my face, causing me to flinch back because of his foul breath, but he remained in the same position as he spoke. "We're sorry!"

I twitched my right eye, grabbing his face and pushing him back into his seat. Ash resisted, but I fought his force. My curiosity wasn't worth risking the sanity of my nasal cavity...

"You guys are really animals," Allura said, staring into the distance. She opened her mouth, letting out an audible laugh, and she continued to laugh, looking at us. "You guys are idiots."

I stopped pushing into Ash's face, moving my hand. Ash didn't expect my sudden stop, so his face slammed onto the table. But it wasn't a big deal since everyone was too involved in talking that the noise dulled the slam.

Ash punched my arm, frowning and grabbing his forehead. He gazed at Allura, taking a bite of his salad. "Seriously, how did you do it?"

"I played it smart," she said. "I waited until teams fought each other, then I would take them both out when they tried each other out. It wasn't too challenging or anything, and it was fun messing with teams. They had no idea where my magic came from."

"You did that to us too," Ash said, blinking with a straight face.

Allura raised her index finger and smiled. "Exactly! Just like I did to you guys." She stopped smiling and looked at another table. "Well, not exactly, but yeah. You get the point."

I also looked at the table she did, and Valis was there. She was probably confused about how Valis fended her attack, but her confusion wasn't solitary. I was next to Valis, and I'm not sure how he resisted her magic. Allura's magic tore me apart. So how could Valis possibly defend that?

Another group at our table gazed at us, looking away and then back. The long table accompanied many groups, but mine stood out because of Allura.

Ash twitched his eye, moving his head up and down. He darted at his food and then at the individuals in front. Pointing at the individuals, he sighed. "Do you guys want something?"

Two of the members pretended to talk to each other, leaving the third baffled as he fidgeted his head, trying to look away. However, he instead fumbled his spoon in the air. The spoon launched all the way to Allura, but she swiftly caught it, throwing it back to the Elven male.

He caught the spoon, fidgeting, but he gulped out some words. "T-t-thank you."

"No problem," Allura said, grabbing her fork and taking the last bite of her food.

"M-m-my name is Zashal," the male stuttered. "Would you like to be friends?"

Allura opened her eyes, gazing at the team in front of us. "No."

"I guess that won't work," the male said. His teammates stopped talking and stared at us. They all continued talking amongst themselves, not watching us anymore.

Ash ignored the situation and had a waiter serve him dessert and an odd green drink.

Allura glared at them and at me. She neared Ash and me, whispering. "The Headmaster screwed us over. Everyone's going to be at our throats."

I nodded, clenching my blueberry-flavored drink and taking a sip while turning my head. I couldn't help but feel like the entire room was watching us. Hundreds of eyes surrounded us, waiting for an opportunity. Be it friendship or an opportunity to take us out. I felt like a sitting duck!

"I never thought of it like that, but you're right. The more I think about it. I can't help but feel like we're being watched." I said.

Allura tapped her finger on the table, shaking her head. "This is all my fault. I was too extreme." She grabbed her spoon, gripping it and snapping it.

"I mean, you probably were trying to eliminate the competition, so it's not your fault," I said, nodding my head. "If anything, we'll have more of an advantage. People will be wary of us!"

"I guess," Allura said, placing the broken spoon onto her plate. She rearranged the spoon to make it seem undamaged. Allura glanced around, her face crunching up.

Ash drank his green drink that contained white balls with black interiors, and he did it all in one sip. He yawned and smiled, placing his arm around my neck. "You guys are worrying too much!"

"Someone like you who's used to messing up," Allura stopped mid-sentence, twitching her eye. "Wouldn't understand how I feel."

"Hmm, maybe, but overthinking won't change the past. We just need to look at the future." Ash said, lifting his chin high.

Allura placed her elbows on the table, pressing her cheeks with her knuckles. She puffed out her lips, mocking Ash. "Yeah, Mr. Philosopher."

Ash grabbed his drink and waved the cup, calling for a waiter. Ash grew a devious smile as the waiter arrived. "Get us whatever the big guys are drinking."

"Pardon," the waiter said, narrowing his eyes.

Ash pointed to the board members, causing his smile to widen even more. "Whatever they're drinking, get us it."

"Ash, stop being a moron," Allura closed her eyes, letting out a profound sigh.

Before I could add to Allura's comment, the waiter agreed, nodding his head and skating off.

Ash puffed out his chest, glaring at Allura and me. His smile extended when he saw Allura place her head down on the table.

Not even a minute passed, and the waiter arrived, holding a steaming pot of some drink. Ash, not even being asked, held his empty cup. But the waiter refused, bringing out three teacups of his own. The waiter threw the cups in front of all three of us.

Allura shook her head, waving her hand in the air. "No, thanks."

"Yeah. No, thanks," I whispered.

But the waiter ignored us both, pouring a black drink with golden swirls into the teacups. And just like that, the waiter disappeared, never to be seen again.

"Ash, why are you like this?" I clicked my tongue, examining the drink.

"Hey, hey! I just got us exclusive access, so be grateful!"

Allura hovered her face over the drink, tilting her head and yanking back. She narrowed her eyes, taking another sniff. "It actually doesn't smell too bad."

I neared the drink, smelling it, and it actually wasn't half bad. It smelled like a bloom of sweet flowers, something that I wouldn't mind at all.

Ash grabbed the teacup's handle, pointing his pinky outwards. Acting like a posh individual, he raised it high to his mouth, getting ready to swallow, but he quickly added. "The board members drink an exquisite tea made from the wealthiest region of Fech. It is prophesied that a man must drink this tea once in their lifetime to realize what living truly is!"

Allura and I stared at each other skeptically before shrugging it off. We both grabbed our teacups and brought them to our mouths.

Ash smiled as his eyes glistened like he had discovered true art. No, like he tasted it! His nose neared the cup. "Mmm. Good smell! Flavvvvvvorrrrr!" Like a man who achieved bliss, he fixed his gaze on the cup and began drinking.

Allura and I shrugged, drinking the tea with Ash, but our excitement soon changed. Allura and I spat the drink back into our cup. Ash wasn't as fortunate...

Ash fell off his chair. His teacup flipped in the air, landing on the table. Most of the drink fell onto Ash's face, but the rest remained in the teacup. Ash got up, clenching his lips. He held back his tears as he gaped at his drink. He scrunched his nose and eyes, swallowing whatever was left in his mouth.

"Are you okay?" Allura said when she saw Ash's face stutter in agony. She blinked, looking at Ash and then me, but she closed her mouth in disbelief.

Ash grabbed his drink from the table, drinking the rest. He stood still, not closing his eyes, and Ash crossed his arms, straightening his facial expression.

Making eye contact with Allura, we both remained shocked. Too stunned to speak, we fell silent in disbelief.

A waiter skated to us, picking up our dishes, but he stopped since Ash was in the way. He lowered his eyes, opening his mouth, but he closed it. He opened his mouth, yelling. "What happened here!?" He approached Ash, looking at his face. The waiter creased his brows and narrowed his eyes, staring at Ash's tea-covered face. "Hey, you! Are you alive?"

"..." Ash stood still, crossing his arms, but he opened his lips and spoke. "Nothing!!! Nothing at all!!!"

Allura laughed, and her cheeks reddened from laughing too hard. She placed her hand on her head, staring down at the floor while chuckling.

The waiter, wide-eyed, stared down at the three of us. The man threw a towel at Ash's face, covering it without speaking. He squinted his eyes, looking at us and skating away with our dirty dishes.

I smiled, letting out a deep sigh of relief. The whole evening, I couldn't help but be pleased. It helped that the rest of the event resumed with tranquility, and I even got to see Ash and Allura show more of their human side. I really didn't want to face reality. I wanted things to stay the same, but I couldn't remain hopeful. Be it a new world, I still lived in a real one. Eventually, I'd have to face the harsh reality. The dinner with my friends was enjoyable, and I cherished it all, but now it was time to focus.

After the dinner, I decided to confront Ash about Valis.

'Focus,' I thought, walking with Ash towards one of the many sitting areas. We arrived at the sitting area where a water fountain resided in the middle. Three benches surrounded it, and I took a seat on one of them, but Ash stood.

"What's so important that you had to wait until the dinner ended?" Ash asked, shaking his head. He yawned, placing his hand over his mouth. "I want to sleep."

"I have something to ask you," I said, clasping my hands together.

Ash tilted his head, blinking. "Uh?"

"I have two things to say," I lifted my head, turning to Ash. "Two extremely important things."

"Just say it." Ash rubbed his eyes, yawning.

I closed my eyes and let out a breath from my nose. Opening my eyes, I fidgeted with my hand, but I spoke. "Are you really related to Valis?"

Ash turned away, waving his hand in the air. "Here, I thought you had something important to say."

I stood up and grabbed Ash by the shoulder. "I clearly remember that he called you Ash Zarath!"

"You're so gullible," Ash said, sighing. He faced me, moving both his hands in the air. "He was lying, and he's delusional. Plus, my last name isn't even Zarath!"

"Oh..." I said, letting go of Ash. I opened my mouth, but I stopped talking when Ash began talking again.

"Good night! Get some rest." Ash walked away, placing his hands in his pocket. He looked back at me, nodding his head. "We'll need it."

"Yeah," I whispered, clenching my right hand. Ash walked away, leaving me alone in the dark. I sat on a bench, watching the water drip down the fountain.

I wanted to tell Ash another detail. I wanted to tell him the truth about myself, but I messed up. I shouldn't have asked him. No, I shouldn't have ever brought him here. It would have been better if I had left everything alone. I didn't need to understand or solve everything, but I still tried. And I failed...

I turned my head, hearing a noise from the left. The tree next to me created a rustle, almost as if someone moved the leaves, but I soon noticed the wind pushing against the branches. It was nothing more than the wind, and luckily it was refreshing. It didn't take long for my mind to clear as the wind pushed my hair back, and after that, I walked back home.

Today made me realize I could stay quiet and observe as much as I wanted, but I was going to need to work harder. Work even more if I wanted to keep such a luxury.

Unlocking the front door, I entered my house. I tiptoed to my room and sat on my bed, staring at the ceiling. I smiled and whispered, falling onto my bed. "Soon, I will..."