After the events on the island and the illegal mining activity, we returned to our normal school days. But when I saw Kael looking unusually happy, I already knew something bad was about to happen. I was right.
There were four names written on the board about the PC Tournament. It was a tournament held in Proxima Centauri where regions B, C, and D would send representatives. There would be forty groups in total, each group having four members.
I stood in front of the board, staring at it while barely listening to what Kael was saying. My eyes kept reading the names again and again, hoping that I was mistaken.
"Nixxin."
My name was there.
That was why Kael was so happy. Both of us were selected for the tournament. There were two other names, but I did not know them.
This tournament was usually dangerous since students often get injured. However, as far as I know, people who win tournaments like this can attend higher competitions such as the Centaurus Tournament from the constellation, the Tournament of Constellations, or even the Milky Way Tournament. Those were way too high for me. I do not think I will ever reach those.
Besides, this tournament was not even a challenge. It was usually boring and one sided, unlike the Pride Tournament from Planet Hell.
Kael grabbed my shirt.
"What do you think? Aren't you glad we are going to fight in a tournament?"
I pushed Kael away and said, "I don't like tournaments."
Later, the school called the four of us to meet.
The participants were Kael Molkinsky, Nixxin, Oniu Saun, and Drei Thim.
Oniu was from a Blood Path clan. He belonged to the Shagrad Clan. They specialized in healing, buffing, body enhancement, and weakening magic. However, he was still new to magic. He could not even control blood properly. Every time he tried, the blood scattered all over the room.
He had been given a lot of blood to practice with, but he always lost control and balance.
But the one who really caught my attention was Drei.
He had a Gate, but it was not a Blessed Gate like mine and Kael's Diligio. His was a Depraved Gate called Invidia.
He longed for what others had. According to the test results, his Gate's power was to overcome and surpass others.
A Depraved Gate meant the user had gained a twisted or dark perspective.
I walked toward him and scratched my head.
"Oum... hey. May I know your name?"
He looked at me and said, "Hi, my name is Drei. I heard you have two Gates, right?"
It felt strange hearing that question.
"Yeah. I have two."
Drei's eyebrows lowered.
"Well, I only have one. It's Invidia. It mostly gives me the ability to copy. But it is not really that good since I still need time to practice something before I can copy it perfectly."
Later, while walking through the hallway, I saw Lira with her friends. They were laughing together, their voices blending with the noise of the corridor. A few of them leaned close to her, speaking softly as if they were trying to cheer her up.
Then one of her friends sat beside her and wrapped their arms around her waist.
They all laughed again.
For some reason, my steps slowed.
Why did I even think she would like me?
The thought appeared quietly, but it lingered longer than it should have.
I must look ridiculous.
While staring for a moment too long, I accidentally bumped into a group of students passing by. My shoulder hit one of them.
"Sorry," I said quickly.
They waved it off and continued walking like it was nothing.
I kept moving forward, but the hallway suddenly felt longer than before.
Am I weird?
The question appeared without warning.
Do I look lonely?
Students walked past me in pairs and groups. Some talked loudly. Some whispered to each other. Others walked side by side in comfortable silence, like they had done it a thousand times before.
I tried to remember the last time I walked beside someone like that.
Nothing came to mind.
For a moment, the noise of the hallway felt distant, like it was happening somewhere far away. I watched people laughing, nudging each other, sharing stories that only they understood.
Everyone seemed to belong somewhere.
And then there was me.
Walking straight through the middle of it all like a shadow that no one noticed.
My hands slipped quietly into my pockets.
There was a strange pressure behind my eyes, like something fragile was trying to surface. I blinked once, then again, forcing my gaze forward.
It's nothing.
I had always walked alone.
It was normal.
At least, that was what I told myself.
Still, the thought refused to leave.
Do I always look like this?
Someone who was simply... there.
The floor tiles passed beneath my feet one after another. My reflection briefly appeared in a glass window beside the hallway, but I looked away before I could study it.
The laughter behind me faded.
The hallway stretched forward.
And for the first time, I noticed how quiet my footsteps sounded compared to everyone else's.
Then suddenly, two hands covered my eyes from behind.
"Hey, guess who this is?"
The voice was too familiar.
"Kael. It's so obvious that it's you!" I said louder than I intended.
A few students nearby turned their heads to look at me, but Kael only burst into laughter.
He stepped beside me as if he had always been walking there.
He walked beside me, and we wandered around for a while before heading back to the PC Tournament Room during recess.