It was a Saturday morning, and yet, everyone was seated in the auditorium, dressed in their tracksuits, and silently looking forward to the empty podium as they waited patiently for the main event of the day.

  Hakyun didn’t like it. But when had he ever?

  “This is utter nonsense,” the boy grumbled. At this point, it was a ritual. He always did it whenever they were pulled out for an event. “Why do we have to be away from our dorms so early in the morning, eh?”

  “When are you ever going to stop this?” Chima asked from the safety of his seat. He had put Merlin in between him and Hakyun, well aware that if they sat beside each other, they would end up reaching for each other’s throats.

  Merlin wouldn't lie. He was kind of exhausted from playing mediator. And it was even worse today, because he couldn’t forget about Choi Sangook’s conversation.

  He muffled Hakyun and Chima’s conversation and his eyes swept over the auditorium, seeking the bully. He found him not long after, to the far side of the other row, resting his cheek on his palm as he stared silently at the podium like the rest of the lot.

  Merlin’s brows furrowed, surprised at how calm the lad looked when he kept his tongue in his mouth, and, for a brief moment, wondered about how his relationship with his family went.

  From what Merlin had gleaned from the conversation he had listened to, they didn’t seem like a lovely family. In fact, if he used his as a basis for comparison, he would claim that his family was a lot more loving.

  Perhaps he was reaching. How could he come to such a conclusion from just a minute or two of a conversation between a father and a son? But he couldn’t help but feel that such was the case.

  Choi Sangook had a lot of pressure on his shoulders as the heir to his father’s guild and company, Merlin realized. And maybe that played into why he was so adamant to be an ass to every person he thought below him.

  Merlin had heard his father explicitly state that the boy avoided any relationship with friends of unacceptable caliber to theirs. And Merlin disapproved of such advice. Friends were the best things to ever happen to a person. No one could do anything alone. Not even the son of the guildmaster of one of the top guilds in South Korea. That was even evident in the fact that the curriculum of Prestige Academy appreciated teamwork.

  “Hakyun,” Merlin started, and Hakyun and Chima’s argument came to an abrupt stop. “Is there anything you can tell me about Choi Sangook’s family?”

  Hakyun’s eyebrows twitched. “Why are you suddenly interested in his family?”

  Merlin glanced at his roommate, who was studying him with that probing gaze of his, and licked his lips.

  “I overheard his discussion with his father,” he answered truthfully. “They didn’t sound like a loving family. That’s why.”

  “Listening in on another’s phone call aside, golden spoon families are barely always held together by love, Mel,” Chima chimed in. “So I’m not surprised you got that impression.”

  Chima’s first words had been spoken with a reprimanding tone. Merlin sighed at that. He had known it wasn’t right to sneak up on another and listen to their conversations without their consent. But what could he have done when they had been inviting him to?

  Okay, that wasn’t an excuse. But it didn’t matter any longer now. The deed had been done.

  “I’m not sure,” said Hakyun after taking a few seconds to arrange his thoughts. “It’s not like I ever got the chance to truly know him.” He paused. “I did go to his house once. Mrs. Choi was lovely. She even baked me cookies. And she was lovely to Sangook too. Ah. He has a sister too. But she was still a baby at the time. I never got the impression that there was something up with their family at the time. But, granted, I didn’t meet with his father. And that was the last time I also paid them a visit. Sangook stopped being my friend right after, like I said before.”

  “I see.” Merlin sighed, nodding in appreciation.

  He had never thought about it before, but Choi Sangook and Hakyun falling out of their friendship so quickly and abruptly was not something that made sense. Children were simple creatures. They enjoyed making friends, and hanging out. But, at the same time, their decisions could be greatly influenced by someone with a greater hold on them.

  The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  Considering what he had heard from Choi Sangook’s conversation with his father, Merlin felt like it was safe to say that Choi Sangook’s father didn’t like the fact that Choi Sangook had made an attempt to become friends with his driver’s son, and had influenced his child’s decision.

  Perhaps it was because of the fact that his decisions had almost been influenced by his parents as well, but Merlin was pissed at the realization he had come to.

  However, Choi Sangook’s family wasn’t his family. And he had no right to involve himself in something that didn’t concern him.

  He had only been curious. That was all.

  The door to the auditorium flung open, and a couple of students hurried in, panting. Everyone turned in their direction with a gasp, even the second years who should, normally, be reprimanding them for running about.

  “They’re here!” the boy in the lead of the pack voiced. “Crown Academy and Nikita Academy students are here!”

  Murmurs rose up in the auditorium. Each person turned to who was seated beside them in either excitement or curiosity. But everyone shared one common thought. And it simply involved their expectations of the students of the first and third ranked Mage Academy in the world.

  “What did they look like?” one asked, kneeling on his seat as he faced those who had rushed in.

  “Like aliens, fool,” his friend said, hitting his buttocks. “They’re green and have pointy ears.”

  “Shut up,” he retorted.

  “You better sit down,” his friend continued. “If Professor Jung catches you the way you are, you’ll be in for a week of library duty.”

  The lad shivered. He immediately set himself straight and sat down. But his question hung in the air, with no intention of vanishing into the void.

  “I didn’t see them,” the leader of the scout pack said. “Just two black coaster buses. But they’re here, that’s for sure.”

  The murmurs resumed once again at that. Hakyun turned around and folded his arms, scowling.

  “Hmph. What’s all the fuss about? They’re just students like us,” he complained, not even trying to hide the jealousy leaking into his tone. Merlin was certain he was wishing they were the ones who traveled to a different academy so that they were being expected in such a grand manner. Hakyun always fancied those little glory moments after all.

  “I’m sure they’re curious about us, just like we are about them,” said Merlin.

  Hakyun raised a brow, and nudged his glasses. “I never said I was.”

  Chima scoffed. “Yeah, sure.”

  “What was that, brute?”

  Merlin sighed.

  A couple of minutes later, the speakers of the auditorium chimed, and everyone rose to their feet to welcome the instructors of Prestige Academy, and the headmaster.

  Merlin’s heart skipped a beat at the sight of Headmaster Im Ilseong. He was yet to receive any verdict on the man’s decision with him and his situation.

  The staff all took their seats in front of their banners, the headmaster in their center, and Professor Jung stepped forward to the microphone as she always did.

  “Good morning to you all,” she greeted.

  “Good morning, professor!” they all replied in unison.

  Professor Jung smiled. “I do hope you all mean that.” They laughed. “It’s good to see that you all are doing well after the Tower raid. I’m sure it was very tough, but you all did exceptionally well, regardless of if the results were in your favor or not. I commend you all.”

  The students whistled in appreciation. Professor Jung cleared her throat after a few seconds and they all fell silent once again.

  “Now we will be moving on to the inter-academy festival and competition which will be commencing on Wednesday,” she resumed, and the silence suddenly became heavy. “The festival will be a simple one. I’m sure you all have invited whoever you wanted to. There’ll be songs, plays, and lots of food. It’ll be a time for you all to kick back and relax a bit.”

  No one cheered. They all listened attentively regardless of the fun which was implied by Professor Jung’s words. The tournament carried a greater weight to them at this moment. Nothing derailed their thoughts from its path.

  “As for the tournament,” Professor Jung resumed, and everyone shuffled on their seats. “It will be in two stages. The first will be an open-world expedition, deciding which two of the three academies will move on to the final stage. And that will be a one versus one battle tournament.”

  The air stiffened. Everyone gulped and some tightened their fists in anticipation.

  A 1v1 battle tournament. Merlin licked his lips. It was the perfect place to show his parents that he was strong enough to take care of himself.

  “The details of the tournament will be sent to your smartwatches as usual,” Professor Jung continued. “Now, I will go ahead to explain the rules, and, more importantly, pick out those who will be competing. But first.” She paused and gestured at the door to the end of the podium. “You may all come in.”

  Everyone’s eyes shifted to the door and stayed on it as it was pulled open and a group of students walked onto the podium.