The next morning had arrived, and Julius felt well enough to head home. There were still things he had to take care of before he left.

  As he came down the stairs, he saw a woman cooking in the kitchen.

  “Good morning, Julius. You’re up already?”

  She smiled while slicing some vegetables.

  It was Mrs. Schmid. The Schmid family had been close friends with Jin and Jina’s family for years—their fathers had known each other since childhood.

  “Good morning,” Julius greeted her and looked around the room.

  “Is no one else here?” he asked.

  “Oh, my husband’s at work, and Jin already left. He wanted to visit his sister.”

  Julius stretched—his body still ached from the mana depletion.

  “I should get going too,” he said, ready to take his leave.

  “You want to leave already? I’m almost done cooking,” she said, not accepting any protest.

  His stomach growled. He sat at the table and watched as Mrs. Schmid finished the meal.

  “I watched the tournament—you were amazing,” she said with a warm smile.

  Julius blushed a little. “Thanks… I’ve trained hard for the past few years.”

  “I’m sure your parents must be proud of you.”

  Julius fell silent. Ever since the incident with his sister, things had never been the same between him and his parents.

  She placed a steaming bowl in front of him.

  “Enjoy.”

  The soup was fresh and hot, with chunks of vegetables and meat.

  “This tastes really good,” he said as he took the first bite.

  “I’m glad you like it—it’s my husband’s favorite.”

  Julius dug in as if he hadn’t eaten in days.

  “Many dream of going to the academy in Lidoris. You must be excited.”

  “Yeah… I’m excited.”

  But Julius was lost in thought. The real reason he wanted to go to Lidoris was to find out more about the people who had come to their village that day.

  Once he’d finished eating, he stood up. “Thank you for the food—and for letting me stay.”

  “Oh, don’t mention it—I’ve known you since you were in diapers.”

  Julius blushed deeply. “I really have to go,” he said and rushed to the door.

  “Don’t push yourself too hard,” she called out just as his hand reached the doorknob.

  “Of course we don’t believe everything they say happened to you… But don’t blame yourself. Try to enjoy your time in Lidoris.”

  “Don’t worry. I don’t care what people say.”

  His back was to her, so she didn’t see the fire in his eyes—but his face was filled with resolve and quiet fury.

  “I’ll help Jina. And I’ll help my sister, too.”

  ————

  Julius had left the Schmid family’s house and was on his way back to his village.

  As he walked, he passed the square where the tournament had taken place.

  People were still busy fixing the damage left by the battles. The ground was full of small and large craters. The villagers were filling the holes with their bare hands. What an experienced earth mage could’ve repaired in a few minutes was taking them hours—because most of them were just regular citizens. Still, there was no bitterness on their faces, only joy.

  Julius paused for a moment, watching them work.

  “Hey Walter, did you bring all the materials from the storage?”

  He overheard two men talking a short distance away.

  “You should’ve said something—we would’ve helped,”

  One of them clapped Walter on the shoulder.

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  “But damn, how did you manage to bring all that dirt and other stuff overnight?”

  “Huh?”

  Walter looked surprised at the pile of supplies.

  “I didn’t bring this,” he said.

  “I was actually going to ask for help today—it was way too much. But now…”

  The two just stared at each other.

  “A miracle!” they both shouted at once, laughing with excitement and not questioning it any further.

  “Someone must have helped these poor folks during the night. But who could it be?”

  A loud, proud voice interrupted Julius’s thoughts. He turned to his side and saw Shadow, arms crossed and chin held high like a hero.

  “It shall remain a mystery… who helped these people,” Shadow said, nodding to himself in approval.

  “That was you,” Julius said flatly.

  Sweat broke out on Shadow’s face.

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about. I slept like a baby last night.”

  At that moment, Julius was once again reminded what an idiot Shadow was.

  “I didn’t expect you to win that final match,” Shadow added.

  Julius looked toward the center of the square—where he had fought.

  “I can’t afford to lose… not until I—”

  He trailed off, lost in thought.

  Whoooom!

  Shadow slapped Julius on the back with an open hand.

  “Arghhhh!”

  Julius screamed in pain. “What the hell was that for, you asshole?!”

  “My grandpa used to do that when I was feeling down. He said: ‘Pain is your best friend.’”

  “What kind of nonsense is that?” Julius growled.

  “No clue. But it always hurt like hell.”

  Julius gave him a death glare.

  If he were at full strength, he’d have punched Shadow right then.

  “Whatever.” Julius walked past him, heading for the village.

  After a few steps, he noticed Shadow following him.

  “Why are you following me?” he asked, annoyed.

  “I have to head back to my village too.”

  Julius quickened his pace, but Shadow kept up easily.

  His body started aching again, forcing him to slow down.

  “Damn it…” he muttered under his breath.

  The pain brought back memories of the fight. He glanced over his shoulder.

  “What village are you from?” he asked.

  “Katakanta—it’s pretty far south. My grandpa and I have lived there for as long as I can remember.”

  Julius wanted to ask about his parents, but he figured Shadow was probably one of the many orphans among the common folk.

  “Your grandpa must be important to you.”

  “Of course. He was the leader of the secret organization.”

  “You and your secret organization… does it even have a name?”

  “Only members know the name.”

  “So, you don’t know it?” Julius raised an eyebrow.

  “Of course I do! I just can’t tell you because you’re not a member.”

  More sweat ran down Shadow’s face.

  They reached the gateway leading into the village.

  “I’ve got to go this way,” Julius said, pointing in one direction.

  “And I need to go that way,” Shadow said, pointing in the opposite direction.

  “I’ve got a few things to take care of before heading to Lidoris,” Julius said.

  “I’ve gotta tell my grandpa everything that happened,” Shadow added.

  Julius held out his fist.

  “Then I’ll see you in Lidoris.”

  Shadow bumped his fist.

  “Looks like it.”

  And with that, both of them went their separate ways—heading toward the future that awaited them.

  ————————

  Julius had arrived home. He stood in front of the door but hesitated to open it.

  He took a deep breath and stepped inside.

  The living room was empty, wrapped in a heavy silence.

  “Dad’s probably at work,” Julius muttered as he headed up the stairs.

  There were three rooms upstairs. His was at the end of the hallway.

  As he passed by his sister’s room, he noticed the door was open.

  Inside, his mother sat on the bed, holding a family photo in her hands.

  “I’m back,” Julius said gently.

  The incident with his sister had shaken his mother to her core.

  “Ah, Julius… you’re home,” she said, looking up. But there was no life in her eyes.

  “I was accepted into Lidoris.”

  “That’s nice,” she replied flatly.

  “I’ll be leaving soon. School starts in a few days.”

  “School? You’re far too young for school,” she muttered, not even looking at him.

  Frustration welled up inside him. Not anger at her—but helplessness.

  He had tried so many times to convince her that his sister was still alive. But it only made things worse. Eventually, he’d just stopped talking about it.

  “I’ll head out now,” he said, turning to leave.

  “Come back for dinner… and bring your sister with you.”

  The frustration in him deepened.

  “Yeah… I will.”

  He went to his room and collapsed onto the bed, staring at the ceiling.

  Slowly, his eyelids grew heavy, and he drifted off to sleep.

  ?

  Knock, knock.

  A knock on the door woke him.

  “Shit, I fell asleep,” he muttered.

  The door opened, and his father walked in.

  “Dad,” Julius said, sitting up.

  “Sit down, son. You’re supposed to be resting.”

  Julius relaxed and sat back down.

  “I wanted to come watch you at the tournament… but I had to stay with your mother—”

  “I get it.”

  “I heard you were amazing. You really gave that noble a run for his money, huh?”

  He was trying to lighten the mood.

  “Of course. There’s no way I’d lose to a fucking noble,” Julius replied seriously.

  “I don’t even know where you learned to talk like that.”

  Julius paused.

  Then both of them started laughing.

  “Who would’ve thought my son would get accepted to Lidoris?”

  Julius looked away, slightly embarrassed.

  “I’m proud of you,” his father said, placing a hand on his head.

  Julius stood up, face a bit red. He grabbed a book from his desk and stuffed it into his bag.

  “I need to train a bit more before school starts.”

  “Still working hard, huh?”

  Just as Julius was about to leave, his father’s voice stopped him.

  “Julius,” he said more seriously now.

  Julius paused.

  “I know why you really want to go to Lidoris.”

  Julius said nothing.

  “You want to find your sister, don’t you?”

  “You still don’t believe me?” Julius asked calmly.

  “I do. I just… I don’t want you to get your hopes up too high.”

  “She’s alive. And I’m going to bring her back.”

  “Julius, this is a huge opportunity. I just don’t want you to waste it… and end up regretting it.”

  “Thanks, Dad.” Julius looked him in the eyes.

  “Without you, this family would’ve fallen apart long ago. But my decision is final.”

  His father sighed.

  “With that look in your eyes…” He stood up.

  “When a man gives his word, there’s no going back.”

  “I know.”

  “Don’t worry about your mother. I’ll take care of her.”

  “Thank you.”

  “But now that you’ve said it—you have to make it real. Can you do that?”

  Julius grinned.

  “Of course. Not even death can stop me.”