Captain Eric didn't waste time.
They stood near the door, far enough from the table that Aren's father and sister couldn't hear every word, but close enough that nothing felt secretive.
"You awakened something rare today," Captain Eric said. "Rare enough that people will notice whether you want them to or not."
Aren didn't respond.
"I won't dress this up," Eric continued. "I want to recruit you."
"However, the military doesn't sponsor potential, only results—public ones."
That, Aren had expected. Why else would they go this far for some random kid?
"There's a local tournament coming up," Captain Eric said. "The Sun City Regional Tournament."
"If you win the Novice tier, I can put my name behind you."
Aren's fingers curled slightly at his side.
"And the prize?" he asked.
Captain Eric looked at him for a moment longer than necessary. "Valuable."
That single word told Aren everything.
"The winner of each tier will get a large sum of cash," Eric continued. "Definitely enough to help your family out."
Aren narrowed his eyes, focusing on the Captain's. His eyes darted around, as if they didn't want to meet Aren's.
He was hiding the truth, but Aren already knew what the prize was.
The Fertile Core.
The Defilers hadn't attacked Sun City without reason. They came for the Fertile Core.
Back then, Aren hadn't understood why. He'd only known that they caused Hell on the province and nothing was taken, except the artifact.
By the time anyone realized what had gone wrong, Sun City had become marked for abandonment.
His fingers tightened slowly.
Entering the tournament wouldn't make him safer. It would literally put him in the front row of the disaster. Not when he should be at home, protecting his family.
"I'll think about it," Aren finally said.
Captain Eric sighed softly.
"That's a shame."
Aren looked up. "What is?"
The captain turned slightly, angling his body back toward the door. "I was hoping to get the jump on the other recruiters."
Aren frowned. "Other recruiters?"
Captain Eric paused with his hand on the handle. He glanced back, studying Aren for a second longer before standing up and heading for the door.
He opened it, then stopped once more.
"You'll understand once you arrive at school tomorrow."
With that, he stepped out, closing the door quietly behind him. Aren stood where he was for a moment, contemplating.
What does that even mean?
***
The light turned green.
Aren stepped off the curb with the rest of the crowd, hands in his pockets, thoughts still tangled around Captain Eric's words from the day before.
He barely made it halfway across before someone tapped his shoulder.
"Aren."
He stopped.
Aren turned around, already knowing who it was.
Lily stood there with her hands clasped behind her back, rocking slightly on her heels. Her short hair that went to her chin was flowing faintly in the wind. He instantly recognized her big eyes and slightly cheeky grin.
A small flower-shaped hairpin sat neatly in place on her head.
She was the kind of person people felt comfortable around without really knowing why.
"If you keep frowning like that," she said, tilting her head, "those creases on your forehead are going to turn you into an uncle by thirty."
"…Lily," Aren said.
Lily fell into step beside him as they continued toward the school gates, her pace matching his without either of them saying anything about it.
"I heard you awakened something impressive," she said after a moment, casual as ever. "Your sister has a big mouth."
Aren glanced at her. "You've got a good one too."
She scoffed. "Please. Mine's just a Fairy."
He raised an eyebrow. "That's not just anything."
She shot him a look. "Says the guy with a Dragon."
Aren huffed softly. "You're one to talk. If you weren't, you know—the Lily Wright—people would already be fighting over you."
Lily stuck out her tongue and sneered at his response. Then her expression shifted quickly.
"Hey," she said carefully, "my dad would be fine helping out."
Aren slowed a step.
"I mean it," she continued, turning her head toward him. "He's already been asking about you. If it's about colleges, or sponsorships, or—anything really. We could talk to him. He wouldn't mind."
Aren shook his head.
"Lily."
She stopped. He reached out and placed a hand on her head, ruffling her perfectly neat hair without hesitation.
"Worry about yourself first."
"HEY!" Lily protested, swatting at his arm as she tried to fix it. "That took half an hour to do!"
But there was no real anger in her voice, only a small breath of relief as the two headed toward school.
The school gates were already open.
Aren took two steps inside before stopping. "…What the hell is going on?"
The courtyard beyond the gates looked nothing like it usually did. Groups of well-dressed adults clustered together, talking rapidly, tablets and documents in hand.
At the center of it all stood Jakob.
He had his arms crossed, chin lifted slightly as a half-dozen recruiters spoke over one another in front of him.
Not far from him was Luna. She stood apart from the noise, hands folded in front of her, expression cool and distant. The recruiters around her were fewer, but noticeably better dressed. All of them stood in a neat line, as if waiting their turn to make a sales pitch.
Lily let out a low whistle. "Wow."
Aren stared. "Is this… normal?"
"Nope," she said. "Not even a little."
As if on cue, someone glanced their way.
Then another. One by one, they started to look before a whole wave of murmurs rippled through the courtyard.
"That's him."
"Aren Cross."
"And that's Lily—daughter of CEO Wright."
Aren felt the air around them shift.
The recruiters who'd been circling Jakob hesitated. A few from Luna's side frowned. Then, almost in unison, they ran up immediately.
"Mister Cross! Miss Wright! Maybe I have a moment of your time?"
"Aren! Our academy offers very good scholarships and top-tier facilities!"
"Please, Mister Aren! We can give you exclusive treatment—you'll be our first Dragon-type!"
"Our academy specializes in paired development! If you two enroll together, we can offer shared resources…!"
"Buy one, get one free?" Lily muttered under her breath.
Aren shot her a look. "Now is not the time."
He sighed.
So this is what Captain Eric meant.
"Well," a voice drawled, "this is lively."
The recruiters hesitated. Aren looked up.
Clara stepped out from the crowd, posture relaxed, lips curved in a faint smile that was obviously fake. She wore her uniform neatly, as if this were just another morning, one she was enjoying a little too much.
She glanced at the recruiters surrounding Aren and Lily, then laughed softly.
"Really?" she said. "You're all this eager?"
Her gaze settled on Aren.
"Even if he awakened something decent," Clara continued lightly, "enrolling him would be a death sentence for your college."
The courtyard quieted almost immediately as a few recruiters stiffened. Clara tilted her head, feigning curiosity. "You do know who his father is, right?"
"A man fired for stealing millions," she went on. "Blacklisted from everywhere. A criminal even, depending on who you ask."
Her eyes flicked back to the recruiters.
"You don't want that kind of stain on your reputation," she said pleasantly. "No matter how talented the son is."
Aren felt his jaw tighten at Clara's small smirk.
"And let's not exaggerate things," she added lightly. "A Dragon?"
"Please..." she shook her head, smiling. "A dragon is still just a glorified snake."
Clara continued, clearly enjoying herself. "Fate's funny like that. No matter how high you crawl, you're still born from the same mud."
The laughter grew a little louder from the students, presumably those from her clique, while the recruiters shifted nervously. Some of them exchanged glances. A few took half a step back, suddenly less eager than before.
Lily stepped forward immediately.
"That's enough."
She placed herself half a step in front of Aren without thinking, shoulders squared. The murmurs stopped almost instantly as all eyes were on them.
"You don't get to talk about him like that," Lily continued. "Or his family."
Clara paused before smiling softly, adjusting her tone.
"Oh," she said slowly. "It's you."
Clara tilted her head, looking almost thoughtful. "I was wondering why you suddenly felt so brave."
Her gaze flicked to where Lily stood, then back to the recruiters.
"Careful," Clara said lightly. "Her family's been shopping for talent lately."
She looked back at Lily, smile sharpening.
"Or is this personal?" she added. "Going around defending people like this…"
She laughed softly. "What—playing sugar mama now?"
Lily's expression went perfectly still. Beside her, Aren noticed it instantly, how her fingers twitched.
He reached out. "Lily. Hey, listen to me," he said quickly, low. "
It's not worth it."
But it was too late. Lily stepped forward. Her hand came up in one fast motion, almost a blur that caught everyone off guard.
Slap.
The sound cracked across the courtyard.
Clara staggered half a step, eyes widening as her head snapped to the side. For a heartbeat, she looked stunned, like she hadn't quite processed that it had actually happened.
Then her expression twisted.
"You—!"
The air around her rippled.
A surge of ether burst outward as Clara summoned her Bloodline. A massive panther emerged, its form ethereal but still domineering nonetheless.
Lily didn't back down, not one bit. Green light shimmered at her shoulder as her own Bloodline answered.
A small Fairy emerged, no taller than a child's forearm, wings small and translucent. It hovered calmly beside her, scattering faint motes of pixie dust that soaked into the ground beneath their feet.
Aren's heart dropped.
"Lily—!"
The Panther crouched, muscles bulging and ready. The Fairy lifted its tiny hands, roots already beginning to break through the stone courtyard.
Yet, in the next instance...
"Enough!"
Both Bloodlines froze and promptly dissolved. Captain Eric stood between them, one hand raised, eyes sharp and cold as he swept his gaze across the courtyard.
"This is a school," he said evenly. "Not a battlefield."
"If either of you take another step," he continued calmly, "this stops being a personal matter."
Then he straightened.
"If you want to continue your dispute," Captain Eric said. "Settle it publicly and in a recognized safe space."
His gaze flicked from Clara to Lily, then briefly to Aren.
"At the Sun City Regional Tournament."
Everyone seemed to go silent for a while before Clara was the first to break it.
"Fine."
She brushed her hair back into place as if nothing had happened, her expression already composed, eyes cool as ever.
"The Sun City Regional Tournament," she continued lightly. "I don't mind."
Her gaze flicked briefly to Lily.
"If you're confident."
Aren scanned Lily's expression.
Her posture was steady, but Aren saw it anyway. The faint tremor she was forcing down. The way her Fairy had dissipated just a fraction faster than Clara's.
She can't win that yet.
But he thought about the future, about the invasion. He clenched his fists. In his first life, too many times, he let things happen by thinking too much and not protecting what he had.
This time, he won't make the same mistake.
Lily opened her mouth, but before she could say anything, Aren stepped forward and placed himself in front of her.
"We'll enter."
Lily froze, turning toward him. "Aren—"
"It'll be a team battle," Aren continued calmly.
Captain Eric's eyes sharpened as he scanned the situation with interest.
"Fine," Clara said again, without even blinking. "Makes it simpler."
Captain Eric studied Aren for a long moment, then nodded once.
"So be it."
The crowd began to disperse, whispers trailing behind them as class resumed like normal. Yet, Aren knew...all eyes were on them now.
Lily grabbed Aren's sleeve.
"Why did you say that?" she hissed. "You didn't have to—"
"I know," Aren said.
It was already the path of no return. But he couldn't do anything by hiding and being scared. If the path ahead was already collapsing—
Then he'd move through it anyway. Aren gripped his fingers tightly.
Fine, I'll adapt.