Even though the words were said calmly, Dom could feel the menacing aura behind them and the misery they threatened to bring.
"Ah, Nat. Fancy meeting you here, indeed," he said, forcing an obviously fake smile onto his face.
"Indeed. I've been looking for you since yesterday, Dom."
A mischievous smile spread across her face, sending shivers down Dom's spine.
'Fuck my luck! Why did I have to meet her first?!'
Just as he was about to respond, Nat abruptly cut him off.
"Enough talking. Let's see what you've got!"
Coating her wrist in flames, she reached for Dom's hands faster than he could react and bolted toward the left side of the hallway. Flames enveloped her legs, propelling her to incredible speeds as she easily weaved through the crowd.
'I'm so dead.'
Dom began praying, hoping the gods would hear his desperate pleas.
"Hey, doofus, we're here," Nat said, mistaking Dom's pitiful state for fear of her speed. Slowly, he opened his eyes and gazed at the small arena. It resembled a boxing ring, except for the metallic walls that enclosed it.
"Here I come!!"
Nat disappeared from her spot, charging at Dom like a speeding train. As she approached, flames coated her wrist, and she swung it directly toward his face.
'Ahh, I'm about to get beaten up. I see, it was my fault for being confident toward her during the cerem—'
Before he could finish his thought, her flaming punch struck, sending his body hurtling across the ring. He collided with the wall with a loud bang and a sound that echoed within and beyond the ring.
'Who is that poor fellow?' the spectators outside the ring thought, shaking their heads.
As the dust settled, Nat's eyes widened in horror. She sprinted toward Dom, who lay slumped against the wall, blood streaming from his nose.
"Why didn't you dodge the attack?!"
She asked, even though she knew he couldn't have dodged at such speed. She had tried to lessen her strength or so she thought.
"Fuck you, Nat," Dom chuckled, causing some of the blood in his mouth to splatter onto Nat's face. Her expression grew more worried.
"Don't worry. The uniform has healing properties. I'll be okay," he said, slowly rising to his feet and placing his arm around her shoulder for support.
"Let's get you to your room. You need to clean yourself up," she said gently.
As they exited the training area, Dom marveled at its size. The ring they had used was only one among hundreds. He couldn't help but wonder where the school was getting the funding for such a massive facility. He wanted to keep exploring but was acutely aware of the stares directed at them most filled with pity.
'Don't tell me they heard my scream,' he thought, his face flushing in embarrassment.
"Get ready; I'm speeding up."
Nat coated her legs in flames again and began running, though this time at a slower pace.
"Take the stairs up," Dom said as they approached the stairway.
"Hah! Don't make me laugh." Nat chuckled, maintaining her pace.
"What do you mean? You're going to miss it."
Realizing Dom wasn't joking, she veered into the waiting lane, where no one else was moving, and came to a halt.
Turning to face him, she asked:
"So, you're telling me you live on the upper floor? The floor reserved for students with exceptional talents or prestigious connections?"
'Now that I think about it, it's strange that I'm in a luxurious room. Even if the school is incredibly wealthy, they can't provide luxury to thousands of students. Did something happen that I'm unaware of? Or is this just a mistake?'
"Now that I think about it, I don't know why I was placed there. It might have been a mistake. Anyway, yes, I do live there," he said, puffing out his chest and holding his head high.
"I didn't ask earlier, but what is your ability? What did you awaken?"
Hearing the question, Dom's confidence crumbled. His chest fell, and he lowered his head.
"I don't know," he said after a long silence.
"Huh? You don't know?"
"Yes. I've met every requirement to activate my ability, but whenever I try, nothing happens."
Nat didn't press further and began ascending the stairs.
"Turn right."
"This door."
Nat halted in her tracks as her eyes took in the room before her.
"Woah, so this is your room," she said as she released his legs, allowing him to walk on his own.
"Welcome to my humble abode," Dom joked, earning a light punch on the arm that made him wince.
Heading into the toilet, he rinsed his face and smiled, recalling Nat's reaction to his 'humble abode.'
"I guess we should head to the others."
Hearing this, Nat grumbled and sprawled across the luxurious bed.
"Now is not the time to be lazy," Dom said, chuckling at the adorable scene. Nat shot him a threatening look with her eyes.
"I-I guess we can wait a bit," he stammered, his smile crooked.
[Many minutes later]
Dom stood outside a metallic door; his shoulders slumped as if burdened by a heavy weight. He had finally arrived at the door separating him from his friends, but he hesitated, his mind racing with thoughts of how to explain his situation.
"There's no need to worry. Welcome to Aurey's humble abode!" With that, the door swung open, revealing Aurelia and Atlas. Dom swallowed hard and stepped inside.
The first to react was Aurelia, who hugged him tightly as she said his name.
"For a moment, I was worried," she said. Dom returned her embrace and exchanged smiles with Atlas.
After releasing Aurelia, Dom approached his bro, Atlas. He extended a hand for a handshake, which Atlas readily reciprocated. The clasp of their hands echoed a powerful sound—a sound so filled with warmth and friendship it seemed to transcend time and space.
"What was that just now?" a student asked his brother nearby.
"I don't know, but it was marvelous," the brother replied, tears streaming down his face.
'I wish the owner of that clasp were here instead of you,' another student thought, pausing his kiss with his girlfriend as the sound reached his ears.
The clasp of hands was so profound that many people found themselves questioning their preferences.
Meanwhile, the two bros (NOT GAY) exhaled deeply, basking in the moment (NOT INAPPROPRIATE).
"Dom didn't awaken," Nat said, breaking the mood. Her words silenced the room.
"Wait, what?" Atlas asked, looking to Dom for confirmation.
"It's true. Sigh," Dom admitted.
Aurelia spoke up:
"Wait, wait, wait. How sure are you that you didn't awaken? From what I know, the school doesn't accept students who fail to awaken."
Dom explained his situation.
"I see. Based on what you're saying, there's a chance you did awaken, but something is blocking you from accessing your ability perhaps an unfinished hidden requirement. Didn't you use your ability during the ceremony?"
"About that… When I entered the dust torus, I started hallucinating or dreaming. And before you suggest I might be able to create illusions like Atlas, I can't. Atlas created a single being; my experience was like a dream. I was transported to medieval times, where I saw a man, I didn't know die… with you guys."
Silence enveloped the room again. Dom had already considered the possibility of illusionary powers but dismissed it. Atlas's illusions were fundamentally different from his experiences during the ceremony.
'Could Dom have awakened an unknown ability? That's extremely rare, so the chances are nearly zero,' Aurelia thought. Another possibility crossed her mind, but she dismissed it, unwilling to darken the mood further.
"I'm sorry you had to witness that," Atlas said, offering Dom a hug, which he accepted.
"We can go to the training arena to figure out what your ability is or force it out with a near-death experience."
Nat's devilish grin made Dom swallow nervously. She grabbed his arm.
"To the training arena!"
"ATLAS HEL-!!" Dom shouted as Nat sped off.