I wake up happily to the soft rays of morning light coming through the window.
From afar, I can hear the rustle of the leaves in the wind. As I get up from my bed and look out my window to look at the West Arena, the only thing on my mind is just one thing. The one thing that keeps giving me this elated feeling.
The kiss.
My elbows touch the cool window frame as I lean against the window, looking out at the scenery. Despite the campus still looking in ruins, I still find some beauty in the nature surrounding me. I probably have a dumb grin on my face about now. Ivy kissed me. Okay, it is on the cheek, even so, it isn't nothing.
The way she smiles after kissing me and disappears into the crowd leaves me wanting more.
Now I know this isn't a romance novel, so I won't go into it too much. Though maybe for a little longer, I will. I mean, it's not every day you get kissed by your crush, right? After leaving my window, I brush my teeth. I throw on some clothes and walk to Justus's office on autopilot.
He might have some advice on some things, I think to myself as I ascend the steps.
Knocking gently on the office door, I open the door to find him sitting behind his desk, looking over some documents. "Hey, thanks for seeing me," I say while shutting the door. "I know it's your day off," I add as I sit down in the chair. He gathers his documents together into a neat pile. He then opens up his drawer and places it inside before responding to me.
"It is no trouble at all, Nico. I am happy to see you. I have something to tell you after you say your piece. What's on your mind?" he says as he looks at me with curiosity.
I feel a little awkward. Where do I even start with this?
"Well hypothetically, if I have this friend who likes this girl and the girl kissed him. Where does he go from here?" I ask him awkwardly as I pray he takes the bait. Justus raises his eyebrow and chuckles softly.
"Girl trouble I see? Well, hypothetically, your friend should take things slow. If she kissed him, then she has some interest in him. Communication is key. It may be worth having your friend talk to this girl about being honest with his feelings. Above all, your friend should just be himself."
"If she likes him, it will be because of who he is, not what he does next."
"Your friend should also try to take it easy. Just like us, I am sure your friend has a lot on his plate. Having some fun and positivity in life is not a bad thing, even if our goals are a lot more serious. We never know when tomorrow may come again," Justus says on a more serious note, but with a soft tone.
I nod, taking the words in and memorizing them. This doesn't exactly solve anything, but I will do my best to just be myself and eventually confess to Ivy. She is probably waiting for me to say something. I will confess, most likely once this is all over.
"Thanks for the advice. I appreciate it," I tell him, feeling more at ease.
"Anytime Nico. There is another matter now we must attend to. Do not worry, it is not something insanely dangerous. However, it is an important event. It is called the Glozaria Keeper Cup. Are you familiar with this event?" he asks.
"I am not at all. Let me guess, it means me and a few others have to compete in something again?" I ask him in a sarcastic tone. I lower my head in disappointment. Do we have to do another thing now?
"Yes, it means you have to compete again. However, this time it won't be as fun as the Keeper Golden Ball, which, mind you, was optional. This is not optional though," Justus says as he stands up.
He points at a map of the continent we live on the office wall. "Do you see where we are? We are the country on the continent of Glozaria that is right in the middle of everything," Justus says while pointing to the center. "In the countries that are right above us to the North and on the side of us to the West are the ones competing with us."
"Those being the Keeper Academy of Ryndoria and the Keeper Academy of Oriventh," he says, pointing his finger at the top of the map and the left side of the map.
"Ignis and his team won the past Glozaria Keeper Cup event three times in a row. Since Ignis has become an official Keeper, he isn't allowed to compete."
"Neither are his teammates. Since that is the case, the new people who are being selected are you, Zephyr, and a powerful earth mage who is a fourth year named Estes Helirzo," Justus says while holding up his finger to his lips to prevent me from interrupting.
"You may ask, why me? Right? Well, it's because the Keepers, who are the Eradicators in disguise, want to judge your new power level against the best of the other human children they hold hostage over. You need to win this fight with your teammates. They selected Zephyr because he is the son of the General of the Army of Tarondar and requires testing. Estes Helirzo is one of the strongest earth mages and has great healing abilities.
"You three together will make a great team," he says while smiling.
"If I am going to compete against the best of the best from the other academies, who is going to train me? Will the Eradicators make sure not to kill me or anybody who is very important or seems like a threat?" I ask anxiously.
"They won't harm you because they need you for the bloodline sacrifice unless they can capture your sister, which most likely won't happen. They won't harm your friends because they can use them as hostages against you. As long as the Eradicators see value in them, they will spare the others."
"I was regrettably born as a light mage, so I know how they might think. Your father and mother, though, made me realize how horrible majority of light mages are," Justus says while shaking his head.
I nod in silence at his words. Justus Amin is the only Eradicator I have any pity or remorse for, as well as my father. I wish I knew more about how my father saved the world from the annihilation ritual. He is an authentic hero. I shake my head before I can think any more about it.
If I want to save the world like my father did and take back humanity, I need to get my head in the game.
"What's next?" I ask Justus with determination.
"You train. Ignis is waiting for you at the training grounds," he says, smiling.
It is time to become more powerful until I am strong enough to have the power to change the world and take back humanity. I won't simply save humanity, I will take it back with my own hands.
Once the violence and bloodshed are over, maybe then I can live a better life with my friends.