GinRegistration day. Against my mother’s wishes, I went to school with a cast around my left arm. It was more busted up than I realized. Even with magic, the bone needed time to set properly. I was too excited to worry about something as minor as a busted arm. I owed Orion a beating, and I planned to pay him back on the grandest stage I knew. “I’ll hand his ass to him in front of all Fritia’s nobility” I decided.Something bothered me as I sat in class. When I visited the royal palace the previous day, I saw the king. The people only spoke good things about the king, always praising his wisdom and kindness in dealing with affairs concerning the kingdom. During the meeting with the council, he left all the talking to the council members. He looked uninterested, like he had some other place to be. When I asked Mom at home, “that’s just the way he is” was her answer. It had me wondering whether the king was a nonchalant selfish prick like Carolynn had implied outside the wall. All of th

NarratorOver three hundred students were gathered in the biggest arena at the academy. For the royal games, they all wore robes with their family’s crest on it, in order to represent their houses. As for the few students who didn’t belong to noble houses, they wore robes with the academy’s crest on it.The seats were filled, people waiting to watch the spectacle cheered on the students.Gin stood by the corner, away from the other students socializing, he saw no point in pretending to be friendly just minutes to the tournament starting.A light jab to his shoulder brought his attention back to the arena. Isaak stared him down with eyebrows arched in anger and disappointment.“What kind of friend just goes silent with no form of communication whatsoever?” he asked.“the me kind” Gin replied abruptly.Isaak sighed in exhaustion. “sometimes, I don’t even know what to do with you” he said.“Your antisocial nature will be the death of you.” he added.The absentee friend clicked his tongue