“Hey, what’s up with you all?” Kaelyn demanded, dropping into a chair with a thud. Then she glanced at me. “Sit wherever you want.”

  “Okay.”

  Keeping my head low under their burning gazes, I made my way to a seat at the far edge—

  “That’s mine.”

  “Dude, you’ve got to stop doing that,” I said to Noll as he appeared out of nowhere again.

  I started to move and pick another spot, but he stopped me. “Actually, for a star like you, who am I to get in the way?”

  Before I could react, he pushed me back into the seat and turned away dramatically. “The light has no room for a shadow like me,” Noll muttered. “Who am I to force a star to sit on the sidelines?” Then he crouched in the corner, facing the wall like he was in timeout.

  “Is he—”

  “Don’t worry about him,” Mayern cut in, pointing a spoon at me. “He’s always like that.” He took a huge bite from his dish, then mumbled through it, “Anwyasd hits shnice do shememt ou.”

  “Sorry?”

  He swallowed. “I said it’s nice to meet you.” He chased it with some water. “Sorry if we were staring. We were already stunned when we saw Malo lose to you, and now that you’re here in person, it’s even crazier seeing how young you really are.”

  “Do you have to bring up me losing again?” Malo said with a side eye.

  Mayern shrugged. “It’s just really surprising.”

  “You’ve already said that multiple times.” Malo muttered, tearing into a chicken leg.

  Mayern slid a plate toward me.

  I looked down at it.

  “Go on, eat,” he said. “You’re here for a reason. And don’t worry, it’s on me. I can’t let a kid like you pay for his own meal.”

  “Oh, then can you pay—” Kaelyn began.

  “Hell no.”

  “Beric.”

  I turned toward Nyra.

  She offered her hand. “I’m Nyra. It’s nice to meet you.”

  I shook it. “Likewise.”

  “I’ve noticed my older sister, Merilda, has been around you lately. I hope she hasn’t been a bother. She’s…....well, very proud of being known as Alric’s best disciple. That’s why I worry how she might’ve acted after your stellar performance.” She paused, realizing something. “Oh, congratulations on winning, by the way. It’s no small feat defeating Malo.”

  “Thank you.”

  “It was really surprising,” came a small voice.

  I turned to Corven.

  He was nervously fidgeting with his spoon. “I—I mean, everyone always thought the only one who could beat Malo was Mayern.” He glanced at me. “You’re really strong for your age.”

  Silence settled between us.

  “Oh, sorry,” Corven blurted. “My name’s Corven.”

  “Beric,” I replied.

  He nodded shyly.

  “Alright, can we move on from that?” Malo finally said with a sigh.

  “I told you to work on that Form more.” Mayern replied through a mouthful of food. “You got your ass whooped by a kid.” He turned to me. “No offense, Beric.”

  I raised a hand. “No worries.”

  He nodded approvingly, a grin spreading across his face. “Chill guy.”

  “Besides, I have been,” Malo grumbled. “And hey, I didn’t get ‘whooped’!”

  “Really? So you’ve been practicing it all this time, huh? All these years?” Mayern asked, leaning back.

  “Yeah.” Malo looked away.

  “Uh-huh.” Mayern took a slow sip from his cup, eyes narrowing in disbelief.

  Years? I thought. Have they all known each other that long?

  I think so yeah.

  I glanced at Sys, who was munching on a chicken leg.

  “You think?”

  That’s your job to figure it out. Go ask them.

  “Eh, I don’t know about that. That’s kind of weird to ask, no?”

  Sys looked at me with a weird look.

  Why would that be weird? It’s a perfectly normal question.

  “But it’s some random kid asking it.”

  The same kid who just whooped the biggest guy’s ass.

  Malo scrunched his eyes. “I feel like someone’s badmouthing me.”

  “Okay, still, I just-.......”

  It just feels weird.

  Like I’m forcing myself and them to include me into the conversation.

  “Oh, Beric.” Mayern suddenly said. “You’re from Lurindell, right?”

  There’s a free door. Now I’m free from thinking that any of this is forced.

  It’s just a simple question, one that lets me naturally enter the conversation.

  “Yes.”

  He nodded. “That’s near Vezur, right?”

  “It is.”

  “Ah.” He tilted his head in thought. “That’s actually close to my village, Jhan. We could’ve been neighbors.” He then pointed at Malo. “And you might’ve met big guy here a lot sooner.”

  “How so?”

  Mayern grinned. “You see, little Beric, Malo and I go way back. We became friends at-”

  “I don’t know about friends—” Malo started.

  “Good friends,” Mayern interrupted. “We were both really young when we first met at a local tournament.”

  Malo chuckled. “Oh, you mean the one where I won?”

  Mayern frowned. “That’s only because you cheated.”

  Malo sighed dramatically. “You’re still hung up on that? How is using a boulder cheating? The referee didn’t see any problem.”

  “There was no problem because you scared him into passing out! And of course it’s cheating! What was a small kid like me supposed to do when a giant chunk of rock was flying at him? And not only that, you ripped it out of the ground!”

  “I was a small kid too.”

  “You were twice my size back then.”

  “I still am.”

  Mayern slammed the table. “Exactly my point! If I could copy your physicality, I’d crush you easily.”

  This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  “Aw, but you can’t,” Malo replied smugly.

  “You—!”

  “You guys are getting off-topic,” Nyra cut in. “I think Beric wants to hear more about us, not some old tournament.”

  “Yeah, no one cares about your dumb tournament,” Kaelyn added, her words muffled by a mouthful of fruit.

  Mayern slumped back into his chair. “Okay, okay.” He turned to me. “Sorry about that.”

  “It’s okay.”

  “Wow, you’re really mature for your age.”

  “Can’t say the same about you,” Nyra said flatly.

  Malo coughed, trying to hide a laugh. “Ah, too much spice in my chicken.”

  Mayern shot him a glare.

  “Anyway,” Kaelyn continued, “I met these two idiots at a later tournament.”

  “Which you lost to both of us, by the way,” Mayern added.

  Kaelyn glared back. “Only because it was my first tournament and my first duel. But fine, I’ll give you that one.”

  “And they met me when I was helping my sister with a recon mission,” Merilda said.

  “That was so cool,” Mayern said with a dreamy expression.

  “Ugh, do you remember when that orc showed up and Merilda killed it right in front of us?” Kaelyn said, making a disgusted face. “I had to scrub myself clean for hours after that.”

  “Oh yeah,” Mayern said suddenly, pointing at Corven, “then I met Corven at a library.”

  Corven shifted awkwardly in his seat. “I was……reading about Combustion magic.”

  “You’d never guess this quiet guy’s a master of literal explosions,” Mayern said with a laugh, “but hey, he is.”

  There was a sudden boom under the table.

  “Speaking of explosions—” Nyra said, pinching her nose.

  “Dude, really?” Kaelyn glared at Malo.

  “Sorry,” Malo mumbled, looking sheepish.

  “Touche, bro,” Mayern said, gagging.

  “Very sneaky explosion,” Corven added quietly.

  Mayern snapped his fingers. “Oh, that reminds me, that’s how we met Noll. He’d always been around the tournaments we joined, but since he kept to himself and barely spoke, we didn’t really meet him until a few years ago. He just appeared behind me one day, asking for tips on swordsmanship.”

  “The shadow will always remain a shadow, even when it mimics the shape of the sun,” Noll murmured from his corner, still staring at the wall.

  We all looked at him.

  “That weird thing of his is getting worse,” Mayern muttered.

  “It may be worth looking into soon,” Nyra added.

  “Wait,” I said suddenly. “So, you’re all friends?”

  Silence.

  "Yeah." Mayern said plainly.

  "Eh." Kaelyn disagreed. "I wouldn't say we're as tight as what Mayern's hinting at."

  "We've been competing against each other in multiple tournaments for years now." Nyra explained.

  “At first, I think I used to hate both Malo and Mayern,” Kaelyn said casually.

  "Used to? " Malo asked?

  Kaelyn rolled her eyes.

  "After a while, we sort of........became more acquainted." Corven said while rubbing his staff.

  "Now we're friends." Mayern said proudly.

  I don't think Mayern noticed the side eyes of the rest.

  "Anyway," Nyra began, "it did take a while before we could all sit down and eat peacefully together. Kaelyn and Malo were infamous for starting fights whenever they saw each other."

  "It was just Kaelyn." Malo corrected.

  "Yet you never rejected her." Nyra pressed.

  "Why would I pass on such an easy fight?" Malo answered.

  "Easy?" Kaelyn slammed her hand on the table.

  Malo drank from his cup. "Did I say something wrong?"

  "You-"

  While the two continued, Nyra spoke to me again. "They still fight like this, but it's nowhere as bad as it used to be. It took a few years before they all matured enough to realize there wasn't really any point in still fighting. So, we all eventually agreed to not see each other as opponents in break times like this and relax."

  “I used to be scared.” Corven said softly. “At first, when they tried to talk to me, I thought they wanted to start a fight.”

  “Really?” Mayern asked. “What made you think that?”

  “You two are pretty intimidating.” Corven replied.

  “What? No way.” Mayern gestured to himself. “I mean, I don’t think I’m scary. And as for Malo here—”

  We all turned just in time to see Malo inhale three chicken legs at once.

  “Okay, I can see it now,” Mayern admitted.

  “Though,” Corven continued, “once we actually talked, I realized that was all they wanted, to just talk. We talked about everything: our favorite food, magic, our dreams, all kinds of stuff.”

  Mayern nodded. “We never really hung out much outside the tournaments. During matches, we were rivals, sure, but afterward, we’d just relax, grab some food, and talk about everything that’d changed since the last time we saw each other.”

  “Like right now,” Malo said, letting out a loud burp. “Excuse me.”

  ………..

  What’s up with you?

  “It’s weird. From before, my image of them was different.”

  I can see why. They are different from how they were earlier.

  “Yeah, exactly.”

  Then there's your problem.

  “What do you mean?”

  Sure, they’re talented fighters who’ve made names for themselves against the entire region, and perhaps even a good portion of the entire world, and yeah, they did come here for the purpose of proving themselves as the strongest, but you know what?

  They’re still teenagers. They still want to hang out with their friends, talk about life, games, drama, anything, all while in the company of those they’ve grown to recognize and cherish all of these years.

  They’re more than just the opponents you have to beat.

  ………Huh.

  “Things are different now,” Nyra said suddenly. “Every tournament until now has ended with Malo facing off against Mayern. But with Beric’s arrival, everything’s changing. I wonder what other unforeseeable variables might arise from this.”

  “What unforeseeable variables could there be?” Mayern asked.

  “Beric defeating you,” Malo said flatly.

  “Hell nah.” Mayern shot me a quick glance. “No offense.”

  That confidence, unshaken but not quite arrogance, it felt familiar.

  “Oh yeah, Beric,” Mayern said abruptly.

  “Yes?”

  “Why are you here?”

  I blinked. “What?”

  “What’s your purpose in fighting here?”

  The air shifted.

  I could feel it, every pair of eyes turning toward me. Even Noll had turned from the wall.

  My throat tightened.

  I didn’t really have a clear answer. Not yet.

  But if I had to say something-

  “To prove something to.........” I hesitated.

  “To?” Mayern pressed.

  “Myself.”

  The room went quiet.

  It was Mayern who finally broke the silence.

  “That’s a good answer,” he said simply, lifting his cup and taking a drink. “I hope you’ll be able to do it.”

  I paused.

  Then, I nodded. “I hope so too.”

  Told you. Nothing to worry about, well, aside from that fight with Merilda later.

  “Merilda…….”

  “What about Merilda?” Nyra asked.

  “Oh, she uh-” I paused.

  Would it be right to tell her?

  “What is it?”

  “Uhm, she challenged me to a duel after the tournament ended.”

  Her face went pale.

  “She challenged a kid to a duel-” She put a hand to her forehead. “What is she thinking? Even if he’s talented, what made her think that this would be acceptable? Is she really this-”

  “Oh, relax, Nyra,” Kaelyn said, accepting another plate from a passing bartender. “Beric’s strong enough for that.” She pointed her fork toward Malo. “He beat the big guy over here, after all.”

  Malo glared at her. “You’re talking like he wouldn’t beat you too.”

  “Psh. Sure, Beric’s strong, but nah, I’ve got it covered,” Kaelyn said through a mouthful of food.

  “Like hell you do.” Malo jabbed a chicken leg in her direction. “If he could beat me, what makes you think you wouldn’t end up the same?”

  “Because I’m stronger than you?” Kaelyn said, giving him a smug duh face.

  Malo looked scandalized. “No way you just said that.”

  “I said what I said, Mr. ‘Lost-in-the-first-match.’”

  “Damn,” Mayern muttered, half-grinning. “You just going to take that, Malo?”

  Malo set his food down. “Hell no.”

  Kaelyn smirked. “What’s up, big guy?”

  “You know I’m stronger than you.”

  Kaelyn snickered. “Who lost again?”

  “We can go outside right now,” Malo shot back.

  “Oh really?” Kaelyn stood. “Let’s go then!”

  “Hey, guys, maybe we shouldn’t—” Corven started nervously.

  “Shut up, Corven,” they both said in unison.

  “Okay.”

  Nyra sighed, rubbing her temples. “Here they go again.”

  “Volcano-ash hair,” Malo sneered.

  “Dirty and unkempt hair,” Kaelyn fired back.

  “Loser of every duel we’ve had.”

  “Loser of the first round.”

  “Dang,” Mayern said under his breath.

  “The shadow continues to grow dimmer and dimmer with each spark from the fights between the stars,” Noll murmured from his corner.

  The argument kept spiraling, with Mayern egging them on with every comment, Corven making timid attempts to intervene, Nyra calmly sharpening her daggers while humming a tune, and Noll still crouched in the corner, staring blankly at the wall.

  As for me, I sat.

  I thought about the strangeness of it all.

  How could they become friends through tournaments?

  And, if they really were friends, how did they not notice his depression?

  Were they really as close as they seemed?

  Why was I thinking so much about it?

  Why am I even doing this?

  Why didn’t any of them see it?

  At least, Mayern should have seen it. He’s been with him for so long.

  In this world, are friends just as useless?..........

  All of these thoughts ran in my head. A lot of them I had been harboring for a while, some new sprouts that had formed since I came into this world, and a few that had no place in my mind, but still existing nonetheless.

  And yet, when I refocused on the group before me, they all went silent.

  I definitely had some questions, some maybe unanswerable.

  But, what was before me didn’t need any clarification.

  Maybe because for some reason, it was familiar.

  A group of teenagers laughing while eating, talking about every-day topics that most would find boring, but since it was with this specific group, even these boring topics still found enjoyment.

  I saw it here.

  I saw a group of good friends eating lunch together.