The applause didn’t reach him. Not at all.

  Abell slipped away from the market, unsatisfied.

  He was halfway up the famous rolling hills of Iridius. Legs burning, pulse racing, trying to outrun the dissatisfaction.

  He didn’t stop till he reached the top.

  Below him, the town looked peaceful and quiet in the late afternoon sun. Peaceful and Ordinary.

  He climbed onto a jagged rock, fists clenched.

  “ARGHHH!”

  His voice echoed into the open sky, carried by the wind. But it didn’t change anything. The frustration still burned inside him.

  “It’s still not good enough.” He thought.

  He sat on the edge of the hillside cliff, surveying the town.

  Genevieve was already traveling the country, hunting malignants, saving people.

  He scoffed.

  And I’m still here. Playing town guard.

  A few kids chased each other through the streets below, laughing like nothing happened.

  I can barely handle one malignant.

  But Genevieve.

  She didn’t need help. She was doing the saving.

  The sound of footsteps pulled him from his thoughts.

  “You okay, Abell?”

  “Yes, I’m just resting,” he replied.

  Astrid came into view, raising an eyebrow. “Uh-huh. Because yelling into the sky is totally how normal people rest.”

  Abell sighed. “Did my mom send you?”

  “Miss Keeko was worried. And she told me to patch you up.”

  “I don’t need any patching up.”

  Astrid didn’t hesitate. She moved to his side and jabbed him in the ribs.

  “OW–What was that for!?”

  “See? You do need patching up.” She pulled a cloth from her bag. “You’re not fine.”

  Abell pouted but let her work. The cloth pressed against the scrape on his right arm, causing him to wince a bit.

  Her hands were steady, like she’s been patching people up her whole life.

  She finished wrapping up his wounds, but hesitated because he stared at her.

  “What?” she asked.

  “You’re getting better at this.”

  Astrid blinked, surprised. “Was that… a compliment?”

  He shrugged. “You used to suck at wrapping wounds.”

  “Thanks for the reminder.”

  She turned around, folding the cloth and putting it in her bag.

  “Hey, Abell.”

  “What?”

  “Thanks for everything.”

  She spoke softly. “I know how much work you’ve put in over the years to protect our town.”

  He remained quiet.

  “You act like you don’t care, but it shows. We’ve both grown up in this town. Don’t pretend you're not a part of it. ”

  “I don’t know what you're talking about,” Abell said, shifting his posture.

  Astrid grinned. “Ah ha, so that’s your weakness. You hate being thanked.”

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  “I think you hit your head.”

  “Sure, whatever you say, Mr. Hero.”

  She turned toward the town. “Let’s head back. The feast is starting.”

  He took a deep breath, giving the sky one final glance. The fire of his frustration remained alive, but for now, he was satisfied.

  They made their way down the hill.

  The scent of roasted meat hit first, followed by laughter, music, and firecrackers popping in the distance.

  Iridius was glowing.

  Lanterns hung from every post, swaying gently in the breeze. Kids weaved between stalls as merchants shouted. The town hadn’t been this alive in months.

  Stalls were being rebuilt, with some stalls unpainted. Some were still rubble, but the festival's spirit was in the air.

  “See?” Astrid said. “You should enjoy this. This is because of you.”

  Abell rolled his shoulder. “We’ll see.”

  “Seriously?” she said. “It’s a festival. Let’s at least get some food before you disappear again.”

  He opened his mouth to respond.

  “ABELL!”

  Misha shot toward him at full speed.

  Before Abell could react, the kid crashed into him, barely stopping himself from bouncing off.

  “That was AMAZING!” Misha shouted. “The sword! The malignant—you just–WHAM– sliced right through it!”

  Abell sighed. Energy for days.

  “Yeah, yeah. Thanks, little guy.” He ruffled Misha’s hair, half to distract and calm him down.

  Misha froze. His mouth opened—then closed. His entire system just… shut down.

  Astrid smirked. “You broke him.”

  “N-no!” Misha sputtered, puffing his chest. “I just—wasn’t ready for that!”

  “Sure.” Astrid snickered.

  She turned to Abell. “Thanks. You’re a big deal to him, you know?”

  “No, he’s not!” Misha shouted. “He’s just my rival.”

  Abell paused.

  “Well, as my rival, you should do your best to catch up to me.”

  Astrid grinned. “Ohh, you heard that, Misha?”

  “I will!” he smiled.

  Astrid laughed and ruffled his hair. “Alright, let’s go home. It’s close to your bedtime.”

  She gave Abell a small wave. “See you around, Mr. Hero.”

  Abell nodded as they disappeared into the crowd. He said nothing, but somehow, the night didn’t feel so bad anymore.

  The music was louder down on the main street.

  People were laughing, dancing, and yelling over food stalls.

  Abell kept his head low, weaving through the crowd: no eye contact or small talk.

  The last thing he wanted tonight was another conversation.

  As Abell moved through the crowd, he spotted him.

  Hugo.

  Kicked back on a little stool. Stuck between two women who looked way too Intrigued.

  Seriously?

  One of the girls leaned in. “So, mister—who even are you? A Luminary?”

  Hugo stretched lazily. “Yeah, you could say that.”

  Another woman raised an eyebrow. “I thought so; that’s why you were all chummy with Keeko.”

  Her friend shrieked. “Wait, don’t tell me. Are you Abell’s father, or a past lover?

  Abell froze mid-step.

  What?

  He wasn’t interested at first, except now he kind of was.

  “NO, nothing like that,” he spat out his drink. “Just an old friend, okay?”

  “Oh.” one of them said, deflating, “I thought it’d be like a Vivi Alsaint novel.”

  Her friend rolled her eyes. “Ugh, you're still reading those? Anyway, are your eyes like natural?”

  “Yeah, they’re like literal stars,” her friend said.

  “Yeah, they are. Been like this ever since my Lux awakened.”

  The girls blinked, clearly confused.

  Hugo stood up, brushing his shirt. “As fun as this is, I’ve got someone to talk to.”

  His gaze shifted straight to Abell like a predator setting his sights.

  “Is he coming over here?”

  Hugo pushed himself up from the stool, moving toward him.

  “Well, Mr. Bel,” he teased. “Ready to talk?”

  Bel?

  Abell glared. “What do you want?

  “Relax. It’s nothing bad.”

  He leaned against the side of a toppled stall. “I’ve been to a lot of towns. Places that were overrun. Destroyed with no hope. But this place? It's refreshing.”

  He looked back at Abell, more serious. “At first, I came here chasing something darker. But I didn’t expect to find this much light.”

  He tilted his head. “Feels like fate brought me here.

  Abell didn’t respond. He didn’t know how to.

  Hugo walked closer. “The malignant threat is getting worse. And we need people who can fight—people with instinct, guts, and potential. You’ve got all three.”

  Abell crossed his arms. “I’m just a village kid.”

  “Yeah, and so was Genevieve. She grew up right here in Iridius.” Hugo grinned.

  That name.

  “You’ve got a solid foundation, Abell. And I mean that. I think you’ve got something special.”

  “Where are you going with this?” Abell asked.

  Hugo paused.

  “A recommendation to the Luminary Academy.”

  Abell blinked. “Wait, what?”

  “It’s the best place to test your skills against the strongest in the country. To control your power and to stop wasting time here.”

  Abell’s heart pounded. Fast.

  “But… can you even do that? Who are you?”

  Hugo just grinned. “Let’s just say… I can pull some strings.”

  He extended his hand. “So are you in?”

  Abell turned toward the town the lights, the people, the comfort.

  And took a deep breath. He gripped Hugo’s hand.

  “I’m in.”

  Just like Genevieve once was.