Shocked by the leader's announcement, I looked into his eyes. A part of me thought of the possibility that he was just joking, but it didn't seem to be the case. I then realized that he had his eyes fixated on someone. I sighed, trying not to overthink it again.
Immediately after the meeting ended, crowds of people started gathering in two big groups. I assumed it was about Juta and Hboy. I probably could've gotten my own group, but I decided to go back to my room. In the end, I still felt as if I wasn't fully accepted there. It made it hard for me to truly call that place a home.
On my way to my room, I stumbled upon Hana. I tried to ignore her and continue walking, but the next moment I felt a hand on my shoulder, which sent shivers down my spine.
"Congratulations," she said in a friendly tone, the total opposite of how she was during training.
"Um... yes, thanks," I said, hoping she would go away and do whatever she had to do.
"I won't be coming this year, and I heard that Rover decided he is actually going to participate in this event. Lucky you."
"What does that mean?" But she was already on her way. I didn't necessarily want to talk to her, so I continued walking.
Something was starting to bother me. Despite the fact that I tried to change after what happened that night, I still couldn't really bring myself to care more about other people or what they wanted. I didn't even want to talk to most of them.
---
Those days went by without anything special happening. Training with Hana was, for the most part, the hardest thing. I actually managed to learn to do some other basic stuff with earth rather than just punching.
The morning we had to leave, the 25 of us were gathered in front of our base. Soon, Boss appeared and told us to follow him. We entered a wooden building. It had a lot of hay in it and looked like some sort of prison.
"What are these?" I asked, pointing at the strange animals surrounded by wooden fences.
"Horses," replied a man who looked pretty young, if you didn't count his hair that was slowly turning white.
I nodded. I thought these horses weren't supposed to exist. My parents told me they were a myth, but seeing them there made me understand once more that I didn't know anything about the world—and that I needed to find Grandpa's journal as soon as I made sure my sister was safe.
"I assume you can't ride a horse, can you?" I heard Rover ask.
I nodded.
"Well then, hop on. You'll be riding with me."
---
We were riding on a field, without any houses or towns nearby. Apparently, we were going around the towns, as it was faster since we were moving at high speeds without the risk of bumping into a house.
At some point, we were riding on the edge of a cliff, from where I could see the sea.
"Rover?" He had tied his hair.
"Yes?"
"May I ask why you decided to participate this time? I heard you wouldn't normally participate." He was still facing forward.
"Is it because of my teammates?" I pushed.
"Everyone has an interest in those two. Even Boss says they have the potential to become strong, even though they're still relatively weak," he responded. "But I came because of you."
"Because of me?" I was hoping he'd praise me in some way, seeing as he supposedly came just for me.
"You are by no means strong, and you shouldn't even be here. However, there's something special about you."
I waited for him to explain.
"Ever since I met you, I've had a strange feeling. You're definitely human, and from what I can tell, you have no special hidden power. There's no doubt that you have a soul, a brain, a heart—but at the same time, it feels like you're part of something bigger. You, as a being."
"What does that even mean?"
"I have no idea. But I've got the feeling I've met you before, even though I know for a fact I haven't."
"So, uh, you talked to me more than most of the older members just to find out what this whole thing is about?"
"Yes. I thought you knew something about it, but it seems you're just as clueless."
We kept riding until eventually, we reached a big iron gate. At that point, I realized that the border between the eastern area and the central one was marked by some really tall mountains. They certainly didn't look impossible to climb, but I guess we had to follow the rules.
A few seconds later, the gate began to slowly open. A man came through it.