[17th June]
Bramble Hearth Café.
A quiet corner.
A simple meal.
That's all Rey wanted.
Instead—
He found himself sitting perfectly still…
While trouble walked straight toward him.
The door opened.
Rey didn't need to look.
He felt it.
That shift.
That presence.
Him.
Still— He looked.
Gravion.
Walking in like the place belonged to him.
Behind him—
The spear user.
And—Rey's eyes sharpened.
The girl.
Cold.
Composed.
The same one.
The Ice elementalist.
He remembered her clearly.
One match.
One move.
Clean.
Absolute.
Her opponent hadn't even understood what happened before the arena froze beneath his feet.
Rey's fingers tightened slightly against the edge of the counter.
'She's dangerous.'
Not just talent.
Not just power.
Control.
The kind that didn't come easily.
Even now—
He wasn't confident facing her without using his abilities.
And the worst part?
She was standing with him.
'So it's already started…'
Rey lowered his head.
Not fully.
Not suspiciously.
Just enough to avoid attention.
But his body had already gone tense.
'Don't look here.
Don't—'
Footsteps.
Closer.
Then—
They stopped.
Right in front of him.
"…Well."
Rey's breath stalled.
"…what do we have here, huh…"
His eyes shut instinctively.
'Sh*t.'
For a second—
He didn't move.
Didn't breathe.
Then slowly—
Carefully—
He opened his eyes.
And looked up.
Gravion stood there.
But—
Not looking at him.
Not even glancing.
His gaze was fixed—
Straight past Rey.
Through the window.
Rey blinked once.
"…?"
"Mr. Manager," Gravion said casually, a faint smirk tugging at his lips, "those seats outside—are they not available?"
Rey turned his head slightly.
The garden.
The reserved tables.
Noble seating.
'Ah... Not me.'
A breath escaped his lungs.
Slow.
Controlled.
But the tension didn't leave his body immediately.
Because his heart was still catching up.
Gravion stepped slightly to the side, giving Rey nothing more than a passing shadow.
Completely uninterested.
"As I said, sir," the manager replied, his tone tight, "those are reserved for noble guests. We don't open them for general use."
Gravion tilted his head.
"General use?"
A faint chuckle.
"You're quite confident in your categories."
The spear user shifted beside him, clearly bored.
The girl—
Said nothing.
But her gaze swept the place once.
Sharp.
Quiet.
Rey lowered his head again.
'Don't notice me.'
Not her.
Not him.
Anyone else.
Just pass by.
Meanwhile—
Gravion smiled faintly.
"I see empty seats," he said lightly. "And yet I'm told to wait."
"That's the policy," the manager replied.
"And if I don't feel like waiting?"
The air tightened slightly.
A few nearby guests glanced over.
The manager's jaw stiffened.
Rey, however—
Was no longer listening.
Because something else—
Something far more important—
Had just happened.
He sensed something unusual about himself.
A strange sensation crept over his skin.
Subtle.
Like a thin layer settling across his body.
From head—
To toe.
Rey's brows furrowed.
'What is—'
He froze.
His presence—
It felt…
Distant.
Muted.
Like something had pulled a veil over him.
Rey's gaze sharpened.
He focused inward.
And recognised it.
…Veil?
Not fully.
Not complete.
But—
His art.
Unfinished.
Unstable.
Yet active.
'Aiden.'
A faint ripple beside him.
Aiden appeared, stretching lazily, as if he had just woken up.
"You called?"
'Was that you?'
Aiden glanced at him once.
Then smirked.
"No."
Rey's eyes narrowed.
"You did that yourself."
'What?'
"You wanted to disappear," Aiden said casually. "So your body listened."
A pause.
Then a quiet chuckle.
"Desperation does wonders."
Rey's fingers twitched slightly.
'So it activated… on instinct.'
Unstable.
Unreliable.
But real.
And right now—
Useful.
Rey glanced around.
More people were entering the café.
More noise.
More attention.
This place would get crowded soon.
'I need to leave.'
He slid off the standing spot quietly.
No one stopped him.
No one even looked.
His steps were light.
Measured.
As if the world had… overlooked him.
He reached the counter.
A hand tapped lightly against the wood.
The staff girl looked up.
"…Yes, sir—"
She paused.
Her expression faltered.
There was no one.
Rey stood right in front of her.
But her eyes—
Passed through him.
Rey's gaze flickered.
'So it's affecting others too…'
Interesting.
Dangerous.
He released it.
The effect shattered instantly.
Presence returned.
Weight.
Existence.
The girl flinched.
Her pen slipped from her fingers, clattering against the desk.
"—!"
She leaned back slightly, eyes wide.
Rey blinked.
"…Sorry."
He kept his tone calm.
Normal.
"Can I get my bill? I'm getting late."
She stared at him.
Still processing.
"…W-Where were you—?"
She stopped herself.
Shook her head.
"…Table?"
Rey told her.
She nodded quickly, still glancing at him as he might disappear again.
Two things were clear in her eyes—
Confusion.
And something else.
Rey ignored both.
His attention shifted.
Back to Gravion.
The argument had grown.
Another group had entered.
Nobles.
Tension layered over tension.
Rey took the bill.
Paid quickly.
No delays.
No risks.
As he turned to leave—
He didn't look back.
Didn't need to.
Because he already knew—
That this encounter—
Was far from over.
Rey had barely taken two steps—
When he felt it.
A hesitation behind him.
He stopped.
Just slightly.
"…Ahmm…"
The staff girl's voice.
Soft.
Unsteady.
Rey turned halfway.
She stood behind the counter, fingers clenched together, shoulders stiff.
Eyes avoiding his.
"Can I… get your number?"
The words came out broken.
Rushed.
"I was thinking maybe we could—"
Rey didn't let her finish.
Not because he didn't understand.
But because he didn't want her to.
"Sorry."
Simple.
He didn't smile.
Didn't soften it.
"I have to go."
And he left.
No pause.
No second glance.
Behind him—
Silence.
Then heat.
The girl's face flushed instantly.
Her words stuck halfway in her throat.
For a moment, she just stood there.
Frozen.
Then her head lowered.
Embarrassment crawled up her neck.
'At least… no one saw that.'
She glanced around quickly—
Most eyes were elsewhere.
Toward the growing commotion near the noble section.
A breath of relief escaped her.
"…Good."
She turned away—
Trying to bury the moment as if it never happened.
Outside—
Rey didn't slow down.
The moment the café door closed behind him—
He exhaled.
Not relief.
Just release.
The faint layer of his art slipped back into place.
His presence dulled again.
Edges softened.
Like the world had one less reason to notice him.
A figure appeared beside him.
Floating.
Victor.
"What happened?"
Rey didn't look at him.
"Nothing."
Victor studied him for a second.
Then frowned slightly.
"…Are you actually that dense, or do you just pretend to be?"
Rey finally glanced at him.
"…What?"
"The girl," Victor said flatly. "She was practically handing you a connection."
Rey looked forward again.
"Oh. That."
A pause.
"I heard her."
"Clearly."
"Didn't matter."
Victor raised a brow.
"…Didn't matter?"
Rey's steps remained steady.
The street ahead was busy.
People moving.
Voices blending.
But his tone stayed calm.
"I'm not here for that."
No hesitation.
No awkwardness.
Just fact.
Victor watched him for a moment longer.
"…Not even a little?"
Rey didn't answer immediately.
For a split second—
Something crossed his mind.
A face.
A memory.
Then it was gone.
"…No."
Short.
Final.
Victor's lips curled slightly.
"…Right."
He didn't push further.
Just faded away.
Rey kept walking.
The stadium wasn't far now.
The distant noise had already started bleeding into the streets.
His phone rang.
Rey glanced at the screen.
Uncle.
He picked it up.
"…Yeah?"
"Where are you?" Hosric's voice came through, sharper than usual.
"On my way back."
A pause.
"…Did you eat?"
Rey blinked.
"…What?"
"Lunch."
Rey exhaled lightly.
"…Yeah. I ate."
"Good," Hosric replied. "Your aunt and the others went out. I sent you the address earlier in case you hadn't."
Rey's pace didn't change.
"I saw it."
"Matches are almost over," Hosric continued. "Less than ten left."
Rey's eyes narrowed slightly.
"So soon?"
"Second round starts right after."
Rey adjusted his grip on the phone.
"I'll be there."
"Don't be late."
The call ended.
Rey slipped the phone back into his pocket.
His steps quickened slightly.
But his mind—
Wasn't on the stadium.
It drifted back.
To the café.
To Gravion.
To the tension he left behind.
"…That wasn't going to end quietly."
He muttered under his breath.
The people Gravion was arguing with—
They weren't commoners.
Not by posture.
Not by presence.
Nobles.
And not the patient kind.
Rey exhaled slowly.
'Doesn't concern me.'
That's what he told himself.
And yet—
A faint unease lingered.
Like something had already started moving.
Something he had just stepped out of—
Before it could close in.
Behind him—
Far from his sight—
Inside the café—
Voices rose.
Sharper.
Colder.
And then—
Something cracked.