"...The what batch?" Reyna asked the king, curious.
Ethan looked onwards as well. What did the King mean exactly by unidentified? He wasn't sure, but he knew his Grandpa had come from this world. That was the only explanation…
Ethan drooped to the marble floor. There bore a familiar vermillion in the reflection. Echos brew in his mind:
"Weirdo."
"Alien."
Shadows loomed over his reflection, their murmurs growing louder with every passing second. Then, as suddenly as they began, the whispers stopped. Ethan lifted his head, searching for the source, but the shadows had vanished.
Or so he thought.
He looked back down and found himself sitting at a familiar desk.
His desk. Back in middle school.
The carved scribbles on its surface greeted him like ghosts from the past.
"Alien."
"Freak."
The words etched in messy handwriting felt heavier than they should. He had grown numb to them, yet, they clung to him like an old wound that never quite healed.
He stopped reacting ages ago. What was the point? They'd just laugh harder.
Ahead of him, the shadows took shape, wearing school uniforms that he knew all too well. Their faces blurred into a swirling haze, but their whispers were sharp and distinct, each one penetrating deep.
They whispered to one another, occasionally glancing his way, their snickers stabbing at the quiet around him. He didn't need to hear what they said—he already knew.
"thwack."
A paper ball hit his desk.
"thwack."
"thwack."
Another. Then another. It wasn't long before they turned it into a game.
Should he have turned around? Tell them to stop? No. That would have just made it worse.
They would cry, scream something about his eyes being "creepy," getting the teachers involved.
It wasn't worth the hassle.
"Guys, stop."
The voice cut through the noise.
He looked up and froze. Among the faceless shadows was a figure with color. A boy in a hoodie, his wavy pitch black hair with visible brown highlights made him an oddity in the crowd.
It was a 13 year old Gilbert.
He walked forward, and pulled out the chair in front of Ethan. Instead of joining the others, he sat down, leaning forward with his arms draped casually over the back of the chair.
Ethan braced himself. Life would going to get a bit harder if even popular kids start picking on him but what could he do? Ethan stared at him with a dead expression, hoping to scare him away. That was when he saw his own eyes' reflection in Gilbert's light hazel eyes.
It was deplorable.
But then he spoke.
"Dude, your eyes look pretty cool."
The boy in the reflection's eyes widened. His eyes didn't even flinch. His voice was soft, almost casual, but there was no trace of mockery. It was just a simple compliment, but in that moment, all the walls Ethan built up came crashing down.
**
"That is none of your concern young lady. Knowing it will only complicate things." The king said, snapping Ethan out of his memories.
"But—" Reyna tried to protest, but Gilbert swiftly pinched her arm. Her controlled yelp was the only sound that broke the awkward silence.
"You crazy girl!" Gilbert hissed, barely loud enough for us to hear. "He's the king! Do you want our heads cut off?!"
Reyna glared daggers at him as she rubbed the offended area.
Gilbert, already pale, looked like he was making peace with his fate.
How far he had fallen… Ethan sighed.
'He used to be so cool in middle school.'
The king's lips twitched into an amused smile. "I suppose even heroes are still just kids."
Reyna's eyes widened indignantly as she raised her hand in protest. "Hey! Who're you calling ki—"
Before she could finish, Samantha clamped a hand over her mouth, while Gilbert, now fully committed to his descent into the dirt, grabbed her leg to stop her from marching toward the king.
With a desperate expression, Gilbert turned to Ethan and pleaded,"Help, this crazy woman has more muscle than she shows, Ethan, if she walks up there, we are finished, our head will be rolling!"
'Oh, now he quite literally is on the ground.' Ethan added sarcastically, staring at Gilbert with the same deadpan eyes.
"Huh! What did you just say?! I hav…"Reyna retorted, managing to shake him off with alarming ease.
Adrian, stifled an awkward laugh, clearly torn between intervening and enjoying the spectacle as he saw a poor Gilbert get hit.
Ethan took a small step to the side, away from Adrian as he sighed.
"Your Majesty, I believe the purpose of this meeting has been concluded. May we go and rest now?"
The king, unbothered by the chaos in front of him, stroked his small goatee thoughtfully. "Well, young one, I'm afraid there's one final matter to attend to."
With a small gesture, the light around us seemed to bend and mold, dimming the area. Shadows and glowing threads of light coalesced into a humanoid dummy that stood ominously in the center of the room.
"I wish to see the Divine Messenger's gifts to you. Demonstrate your boons, and Sir Lumos will assign you to training groups accordingly."
The atmosphere shifted. No one dared make excuses. Ethan frowned. 'How much longer…'
"This was the moment I'd been waiting for." he heard Donald laugh.
"The classic "show off your stats" scene from every classroom-summoning isekai ever!"
A grimace took over Ethan's face as he turned to Gilbert with genuine shock, pointing to Donald:
"How does this guy even have friends?"
Gilbert, trying to hold Reyna back with all his might, cried: "Why the hell would I know?!"