Finn's shouted words had Darren rooted to the spot, he cringed slightly, his lips parted."You can't jump to conclusions like that, I haven't even explained anything yet, okay?" Finn chided loudly, "And please don't cut me off again while I'm talking, you've got it all wrong, Darren.""What do you mean, Finn?" asked Darren, his voice low, almost a whisper. The young man blinked, his gaze not leaving his best friend's face."You're wrong, none of what you said before is true. That's why, you should listen to my explanation first, don't just talk at length like before, especially when it was a mistake."Darren shook his head and said, "I don't know what you're talking about.""No one is hostile, holds a grudge, or someone is trying to cheat me. That doesn't exist, that's bullshit." Finn began to explain, his words clear and lucid.Darren moved his hand, "but earlier you said--""I didn't say anything, you came to your own conclusion," Finn said, this time it was his turn to cut Darren o
"Look, I'm not trying to be accusatory or anything, it's just that anything can happen, right?" Finn looked at Darren with a serious look on his face."And?"Finn licked his dry lips before he finally answered, "It was probably Nail who put your name in that glass box, so you ended up being listed as one of the contenders for the Crimson Prince position." Finn's shoulders shrugged as Darren widened his eyes. "It's just my guess, no one knows how, not even you.""Nail?" Darren squeaked softly, his eyes blinking rapidly. "Why are you accusing him of doing this to me?""Darren ...." Finn let out a long breath. "Like I said before, I'm not accusing Nail at all, it's just my guess.""Nail would never do something like that.""Well, that's up to you. If you believe that, that's your business. I'm just saying that someone can be mean to you even if they're very nice to you. It's not that I'm saying Nail is mean to you, it's just that he might mean well to get you into the game. Okay, anyway,
"Darren, are you serious?" The movement of Cassie's hand, which was plucking a blade of grass, stopped when Darren's words floated in the air."I can't be lying, that's the reality of what happened to me," Darren said.Cassie and Nail looked at each other, their faces were almost the same—filled with suspicion, but they were also confused, wondering to themselves how the things Darren said could possibly happen. But, that was the truth. They believed Darren's words.Previously, Darren had told Cassie and Nail about the incident he had experienced—the incident in which he had inevitably had to participate in the game for the seat of a prince. Currently, they are joining the fire clan for the good work of cleaning up their place.The streets were cleared, swept clean, the mud removed, the grass that had grown long was neatly trimmed, and the trash that was scattered about was thrown away. Mutual cooperation will undoubtedly be completed quickly if it is done together like this."What ki
Two days later, as night fell, Darren sat on his not-so-wide bed. The young man bent his knees, a tattered piece of paper in his hands. For the umpteenth time, Darren stared at it, reading the lines on it.Darren let out a long breath along with the cold that pierced his skin. The young man didn't close the window, letting the wind into his room."Tomorrow is the day of the first challenge." Darren muttered, "I don't know what game King Edward will come up with."That's right, that's what the flyer said. Darren had read and listened. It wasn't a serious matter that he had to think about for a long time, but Darren felt that he still had to prepare himself.If he deliberately failed himself during the game, it might attract great suspicion, especially if King Edward realized it. What should he do if that happened? Darren didn't know."I do need to foil myself, but I need to do it carefully so it's not too obvious." Darren straightened his back, his hands already clenched into tight fis
Flames whipped at high speed from Darren's hands, moving quickly forward, swirling, then piercing and burning three trees at once in front of him. The young man roared and cried loudly, tears falling down his cheeks, his chest tight; he didn't care about the trees that were getting swallowed up by the flames. Anger mixed with pain had gathered together to form a lump that choked his chest. The young man then sat limply on the ground. His eyeballs were now red, radiating the fire he had created so ferociously. "Darren, what are you doing?!" The young man didn't care about the shouts coming from behind him; he didn't even bother to reply. Darren merely sat limply. His eyes were now tightly closed, along with the tears that were falling more and more heavily. "Hey, you burned those innocent trees, man. What's wrong with you, Darren?" The person tapped Darren lightly on the shoulder from the side. Darren still wouldn't give an answer, and the nineteen-year-old only looked down de
Darren jumped out of his sleep, was panting, and then sat up on the bed with his body bathed in sweat, his broad chest rising and falling due to his irregular breathing. The young man turned his face to look at the clock on the wall. It was still early in the morning; the clock showed 1:25 a.m."It was just a dream," Darren said softly. Darren closed his eyes, let out a long breath, then pulled back the thin blanket and got out of his narrow bed. Darren stomped off to the kitchen to get a drink of water. After his throat was no longer dry, Darren hurried back into his room to continue sleeping; tomorrow he had to do his usual activities, including helping his mother sell at the market. Darren lay back on his bed, thoughts of his dream flashing back. Then he shook his head vigorously. "I don't want to think about that dream," Darren muttered softly. Nightmares often come unexpectedly, and that's exactly what Darren was experiencing. He dreamed that his mother had just died in his
"Thief!" Someone shouted very loudly. "Help me! That guy stole my wallet!" Darren's footsteps came to an abrupt halt, and he turned his head to look at the source of the voice. A woman was panicking because her purse had just vanished from her hands, taken by force by a thief who was now on the run, scurrying away, avoiding the crowd area, and going into the forest. Darren was alert; he watched Yupo with a hardened jawline. His gaze turned sharp and watchful. "Yupo, we have to help that woman; let's postpone going to the fish market." "Once we catch up with the thief, I'll give you some fresh fish." Darren nodded firmly to Yupo, to which the giant cat replied with a loud meow. With a single slam, Darren climbed onto Yupo's back. "Yupo, walk now!" Yupo's four feet stomped loudly on the ground, speeding up, charging forward, and cutting through the crowd that was created. People were busy with their own businesses; the woman was crying as she chased after Darren, who had already sp
Darren had never felt the sensation of falling from a height, and as his body floated, the young man closed his eyes, his mind blank, and he was ready for whatever was down there. Until finally, Darren felt pain as his body hit the water so hard. The handsome young man sank for a few moments; the water seemed to be pulling him down. Darren squirmed quickly, trying to move his arms and legs, and swam towards the surface. Darren gasped for breath. He rubbed his face, which was full of water, and his vision, which was originally blurred, was now clear again. Fortunately, the river wasn't swift, so Darren wasn't swept away. Instead of swimming towards the bank, Darren looked up. The thief uncovered his head. Although from a considerable distance, Darren could still see him clearly. The thief smiled sarcastically at Darren with a satisfied look on his face. The damn thief again smiled arrogantly, this time accompanied by a wave of his hand. The thief was bald-headed with a cut across h
Two days later, as night fell, Darren sat on his not-so-wide bed. The young man bent his knees, a tattered piece of paper in his hands. For the umpteenth time, Darren stared at it, reading the lines on it.Darren let out a long breath along with the cold that pierced his skin. The young man didn't close the window, letting the wind into his room."Tomorrow is the day of the first challenge." Darren muttered, "I don't know what game King Edward will come up with."That's right, that's what the flyer said. Darren had read and listened. It wasn't a serious matter that he had to think about for a long time, but Darren felt that he still had to prepare himself.If he deliberately failed himself during the game, it might attract great suspicion, especially if King Edward realized it. What should he do if that happened? Darren didn't know."I do need to foil myself, but I need to do it carefully so it's not too obvious." Darren straightened his back, his hands already clenched into tight fis
"Darren, are you serious?" The movement of Cassie's hand, which was plucking a blade of grass, stopped when Darren's words floated in the air."I can't be lying, that's the reality of what happened to me," Darren said.Cassie and Nail looked at each other, their faces were almost the same—filled with suspicion, but they were also confused, wondering to themselves how the things Darren said could possibly happen. But, that was the truth. They believed Darren's words.Previously, Darren had told Cassie and Nail about the incident he had experienced—the incident in which he had inevitably had to participate in the game for the seat of a prince. Currently, they are joining the fire clan for the good work of cleaning up their place.The streets were cleared, swept clean, the mud removed, the grass that had grown long was neatly trimmed, and the trash that was scattered about was thrown away. Mutual cooperation will undoubtedly be completed quickly if it is done together like this."What ki
"Look, I'm not trying to be accusatory or anything, it's just that anything can happen, right?" Finn looked at Darren with a serious look on his face."And?"Finn licked his dry lips before he finally answered, "It was probably Nail who put your name in that glass box, so you ended up being listed as one of the contenders for the Crimson Prince position." Finn's shoulders shrugged as Darren widened his eyes. "It's just my guess, no one knows how, not even you.""Nail?" Darren squeaked softly, his eyes blinking rapidly. "Why are you accusing him of doing this to me?""Darren ...." Finn let out a long breath. "Like I said before, I'm not accusing Nail at all, it's just my guess.""Nail would never do something like that.""Well, that's up to you. If you believe that, that's your business. I'm just saying that someone can be mean to you even if they're very nice to you. It's not that I'm saying Nail is mean to you, it's just that he might mean well to get you into the game. Okay, anyway,
Finn's shouted words had Darren rooted to the spot, he cringed slightly, his lips parted."You can't jump to conclusions like that, I haven't even explained anything yet, okay?" Finn chided loudly, "And please don't cut me off again while I'm talking, you've got it all wrong, Darren.""What do you mean, Finn?" asked Darren, his voice low, almost a whisper. The young man blinked, his gaze not leaving his best friend's face."You're wrong, none of what you said before is true. That's why, you should listen to my explanation first, don't just talk at length like before, especially when it was a mistake."Darren shook his head and said, "I don't know what you're talking about.""No one is hostile, holds a grudge, or someone is trying to cheat me. That doesn't exist, that's bullshit." Finn began to explain, his words clear and lucid.Darren moved his hand, "but earlier you said--""I didn't say anything, you came to your own conclusion," Finn said, this time it was his turn to cut Darren o
"Everyone, listen carefully. Before you go back to your homes, I'm going to share some important information with you all."All the fourth-year students immediately looked to the front, their eyes fixed on Master Jael, who had previously said that class time was over and everyone should get ready to go home. But, now the master wanted to provide additional information."This won't take so long that it will take up your time to go home, so listen up for a moment." Master Jael clapped his hands together once, his facial expression becoming more serious, and after watching his students listen, he cleared his throat softly and then continued. "I just received information from the elders, the elders received information from the kingdom, or more precisely, King Edward himself conveyed the information. Now, I will convey this information to all of you.""What information do you mean, master?" asked Gaby as she raised her hands high, she was indeed an overly curious little girl, her curiosit
With his body straightened, Finn faced Darren fully. "Seriously, you have an idea, Darren? Please tell me right now." Finn pleaded, high hopes already soaring in his chest."I just thought my idea could be tried," Darren replied, "of course if you agree.""Darren, please tell me right now." Finn urged, "I need to hear that. And you're right, maybe I can try your idea."Darren's head nodded. "So, what if you put your name in that glass box, again? You could try, right?"Instead of Finn responding quickly, Nail spoke first, starting with a flick of his finger. "I agree, you can try that, Finn, after all, registration isn't closed yet, there's still time."Darren chimed in again, "What do you think, Finn?""Can I do that?" asked Finn, doubt crossing his expression."Why not? Who's going to tell you not to? In fact, your name isn't even on the list, so you just put your name back in the box, it's all done, and you'll be listed again." Nail clapped his hands, the grin on his face growing w
It was true what Nail said, the Crimson Country's vast and clean city square was full of people, especially in a certain part, located near the fountain, where a crowd had gathered, right in front of an information board.Darren and Nail were still standing at the entrance to the town square, both of them exchanging glances."That's where the information is posted," Nail said, "The sign lists the provisional names of those who will participate. Let's take a look."Nail waved a hand, instructing Darren to move forward immediately, then join the people at the front."Nail!""Yeah, why?"Darren ran a little to catch up with Nail, who had stopped in front of him. "Nail, I think it's better to wait for the crowd to die down first so you can easily read the writing there, keep looking for your name."Nail's head turned back, staring at the crowd. "Yes, you're right, but I'm already very curious.""Suit yourself, I'm just suggesting that if you want to see it now, so be it." Darren shrugged
By the sixth day, the paper with the names of those who would be included in King Edward's game was getting more and more in the glass box, it was almost full, just a little more. Tomorrow was the last day, but every day, many people still came to the palace to enter their names. Some came alone and entered their names bravely and confidently, some came represented by their parents, and some even asked to be accompanied by other people (friends, family, cousins, etc.) just like Nail, who asked Darren and Cassie for help that time.As we approached the last few days before registration closed, it was clear that people were very excited, which meant that the game was about to start, and everyone wanted to see it.And here Darren was, right in his yard, he was leading the way, venturing closer to Helena, who was doing her routine of watering the plants so that they wouldn't wilt.Darren was about to make a confession, he had prepared himself. Helena smiled and greeted Darren once he was
Gio returned to see King Edward after being asked to go on an errand. The handsome man met the king, who was currently reading a book in a very large and spacious private library, filled with books lined up on the shelves.King Edward had his face down, looking at the text he was reading, when Gio, the royal advisor, appeared near him. King Edward looked up, closed his book, shifted the chair he was sitting on, then turned his body around.The king saw Gio bending his body before him, ready to receive the information he had assigned to his personal advisor."Gio, so what?" King Edward asked, looking at Gio with a curious look on his face.Gio's lips pressed together for a moment before giving an answer, others would know if the man was thinking of the right sentence to say."Everything is good, Your Majesty, the plan is going smoothly as desired. It's already the third day, and the glass boxes on the steps of the palace are getting more and more.""I see.""That's right, my king, I'm