Chaos Cycle: The Eye of Genesis

It was lunch break, and Shin could not find his mother. He had searched in a few places where she should have been as an honorary guardian. As a guardian, she should be with others with similar identities. But all his searches were for nothing. In the end, he opened his phone to call her, but found there were already a couple of missed calls and messages from his mother.

Shin tried to call again, but it did not connect, meaning she was busy again. Shin sighed and checked out the messages. It was from his mom alright, saying she had something important to do--like always and said she watched his match. It was not a long massage, a couple of good words and then 'good luck and love you' and an end. 'At least, she came,' Shin thought. Unlike his father. He typed a message telling her he will be alright and thank you, before looking around.

Shin thought about what other options he had now to do during the lunch break. He had already eaten earlier, and running around was out of options, as there were dozens of reporters lurking around to find them. After the matches and the display of a few freshmen including him, they would very much like to annoy him with those questions again.

Flirting with Enna seemed a feasible option—if you can call what he does flirting, but he shivered at the thought that she was probably with her family. He did not know when that girl will utter something ludicrous in front of them if he was there, so it was better not he go there, not to mention his deep-rooted fear to converse with the parents of the girl he likes. Not that he had any experience in this area. 

Then he was left with one option: find Elior and others. He remembered where Elior's family had been on the stand, so it would not be difficult for him to find them. They were probably consoling Ileana now after her traumatic match.

When he got there, he found some matter of seriousness was going on, and it did not look like consoling to him. It was Elior and his father conversing through his mother. None of them seemed to hold any aggressive view of one another, despite that, that place was still with their conversation. Even the miserably defeated Ileana was resting on her mother's lap, trying to ignore their conversation. She should have been the centre of attention of their family after her miserable defeat, but Elior and his father took the spotlight from her.

Well, Ileana was delighted about that—after all, she didn't have to hear their consolation over and over. Then again, their conversation became freaking annoying to her.

"Mom, do you know? There are other ways to save a life than just being a doctor," Elior told his mom, chewing the food his mother brought him

"Ersina," Mr Viswas said sternly. "The other way of saving your son is talking about the sword and weapons himself and jumping at horrifying monsters."

"Mom, shouldn't I protect the people if I had the ability to do it?" Elior was not ready to let go now. Despite knowing it wasn't the optimal path to go into things, he still went on the path. At least he could make his father talk to him, though, with the help of a third person. 

"There are many other ways to protect," his father attacked his own words. "Ersina told your son, other than jumping into battles, there are many other ways. He can just work at the workshop and make equipment is for others. Or does he think making equipment is lower than fighting in the frontline as well, just like the job of a doctor is lower than fighting in the frontline."

Elior swallowed the words. "I'm not comparing any of them. Each of them held significance in their own field," he said slowly. "And I have not stopped learning to make equipment either."

"Neither has he stopped learning how to throw his life on the battlefield," snapped his father.

Shin did not know if his choice of coming here was good or bad, but he sure was regretting it. Perhaps, being with Enna and her family was the better option. Then he felt a nudge on his shoulder and found two maidens a couple of years older than him behind him.

"What's going on?" Aanya asked, knitting her brows.

Shin's eyes unconsciously drifted off to the other person—it was the same girl who defeated Ileana mercilessly. Katherina was tall of a girl like Aanya, and fine-looking, but something about her present herself as unapproachable. it was not that she was cold and aloof, but something else. Her eyes were drifting off all over from Elior to his father, then to Ileana, before resting on Aanya again with a bewildered expression. She did not know why she was here. 

"What does it look like?" Shin sighed. "Elior is arguing with his father indirectly. I reckoned they are already too good at that. Possibly had previous experience in it."

Aanya looked at them warily. And so did Elior's mother. She nodded their arrival as well, and decided it should be the right time to end the argument here. 

"Alright, stop now," Ersina said, rubbing her forehead in acting. "I can't take it. You both are in the right, but I can't take it anymore. Let's rest for now, at least before them."

Or delay it for later.

"Hello," Aanya greeted everyone and if her one is stiff, then Katherine's was not a greeting in the slightest. She struggled to even greet properly, finding so many unfamiliar faces.

"Why is she here?" Ileana asked, trying not to be aggressive. She sat straight from her mother's lap to eye the newcomer. Well, glare would be the right word here.

"She came here to enliven your mood," Aanya said with a smile. "And apologise for what happened during the match."

"There is nothing to apologise for," Ileana said slowly through her eyes, never leaving Katherine, who looked like a lamb and was at fault. "It was just a match, and all just did was defeat me with the easiest possible way she could come up with."

"Thank you," Katherine said, fidgeting with her fingers. She gave Aanya a curt lower look, saying there was no need for an apology. "And, it isn't the easiest possible way I came up with. I could have done it even easier."

Ileana's stare dagger at the newcomer. Was this bitch clumsy with her mouth or deliberately here to embrace her more? That was what she was thinking.

But only Katherine herself, Aanya, and Elior knew it was exactly the opposite. Elior sighed looking at her. Things were just the same with Katherine. She had had some serious psychological issues since childhood, and those traumatic issues could not be solved just by having a superpower. Inside this grownup girl, there was still a child living it, who thought saying words like she could do better in such a situation would earn her praise.

"How about you two sit and talk it out," Elior proposed and found Ileana was glaring at him. The afterthoughts of her traumatic match were still present in her mind, and it would be there for much longer. That was the same with Elior when he first tasted Katherine's power. Maybe it will be the same if he faced her again, or far more troublesome. After all, he held far more scar than the other time.

Well, Elior was at fault there, too. He told Ileana to be dauntless so that Katherine would take Ileana cautiously with her nature and leave her to show some of her power. But Katerine became too much cautious with Ileana's dauntless and chose to end the match the moment it started. It least, it ended for in a second or so for everyone, but not for Ileana.

"Well, it's not like you are knocked out of the tournament," Elior muttered, and moved to the two newcomers. "Senior's please sit."

Aanya was about to but Katherine was not so sure. The glares Ileana was giving told her it was not her place to stay.

"Kat," Aanya said in her ears. "Remember what I told you?"

"That nobody will be my friend if I don't apologise to them?" Katherine asked. "Even if it is my fault." 

"Right," Aanya whispered back, sighing. "You see, Ileana there. She's a dear friend of mine. If you like to be her friend as well, you should apologise to her."

"I don't know," Katherine muttered and looked at the chestnut-haired girl. She looked at Aanya again."Will she be my friend if I apologise?" 

"You wouldn't know if you don't apologise."

"Then I will do it," Katherine said, and came out from Aanya's back. By the time everyone got there was something psychologically wrong with this girl. Even Ileana's mother, though Ileana had a frown on her brows.

"I am sorry for what happened in the match," Katherine said, looking at Ileana's feet.. "I apologised. Will you be my friend?"