New Year's Eve

Two days after our mission, I received a call from Kane to head to our usual meeting place in the Lands. I rush there, trying to figure out why he wanted me there. It couldn't be because of another mission, we just finished one not too long ago.

When I get there, I find the rest of my teammates, along with Kane. The moment I arrive, he reaches into his pocket and pulls out a bunch of what looks like credit cards before distributing them to all of us.

"Those are debit cards, your rewards are currently there, and also, the rewards for your future missions will also be sent there, so make sure you keep those cards safe."

"How do we check how much is inside?" Toby asks, looking his card over with a smile.

"They're partially artifacts, so all you need to do is use this noer," Kane sketches a noer in the air. "That'll open its interface and allow you to check your balance. Apart from that though, it works like a normal card."

I use the noer to activate the card and a small screen made of light appears above the card. I stare at the numbers on the screen. Five hundred. It isn't much compared to my winnings in the Rankings, but it isn't small either. If I can earn something like this for every mission and do… let's say four missions in a month, then that adds up to two grand.

"As your missions get harder, the amount you earn will likewise increase, but you'll need to be strong enough to complete them successfully."

"Do Rangers earn more?" Adelia asks suddenly.

Kane gives her a strange look. "Yes, they do. But that's because the missions they send them on are extremely risky. An easy mission for them would mean certain death for you. Oh yes, one more thing. Apart from Ian, the rest of you have a limit on how much you can spend at a time with your card."

A chorus of complaints immediately follow that but Kane puts a stop to it simply by raising a hand. "Look, no matter how mature you think yourself to be, you're all still kids. And while it might not matter much to you, the higher-ups understand that giving you all free reign over your money can lead to stupid things like… I don't know, spending almost everything to buy cosmetic items in a game. In the end, it's for your own good."

Tobi and the rest don't look too convinced, but there's nothing they can do. Before we leave, Kane calls us back to tell us one more thing. "One more thing, for the time being, we'll stop meeting. At least until we figure out how your classes will be."

"What classes?" I ask, confused.

"You haven't heard?" It isn't Kane that asks me this, but Han. "Yesterday, Master Zarel announced that starting on the fifteenth of next month classes will resume in the Metorium."

"What?" Adelia takes a step toward him. "Isn't it only during the summer holiday we have classes? How's it even going to work, we have normal school too?"

Han shrugs. "Look, I don't know why they decided to do it, or how it's going to work, all I know is, next month we'll resume classes."

Tobi looks horrified. "I thought it was fake news. How are we going to have normal school and Laen classes at the same time? There's no way it can work."

"It can," I argue. "I've done it before. Normal school in the morning and afternoon, and Laen classes in the evening."

"But that means we won't have any free time."

I turn to Kane. "Why did he decide to do this?"

Kane shrugs. "I'm not sure. But I think it's because of the Eldest's absence. Ever since he left things have felt tense. The previous war is still somewhat fresh in people's minds, and the way it ended was... strange. I mean at some point it seemed like we were going to lose, but the moment the Eldest appeared things just sort of died down, which means a lot of the instigators are still at large. Now that he's gone, maybe the higher-ups fear that we're vulnerable, so they're trying to increase our strengths as much as possible."

We leave not long after. Kane had said all he wanted to so there was no more reason for us to remain. On the way home I can't help but think about Kane's theory. If he is right, then all of us Laen could be in danger. So far, the only danger that has been presented to me has been that of the Majin, and maybe the masked man, but this could be bigger than both of them. 'Should I have joined the Laen?' This thought snakes into my head.

I remember the day I met the Eldest when he had asked me with all seriousness whether or not I wanted to join them. He had warned me then, that joining the Laen could put me in danger. Still, I accepted to join. I guess it's far too late to complain now. Their mark is already on me, even if I wanted to leave, I doubt I could do so easily.

I take a deep breath, letting the fresh air fill my lungs before slowly breathing it out. I had made my decision long ago, now I have to stick with it, for better or worse.

Before I knew it, it is New Year's Eve. I spend most of the day in bed, scrolling through my phone, the internet is predictably filled with countless jokes, memes, and videos, all of them concerned with the upcoming new year. Still, it's more than enough to kill time. In the evening Emily and I leave the house for Cassandra's party.

Cassandra comes to open the door, bursting into smiles the moment she sees us. Behind her, I can see that their Christmas decorations are still up.

"Hey Cassie," says Emily, wrapping Cassandra in a hug. After they hug for a few seconds, Cassandra turns to look at me. "Hey, Ian."

"Hey." I give her a small wave.

"Come in. You guys are a bit early, barely anyone has come."

"Better too early than too late." Emily follows her in, and I do the same.

"I disagree," I say, "when it comes to parties, it's better too late than too early."

"Bullshit. Well, maybe, but that's only if you don't know the host. If you do, it's better to be early."

I don't bother arguing.

We walk into the living room where a bunch of people are already seated. I recognize most of the people since they're from my school. Diane, Jason, his girlfriend Mia, Brian, and a few others whose faces I recognize, but whose names I didn't know.

"Hey," I give everyone in the room a small wave.

"Ian, what's up," Jason greets with a smile. "It's been a while since I saw you."

Jason and I had been best friends since childhood, that is until we got to high school. I'm not exactly sure how but we drifted apart, still, we are friendly towards each other whenever we get the chance to meet.

The others more or less echo Jason's greeting, all except Diane. She gets up instead and gives me a mock bow. "Welcome, oh great fireman."

Everyone in the room bursts out laughing while I struggle not to cringe. Ever since I had saved Cassandra and a few others from a fire some months ago, Diane had dubbed me the fireman. Thankfully, the nickname hadn't caught on.

"I'm not gonna lie, you're looking more and more like a superhero these days," Brian says. "Physique wise, I mean."

Jason agrees with him. "True. I mean he used to be skinny in middle school, and now he's… he's still lean, but even I can see the muscles beneath."

"Stop flattering me." At this point, I'm beginning to feel slightly embarrassed.

Diane stalks up to me and grabs my left bicep. After giving it a few squeezes, she lets out an approving sound. "No wonder you were able to carry Cassie so easily during the fire."

"Alright," Emily says, gently pulling Diane away from me. "Why don't you leave my brother alone? We came here for a party, remember? It's New Year's Eve. We're supposed to be dancing, drinking, having fun!"

"Drinking?" Cassandra stares at Emily. "None of us are at the legal drinking age."

Emily lowers her voice and says conspiratorially. "But we're alone here, no one has to know."

"My mom and dad are around, so no. That is not going to happen. It's the reason I didn't invite too many people this time. That and the fact that I just want to celebrate the new year with friends."

Mia nods, "You're right. There's no need for this to be too big. We're all here to say goodbye to an old year while welcoming the coming one with its endless possibilities. I've made up my mind that in the coming year, I'm going to do far better than I did this year, in every area of my life."

"I'm planning on learning magic next year," Emily speaks next.