THE OWL AND THE IVORY TOWER

In a dimly lit room, a twelve-year-old kid squirmed on his bed. Beads of sweat trickled from his forehead.

He was dreaming. In his vision, he was on top of an ivory tower when a humongous golden owl snatched and dragged him way up high. It had a pair of green horns and its tube-shaped red eyes zoomed ahead where a mountain loomed.

The kid screamed and screamed as they flew and flew until the bird's feathers blazed in gold like a plane catching fire.

"Nooo!" the kid said. He kept on flailing his hands in the air, struggling for freedom. But when the bird reached the peak, he was freed from its grasp.

The kid jolted from his nightmare, smiling—a bizarre reaction for someone of his age. He stretched his hand to the side, reaching for the phone on the nearby shelf and dialed a number.

After a few seconds, the call connected.

"Osho! I've got it! I've found a name and logo for our team!" said the boy in high spirits.

"Mmm-mmm. Aildrin, you damnable creature. Curse you! Do you know what time it is? It's freaking three in the morning!"

The call ended.

Aildrin grinned despite the tirade he received from Osho. His fingers tapped on the screen.

"Lazir Park. Six AM. Don't be late!" the boy said in his text message. He sent it to four contacts including Osho.

The predetermined time came. At the park full of greeneries and joggers, the sun smiled at the frowning Aildrin.

"Where the hell is Osho?" Aildrin said. Three youths—two boys and a girl—huddled before him in a circular stone table. They fought the chill by putting their hands inside their jackets.

"He must still be sleeping. Why did you call us out anyway? It's so early! This better be good," said the girl with curly green hair. She stifled a yawn.

"I can't say it until we're complete, Ishna. It will break the spirit of unity and spoil the moment!" said Aildrin.

"Oh! I can see him!" a deep voice said, pointing a finger past Aildrin. It came from the boy with a square face—the tallest in the group.

Aildrin craned his neck. "Where, Uzma? I can't see the loser!"

Eventually, a bald boy in a white shirt came into view. He strolled from the street ahead.

"And he's casually walking! How could he when he's already fifteen minutes late!" Aildrin said with clenched fists.

"Calm down. He'll get here eventually," said a blond boy with a perfectly chiseled jawline.

Aildrin hissed. "Shut up, Eldric. Stop tolerating that monk."

Osho arrived at the park's entrance like he's the owner of the place. "Here, here! Thanks for waiting! I've bought some fruit along the way...that's why I'm late on King Aildrin's self-agreed time," he said. He then placed the apple-filled eco-bag on the stone table. "Have some. Losers."

Each one took an apple except for Aildrin.

"Let's start," Aildrin said. He took out a red poster from the pocket of his jacket. It displayed a crossed sword logo.

Osho read its content. "Battle Arena Tournament, Five versus Five! A 100,000-dollar prize awaits each member of the winning team." He then gobbled his apple.

"Oh, don't tell me it is what I think it is," Eldric said. His blue eyes glowed with interest.

Aildrin nodded his head with a grin. "Yes! And we're gonna win this tournament! I've already got a name for us and a logo!"

"Count me out," Ishna said.

Eldric's brows furrowed. "Ishna! How could you? That's a 100,000-dollar prize! Imagine how many books you could buy with that amount! And the upgrades you can make in the game and your boring life!"

"Well, Eldric. Imagine the participants on that day and our parents' reaction. We're going against professional players! People that are older than us and spent more time playing computer games! Plus, I doubt that they would allow us to join," Ishna said.

"Well, you're the highest damage-dealer during dungeon raids. It would be a loss if you won't join us," Uzma said with a frown.

"Don't tell me that all of you would join this?" Ishna said. She took a careful backward step.

The four boys grinned like the devil. Their eyes blazed like hell with passion.

"Oh, god. Help us," Ishna said. She then munched half of the apple in one go.

"Alright, Ishna's in! The team's complete!" Eldric said. "So, what's our name and logo? It better be cool, Captain Aildrin!"

"That's the reason we've gathered here today. A while ago, I had a dream. A fateful dream!" Aildrin said. He unfurled a white paper from his pocket.

"Did a toddler draw that?" Osho said.

Aildrin rolled his eyes. "Shut up! It's just a sketch!"

"Is that a bull?" Uzma said with innocence.

"Seriously? Does this look like a bull to you? Can't you see the wings and the round eyes?" Aildrin said.

"It's a bird then. But why does it have horns?" Osho said.

"It's the owl in my dreams, you fool!" Aildrin said.

"Cool! Cool! So what's the team's name?" Eldric said.

"Team WisDoom."

...

There was an awkward silence in WisDoom's pantry. But Aildrin broke it.

"It's good to have dreams! And you're not nameless anymore, Pat. You're WisDoom's Captain." Aildrin said with a smile. "Can I talk with Sophia, guys? Privately?"

Patrick responded with a steely gaze like a dog baring its fangs to a stranger outside the gate.

"Sure. Let's move out, boys!" Harvy said.

"Thank you, but there's no need for that trouble. Let's go, Sophia," Aildrin said.

Sophia stood from her seat, hugged the three, and went out of the pantry with Aildrin. They continued walking until they reached the stair.

Aildrin paused in his steps. "You're kidding me, right? This is WisDoom's new team?"

"Yes, this is the new team that I've told you about. Why? What's wrong about it?"

"What's wrong with it? Have you lost your mind? We've got a blind, a legless war veteran, and a fisherman?" Al said with a scowl.

"Well, that's better than five twelve-year-old kids, right?" Sophia said. She then smiled and fiddled with the railing.

There was silence.

"They're not kids anymore. And Wargrounds is not just a game. You know that! It's a source of living where a lack of skills could mean an empty stomach," Aildrin said.

"You're right," Sophia said. "Wargrounds is not just a game. It's more than that! It's a new world that gave everyone a new shot at life regardless of their disability. And I hope that you can see that too. Climb down from your ivory tower and find me. I have plenty of things to show you." She then left Aildrin and ran up the stairs.