In the midst of the confused crowd, Aldrich wove through the sea of students, calling out a name repeatedly.
"Trevor! Trevor Noah! Trevor!"
He had stayed in touch with Trevor through texts and knew that both of them had made it into Eldora's Institute.
Unfortunately, they hadn't had the chance to meet up and celebrate, so they promised to catch up on the day of resumption—which was today.
However, with the sheer number of students gathered here, finding each other had proven more difficult than anticipated.
"Tre-... You?!"
As he searched, Aldrich unexpectedly stumbled upon a curly blonde girl in the crowd, her beauty standing her out from the rest.
"Fiona..." He muttered, taken aback.
He knew Fiona would be here; this stage of the resumption process was mandatory for all newly admitted second-term students.
Even though Fiona had bypassed the actual test due to her status as a Helmswoth, she couldn't skip this.
Another reason he had expected to see her here was because this was the place where she and Dante had their second encounter after the grand cotillion event.
Yet, running into her felt surreal.
"Wasn't expecting to see you here, Fiona," he said, trying to sound casual, though his tone hinted at more.
Fiona, however, remained silent.
Her gaze was distant, her demeanour a stark contrast to the lively, forward girl he had encountered before.
The once jovial and playful Fiona now seemed like she couldn't wait to get away from him.
He didn't read too much into it and ended up surmising her demeanour as one of surprise.
Surely, she too did expect to see him here so it was only normal that she be taken aback a little.
Aldrich took the initiative to clear the awkward air and took a tentative step forward, attempting to bridge the gap between them.
But—
"Aldrich! Hey, Aldrich, over here!" A familiar voice cut through the crowd.
Aldrich turned towards the sound and saw Trevor approaching, relief washing over him.
"Trevor! Finally," he sighed, as Trevor made his way over.
"I've been looking all over for you," Aldrich said, his tone exasperated but light.
"Same here, dude. I was shouting your name too—" Trevor's eyes shifted to Fiona, and his words trailed off.
"Oh, sorry. Trevor, this is Fiona, a girl I know from back home. Fiona, meet Trevor, my friend." Aldrich introduced them, trying to ease the tension.
However, Trevor's expression only grew more tense upon hearing her name.
His eyes widened in disbelief.
"Excuse us for a moment," Trevor muttered, grabbing Aldrich by the neck and pulling him aside.
"Dude! What the hell? How do you know Fiona Helmswoth?!" Trevor's voice was low but intense.
"I thought you said you were from Midstate. How are you friends with Fiona Helmswoth, a literal princess from Upstate?"
Aldrich didn't even bother asking how Trevor knew about Fiona.
Her fame as a model and media darling had made her a household name, not just in Upstate, Midstate and Downstate added.
"Hey! Aren't we supposed to be friends?" Aldrich retorted, offended by Trevor's incredulity.
It did not feel right being in that position where he was undermined because of his background as an individual.
That is pretty much what this world, Eldorado continent is about.
It is not the first time and will not be the last that someone would question why a person from Upstate would associate with someone from anywhere lesser.
But Aldrich wasn't about to take it lying when the question came from someone he considered a friend.
"My bad, man. It's just... that's Fiona Helmswoth! The undisputed beauty queen—second only to Selina Von Degure," Trevor added, his voice tinged with awe.
"What do you mean second?! Fiona Helmswoth trumps Selina, and everyone knows it." Aldrich defended, instinctively.
The mention of Fiona and Selina in the same breath was always a point of contention among men.
Whether in terms of family background or sheer beauty, the debate was endless.
"Bro, that's the most ridiculous thing I've heard in a long time. Everyone knows Selina Von Degure is miles ahead of Fiona. No contest."
"Please. Everyone knows Fiona was the queen bee until she disappeared for five years. That gave Selina the chance to take over. Without that hiatus? There wouldn't even be a debate."
"I hope you two realize I'm standing right here and can hear your whispered nonsense," Fiona interrupted, her voice cold but sharp.
Both Aldrich and Trevor froze, turning to face her sheepishly.
"Sorry about that, Fiona. My friend here is just... enthusiastic," Aldrich offered weakly.
"What he said," Trevor added. "Hey, since you're friends with Aldrich, do you think you ca—"
"WHAT IS THAT?!" A random shout cut through their conversation.
All eyes turned towards the source of the commotion.
A teenager with golden hair was sprinting across the water—literally running on the waves, heading towards the open ocean.
"Is that guy insane?! He's actually doing it!" someone exclaimed.
The murmurs that followed weren't out of surprise at seeing someone walk on water.
Rather, they were astonished by the sheer audacity of someone attempting to find the island so soon.
"Dante Pendragon…" Aldrich whispered, awe evident in his voice. "Yeah, he is not one to disappoint."
Trevor nodded, equally captivated. "No kidding."
Dante's action came off as irrational, but the willingness to dive head first into what others were hesitant to do is one of the things that stands him out from the average test taker.
"Trevor, I think it's time we get going too," Aldrich said, determination hardening his voice.
Time is of the essence here, and they happen to be working on one with a limit set by Dion.
Two days to search the vast open waters for an island that would appear as a stone's throw into a bottomless pit.
With that much ground to cover, they couldn't afford to forget the time limit Dion had set.
The sooner they started, the better their chances of finding the island before time ran out.