I was awake. In a soft and comfortable bed. However, I kept my eyes closed. It felt as if I had never been burned, not a single bit of pain. I was replaying in my mind our previous fight, especially the moment I threatened Hboy. It felt like I was a real villain back there, but it didn't look like there were any other options. I quit overthinking and decided to just enjoy a little peaceful time.
"Hey, you are awake, aren't you?"
I sighed deeply at the sound of Hboy's voice. I opened my eyes and turned my head to face him while still lying in bed. He wasn't in a better condition. I noticed he had his entire body bandaged, and looking down, I noticed I was as well.
"Yes, that reminds me we almost got burned to death."
I frowned, recalling all the pain and fear I felt at that moment.
"I have to say, you really had me there. On that tree," I heard Hboy's voice. From the way he sounded, he must have still been very weak.
A weird smile appeared on his face. "I agree to work with you. But keep in mind, that was the first and the last time you will truly win."
What he said managed to creep me out, but I thought it would be better to just let him imagine that he was superior for now. I closed my eyes and fell asleep.
---
I woke up to someone's touch. I opened my eyes to see Hboy standing beside me, already dressed in his normal clothes, despite still having half of his face bandaged.
"What do you want?" I asked him, in a voice that sounded a little more rude than I intended to.
"You have a visitor," he said half-heartedly.
I turned around and had a closer look at the room. It was small, with a window and a table with two chairs nearby. On one of those chairs sat another person I wasn't really happy to see.
"Hello," said Rover with his usual smile.
"Not going to lie, I would rather see Juta," I told Hboy.
"He already was here but didn't wake you."
I sighed. "Hello," I replied to Rover, who was patiently waiting.
"By the way, you can get up and change your clothes as well."
"Really?" I replied without much excitement.
"Yes, as long as you keep those bandages on, you should be fine."
I listened to him. While I was putting a shirt on, I became curious about something.
"By the way, who healed me?"
"It was Boss. Despite how he looks, he has mastered healing magic. And he is probably the only one here who could save you two."
"What about Juta?"
"He recovered earlier."
"I see."
After I got dressed, I sat on my bed, preparing to ask Rover a question. But Hboy did it before me.
"Aside from checking on us, what are you here for?"
Even though I was pretty much a new member of the guild, I knew these high-ranked members were pretty busy, and the number of conversations I had with Rover were more than many older members had.
"I wanted to let you in on a little secret. Today, Boss will organize a guild meeting to choose who will represent our guild at the Guilds' Rise Festival, which takes place in roughly a week."
When we were assigned our first mission, Boss also mentioned something about a guilds' festival, but I didn't really pay attention to it.
"The thing is, there are rumours going around that Boss might advance you to Team Four," Rover continued.
I could feel Hboy was really excited about it. Rover stood up.
"Well, you have around 30 minutes until the meeting starts." He blinked at us and left the room, as if he was never there.
I laid in my bed.
"So, what's the deal with this festival?" I asked Hboy as he was making his bed.
"Don't get your hopes up too much. It's too early, especially for you, to be there."
I sat in silence for a few seconds, then he continued,
"It's basically an event where the top five guilds from each area are invited to the Center to participate in a couple of games for prizes. It's also supposedly a good place to make new friends and learn about the other areas."
"Wait. Center area?" I had never heard of it before. I thought there were only four: North, South, East, and West.
"Yes. Boss says it is a lot bigger than the East area. Apparently, it's as big as the other four combined, and if you want to go to another area, you have to go through the central one."
"What sort of prizes?"
"No idea. But, there's a certain reason why you definitely want to be there."
"Hmm?"
"As you know, people get permission to undergo the Echo Bestowment after graduating from a magic school. Well, at the end of each of these festivals, the first-timers who haven't got their Echoes yet are able to get it."
I remembered how Boss was telling me he could help with my Echo Bestowment, first when we met on that bench. He was probably talking about the festival.
"Too bad it takes place once every year. But if we work hard, we really have a chance to attend next year's one," Hboy added.
He was right. If we received a promotion, it would significantly boost our chances.
Soon, Hboy left the room. I told him I would wait a few minutes, mainly because I didn't want to walk with him. I arrived at the meeting exactly as it was about to start. Everyone was gathered there. So many people that the big room felt crowded.
I tried looking for my partners, but it was impossible to find them with that many people around.
Boss coughed.
"Good evening, everyone!"
Everyone became silent.
"As you all know, in three days the Guilds' Rise Festival will take place. Just like in previous years, I will select around 20 older members of the guild, as well as five new members who will attend their first festival."
I could feel a lot of excitement among the lower teams' members. It was understandable. In the depth of my heart, I really wished to be chosen as well.
"Like every year, I would like to mention any promotions."
At that moment I thought of Juta and Hboy.
"Well, this year we have no team changes, but many of you were really close. However, I would like to mention one particular trio from Team Six. I am pretty sure most of you already know Hboy, Juta, and Akira."
There were several murmurs, but Boss' voice interrupted them.
"I am pretty sure you all were expecting them to get a promotion, but I think they need to work on their teamwork a lot more before they do."
He fixed his look somewhere and smiled.
I couldn't help but wonder if he spied on us. Although it was unlikely, I had a feeling he set that up on purpose. Not for me. For the other two. They were talented.
For example, Hboy's fire was no joke, as it possessed extreme destructive ability. The same could be said about Juta. His air magic could be easily used for transportation and support in combat.
Then there was me, someone who couldn't even use earth, which was my strong point, properly. Figured the reason Boss might have done that was because I was there, completing the three-man team.
I hoped from the bottom of my heart that it wouldn't be the case.
I was pulled out of my thoughts by Boss' next announcement.
"However, I decided to let the three of them attend this year's festival."