I might be poor, but was considered a hard worker.
Or so my old school's principal said, after my talent was unraveled in front of the people. Something which was completely based on luck, as I was not lucky enough to have a prestigious bloodline like many others in this world.
But I didn't mind it, for someone like me who was always ignored and barely anyone had memory of. This was enough.
Because through this awakening ability as well as talent, I was able to enter one of the top five academies in the city and had the foolish thought that my life might change.
Oh, how wrong I was.
As during the first day, I faced reality and learned that I was not really that special. There were many more talented and smarter than me.
As for my talent?
It didn't make me special, instead I was forced to go through isolated practice as there were few who had similar ability as me. Making my existence thinner in the academy.
Even the bullies ever looked my way, for they didn't even know I existed.
And unlike some weird kid who never came to the academy but still scored the highest, I was not good at the subjects.
A mediocre person who only had his talent and ability to back him up. A talent with limited scope, unless I go into the medical line and strive to be a psychologist.
Sadly, as I was not good at studying and struggled with the subject when I gave it a try.
So I abandoned it, just like I have been doing it until now.
"Your sister… she…she's ill." These were the words of my mother. A single mother who alone had nurtured the two siblings by working 14 hours a day in a factory.
Due to the same factory, or something she might have brought from the factory, my sister fell ill. And in anguish, my mother fell ill as well. She herself was contaminated.
As for the factory where she worked?
They denied any mistake on their part, blaming my mother and refusing to provide any money as recompense. To them, giving them money would be the same as accepting that they made a mistake.
Which put my family under more strain.
I had no money for treatment.
No money to even afford a room in the hospital for my family.
If not for NGOs that came to rescue. I might have lost my family.
But the NGO just fulfilled the bare minimum. They never went as far as to cure my family. Their reason was the lack of funding.
So, my life filled with worry continued.
Looking at other students who remain unaware of my situation, playing games, enjoying life, ignorant of what I was going through.
To them, even when there was a funding march organized from the academy after countless requests.
A bare 300 dollars were collected.
While I saw some students buying shoes or phones worth more than that.
These students cared for their phones more than the life of a person.
I couldn't cry, or scream for help. For my existence was low and I struggled to speak due to my stuttering.
I thought I would lose my family and my future looked bleak as well.
But things changed with the introduction of training techniques. They were methods that even gave someone with his physique a fighting chance, to become someone stronger and capable of earning through dungeons.
Someone who mattered.
And I was actually good at it.
The movement techniques as well as the strengthening these techniques provided me were superb.
I didn't even need to use my illusion ability anymore. For I was someone more than just an illusionist now.
I can even take part in physical education if I wanted to. And I planned to do so after this semester was over.
Sadly, something came up.
"Your sister won't live past 3 months, if nothing is done." These were the words of the doctor provided by the NGO.
Just three months?
Hah, and I was thinking I can make something out of this unique opportunity.
No, things still remained the same and now I lacked time as well.
Or so I thought.
"Follow this boy, notify his every move and we will provide you funding for the operation." An NGO worker asked me about this.
And to prove he meant business, they gave my sister some expensive drugs which actually stabilized her state.
But not fully heal her.
Meaning, if I wanted to see my sister recover, I needed to do their bid. So, even if I found it wrong. I did as they asked and approached the target.
Which was none other than the most hated and disgusting student in the academy.
A man with a prestigious background, money and power, even after he was kicked by his family.
I treated him like a fool originally, otherwise, who would choose to abandon the prestige and the money that comes with a family like that?
If I had that kind of money, my family would be fine and those factory owners would have faced justice.
But no, a wastrel guy like him was born into such luck.
Or so I thought.
That became the biggest misconception of my life.
"Good, you are good." This was the first time I heard someone compliment me.
Me who was always ignored and treated like air.
And the longer I trained with him and learned his manner of speech and habits, I understood one thing.
This man was very different from how he appeared in public.
He felt somewhat human.
Which was an odd thing to think about. But whether it was my own lack of understanding of human relations or lack of any connections. I found Luvi human.
And this became my second biggest mistake.
But I remained ignorant of it for a long while.
I was even confused at a point, why would I be given such a job and started to wonder if this was done by this man's family who might still worry for him or someone else.
Though, I never questioned as long as my sister's life was on the line.
That was until the tournament finally arrived and I got some suspicious orders from these people, which made me understand that what they wanted to do was not so simple. Which made me wonder. "What have I done?"
I understood one thing, these people intended to do something dangerous to Luvi and without knowing, I have become part of their plan, a tool to be used and thrown away when time arrived.
But I didn't move, for my sister's life was on the line. The most I can do is put my head down and follow their whims as well as the childish whims of the man I started to consider a real friend.
I felt guilty when I looked at him and the closer the time for the plan came, the more stressed I got.
I wanted to ask for help, once again. I wanted to scream.
Though the consequence of doing all of this was stopping me from doing anything drastic. I know for sure, these people would end my sister's life and even my mothers as revenge before going into hiding.
So all I could do was follow their plan, while suppressing my desire to inform Luvi of all of this.
But it would seem, I was the clown all along.
"What a wonderful secret you have."
Because, Luvi knew his secret from the start.
And like those people, he threatened me with my sister's life, but his request was a bit odd. "Just follow their instructions, if you do. You will get everything you desire and if you don't, I would personally make sure, your sister is dead."
This man was more of a monster than those people that just implied as such.
"Ye.. Yes."
I understood at that point. The whole academy has been fooled by this man. He was not just crazy.
He was psychotic, unhinged and unpredictable.
I didn't even know for how long this man has known that I approached him with some bad intentions.
He just acted nonchalant to me all the time, playing an act with me and even though he appeared to wish to win the tournament, it seems he was aware that something was going to happen from the start.
Which finally made me fearful.
I wondered, would I actually come out of this unscathed?
Would my sister truly be safe?
I.. I am scared.
I don't know how things would go anymore.
I didn't even know if I would survive.
All I could do was hope.
Hope that the person from the NGO keeps his word if they succeed in their job.
Or Luvi keeps his word if he succeeds at whatever he is playing.
A false hope was all I had.
Because if not for this hope, I might have already gone mad, like my mother.