The broadcast on Alek's screen continued, but he was no longer paying attention to the weekly rainfall charts of Velmont City. What caught his interest was the next news segment.
"And that was the week's rainfall in Velmont City. In other news, Karal Entertainment has announced the creation of a new eSports team for the League of Pastrin competitions, the famous 5-player team multiplayer game. According to our sources, Van Malikova might be the team leader!"
Alek shot up in his seat, his eyes wide open.
"What? When did I say I'd join a team?" he exclaimed, feeling panic starting to bubble up. Turning to Therbo, he commanded,
"Therbo, call my manager, right now!"
The drone floated to the communication station and responded immediately.
"Right away, sir. Connecting with Federica."
A few seconds later, his manager's smooth voice resonated through the communicator.
"Hello, dear?"
"Federica! I'm watching the news. Since when am I the leader of a rookie team?"
Federica's voice remained nonchalant, as if she'd expected this reaction.
"Oh, dear, I didn't warn you. We signed the contract a week ago. If you answered my calls, maybe you'd have known earlier."
Alek closed his eyes and massaged his temples, trying to calm down.
"Federica, I'm a lone player. That's Van Malikova's reputation, remember? The Lone Ranger. This is going to ruin my career. No one has ever seen my face, and now they expect me to lead a team. This is the opposite of what we agreed when I hired you. I barely have time to catch up on my studies, let alone babysit a group of rookies. Fix this, or consider your contract terminated."
Federica's soft laughter came through the line.
"Oh, dear, you should relax a bit. This could breathe new life into your career. Give it a chance. Think of it this way: if we back out now, it'll be harder to maintain your normal lifestyle. Remember our little chat about public projection?"
Alek growled, crossing his arms.
"I'll think about it, but no promises. If they're terrible players, I'm out. Alek out."
He cut the communication and slumped back in his chair, staring at the ceiling. Barely five minutes passed before the communicator buzzed with another call.
"Great, just what I needed... more complications."
The communicator's line buzzed, pulling Alek from his thoughts. When he answered, the familiar voice of Thiago greeted him.
"Hello, Alek?"
"What's up, Thiago?" he replied indifferently.
"Your leave is up tomorrow. You're coming to class, right? The girls miss you. Well, actually, they miss copying your homework, but that's not the point. Are you feeling better?"
Alek smiled at his friend's relaxed tone.
"Yeah, it wasn't as bad as the doctor made it sound."
He had perfectly prepared the excuse of his "contagious illness." He couldn't let anyone suspect the strange disappearances he'd been experiencing.
"Really? Or were you just pretending to stay up late playing video games?"
Thiago's laughter rang through the line as Alek scoffed, unsure whether to feel amused or annoyed by the comment.
It was the first time in weeks he felt normal.
The next morning, his alarm blared its usual sharp tone, pulling Alek from a deep sleep. For the first time in weeks, he had slept through the night without interruptions—a small miracle, considering the constant "trips" that plagued him. But today was different. Today, he had to return to class.
He got up, looking at his reflection in the bathroom mirror. The dark circles from past days had begun to fade, but what truly caught his attention was the tattoo on his forearm. The gears moved slowly, almost as if they were alive, marking time only they understood. Alek sighed, remembering that this strange phenomenon was now part of his life.
"Let's hope this has a concealment function," he muttered, covering the tattoo with bandages he'd ordered online.
After a quiet breakfast, Alek set out for the academy. Instead of taking the sonic metro, he decided to walk, leaving an hour earlier than usual. The walk felt strangely normal, with the bustle of Velmont City around him. Aerodynamic cars hummed along floating tracks, and groups of students walked toward campus, some chatting, others reviewing notes on their holographic devices. For a moment, Alek almost convinced himself everything was fine.
When he arrived, he was greeted with the usual teasing from Thiago and the rest of the group.
"Look who decided to grace us with his presence!" Thiago exclaimed, raising his hands theatrically.
"Alek, we missed you! Though our grades didn't..." Sandra added with a mischievous smile.
Alek smiled, accustomed to such comments. But something was different in his perception. Every sound, every movement around him seemed a bit clearer, as if his mind processed everything faster.
During class, Alek noticed a significant change in his performance. The days spent in the other dimension studying ancient manuscripts and observing that world's peculiarities were now yielding unexpected benefits. He could absorb complex concepts effortlessly and apply them almost immediately.
In physics class, while the professor explained advanced equations, Alek solved the problem before he even finished posing it. His classmates stared in amazement, even Thiago, who was used to his skills, seemed surprised.
"Hey, when did you become a genius?" he whispered, leaning toward him.
"Let's just say I've been studying... intensely," Alek replied, dodging the question.
The day continued, and Alek seized every opportunity to put his newfound knowledge to use. From math to history, his answers were precise and detailed. But what surprised him the most was his physical ability. Though he hadn't formally trained, the constant walking and confrontations in the other dimension seemed to have improved his coordination and endurance.
The tranquility of the day broke during lunch. As Alek walked to his table, a taller, bulkier student intentionally shoved him.
"Watch where you're going, genius," the boy growled with a mocking smile. It was Derek, known for his aggressive attitude.
"Got a problem, Derek?" Alek responded, staying calm.
"Yeah, you're the problem. Always acting like you're better than everyone."
Before Alek could reply, Derek threw a punch. Time seemed to slow. Alek clearly saw Derek's fist coming toward him, but instead of freezing, his body reacted with astounding precision. He spun on his heels, dodging the punch, and used Derek's momentum to take him down in a clean move.
The impact echoed through the cafeteria. All eyes were on them, and Derek, embarrassed, got up slowly, muttering something unintelligible before walking away.
Alek stayed silent, trying to process what had just happened. He hadn't planned his response; he had simply reacted. His breathing was steady, his heart didn't race. It was as if his body was operating on a completely different level.
As he returned to his table, Thiago looked at him incredulously.
"What the hell was that? Since when do you know how to fight?"
Alek didn't answer immediately. He simply smiled slightly before shrugging.
"I guess... I've been learning more than I realized."
And as he resumed his lunch, he couldn't help but think about how much he was changing, both physically and mentally. The other dimension wasn't just affecting his life there—it was bleeding into this one, and he still didn't know if that was a good or bad thing.