"Sir, you need to fill in your REAL NAME on the contract."
Those were the words I dreaded the most when on a tour to a different state.
Here I am in Ardanor, a third state in Althyra, and this piece of information always manages to haunt me wherever I go.
"But you know who I am: Dream Master Dare; that's what I use when introducing myself to my participants."
Everyone knows that.
This lady, holding out the contract, impatiently waited for me to clarify the very alias I wished remained vague.
"Kind sir, would you prefer that your show's financing come from your profits once it's over?" She beamed with a forced and oddly unsettling smile. "Remember, the contract syncs with the first state you signed with and ensures your safety throughout the duration of your stay."
I shouldn't have signed that first contract with my real name if I had been warned earlier.
I was foolish and naive at the time.
When they found me as an infant at the dumpster, my only means of identification—a branded name on my shoulder blade—had nothing wrong with it.
But her subtle threat to my precious money was enough reason to delete any form of shame left in my soul.
This is all for your plans, Arsol. Yes, the plans.
I grabbed the pen, scribbling my full name on the contract.
Here comes the worst.
Ding!
My heart skipped a beat at that dreadful sound from the holographic computer.
[Identity confirmed]
[Welcome to Ardanor, Arsol Dare.]
There it was—the mispronunciation of my name—that I dreaded more than anything.
"It's Arsol, as in Ar-saul, you stupid computer, not asshole!" I cursed under my breath.
The lady behind me burst into laughter, looking like she wanted to pinch my cheeks.
What are you laughing at?! This is no joke!
The second she closed the contract, it disintegrated before our eyes, turning into a small piece of cardstock paper.
She handed it to me after a momentary pause.
I took the cardstock and inspected it closely. Gold lines, written in a language only the local citizens of Ardanor knew, covered the cardstock.
Oh, right...
That's how they keep track of both my identity and my team's.
I quickly put the cardstock away in my pocket and gave the woman a nod before preparing my thoughts on the excuse I needed to bolt out of the office.
'As soon as I get out, I will have Ravus translate them for me so I can read them later.'
For now, though, I needed to leave.
"Excuse me, but I really should get going. My team will be waiting for me; we still need to make sure the set is safe for my participants." I said this while walking towards the door.
A hand suddenly pulled me to the side, stopping me from leaving.
What now?
I turned around to see the lady smiling.
"Please don't worry about the translation. We will complete it by tomorrow morning." Her voice seemed to carry through the room, echoing across the walls. "I hope you'll enjoy your stay here in Ardanor for the duration of your show, Dream Master Dare."
Her voice was filled with sincerity, making my chest feel warm despite its cold exterior.
"Thank you," I managed to squeeze out.
I walked out of the building without saying another word.
–––––––––––
"You're late!"
Ravus and Wyn walked into the backstage area.
"Sorry, I got caught up in the usual contract stuff."
Wyn ran up to me and hugged me tight.
I momentarily froze at her sudden action and patted her head awkwardly.
"Do you like my new dress?" Wyn asked with a bright smile.
She looked absolutely stunning in her blue dress.
The dress made her look even more mature than before.
"Yeah, it looks great on you, Wyn!" I answered, unable to think of anything else to say.
She let out a laugh at my reaction.
"Hello? I'm over here, lovebirds! Let go of each other already!" Ravus shouted playfully.
He then stepped forward and embraced me.
"Glad you're here. We were worried sick!" He said it in a low voice.
"Don't act like we haven't been preparing for tonight's performance since yesterday," Wyn added with a giggle.
I smiled wryly at the two of them. They never changed since our five years together; they still act like a couple of kids.
They did change their way of thinking a bit, though.
Instead of fighting over who gets to hug me first, they now always wait for me to initiate the hug, or Wyn occasionally acts as spontaneous as she did in the past.
I didn't mind either way; I was just glad I wasn't alone anymore.
"I'm sorry, did we miss something?" Ravus asked, his hands still raised above his head.
"Not exactly... Well, sort of."
I awkwardly scratched the back of my neck.
Wyn furrowed her brow. "Something happened?"
"Well, there was this lady in the office, and she kept insisting about my real name, just like the rest, and that it needs to be included in the contraaa..."
I couldn't help but pause while I looked at Ravus, holding back laughter.
He then started shaking his head, trying to contain himself. He finally lost control and began rolling on the floor.
"Are you kidding me?!"
His uncontrollable laughter made him roll over onto the ground, unable to stop.
After several seconds of this, he finally calmed down.
"Why do I even bother telling you these things? This is why I made sure you didn't follow me this time."
Ravus finally stood up, wiping off the tears streaming down his face.
"Let me guess, the hologram pronounced your name just like the assh—"
Wham!
Wyn hit Ravus in the head.
He winced in pain and rubbed his head.
"Hey! That hurt, dammit! I'm gonna—"
"Stop talking as if we do not owe my beloved any gratitude, fool! You need to learn your place if you want to survive in this world," Wyn snapped.
First off, I'm no one's beloved, yet Wyn has always behaved like I am. She never lets me forget it, either.
Wyn is a nine-tailed fox beastkin, and she is the only one of her kind in existence since the raid on her village. Her species is extremely rare, and so far, all of the people who have seen her are convinced she's a spirit or a fairy due to her beauty and grace.
Her race was known for having the most powerful magical ability among all beastkin races, and she wields powerful magic that can destroy a state with ease.
However, that power comes at a price, and when used recklessly and at its peak for an extended period of time, it will kill the user. The reason she's able to use magic while maintaining her health is because of her strong devotion and trust that I could regulate her actions.
Looking at these two, I could only feel sorry for Ravus being at the receiving end of Wyn's fury.
She held her fist, which morphed into a white fox-like paw with claws extending from it, in front of Ravus' face and stared daggers at him. "We were saved by his generosity. We cannot afford to repay such kindness by speaking ill of his glorious name."
Glorious name, my as—
'Fuck this shit; even that doesn't sound right now!'
Ravus flinched when he heard her say that. He knew better than anyone else that she had no intention of letting go until she heard an apology from him.
"I apologize." He bowed his head deeply.
"Hmph. Enough of that." Wyn waved her paw dismissively before standing up straight again.
"Could you please not show your beast form in such a public place, Wyntriel? You are aware of the treatment that beastkins endure in most states." I reprimanded her. "People here aren't very tolerant of others."
She pouted, but quickly changed back to human form after looking around and confirming that nobody else was watching us.
"Are you mad at me, beloved?"
"Bwahahaha! You called Wyn by her real name!" Ravus burst out laughing.
The moment he said that, Wyn turned around and gave him a smack on the head.
"That is exactly what I am annoyed at you for. You shouldn't always resort to violence, especially toward our friend and teammate."
"Owwwwww! Damnit!" Ravus cried out in pain once more.
"Apologize to Ravus properly, Wyn," I commanded.
Wyn took a deep breath and let it out slowly.
"My apologies, Ravus. I did not mean to hit a weak human like you with so very little of my strength behind it," Wyn said, bowing low to Ravus.
"Oh man, I really pissed her off, huh?" Ravus muttered while rubbing the back of his head.
I looked at Wyn, trying to gauge whether she would forgive him or not.
It seems she'll forgive him for now. But next time, he needs to be careful about how he speaks to her.
"What's the current situation? How many participants are there?" I asked Ravus.
Ravus was intellectual and typically served as a strategist during the selection process. In short, he was the brains of the group.
He possessed the ability to analyze and predict situations based on data analysis, making him very reliable. His knowledge and use of technomancy were also quite vast. However, he lacked physical strength and was considered somewhat of a coward.
His nickname among the party members was 'The Tech Wiz.'
As I expected, Ravus answered without hesitation.
"There are twenty-four teams of five registered in total. All of them are elites, except for three; they're middle-class warriors who've recently fought against some monsters."
I nodded along to his explanation, but something he said seemed rather out of character.
'That wasn't the criteria needed for tonight's show.'
"Did you just say warriors?" I questioned.
"Yeah, they don't have high stats or anything. They're skilled fighters, though. Their skills and abilities are fairly good, so they might make it through the first round if we don't take action," Ravus replied.
Now it was Wyn who burst out laughing.
Wyn had something strange going on inside her head, from what I could tell. She laughed at Ravus' confusion, but when I glared at her, she stopped immediately.
"Spill it already. What did you do while I was away?"
She still had a smile on her face, but her tone indicated that she was no longer joking around.
"Well..." Wyn started.