[138] "Not invited?"
A large van was cruising the city streets. In the driver's seat was Inhyuk, while Seongha occupied the passenger seat. In the back, Wooin and Jiwoo shared space, while further back, Jisuk was next to Subin and other individuals. The van was moving purposefully through the city streets.
The van stopped in front of a building, and Seongha opened the door, looking at Inhyuk and expressing his thanks. "Thank you for giving us a ride. See you." said Seongha.
Inhyuk smiled and replied. "You're welcome."
Subin and the other two Union youths also got out of the van and said goodbye to everyone.
Inhyuk started the van again, and they drove off, while the boys waved goodbye to Subin.
....
[Baekdu]
Suman was sitting in a beautiful leather chair in the chairman's office. His face looked pale and showed obvious signs of fatigue and nervousness as he looked at a letter on his desk.
"An invitation from the World Academy.... Sucheon" muttered Suman with obvious concern.
....
[Shinhwa]
Jiyoung, with one leg crossed over the other and a cool demeanor, examined the letter resting open on his desk.
"They've gone ahead of schedule, but..." muttered Jiyoung, as he reread the letter and stood thoughtfully, hesitantly.
'Jiwoo hasn't been invited? And they haven't provided a specific date. This is strange...' thought Jiyoung, as his frown furrowed even more at the lack of details in the letter.
....
[Awakened Union]
Seongha entered through the front door as Subin and the other two young men followed him. As soon as they entered, a person quickly approached towards Seongha, his face serious. "Sir, there is something I must inform you of," the man announced earnestly.
Seongha nodded and signaled to the young men, telling them to withdraw.
Then, the man took out a letter and handed it to Seongha. "Sir, an invitation arrived from the World Academy," the man reported.
Seongha frowned and took the letter, his face showing a serious and thoughtful expression.
....
[Korean Awakening Academy]
Han Seongik looked seriously at the two letters resting on his desk. One was addressed to Baekho and the other simply read Director. After a moment of contemplation, he decided to open the one addressed to Baekho.
"We formally invite Baekho's young representative, Choi Gangseok, to have a friendly exchange with the awakened youth at the World Academy," Han Seongik read.
Then, he opened the letter that read Director and began to read. "We inform that we also invite young Sucheon from Baekdu, Jisuk from Shinhwa, Subin and Wooin from Awakened Union. You will be informed of the date soon."
Han Seongik frowned as he pondered the situation. 'Jiwoo was not invited, and that last sentence is meant to make it clear to us that we cannot refuse...' he thought with concern towards the young men.
....
[The next day]
[At Jiwoo's house]
Jiwoo opened his eyes slowly, squinting them as he stretched and yawned.
He then got up and went to the basement, where he found Kayden concentrating on his force control training.
Kayden opened his eyes as he noticed Jiwoo's presence and commented. "You're up already."
Jiwoo smiled and replied. "Yes, where are Mr. Kartein and my brother?"
"They must be around, I think they went out shopping," Kayden said casually.
Jiwoo nodded in understanding as Kayden raised an eyebrow and announced. "Your friends are coming."
"Okay," Jiwoo replied and headed upstairs. By the time he got upstairs, Jisuk, Subin and Wooin had already entered the house.
"Hello," Jiwoo greeted cheerfully, though his smile faded as he noticed his friends' serious faces. He inquired with concern. "What's wrong?"
"You really don't know?" asked Jisuk.
Jiwoo denied with doubt visible on his face.
"They really didn't tell you about the invitation?" said Subin.
"What invitation?" asked Jiwoo, surprised.
Wooin frowned silently.
"The World Awakened Academy has invited the three of us, plus Gangseok and Sucheon," Subin explained.
Jiwoo looked at his friends in surprise and said. "They haven't let me know if I was invited."
Subin commented. "It's strange that they didn't invite you, having defeated Duke."
Wooin added. "They must be worried about Mr. Kayden and Mr. Ares."
Jisuk confirmed with a nod. "Exactly."
Jiwoo scratched his head and asked. "And you guys are going?"
Jisuk nodded and explained. "We are obligated, it's not a friendly invitation. We are obligated to accept so as not to cause trouble for our organizations."
When Jiwoo asked Wooin if he would attend, Wooin replied uncertainly. "I don't know..."
After a moment of silence, they decided to put the conversation aside and went out to have fun, making the day fly by.
....
[At night]
Jiwoo, surrounded by a blue aura, next to Kayden, whose aura was similar, and Kartein, enveloped in a golden aura.
Jiwoo opened his eyes and stopped the circulation of his force control. He turned his gaze to Kayden and asked the question that had been troubling him, "Mr. Kayden, I know we've already talked about this, but why didn't the World Awakened Academy invite me?" His voice was filled with curiosity and a slight unease.
Kayden, like Jiwoo, opened his eyes and stopped his force control as Kartein watched them intently.
"I'm sure you have questions, but the truth is, the reason you haven't been invited yet is quite simple," Kayden commented.
Jiwoo, filled with doubt, asked. "Yes, why?"
Kayden replied solemnly. "Because you are the disciple of the great Kayden..."
Jiwoo's eyes lit up with understanding and he exclaimed confidently. "Exactly, because I am his disciple!"
Kayden, hearing Jiwoo's words, let out a maniacal laugh and flashed a devilish grin.
Kartein silently watched the two laughing and then coughed. "Coff.... Coff..."
Jiwoo and Kayden immediately stopped and turned their attention to Kartein.
"The invitation should reach you in due time. They must be working like crazy to make sure someone as crazy as your master doesn't cause trouble," Kartein commented with a smile.
Kayden nodded slightly and added. "Exactly, they must be worried about the possible consequences of your presence. Besides..." He paused for a few seconds before continuing. "Ares has quite a few enemies in that place."
Jiwoo was surprised and asked. "What did he do?"
"He attacked them," Kartein replied with a grim face.
The words left Jiwoo shocked, and he scratched his head, showing his discomfort.
"Don't worry, nothing will happen to you. What I think most is that they are afraid of your family's enemies. If you go there, they might decide to act to bring in your master or brother, and that wouldn't be good for the World Academy at all," Kartein commented.
Jiwoo was puzzled and asked. "But why do they have so much concern about my presence there?"
"Because those two guys cause trouble wherever they go," Kartein said angrily and with some irritation.
Jiwoo looked at Kayden, who played dumb and avoided Jiwoo's gaze.
....
Ares, dressed in his usual black suit, white shirt and no tie, stood on top of a building, looking out over the glittering city. Suddenly, a purple spiral-shaped portal appeared behind him, and a beautiful woman emerged, carefully holding a dragon sleeping peacefully in her arms.
Ares, without turning around, spoke calmly. "Rebecca, what is the reason for your sudden visit? And finally, Silvia, you decide to show yourself again."
Rebecca replied with a beautiful smile. "When do you plan to return?"
Ares finally turned to look directly into Rebecca's eyes and replied firmly. "I have no plans to leave at this time. I will remain here."
A hint of sadness fleetingly crossed Rebecca's face, disappearing in a matter of seconds as she said. "I heard that those four boys who are related to your younger brother were invited to the World Academy."
Ares nodded his head and added. "Yes, they were invited, but Jiwoo hasn't been invited yet."
"I guess they'll wait until they have the security measures required for someone like him," Rebecca commented.
Ares nodded and replied. "Yes, they must be worried."
Rebecca changed the subject and asked shyly. "I want to stay with you for a while. I want to rest from the fighting, you don't mind if I stay with you for a while?"
Ares smiled and nodded. "It's your choice to decide where you want to be."
Rebecca replied with a smile as she said. "Thanks, I'll take you," and a new portal formed behind her.
"Well, it's been a while since we've had a good conversation. Tell me, how have your recent challenges been and who have you been fighting? The truth is, I've been pretty disconnected from the world and have no information on what's been going on lately," Ares said.
Rebecca smiled, showing off her beauty, and replied enthusiastically. "Don't worry, I'll fill you in on everything," cheerful at the interest Ares had shown towards her.
Then the two entered the portal, and the place fell into silence, only interrupted by the sound of the wind whistling around them.
.....
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