The Only Survival

"That's right, run away and never come back!" I watched as the bullies ran out of the dark alley one after another.

Then, I turned to face the white-haired boy that I had saved from earlier.

"Are you okay?" I asked kindly.

I could now have a clear view of what the boy looked like. He had white hair that was as soft as the snowflakes. When I looked at him, the only words that came to mind were "quiet", "gentle", and "shy".

"Thank you…." The boy thanked me for saving him.

"It's nothing, I'm Lucian Greifhardt, you are?"

"I'm Felix Gray." The boy answered me timidly, it seemed like he was still worried that I might beat him like what I did to those guys just now.

"I won't beat you up." I smiled gently to reassure Felix.

Felix's face turned red, probably wondering how I could understand what he was having in mind.

"That's not what I meant." He shook his head.

"By the way, why did those kids bully you?"

"Oh, it must be because I said I have awakened 2 elements, Fire and Wind. They must have been envious at first, and then we got into a fight after they insulted my family…" We walked out of the alley while talking.

'Sigh, kids nowadays are so…'

'Wait, did he just say awakened 2 elements?'

Let me explain a bit, those who awaken 2 elements are called special people, 3 elements are geniuses, and 4 or more elements are called hopes.

"2 elements?" I asked in surprise.

"Yeah."

"Then why didn't you fight back?"

"I…am..scared"

I fell dead silent, not knowing what to say next. With two elements, he could have fought back the bullies and even won, but he was scared. Maybe he was the type of person who had power but no courage.

'What if I had a friend like that in my previous life? A brave person without power and a person who has power but not brave at all to be my friend?'

'Unbelievable.'

We passed by a sandwich stall. I could smell the aroma of cooked meat mixed with rich sauce.

'It smells so good.'

Suddenly, I heard Felix's stomach growl. I immediately turned towards him. There, Felix was shyly covering his stomach. His face was as red as a tomato.

"Are you hungry?"

Felix nodded slightly: "I haven't had breakfast yet."

Seeing that, I instantly approached the counter and bought two sandwiches. Then, I gave one to Felix. But Felix just waved his hand, it seemed like he didn't dare to accept it.

I sighed in frustration and looked at him with bloodthirsty eyes: "Take it."

Felix was startled and finally agreed to accept the sandwich that I was holding. After that, we sat down on a wooden bench near a fountain and enjoyed the delicious sandwich together.

While eating, we also talked to each other a bit, thanks to which I could understand Felix's situation better.

"My family is very poor, and I only live with my grandfather and grandmother."

"Where are your parents?"

"They are all dead, you must have heard about the disaster a few years ago when the Black Dragon attacked a town, right? My family was living in that town and I was the only one in my family who came out alive..." Felix's eyes looked like he was about to cry, but he tried to hold back the tears.

'Maybe that's why he lost his courage.'

"After that, I moved to live with my grandparents in this town. Since there was another mouth to feed, they had to spend less on other things. Even so, they never complained even once."

"I don't want to bother them anymore, and I also want to take revenge on the Black Dragon that took my parents' lives. Taking people I love away from me"

"To do that, I have to become stronger. But I'm just a coward, I don't have the resolution to do anything." Felix said bitterly.

'Become stronger…'

At that moment, an eye-catching poster fell to the ground near me. Both Felix and I moved our eyes towards where the poster landed.

[Announcement from Atlas Magic Academy: 100% Scholarships for 200 Students from All Over the World.]

[The Selection will be held on July 24, 2600.]

"Look, Felix! This is the chance for you to stop depending on your grandparents and become stronger! Let's go to the Atlas Academy together" I excitedly handed the poster to Felix.

Atlas Academy was a famous place all over the world because it always trained excellent people who would be having great contributions to society in the future. Basically, becoming a student of Atlas was like a ticket to change your life. Even if you were a homeless person, after graduating from Atlas, you could become a respected person with a high position in society.

Felix looked at the poster and shook his head in bitterness.

"I don't think I have a chance."

"What are you talking about, Felix? Be confident! Look, the exam is July 24th, we still have more than 2 months to improve ourselves!"

"But…" Felix was still a bit hesitant.

"Listen Felix, I will definitely train you to become stronger so you can pass the exam! Don't you trust your friend?"

"Friend?"

"Huh? We're not friends? Am I the only one who thinks we are?" I scratched my head in confusion.

Felix said shyly, "No, it's just that I've never had any friends before after the incident. But I would love to be your friend!"

I blushed slightly as I looked at Felix.

"Okay, then we'll start training tomorrow, shall we?" I said, trying to change the subject to dispel the awkward atmosphere.

"Yeah!" Felix smiled brightly in response.

We parted ways after choosing a meeting place for tomorrow. Felix returned to his house and I returned to the hospital.

***

I rushed into my room in the hospital. There, my father was still sitting next to my bed, reading a book. Only when he heard footsteps behind, he put down the book and turned to look at me.

"Did anything good happen to you while you are out, Lucian? You seem so happy?"

I hadn't realized that I was smiling all the way back to the hospital. Maybe I was cheerful because I had made my first friend after coming to this world?

"I made friends with someone my age just now!"

"Huh? You finally have a friend?" My father looked at me with a face of disbelief.

"Finally, after 7 years, you finally made a friend? I thought you had a problem and didn't want to play with anyone?" My father happily lifted me up.

Then, I handed him the poster that I saw on the street.

"Also, I will be participating in the Atlas Academy entrance exam!" I happily informed him.

I thought he would be surprised and happy, but after perceiving what I said, he slowly put me down and a complicated expression appeared on his face.