It had always been that way, even when they both suffered from the same condition. The second and third child of their mother, who was second in a line herself.

Their older brother had it all, a talent for sympathy, allure, and even strength, so they managed to take him right away. Park was blessed with the same unbelievable talent, and an allure strong enough to make him stand out. She had been barely touched by their allure, and strength was almost all she had left.

Childs like her were the very reason the Park Family had always avoided having more than two kids, and preferably, one.

It was the same reason for which most of the Ancient Families remained tight and knit. As their strength was intrinsically related to their members, avoiding having weaklings was one of their untold rules.

She had been then, unwanted even before she was born, and used as a tool throughout her whole life.

To see Park, coming out of the fire laughing, as she ran into it herself, make her remember who she had been all the time.

— Sorry I held you back there, now you'll have to wait the whole line —

Said Specter watching the girl quiet, looking at the line of students waiting to jump inside the fire.

— Don't mind it... you needed help —

She thought, a little bit regret.

Then Specter's eyes were stoled by the curvy silhouette of a woman, pale skin, black hair, thick lips, big eerie eyes. It was Blackwood.

— Excuse me, Agent, may I have to warn you about the dangers of flirting with a student? —

She was teasing him very clearly, he didn't mind it at all.

— Excuse me, ma'am? —

Thou tired and confused, Specter was barely able to recognize her as one of the teachers standing next to Ardeen back in Wanderlicht.

— Kiki, could I have a word with the Agent, alone? —

Said Blackwood looking at her aside.

— Shiba —

Kiki whispered to herself

—Sure —

She answered mindlessly, stepping quickly out of there.

The witch looked at her as she left.

— I think you have a fire to jump in —

Without turning her back, the girl mixed herself in the crowd.

A couple of minutes after, noticing the doubt on some of that year's freshmen in front of the line, she had taken a resolution to skip the line and just get herself in. When she was about to jump, a hand took her by the shoulder.

— Hey, thought it may be you —

It took her a second to recognize him, and when she turned back, her eyes went immediately to the scar on his neck. It was Oliver, standing whole again on the ground and dressed in the academy's uniform.

Surprised by the fact, she almost fell backward. He stepped forward, and using the hand already on her shoulder, helped her recover her balance.

— You —

She said with a blank expression. Oliver smiled.

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— Oliver, hope you haven't forgotten it, you kind of.... —

He paused, realizing what he was going to say, but he did it anyway.

— ...made me lose my head a few weeks ago —

Then both a little bit ashamed, stepped aside looking down.

— How? —

She asked the first

— Me? I've been well, I guess, my house took the worst part —

Then she refused with her head, looking forward, strengthening herself.

— I mean how are you here? —

Oliver's eyes pop out

— Oh, well... —

Then he looked back at Park, sitting next to the fire, chatting cheerfully with a group, America between them.

— That was Park's idea —

— Oh —

Kiki seemed lost for a second.

— And... how had you been? —

— Fine —

She looked at him and thought for a second.

— I... heal fast, don't worry —

Then she realized, they hadn't seen each other after the fight against Schram, and even since then, she hadn't known anything about him. Only a conversation with Park about how he had ended the fight withstood between her and the feeling of remorse, a thin certainty that everything had worked well for Oliver and that he was far better without them.

— Why did you come? —

Then she asked, and Oliver couldn't avoid feeling himself attacked.

— I'm... sorry? —

— After what you went through... —

— Ah, you mean that —

Oliver thought for a second

— I think I may have a like for it —

Kiki raised an eyebrow

— I'm being serious! —

He insisted

— You're a little bit crazy too, isn't? —

Oliver's hand went through the back of his head, diving into his thick blond hair.

— Well maybe, but it's just better than spending the rest of my life working a regular job I guess —

Kiki shook her head

— You may end up having to do both if you think that way —

Oliver's eyes opened like plates

— Are you serious? —

Kiki looked at him and laughed, he was glad that she did, so he laughed too.

— I'm glad you're ok, that night seemed like... —

— I know, it's the scariest thing I've gone through —

And for a moment, Oliver felt he was starting to understand her. Then she asked, looking straight at his neck.

— Does it hurt? —

— This thing? nah, it's... —

And with a shaky hand, she touched his neck. Oliver springs out of the surprise.

— It looks too... alive, like a fire burnt —

— Y-you think so? —

He asked, looking straight into her eyes. There, she realized, as the Hex on Oliver's sheat started to shine even stronger.

— I'm sorry! I completely forgot to... —

She said, going back a couple of steps.

— That was? —

— Sometimes it just... it comes by itself —

It was Allure, Oliver realized, as they talked, it flew out of her, enticing him without knowing as the flower's feromones did with bees.

— I... don't mind it —

And for a moment he was able to understand, that allure was just another part of her, something almost as natural as breathing, something that probably other allure users shared.

There, in the middle of their silence, America bumped into the couple

— Everything ok guys? —

She asked with an eye raised, there Oliver turned his face to her, all red from the shame.

— Y-Yes, we were just... —

— Just? —

— Talking, right? —

But when he turned himself back again, Kiki had left.

— It seems to me like you've been planted, tiger —

— Don't —

He replied, raising a hand in front of his face.

— Fuck —

America couldn't avoid but to laugh for her insides.

— Come one, you have a fire to jump in —

— "Don't mind it" —

Said Oliver while walking away

— So freaking clever, you captain obvious —

— Come on! —

Pushed America.

— "I don't care" —

He kept saying for himself.

The next thing he knew, he was the next to jump in the fire, a quick gaze into the crowd, a reflex of the natural fear of jumping into the fire, made him feel like everybody was watching him. He saw Park, America, and even Ardeen walking around. As he breathe heavily, he could even feel Kiki's eyes looking at him somewhere there.

— Come on, just do it —

He encouraged himself, jumping in his place, he counted three, two, one, and he jumped inside the fire. When he landed again, he was in another completely different room.

A figure stood in front of him, dressed in a black suit and showing a sleepless face, it was Specter himself, carrying a pen and a table in his hands.

— Participant number eleven, Oliver Strange, has arrived —

The tournament had begun, he thought for himself.