Chapter 294: The Whole Team is Here

The next day, City AF finally began to feel like the tournament was truly over.

It was all fun. It was full of people arriving, checking into hotels, unpacking their luggage, and trying to pretend they had not nearly died several times during the tournament.

The Grand Banquet was near, and so everyone who had been invited was arriving and preparing for it. No one wanted to be left out of it. Not even for a second.

For Valecrest Academy, that meant one very important thing. Everyone was finally together. The rest of the team arrived in City AF throughout the afternoon. By evening, the entire core team had settled into their accommodations.

Silas received a message from Neil.

[Neil: Top Ridge Restaurant. 8 PM. Everyone is going.]

Silas stared at the message.

’Everyone?’

Another message arrived.

[Peter: Don’t even think about escaping.]

Silas frowned.

"These people know me too well."

Chloe, sitting across from him, looked up from her phone.

"They’re coming for you."

"I’ve done nothing wrong."

"You exist."

"That’s discrimination."

A few minutes later, Silas, Chloe, Alpha, and Alicia left the hotel. The restaurant was located in one of City AF’s busiest entertainment districts.

It was an expensive place, but not excessively formal. Large glass windows covered the front of the building, allowing guests to see the city’s lights outside. Inside, warm lighting reflected across polished wooden tables while soft music played throughout the dining hall.

And at one of the larger tables near the back, the rest of Valecrest was already waiting.

Damien was the first to notice them.

"There they are!" The way he said it made everyone think he was happy to see them. If only they knew...

He raised a hand.

"Finally!"

Silas walked over with Chloe beside him. Alpha and Alicia followed behind. The moment everyone saw the two of them, several expressions changed.

Neil immediately grinned, Emma covered her mouth, Rihanna raised an eyebrow, and Godfrey just smiled. Damien looked between Alpha and Alicia, then he looked at Silas, and back at Alpha.

"So..."

Alpha narrowed his eyes.

"No."

"I haven’t said anything."

"I know what you’re about to say."

Damien grinned.

"You two are actually together."

Alicia calmly pulled out the chair beside Alpha and answered in an unbothered tone. "Yes."

Alpha sat beside her, repeating what she’d just said. "Yes."

That somehow made the silence even louder. Silas slowly sat down, acting as though he had no idea what was happening. One would think he was so innocent, not knowing he was the one who had manipulated things behind the scenes.

A smile spread across his face.

"Oh."

Alpha pointed at him.

"Don’t."

"I didn’t say anything."

"Your face did."

Alicia laughed softly and reached over and took Alpha’s hand beneath the table. This time, neither of them tried to hide it.

Emma’s eyes widened. "So it’s official?"

Alicia nodded.

"We decided there was no reason to hide it anymore."

Alpha shrugged and said in a matter-of-fact tone.

"We’re together. That’s it."

Rihanna leaned forward, her expression curious.

"How long?"

The two stared at each other.

"Long enough."

"That’s not an answer."

"It’s the answer you’re getting."

Christian slapped the table, exploding in laughter.

"I KNEW IT!"

Everyone jumped.

"You knew nothing!" Neil shouted.

"I knew something was happening!"

"You’ve been saying that for weeks!"

"And I was right!"

Godfrey calmly picked up his drink.

"Technically, he was."

Christian pointed at him triumphantly.

"Thank you!"

Silas leaned back.

"Honestly, I’m just happy Alpha finally stopped pretending."

Alpha looked at him.

"I wasn’t pretending."

"You literally denied it every time someone mentioned Alicia."

"Because you kept announcing it to everyone."

"Same thing."

Alicia shook her head.

"You two are impossible."

"That’s why they’re friends."

The waiter arrived shortly afterward, and the entire table became occupied with menus. For the first time in a long while, nobody was discussing battle strategies. They were simply eating, laughing, teasing each other, and enjoying themselves. Well, most of them.

Emma told them about something ridiculous that happened during their trip to City AF. Rihanna complained about how expensive everything in the capital was. Godfrey quietly listened to everyone while occasionally dropping a comment that somehow made the entire table laugh.

Neil spent ten minutes arguing with Damien about who had contributed more during the tournament.

"I carried Stage One."

"You got thrown through a wall."

"Strategic repositioning."

"You screamed."

"I was communicating."

"You screamed ’MOMMY’!"

The entire table erupted, while Damien’s face turned red.

"That was taken out of context!"

Silas nearly choked on his drink. Chloe was laughing so hard she had to put her fork down. Even Alpha was smiling, with Alicia leaning against his shoulder.

Alpha looked down at her.

"You comfortable?"

"Very."

Alpha smiled and gently rested his head against hers. That immediately caught Silas’s attention. He slowly leaned toward Chloe.

"Look at them."

"I see them."

"They’re disgustingly adorable."

Chloe smiled.

"You sound jealous."

"Of Alpha?"

"Of the relationship."

Silas stared at her and grinned.

"Maybe."

Chloe’s cheeks gained a faint color, and she quickly looked back at her food. Silas noticed, but he said nothing.

The evening continued. The tournament had changed them. That much was obvious. Before the tournament, they had been students from the same academy.

But now?

They had survived something together. They had watched people fall; they had fought monsters; they had nearly died, and somehow, after everything, they were still here together.

Silas looked around the table, seeing Chloe laughing, Alpha and Alicia sitting close, Damien arguing with Neil, Emma trying to keep Rihanna from stealing food from her plate, and Godfrey quietly enjoying the chaos.

Silas smiled.

’Not bad.’

For once, the world wasn’t ending. For once, there was nothing to fight. Just friends, food, and laughter. And tomorrow? The National Victory Banquet.

Silas took another bite.

’Hopefully tomorrow stays peaceful.’

His system remained completely silent, which, knowing it was probably a bad sign.

"I just jinxed myself..." Silas muttered, but everyone heard him.

"You always do. I’m not surprised," Alpha commented, his face not hiding how happy he felt saying that.

"Fuck you!"

"I have a girlfriend now. No, thank you."

"This..."

"I also have the video."

"What video?!" Chloe asked, causing Silas’s expression to change as he realized why he couldn’t find Alpha when he was dealing with Kelvina.

"Just kill me already."

The table exploded.