Bloodline Evolution: I Can Choose Opposing Paths-Chapter 10: The Sea of Contestants

The Tournament grounds were louder than Aren remembered.

Not because his memory was faulty, but because this time, he was standing in the middle of it.

The venue pretty much contained a small city’s worth of people.

He couldn’t even imagine what the inside was like with all the spectators. Just managing to get inside was already a hassle.

The line just to get to the registration counter stretched at least 5 blocks down the street.

The crowd didn’t move all at once.

Guards tried to force some order, shouting instructions all across the street. People complained, argued, and pushed forward anyway.

Someone cursed when they lost their spot. A group was already forming, arguing over petty things.

Aren couldn’t care less.

As his dad used to say: "What is meant for you, will come to you,

nothing can prevent or delay it."

He rolled his shoulders slowly as he waited.

There was no resistance, no sudden pain or tightness in his limbs. His body felt light, even his terrible posture, spent from burning the midnight oil was fixed.

Aren paused.

He flexed his fingers, then opened and closed his hand, guiding a thin thread of ether through his ether channels.

It flowed smoothly around his body, flowing in straight, direct paths that got to where he needed it to go efficiently.

Though each stretch kept reminding him of what the doctor said. For the past week, nothing happened.

Aren sighed. Hopefully, it won’t at all, but knowing his luck...it was bound to come back and bite him somehow.

"Hey."

Lily leaned closer, eyes bright even if her shoulders were a bit stiff.

"This is exciting, right?" she said with a grin.

"I would’ve joined, you know, even without the whole thing with Clara."

She hesitated.

Then her voice dropped a tone.

"If you weren’t sure about your body," she added quietly, "I could always do Solos."

Aren exhaled slowly.

"It’s fine," he said. "We’ll do teams."

"That’s not what I meant," Lily said quickly. "I mean...if you’re only doing this because of me—"

"I’m not," Aren replied.

Lily turned away at once, cheeks puffing slightly.

"...Stupid Aren."

He heard it, immediately regretting his choice of words.

Aren raised both hands in surrender.

"But—" he added quickly, "it would be fun to knock Clara down a peg together, wouldn’t it?"

Lily paused.

Then she turned back, eyes lighting up.

"Yeah!" she said. "It would!"

Aren sighed quietly.

The first bomb in front of him had been defused. Now, his attention turned to the second bomb...literally.

He slipped his phone from his pocket and opened his messages.

The family group chat.

His eyes landed on the text he’d sent earlier.

"Father, Anna, I had a dream last night. If anything happens, please run immediately to the nearest bunker and stay there."

It was seen by both, yet no one had given a reply.

Aren stared at the screen for a long moment before locking it and sliding the phone away.

All he could hope for was that they’d chalk it up to his Dragon-type Bloodline acting up—

And that they would listen.

The sun climbed higher, heat pressing down on the lines that barely seemed to move every few minutes or so.

At last, the registration counters came into view.

Aren stepped forward with Lily.

"Next."

The clerk finally looked up.

Her voice was flat and tired from having to register at least a thousand contestants.

"Name."

"Aren," he replied.

"Bloodline type," she said, still not looking up.

"Dragon-type."

The clerk lifted her head slowly, eyes moving from the screen to Aren’s face, as if double-checking that he hadn’t misspoken.

"...Dragon?" she asked.

"Yes."

A flicker passed through her expression before she tried, and mostly failed, to shove the surprise back down.

"Partner?"

"Lily," Aren said.

The clerk’s gaze shifted.

Lily leaned forward slightly. "Fairy-type."

This time, the pause was longer.

The clerk stared at the screen.

Then at Lily.

"...A Dragon and a Fairy," she murmured under her breath.

She glanced sideways and leaned just enough to whisper something to the clerk beside her.

The other woman looked over.

Her eyebrows shot up.

"...Really?"

The first clerk nodded faintly, lips twitching.

"Alright," she said, straightening. "Team registration for—"

She frowned.

"...Two?"

The clerk stared at the screen for another second.

Then she sighed.

"Team battles require three members," she said, tone apologetic but unmoved. "You’re missing one."

Lily blinked. "Three?"

"Yes," the clerk replied, already clicking through a different window. "All team matches are conducted in trios. No exceptions."

Aren frowned slightly. "So what do we do?"

The clerk waved a hand toward the venue gates behind her.

"It’s fine," she said. "You can finalize your roster inside. Contestants without a full team are allowed to recruit in the waiting areas."

She paused, then added, "Just make sure your third member signs before the elimination round begins."

Lily exhaled. "That’s it?"

"That’s it."

Aren nodded. "Thank you."

They stepped away from the counter, merging back into the flow of contestants heading inward.

Just as they passed the awning, Aren caught a fragment of conversation behind him.

"...Did you see that?"

"Dragon-type," the clerk whispered. "And a Fairy."

A soft click of a keyboard followed.

"Put a side bet on their team," she added quietly. "I’m definitely treating you all to a meal today!"

Aren didn’t turn around.

He just smiled faintly as they walked toward the venue gates.

As they walked deeper inside the venue, the noise that Aren expected to settle down became even louder.

The waiting area had been set up inside a large sports center—what looked like a repurposed gymnasium. Rows of metal benches filled the entire space.

Contestants sat in loose groups, some stretching, some meditating with eyes closed. Others stood in clusters, talking quietly, exchanging information, or sizing one another up.

Along the walls, equipment lockers had been cleared out and turned into makeshift storage. Staff moved in and out, clipboards in hand, calling out instructions that few listened to.

Lily let out a quiet breath. "Wow."

Aren nodded slightly.

In this sea of mixed people, how were they supposed to find their third?

His gaze swept the room once, instinctively noticing strong contestants within the area.

Near the far wall, a figure sat cross-legged on the polished floor, back straight, eyes closed.

He was wearing a green tank top, accompanied by camo-trousers and nicely combed, slicked-back hair.

Ether circulated through the man’s body in steady, even cycles. Each breath matched the last with almost mechanical precision.

Owen Carter.

He’d seen him on a short news clip about a regional martial arts tournament where he had been the winner.

Aren sighed quietly.

Looks like it won’t be smooth sailing.

His gaze moved on.

At first, he almost missed her.

She sat near one of the benches, half-hidden by the flow of people moving in and out of the aisles. Weaker contestants passed right by her without a second glance, attention elsewhere.

As if she wasn’t there at all.

A hood covered most of her head, shadowing her face.

She was sitting cross-legged on one of the benches, chewing gum slowly and watching the crowd pass her by before blowing a bubble.

Pop!

Her ether felt strange, fading in and out like something slipping just out of reach.

Aren’s eyes lingered for half a second longer than necessary.

Her eyes met his.

For a brief moment, there was nothing there but curiosity.

Then her lips curved.

Just a little.

A small, mischievous grin, as if she’d caught him doing something he wasn’t supposed to.

Aren looked away.

So she noticed.

He didn’t need to look for the next one.

A small crowd had formed near the center of the gym, voices overlapping as people talked over one another.

"Brother Bennet—team up with us!"

"Our lineup is solid, we just need a carry!"

"We can split the prize however you want!"

At the center of it all stood a boy with bright red hair. He leaned back casually, one foot propped against a bench, a lazy grin on his face as he listened to the offers.

Flames danced between his fingers, a magic trick that got oohs and ahhs from the crowd.

Aren watched quietly.

The flames were undeniably strong for someone so annoying. His ether output was high, but the circulation was sloppy. The signs were obvious to anyone who knew what to look for.

Pills, Aren concluded. Lots of them.

The boy laughed loudly at something someone said, the fire in his hand flaring brighter for a split second before he dismissed it.

Yeah, no way.

"Aren."

Lily tugged lightly at his sleeve.

He turned.

She was pointing toward the far side of the gymnasium, her expression caught somewhere between surprise and disbelief.

"Look," she said. "Isn’t that...?"

Aren followed her gaze.

She stood apart from the clusters of contestants, posture straight, hands folded loosely in front of her. No one crowded her or tried to strike up a conversation.

They avoided her, simply too scared to even approach.

Cold ether lingered faintly around her, restrained yet unmistakable, like frost clinging to still air.

Aren’s eyes narrowed.

Even here, she stood out.

"...Luna?"