章 56: Not Too Much Change

"If you want girls, trust me, dancing like a retired mummy is not where to start from."

Aldrich's interruption cut through Trevor's so-called dance moment, and he couldn't be happier that he did.

What Trevor was doing was nothing short of committing high treason to all the respectable dancers out there.

That is if one were to even loosely associate it with dancing.

"Aldrich, my man! I was beginning to worry you wouldn't show up!"

*Believe me, I almost didn't."

Trevor's breath was thick with the stench of alcohol, and his movements were wobbly at best.

He was drunk, excruciatingly so, and that explained the half-baked steps he was calling dance moves.

Aldrich, however, suspected that even without the alcohol, Trevor would still be this bad at dancing.

He had no real visual comparison of Trevor's dance moves outside of this drunken stupor, but the assumption stood.

Trevor was just that bad.

"Come on now, let's go over there."

Aldrich half-carried Trevor, supporting his slow, shaky steps as they made their way to one of the empty tables in the loud, crowded club room.

"I can't believe it, Aldrich, you brought your familiar egg with you."

Trevor slurred, leaning heavily on Aldrich as they walked.

"I should be the one asking why none of the newly admitted have their familiar eggs with them."

Aldrich couldn't fathom how some students could willingly leave their familiar eggs unattended, especially after Stella the examinee instructor had thoroughly explained that the incubation stage required the egg to be close to its owner for a higher synchronization when it hatches.

It was beyond him how they chose to willingly neglect that part of her lecture.

Finally, they reached the table.

Aldrich unceremoniously dumped Trevor's body into one of the seats before sitting down himself, relieved to be rid of the burden of supporting his drunken friend.

"Sigh... This is exactly why I couldn't stomach the thought of staying in my dorm, even though I would have preferred that more."

Trevor was in no state to deal with whatever came next.

If Aldrich had left him fully in his drunken stupor, he wouldn't have been able to forgive himself for it.

"Hm... Where's Dante and Fiona?"

Aldrich glanced around, searching for the two most important characters of the day, or at least the ones who would be the centre of attention.

The trial today was set to showcase Dante's unfathomable strength as he effortlessly navigated the hurdles prepared by the second-year students.

It would also give the second-years a taste of Dante's abilities, setting the stage for comparisons between him, the prodigy of the Pendragon clan, and Dwayne Aldaman, the youngest LORD candidate, and possibly one of the strongest students in Eldora Institute, if not the strongest outside of the Bravehearts.

"Hm… Trevor, can you stay here alone? I have to go look for someone."

Aldrich needed to find Saldrich.

They hadn't spoken since what had happened between them.

He knew for an undeniable truth that Saldrich had been avoiding him, and it was clear why.

She felt guilty for lashing out at him, especially after realizing that he hadn't had a choice in the events that transpired.

Yet, she had unfairly placed all the blame on him, and that wasn't something he could easily shake off.

"Sure, buddy, you go on to wherever you want to. What do you think I am? A kid who needs a babysitter?"

"In your current state? Yes, yes you are. No, actually, you're worse than a kid. At least a smart kid would know not to take candy from a stranger. But you? You're a disaster waiting to explode."

Trevor was an absolute mess, one of those people who never acknowledged their low tolerance for alcohol until they ended up face-first in the gutter.

"Mess or not, there's something I need to take care of. Stay right here, okay? I'll be right back."

Aldrich left Trevor slouched at the table and walked off.

He planned to keep an eye on Trevor during the trial, not to babysit him.

When it came to the trial, Aldrich's role was simple: stick with Trevor while Dante does what he knows best.

"Hm… I do worry, though. Neither Fiona nor Dante is anywhere to be seen."

Dante's absence was a cause for concern.

After all, he was supposed to be the star of the show today.

His absence would have an unpredictable impact on the storyline, which was precisely what Aldrich didn't want right now.

No, his worry wasn't about following the original plot.

He knew that ship had already sailed a long time ago.

With his knowledge of the future and the changes he'd caused, the story was no longer set in stone.

It was more of a flowing river now, full of variables and possibilities.

Aldrich had come to terms with that, accepting that he couldn't control every change, and he was willing to let things be.

But Dante's absence was different if it happened.

It would be a major disruption, one he wasn't ready to face.

Change is good, and possibly okay since it met he would have to be dealing with unpredictability.

While it doesn't exactly sound all that wonderful, at least he wouldn't get bored of having to relive the day like it originally was in the novel.

But a change where the focal star of the show decides to be absent? That would be no change.

It would be an outright recipe for an unwanted catastrophe.

"There I go again, overthinking things," Aldrich muttered to himself. "There's no way Dante will be absent."

He had to convince himself of this, just to gain a moment of relief.

Without Dante Pendragon's presence, Dwayne Aldaman's introduction into the story would be a disaster.

If Dante wasn't here to set the stage, Aldrich couldn't begin to predict the consequences.

Dwayne was one of the central characters, the youngest LORD candidate, and his role was vital.

His introduction was supposed to go smoothly, appearing after the trial and Dante has gained the second years recognition.

Without Dante doing that, the recognition wouldn't come and thus, the comparison would not happen. And Dwayne?... He would have no reason to be introduced.

Aldrich liked to remind himself that this was all speculations on his part and not things that will for real happen.