The Secret Society... was not what Lola had imagined it to be. In her mind, she pictured a cult living in secrecy—seances, lit candles in the dark, ancient chanting, hooded robes. Just the casual things her imagination fed her.
Obviously, the only ominous thing about the Secret Society was its name—at least on the surface.
Because the island where Atlas was staying, and where the twins had been raised, was a beautiful island surrounded by smaller islands, clear blue water, and trees.
It was paradise.
There were a lot of people too, especially in the main town. It was more like a small nation with Atlas as the mayor. They were all part of the Order, under the Zorken Family. It was fascinating in its own way.
Unlike the city, time moved slower here, and the way of life was more relaxing.
Relaxing... except for Lola.
"Hey!" she shouted, panting and trying to catch her breath. She stopped running, hands on her hips, glaring at the group she was jogging with.
Izu, who was running with them, glanced back. The corners of his mouth hooked up slightly before he turned to the rest.
"Let’s take a short break for now," he said, earning nods from everyone.
Their steps slowed until they stopped completely. Although all of them were panting, exhaustion was nowhere near their faces. Izu walked back to Lola, watching her drag herself to the side of the road before collapsing.
"Madam, are you alright?" he asked, only to be met with her death stare.
"Do I look alright to you?" she shot back through clenched teeth. At this point, she felt like crying.
Before Izu could reply, he snapped his gaze toward the direction they came from. There, he saw Haji dragging himself toward them. Just like Lola, he looked out of breath and on the brink of collapse.
It had been a full month since Lola and Haji arrived on the island.
But the moment they set foot there, Lola had been unbelievably motivated. So she didn’t bother settling in. Instead, she immediately focused on getting back in shape. She was already in shape, but she didn’t want to be Atlas’s weakest link, so she’d been pushing herself to her limits.
As for Haji, his ego had been bruised when he sparred with Izu and got defeated so easily.
Hence, here they were, joining the training. Their plan for today was to run a full marathon in the morning. They were almost there too, since they began around midnight.
Haji finally reached them and collapsed beside Lola. Izu simply stared at the two and smiled.
"Madam, the young master and young miss said they’d be waiting for you at the finish line," he informed them. "They even prepared medals, even though it’s just a casual long run."
Both Haji and Lola peeked at him with dead expressions.
"Izu, let me tell you one thing." Despite his body being sore everywhere, Haji sat up. He pointed weakly at Izu, his face a mix of sourness and bitterness. "Growing up, my pops always told me a passing grade is enough. I never repeated a year because we couldn’t afford it, and that’s why I was called the dumb one in class."
He paused, thinking about his room. "But ever since I stepped foot in here—or even before that—I’ve collected so many medals that our class president, who was the valedictorian, would be ashamed of his achievements."
"Now, what makes you think another medal will make me happy?" he scoffed. "If your parents didn’t teach you how to comfort others, then don’t try. It’s insulting."

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