Lord of the Ring

A strange feeling welled up inside Aaron a force so overwhelming that, for a moment, his mind went completely blank. It wasn't fear. It wasn't excitement. It was something deeper, something he couldn't yet name.

He stood at a crossroads, torn between two paths.

And then, a memory surfaced.

Just a few days earlier, Aaron had gone to the annual festival with his parents. He remembered the warmth of the lights, the buzz of people, and the way his father had quietly pulled him aside, saying something simple but profound:

"No matter what, always stay true to yourself."

At the time, Aaron hadn't thought much of it. But later that night, something unsettled him.

A film was playing at the festival an old tradition where families gathered under the stars. The movie was called My Ordinary Life. Yet, as Aaron sat there watching, one thought kept lingering.

This story… this is nothing ordinary.

The protagonist wasn't so different from Aaron. The way he thought. The way he hesitated at the wrong moments. The way he questioned everything. But there was one key difference between them.

Ego.

Aaron hadn't understood it at first. But then came that scene a quiet conversation, the protagonist speaking to his own reflection.

And one line had burned itself into Aaron's mind ever since:

"You are not born with ego. Situations forge it. There comes a point where you must make a choice: to be forgotten or to carve your own path. The feeling rising in you it can break you, or it can build you. Harness it. Control it. Become more than just a shadow in someone else's story."

Back to the Present

The air hung heavy with disappointment.

Aaron's team stood among their classmates, exhausted and dejected. Their heads were bowed, their hope nearly extinguished. They had searched everywhere, and yet, the ring was nowhere to be found. Across from them, Nathaniel's team stood relaxed, smug. Their victory seemed certain. All they needed was for time to run out.

Elara and Sophia exchanged a look, their faces tight with regret.

And then, they noticed something strange.

Aaron wasn't moving.

He stood completely still, his expression unreadable. His teammates assumed he was lost in thought… but then his hand rose, slow and deliberate.

At first, no one reacted. Then a ripple of whispers spread through the crowd like wildfire.

One hand, reaching high above a sea of slumped shoulders.

Far in the distance, Selene and Lucian watched from the sidelines. Selene's eyes widened.

"I don't believe it…" she muttered, almost to herself. "Even if we gave him the ring, I thought he'd rather disappear than step forward."

Zephyr, arms folded, frowned deeply, his sharp eyes locked on Aaron. "What's he playing at? "His voice was quiet, but tense.

Selene said nothing for a moment. Then a smile crept onto her lips not of amusement, but of intrigue." He's changing.

" She glanced sideways at Zephyr." And we might've just found a new player on the board."

Coach Wilder's voice boomed across the field, cutting through the murmurs. "Oh? Looks like we've got someone who might've found the ring."

All eyes snapped to Aaron. His heart hammered against his ribs, his breath shaky but his voice came out steady, calm.

"Yes. I have found the ring."

For a heartbeat, there was silence. Then, chaos.

"WHAT?!"Elara's voice cracked as she and Sophia whipped toward him.

Nathaniel's face twisted in disbelief. Clara muttered, "How the hell did he find it ? "Nathaniel's fists clenched, his nails digging into his palms.

No… no, this can't be happening. I'm going to lose. To him? A nobody from Class B?

Coach Wilder beckoned him. "Step forward, boy."

Aaron walked toward the coach not like a hesitant student, not like someone lucky enough to stumble upon victory.

He walked like a king.

The entire field held its breath. The air around him had shifted unseen, yet undeniable. Confidence radiated off him. Not arrogance. Something sharper. Something more dangerous.

Ego.

Aaron stopped in front of Coach Wilder and reached into his pocket. From within, he drew the ring. A simple golden band, still streaked with dirt but gleaming in the sunlight.

Coach Wilder's eyes gleamed as he took it, examining it briefly before giving a curt nod."This is it. My ring."

He turned back toward the students."Congratulations, boy. What's your name?"

Aaron didn't flinch."Aaron Vale."

The coach's smirk was approving, almost predatory."Well, Aaron Vale, I hereby declare you and your team the winners of this challenge. You've earned all eighteen points."

Gasps, murmurs, even outright disbelief erupted across the field.It was as if reality itself had tilted.

Nathaniel's team stood frozen. Their win, slipping through their fingers like sand.

Aaron's teammates stared at him, mouths slightly agape. Elara and Sophia lagged behind as the teams were dismissed from the field.

When Aaron finally turned to them, they were already waiting.

Aftermath

Elara's expression burned with frustration."What was that, Aaron?! Why didn't you tell us you found the ring?!"

Sophia's arms were crossed, eyes wide."We spent the whole challenge tearing the place apart, and you said nothing!"

Aaron looked at them, his pulse still racing. But his thoughts—those were calm.I am not the same person I was this morning.

He exhaled slowly."I wasn't sure myself."

Elara frowned."Not sure? About what?"

Aaron glanced down at his hands, flexing his fingers as if feeling the weight of the ring even now."I wasn't sure if I wanted to submit the ring during the challenge."

Sophia blinked."You're kidding, right? We were hanging by a thread, and you were what debating yourself?"

Aaron nodded slowly."Yeah. I was. But when Coach called out, my body just moved."

Elara stared at him, searching his face for something."Where did you find it?"

He hesitated."By the backyard steps. Buried in the mud. I caught a glimpse of something shiny."

Sophia scowled."We searched there already."

Aaron met her gaze but didn't offer anything more.

They didn't press him further.But something had changed. In him. In how they looked at him.

Even they could feel it.

By nightfall, the entire school had heard the story.

The boy who was invisible the one who blended into the background had stepped into the spotlight.

And just like that, the whispers began.

Lord of the Ring.

Later That Night

As Aaron rode home with his father, the car was quiet. His mind wasn't. Thoughts swirled in him like a storm.What have I done?

And yet, deeper inside, there was a voice stronger than doubt.

You did what you were meant to do.

His father glanced at him briefly, as if sensing the weight of what had happened. And then he smiled, just slightly.

As if he already knew.

This was just the beginning.

This was the start of Aaron Vale's unbound, unimaginable school life.