" Well you guys seemed to have healed and grown accustomed to life here a bit." Rowan said addressing the crew.
" It's all thanks to you. Thank you for letting us stay here." Raya said sincerely.
"On that note, you do know that you will have to leave here soon, right?" Rowan said, his expression hardening. They knew this day would come, but they didn't think it would be so soon.
The weight of his words lingered.
" That's why I have decided to teach you how to survive with your own abilities."— Rowan continued— "if you're ready?"
An opportunity.
"I think we're all ready to learn, Rowan." Koby said looking at Kai, James and Raya, who nodded their approval.
"Then we start first thing in the morning." Rowan said before turning and leaving the group.
There was a brief silence. One that was so deafening.
" Didn't think that we would have to train for our lives so soon." James said quietly, breaking the silence.
" Well I think it's for the best."—Koby replied —"We have to be prepared for whatever this hell brings."
"Hell is the right word." Axle chirped in.
"How did you even end up with Rowan?"— Koby asked, curiosity peaking— "You're not related from what I can see."
"Yeah, we are more like master and student. How we met is a story I do not want to go to right now." Axle answered his countenance changing a bit from his usual jolly self. Seems like the topic was an emotional one for him.
"Well, we're all going to survive this world and go home for sure."— James said forcing a grin— "We'll face anything that comes our way just like the white room and the mansion." He was trying to cheer up everyone.
"Ugh, that's so cringe and gushy." Kai said, laughing.
"I liked it though." Raya admitted with a smile.
"See? Someone gets it."— James said lightly throwing a burnt stick at Kai, before turning to face Koby— "so... what about you?"
"Huh?" Koby blinked, realizing that he had been lost in thought for a while, so he didn't get what they had said at the moment.
"You like gushy speeches right?" James said shifting towards Koby as he placed his arm around him.
Koby didn't answer right away. He watched the fire crackling softly.
"And cringe. Don't forget the cringe." Kai added with a smirk.
"Did it come from Raya?" Koby asked quietly.
He was met with a nod from Kai.
"I do not give cringe speeches." Raya said pouting and smiled soon after.
"Just gushy for you." Kai teased, glancing at her.
"It's more of a James thing." Axle chimed in.
"What do you mean by a James thing?" James questioned.
"You're prone to cringe stuff." Axle laughed.
"You and Kai were made for each other." Raya quipped.
Axle and Kai looked at each other for a second and shook their head in unison.
"Nah." they echoed in their usual sarcastic tone as everyone shared a laugh.
"How do you think the training is going to be?" James whispered to Koby as if reading what was going through his mind.
"I figured Axle would tell us." Koby voiced out, glancing at Axle— who in turn raised an eyebrow in confusion.
"How hard do you think the training is going to be?" James pressed.
"Oh... You guys want a preview into what the training would look like" Axle said with a grin.
"I mean, you and Rowan have the master and student bond."— Koby said— "so I'm guessing you could clue us in."
"Well, I learn from him so that I can be a frontier defender. So depending on what you want to become, I don't know what kind of training you would require."
"What's a frontier defender?" Kai asked.
"Well, as dangerous as Nyxoria goes, each realm has frontier defenders that help keep dungeons in check and protect from attacks by other realms." Axle explained.
"Dungeons, as in monsters spawning and all that?" Raya asked.
"Yes, the frontiers help clear dungeons affecting certain areas to create a safe place for the people. They also help with criminals and the likes. As players, you are all obligated to be frontiers,though some choose not to." Axle rambled on.
"What do you mean obligated?" Koby asked.
"Well, you normally have like an awakening scenario which all new players must participate in."
"And if we don't enter the awakening scenario?"
"You die." Axle explained opening his fingers in a casual gesture, as if demonstrating something simple.
Something explosive.
An awkward silence fell on everyone at the mention of death. It felt like there was so many ways to die in this world. And they were just figuring it out. They were beginning to understand that truth.
"No need to be afraid yet. If you survive Rowan's hellish training then you have a shot at surviving this world." Axle comforted in the best way he could think of.
"Hellish training is not a comforting word, Axle." Kai said dryly.
"Yes it is. It's better than dying and in Nyxoria any other word is better than dying."— Axle said putting his hand on his chin in thought —"on second thoughts, dying may be the easiest thing in Nyxoria."
A clap of hands from James cut Axle short.
"Okay... I think that's enough. We cannot spoil our morale before we even know what's going on." James said.
"I think we already did." Kai muttered with a crooked grin.
"Yes, yes. Enough with the pessimism, Kai." James narrowed his eyes in playful warning to Kai, who raised up his hands slightly to show his compliance and then James continued—"like Rowan said, let's see what our training tomorrow brings and that ends it for now."
Everyone nodded in agreement and then Raya stood up and left the group to retire to bed.