"Owen? What are you doing here?"

Xiao walks toward Owen, who's lying on the grassy floor at the training ground.

"Oh, it's you, Xiao."

Owen got startled by someone calling him, but when he noticed Xiao was the one that called him, he expressed ease and lay back on the floor.

Xiao sits beside him. He then gazes at the night sky, full of bright stars that he can never find in his old world.

No matter how many times Xiao looks at the sky, he can never get tired of this starry sky. It brings him peace and comfort, and he can forget all his worries and troubles.

"What's wrong? Can't sleep?"

Xiao asked Owen casually again.

"A lot has been going through my mind."

Owen replied without giving a thought as if his mind was wandering elsewhere.

(Oh, it must be tomorrow's mission. Well, we never received any order or assignment, like ever, so everyone must be feeling nervous, but I never knew even this sword freak would also feel anxious.)

"And here I thought you never cared about anything other than your sword training. Never knew you would get cold feet about the mission," Xiao chuckles a bit as he sarcastically teases Owen.

Owen didn't reply. He closes his eyes and feels the cold breeze blowing onto them.

Xiao didn't mind the silent feedback, as this is how Owen usually reacts with sarcasm or jokes.

Xiao was, however, surprised by Owen staying up late at night. He usually turns straight right up to bed after his night time sword training.

"Hey."

Finally, after a while, Owen suddenly calls out.

"Yeah?" Xiao replied, curious about what he was going to say.

"I have meant to ask you this question for so long already, but I just can't find the right timing to do it," said Owen as he got up from laying on the floor.

"Alright, I'm all ears. What's up?" Xiao gets up as well and prepares himself for what Owen is going to say.

Owen went silent for a moment as he was finding the right words to say.

"Why do you befriend the likes of me?" Owen opened his mouth and asked.

Xiao was taken back by Owen's question. He looks at Owen with shock.

"Well...I'm not sure how to answer that," confused, Xiao rubbed his head as he was still thinking how to respond.

Owen turns his head toward Xiao. His usual stoic expression was gone. He was anxious as he proceeded to explain.

"You know what they called me, right? The failure of the Laurin Family. Knowing this, you still talk to me and even train with me, so I want to understand, why? Why did you approach me in this friendly manner?"

Owen closes his mouth as soon as he mentions his infamous title. Owen carefully examines Xiao's expression to see what Xiao has to say about it.

"So...you're saying that because you're called the failure of your family, I can't be your friend?" Xiao asked, genuinely bewildered by it.

"Well...Yes," Owen replied without having a doubt.

Owen waits for Xiao to reply as he falls to silence.

"Hahahaha!"

Xiao bursts out laughing without warning, so much as he holds his stomach and tears drop from his eyes.

"Wha...what so funny?" Owen, taken back by Xiao's reaction as he looks at him curiously.

"What the hell?! And here I thought your brain is all about swords, training and more swords, who would have thought you would be this sentimental...oh, god, my stomach." Xiao explained as he tried to hold back his laughter.

As Xiao continues laughing out loud, Owen slowly feels embarrassed by his question.

"Seriously, man, how do you expect me to answer that?" After a good laugh, Xiao settles down and asks him back.

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"What do you mean?" Owen asked.

"Well, we can understand each other, and you seem to be a good guy, isn't that enough reason for me to be your friend?" Xiao answered it naturally.

"What...?" And Xiao's answer took Owen by surprise, he never thought Xiao's response would be so pure and straightforward. There's no social class involved, no discrimination and no judging. Xiao wants to his friend because

"You know, I could say the same to you, you should know why I ended up here, right? And the others treat me like some piece of shit, why do you still talk to me then?" Xiao asked while Owen was still looking surprised by his response just now.

Upon hearing Xiao's question, Owen looks at Xiao intensely and starts to think hard.

"Umm...No, I don't," Owen answered honestly after thinking for a while.

"Huh?! Hero of darkness? The weakest hero? The spawn of the Demon God?" Do any of these ring a bell to you?" Shocked that Owen doesn't know anything about him, Xiao spoke out a few of his infamous titles."

"Hmm...I think I remember hearing the others call you by that name before, but I'm not sure what's that, I thought they were spouting random nonsense like they always do." Owen replied with his usual no-nonsense stoic expression.

"HAHAHAHAHA!"

Once again, Owen's response has Xiao laughing in amusement.

Xiao knew Owen dedicated his life to his sword training, so much that he would ignore everything beside it. Still, his dedication surprises Xiao that he even ignores things that are happening around him.

"Man, you are funny! How the hell can you be so serious with your sword training? I remember you saying that you want to be the best swordsman in the empire, right? Is that your life goal or something?"

Xiao, while still laughing, asked Owen in a half-serious and half-joking tone.

"Yes, becoming the best swordsman in the empire is my life goal," Owen replied seriously, with determination.

Seeing how determined Owen was when he replied, Xiao, stop laughing and look at Owen with respect. Because he has been beside Owen ever since he joined this platoon. The intense training Owen imposes upon himself has proven enough to Xiao that his life goal is even essential to his life.

"Hah, guess you must have a good reason for it then, seeing how much effort you have poured in every day."

Owen was reminiscing about an event from his past as his expression softened. He then smiles as he answers.

"Yes, I did."

"Well, I won't pry much into the details, but I'm sure you will achieve your goal one day, I wouldn't dare to say you can be the strongest, but at least be one of the strongest."

Xiao stopped himself from prying too much and changed the topic.

"But still, sometimes it makes me wonder, can I achieve my dream, my life goal? Someone like me is..."

Owen spoke out his doubt. His voice slowly turns weak as he starts remembering something as he speaks.

"What? Doubting your effort now?" Xiao replied.

Owen was surprised by Xiao's response. He thought Xiao would mention the social class or talent, just like how the others respond. Never would have thought that the word effort came out from Xiao's mouth.

"Then you should use that time to train more instead of wasting it by doubting yourself." Xiao continued while Owen still looked surprised.

"I once knew a guy who was terrible at something and he wished to be the best at it. He then trains and trains every day. I was there, watching him the entire time, to the others, it was as the demon-possessed him, but to me, he was moving towards his goal, slowly but surely."

"Did he make it to his goal?" Owen asked curiously, wishing to know the ending of that person's effort.

"Oh yeah, he sure did, he became the best of all. That means that his hard work was not in vain; it became his strength." Xiao responds proudly.

(That's right, hard work will surely pay off, Kang proved it to me already.)

Xiao remembers Kang used to be terrible at soccer. He can't even do a simple dribble while Xiao already manages to pull off a few cool dribble tricks, and they are only one year old apart.

Later on, Kang became a pro in soccer, and he was also appointed to be the captain of the school soccer team, which leads it to the national league standard. All of these was made possible with his pure hard work.

(So, why the hell am I, the stupidest and laziest one, still alive? Kang is the one who should survive, not me.)

"I see, thank you, no one ever says something like this to me before." Owen's voice unintentionally pulls Xiao's mind back from his guilt-ridden to reality.

Xiao put aside his feelings and gave Owen a thumbs up.

"So yeah, although your training is a bit reckless, as long as you put your hard and soul into it, one day, your effort will surely repay you in full."

Owen looks at Xiao with immense respect, because no one ever says such things to him throughout his life. He can feel himself burning with new-found confidence with Xiao believing in him and his daily effort, and it feels like he can breathe more comfortably than before as if something got lifted from his heart.

"Mind to tell me yours then, your life goal or dream?" Owen asked.

"Dream, huh."

Xiao was stuck with the question. He never knew he couldn't answer this simple question.

Dream, a word that has long gone from Xiao's mind ever since his family's tragedy happened. Now, Xiao was all about surviving and wishing for a better tomorrow. He didn't even have a place where he could call home, let alone a dream.

Xiao closes his eyes and tries to think of a life goal he wishes to achieve in this world, but nothing comes to mind, except for him to be stronger and powerful than the current him, that is for sure.

"All I can say now is that there are too many things happening at once to me. But let's just put my dream into being a better and stronger person as days go by."

"A simple yet honest dream, I like that." Owen, satisfied with Xiao's answer, replies genuinely.

"But for now, let's save this boys talk for another time, go back to sleep, you wouldn't want to feel tired on our big day, right?"

Xiao stood up, brushed off the grass stick on his butt and was ready to leave. But, not before landing a hand to Owen to pull him up from the ground.

Owen looks at the person who offers him a hand and even calls him a friend, which never once occurred to him in his life before. He usual stoic expression slightly turns into a bright smile as he grabs Xiao hand and response:

"Right!"