"The institution?"

With a smile on Axel's face, he calmly said

"An institution is where young people like you go to learn the basics of fighting, survival and to help you control your new power"

He looked around the empty room for a couple seconds, then scratched the back of his

"Well, it will also be a good place for you to make friends."

Even though Arlo and Sasha had quite easily become friends throughout their journey, Arlo wasn't that good at making friends.

The only reason he felt comfortable around her was because he knew she wasn't actually real and when the trial ended he wouldn't see her again, so it didn't matter how he acted in her presence.

Now that he had to become friends with real people, who were similar in age to him made him tremble a bit

"Don't worry Arlo, all of them will be around your age. I how you make atleast 1 friend"

Aro hopped aswell

"Get up Arlo, I'll tell you everything you need to know whilst we walk to the border"

With a sigh Arlo hurriedly got up.

Axel opened the door slowly, then walked outside. Arlo quickly followed behind, however before he left the room, he took a couple steps towards the window and threw a quick glance at the tea table

'Tsk, theirs nothing on it'

The message he had received during his time in the boundary was definitely the biggest mystery he knew. Unfortunately for him it looked like he wouldn't be finding the answer any time soon.

Arlo wore the same clothes as before, black trousers which were a bit ripped, a black jumper and a grey t-shirt underneath it.

The moment Arlo left his house, he was attacked by the cold wind blowing in the same direction as the border

"Arlo hurry up"

Axel was waving at Arlo to follow him

"Yes Sir Axel, I'm coming"

Arlo quickly walked towards him until they were side by side, the street they were walking on was empty, the only noise which could be heard was Axel talking to Arlo

"Okay, so let me tell you the basics Arlo"

A small grin appeared on his face

"The makutu has bestowed 11 trials on humanity. Each trial is harder than the one before, as of now humanity has conquered 6 out of the 11 trials, but that's only a very few people. Most people complete 3 trials and then stop because of the risk."

"After you become a Survivor, you will have passed the first trial, and be granted access to the Fallen world."

"In the Fallen world, there are things called the Makutu key. The Makutu key allows you to challenge the next trial, each key is different because it corresponds to different trials. A trial is basically a situation that the Makutu has created, your job is to find your purpose in the trial and complete whatever that purpose is"

Arlo nodded whilst listening to Axel, this new information was a lot to take in, but it was all very exciting to him

"Ahh..Sir Axel, how will I know which key allows me to challenge the next trial? What if I find a key to challenge the 4th trial whilst I'm only a survivor"

Axel glanced at him

"You don't have to worry about that Arlo"

"A key can only be seen by someone who's Soul is capable of challenging it. If you have the soul of a survivor then you won't be able to see and use the the key to challenge the 4th trial"

"In the Fallen world, there are two types of key, a single key and a binary key. The single key allows you to take on the next trial and are quite common to find"

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"A binary key on the other hand can make you jump two trials and are really hard to find"

Axel looked at Arlo to see if he was able to cope with the puzzling information

"I will give you an example, say you are a Survivor, which means you have passed the 1st trial. You would need to find two single keys, which I mean isn't that difficult and would have to go through two situations so that you can complete the 2nd and 3rd trial"

"If you manage to find a binary key, then you will only have to go through one situation to complete the 2nd and 3rd trial"

Arlo quietly nodded, he kind of understood what Axel meant

"Then why doesn't everyone use a binary key to quickly complete all the Makutu trials"

Axel spared him a look

"It's because the situation created by the binary key is extremely hard, it's easier to complete the trial one step at a time rather than just jumping 2 trials each time. Only a hand full of people have taken on the situation from the binary key and lived"

"Another reason is the trials also get much harder as you progress, a binary key which allows you to go from the 5th to the 7th trial is basically a death sentence"

"So then why do people attempt it?"

Arlo curiously said

"Because people are selfish, the tools you might get from the situation are really strong, it also helps them to get more powerful at a faster rate and most of all you obtain crucial information about the Fallen world"

All this new info made Arlo curious about what he would receive when he became a Survivor, it could be a new tool or something really incredible

"Sir Axel, when I become a Survivor what would I receive from the Makutu"

Axel continued to look forward, the street up ahead seemed to be more livelier, there were a couple people walking around talking to each another. The night was fading away, bits of sunlight was illuminating parts of the street

"When you become a Survivor Arlo, you will receive a weakness"

Hearing the words that had come out of Axel's mouth, shocked Arlo momentarily

'A weakness'

Axel glanced at him

"Everyone gets a weakness Arlo, so don't be too shocked. Also you won't just receive a weakness, you will also get a soul type and if you are extremely lucky you might receive a title"

Axel lifted his right hand up to his head, then started to comb his hair using his fingers. Now that the sun was rising Arlo was able to see Axel a bit more clearly.

'He's quite good looking'

Axel was probably the one of the most good looking man Arlo had ever seen. Most people living in the inner and outer border weren't that good looking, the biggest factor for it was the conditions they lived in, so it was quite rare to see attractive people walking about

"After you become a Survivor your natural abilities will also become more profound"

"Oh, I nearly forgot to mention but you don't receive a new power every time you beat a trial"

A perplexed expression appeared on Arlo's face

"It's a bit complicated so I'll try to simplify as best as I can"

"We humans gain a power when we complete the first trial, then onwards we receive a power on every other trial we beat"

"An odd number trial grants you a power and improves your soul, whilst an even number trial improves your body and its senses"

"There are 11 trials in total, 6 of those eleven have an odd number which means you will receive 6 powers. The other 5 are even numbers, those 5 even trials will strengthen your body even more than before"

Arlo had gotten quite scared at first, but after hearing Axel's simplified explanation behind it. Arlo was quite pleased with it

'Having 11 powers would be quite difficult to handle, six is more than enough'

Arlo nodded as they both continued to walk, the street was getting busier as more people started to appear. For most people the day was about to begin

The sun was shining bright in the sky, its warmth made Arlo relax a bit

"A common misconception which people have is the Makutu gives you a completely unique power each time, but that is not the case"

"If someone has a power related to fire, they won't receive a power related to water. All the powers you will receive in the future will be linked to each another"

Arlo wasn't displeased, he actually kind of like it. Having to control 6 unique powers would have been a pain

'It's not that bad'

All of the information he had received from Axel had made Arlo quite excited and a bit scared. This was just the beginning of a difficult journey

"Sir Axel, I have been wondering all this time. How many trials have you completed?"

Axel glanced at him for a brief moment

"You're quite cheeky Arlo"

A small grin appeared on his face

"As of now I've completed 5 trials"

His answer shocked Arlo

'Wow, he must be strong'

Arlo opened his mouth but nothing came out, he hesitated for a couple moments

"Why don't you challenge the 6th trial?"

Axel put his right hand into his pocket, then took out a device, he glared at it for a moment

"The 6th trial is dangerous and very difficult, however their are other reason aswell. But you don't have to worry about that right now Arlo"

"We will soon approach the officer guarding the border, and it's getting busy. So let's continue this conversation whilst we travel to the Institution"

"During the ride I will tell you about naming conventions, monster ranks and a bit about the institution you're heading to"

They then continued to walk through the busy street, neither of the two said a word.

Not too long after Axel and Arlo met with a officer, Arlo was standing far away from the officer and Axel, so he wasn't able to tell what they were taking about

After a while Axel started to wave at him, indicating that the coast was clear.

Arlo quickly managed to catch up to Axel, both of them were led to a small door ingrained into the border by the officer

"I wish you the best of luck"

Said the officer with a smile on his

"Thank you"

Arlo replied

Axel walked through the door first

Arlo glanced behind him, the inner border seemed the same as before, but felt so different

With a sigh, he walked through the door and into the City