In the bathroom, Luke is in the shower, rubbing his wet hair with some natural shampoo. Water flows to his head from the showerhead, turning, and flowing around his well-developed body. He isn't interested in wasting more time with Allan and his part was less than mandatory. Coming so late already is long enough for him, and this shower helps him regain his mind.

Though there is also something that can reignite his mind much more, and it is coming!

Before he knew it or heard it, the door opens, and this shower corner was dedicated just for this has another naked guest.

“Oh, I will be done in a bit. You may wait.” Luke mumbles with his closed eyes, noticing Mi-Yung's arrival.

“Who says so?” she replied, coming closer to him.

“Not me when you say it like that.” Luke sneers, as Mi-Yung enters this little corner that is more than enough for both of them.

She wriggles herself to Luke's embrace while feeling the water, and his hair with her hand. With a smile on her face, Luke couldn't help but embrace her too.

This woman, this beast of a Walker... She is fit to be the pride and love of his life, and maybe that is too much he could ask for. It could be more than he could handle at some times, but what can be done?

“Is your right hand alright?” She asks as she saw his embracing hand that touches her face.

Luke doesn't answer, and rather goes behind her back, and massages her shoulder, just because he could.

“William's little problem. Nothing else, nothing more. What about yours?”

“Nothing. I will caress your little wound, my poor soldier,” Mi-Yung whispers behind her back, and turns around amidst the floating water that makes her that more enchanting.

Droplets of water remain in her long hair and even her face, which drops water right to her Emblem and ample chest. It leaves a much-needed stimulus to Luke, who couldn't help himself any longer.

This time... This moment. It could be a fierce end of the day, which both of them endured in their own respective actions and expectations.

As some people have their own little times, others don't. In William's room, he is oblivious to any of that, since he doesn't even need to think or consider such things.

Right now, he has other needs to care for and think about. Like the powerful call of his System or something. It's striking his mind, and he couldn't think straight because of it. He took a forceful shower and wanted to get a quick meal, but couldn't.

It's an issue of something within his Emblem, or the System is striking him through some problems? It comes from his hand, so he couldn't help but complain.

“Shit... this thing. Why it's constantly restraining my right hand...” he complains as he watches the door to his room before his eyes.

Resting and leaning on the door, he grabs his right forearm with his left hand and tries to ease this feeling away. In all this time, he was unable to restrain anything, nor calm this situation down at all. He managed to take a bath, but that was it.

“Begone! Work goddamnit!” William yells, trying to eradicate this uncomfortable feeling away.

Nothing changed, so he utters it again as he knows by now, that intent and firm beliefs matter when one works with the Emblem or the System. One has to have a firm heart and mind to go along with it, and nothing can work otherwise. Muttering the word begone for a couple of minutes, William is unable to change anything. The swirling motion of the Emblem is long back to its peak by now, and nothing indicates the end of it.

Closing his eyes, he imagines the end of this, hoping the world would listen to his wishes, and proceed to end this terrifying day. An emotional rollercoaster of emotions that he couldn't understand or feel turned his mind weird. Words of something, a call of something filled with unwillingness and chaos, enabled the Emblem to shut down. It swirled calmly, restraining in a form to go back to the rough shape of the Emblem.

William doesn't know what happens, nor he cares too much about it. It wasn't his intention to do anything, but laid down and rest. Whatever it is, what happened at this moment leaves him exhausted. Laying on the ground, his chuckle of helplessness leads to a calm mind at last. It came at some point in time.

Looking at his hand after a while, he sees a calmness and no straining force around his arm. “I swear... What happened? This thing will be annoying me for a long time, won't it? I bet it will last a lifetime.” He mutters, trying to get to his feet.

He succeeds, even after a few failed attempts while doing so.

“I am spent. Time to shower, or I won't have a good sleep,” he tells, forgetting he already did so not long ago.

William is grasping the knob as support and looks at himself while realizing he is already naked. He doesn't know how to come, but at this point, he can't care about this. He only takes a moment to question his choices, but he still stumbles to the bathroom, where he collapses into the tub.

Uncaring about the wet bath, he turns the warm water all the way up once again. He lays there as the water fills his mind with other emotions and calm moments.

This is a rather comfortable position that he has done only a few times before. He is still used to caring about the waste of water. One has to be careful about the usage of the water since the camps were always restrictive about this sort of resource. There are not a lot of water sources that are clean after the apocalypse, and a time when a lot of nations butchered the world with nukes or whatnot.

Though, he doesn't need to care about such problems all that much. He is in the Federation, and the water sources are very abundant here for whatever reasons.

In truth, all the districts of the Federation have their own sewer system, and pipes from factories in the East district filter and share the households with drinking and clear water. This leads to a place that could be like the past, with luxuries that are long forgotten by some people.

William never thought he would be glad about the hot tub that he got right here.

Steam and warmth spread around his body, but he has to turn the water off otherwise it would overflow.

“Damn... This feels great,” he mumbles, half-submerged in the comfort of the hot water. “I wonder what would Dann think about this. He would be jealous, wouldn't he? I bet... and others too.” He mutters, and after a while, he rests his head on the other side of the tub, not having the strength to wash his body all that much.

He spends the hour in this position, while almost falling asleep. Though, he doesn't feel completely exhausted to fall asleep on the spot. He thinks about the day, and things Roman told him about.

The harvest that he has from his help is in his mind, but it all stems from his utter exhaustion, which makes him afraid of what is yet to come. It is his worry, that is twisting his experience and causing him to feel the encompassing knowledge of the Walkers he knows. He is only at the beginning, but he knows he can do this.

No.

He has to do it since he already started, and there is no coming back in time.

His simple and silent complaints are his way of coping with things. He has always done so in his life. Sometimes, when new things are starting in his life, he feels overwhelmed and strained in a focused moment.

Lifting his right hand up, he watches the Emblem within his forearm with ample excitement, but a meaningful apprehension. He uncovers the Mutant type today, but it tells nothing noteworthy.

All of a sudden, he remembers Mi-Yung words and assumes the thing Roman must have forgotten. His status screen could be different from the time when he started, way back in the Institution. Another thing was his unwillingness or lack of interest in experimenting. Be it today or yesterday.

And how right Mi-Yung was about this case of the unnoticed possibilities which even Roman forgot to mention. He had other things to worry about and think about William's other things. The factor of William's overall cluelessness was also a small variable, but it may change today or tomorrow.

“I am curious... No. No am not! I have already done so much. Let's be done with it, and talk about it to see what's up with this tomorrow. Right... That's better than doing so now.” William decides and lets go of his brief idea.

Instead of that, he submerges his head into the water and began his washing, which isn't necessary, but he can't care about it.

After the shower, the place for any worries in his mind has been washed away for the second time. William walks from the bathroom in a much better mood than he thought. He doesn't even glance at his watch that he left on the bed, before succumbing to the dreams after he falls into his bed.

This day is only the beginning of what is known as the beginner path for the Walkers of the Academy.

In fact, not only for the academy, since a Rank 1 is barely a start, and the majority of the Walkers know that.

Although, when one is completely fresh Walker, it is normal to take things slowly, rather than rushing things. Every Walker is unique to each other, while some could have many similarities.

For example, the average that is considered in the Federation is around 50 affinity. Another would be a Vector type of Emblem and nothing else. This could lead to quite an average Walker who couldn't be immensely strong or weak.

Someone like that is the one who William knows. He is about right to call average and that is Luke, who is in his early 40s and he reached Rank 5 not long ago.

His potential is finite since his Emblem has no major strangers, or talent that makes it different. He doesn't even know his affinity, since only the Accelerator could do so in the last 20 or so years. Still, it doesn't mean he is weak because of his average Vector type. Unlike the common sense of the short lifespan of the Walkers, he amassed a long experience in his time as a Walker. He even managed to make full use of his Arcalyst, which is great, considering the fact that doing so before rank 5 is quite rare. Luke spent almost 8 years in that Rank 4, since he is of the opinion that nothing should be rushed and being average isn't a bad thing.

In the many years that are more than half of his life in the military, Luke has seen plenty of geniuses and talents that met their demise. Be it outside in the mission, while he survived, or uncertain ego or underwhelming abilities that were way too low against certain Dark beings.

He figures it was the case of their work ethics, strength, or experience. He is already quite decent considering the average Walker, but he would never think of himself as someone talented. The years he spent understanding and improving his System, and Arcalyst isn't talent, but hard work. Nothing would change that, and he has no plans to stop in his path.

Other than himself, he viewed Mi-Yung in a kind of different light. She is by no means the same as him since her talent has been acknowledged by a lot of people in the Assembly, which led her to work there. It's different from Luke, while her own untold secrets led her to become Rank 6 while she is still 33 years old.

That, in itself, was impressive, while accomplishing the 7th before turning 40 is more than apparent.

At that point, she is already very strong, and a possible way to Rank 8 could also be possible, but that isn't on her radar yet. That will come after the 7th, which is still a long way away.

Rank 8. A significant rank that very few individuals reached at all. It is not questionable to reach it, as the means to do so aren't the most effortless, easy, and common things. She knows a few requirements that she learned about, but they are far from a goal for the time being.

The limits... or the lack of them for some people means different paths and possibilities for their ends. This journey of reaching the System's heights is all within the pathways that are the Emblem and the corresponding System that makes every Rank-Up individually based. That is also including Rank 8.

The night went on for some time, while everyone in this city has their own worries and things to care for. This is a place of humanity, and no amount of apocalyptic circumstances would change their lives. It had some downsides in the past, but humanity rose every time. If another disaster happens, maybe another Federation would come, repeating the stubbornness of living humanity.

In this way, unchanging things happen on a daily basis. It is the same with the sun, which shines beyond the horizon in the call of a new day.

It doesn't wake William as usual, but in about 2 and a half hours after it ascends to the sky.

“We see each other... My sworn enemy.” William rubs his eyes, welcoming this sun to some extent.

At least its warmth means a good life. He doesn't mind the mornings as much as in the past, since its comforting heat makes it different from Canada.

After all, he has so much to do at the moment. Dressing himself up to a brand new set of clothes, he also finds his watch that fell down to the floor at some point in time.

“I feel kind of refreshed, which is strange, considering the last day and what Roman did to me. I guess that is the cause of the bath that I haven't done in a couple of weeks!” William deducts, as he put on his shoes, and folds his sleeves to his elbows. This new set of clothes from Luke isn't that bad. Unlike the last ones, this one doesn't have bits of the right sleeve destroyed, so he hopes it doesn't change today.

“I wonder if I will have to train half-naked considering this... mess that is my claw and Annihilation.” He sights, as he looks at his right hand. Accompanying it is also a certain wonder that is even briefly recalled in his mind. His Emblem never disappeared upon becoming the proper Walker.

He doesn't know the reason for it to begin with, so he doesn't pay it much attention even now. Walking away from his room, his watch tells the average that he manages every morning. He is unaware of certain someone who is already waiting for him in the kitchen.

That's right. Roman is already here, waiting for the beginning of the 2nd day of this training.

He is long eating his fill in the presence of Mi-Yung while Luke already left for his work.

“Morning, boy.” he greets the silently arriving William behind his back. William doesn't know how he knew it was him, since he assumed his steps to be quiet and unnoticeable.

“Good morning, Mi-Yung, Roman.” he greets the pair without any pause and goes to have his breakfast.