Faron woke up the following morning with a headache. He felt a bit dizzy as well as his alarm went off on the nightstand next to him at 5:00 AM. He reached over and realized something rather strange. His arm didn't hurt. He figured it was the painkillers that Ash brought him. So Faron turned off his Alarm and went to the bathroom down the hall. taking off his new clothes and folding them nicely in the corner. Faron removed his bandage and realized that his wound was gone. All he felt now was extreme hunger. Faron looked closely and realized that he could barely see the scar anymore of the cut that was a few inches deep last nights. He poked and prodded it and still, there was no pain, Faron looked at The painkillers he brought with him and realized they were just some generic brand of pain relief. There was no indication of this in his skills. Nor did the Azure Flame King mention anything either about healing abilities.

Faron took his shower and grabbed his phone. Thinking about texting Ash, but thinking better of it to not disturb her anymore after all the help she gave him last night. Faron got up and grabbed some fruit in the kitchen and started to eat it. What was normally an average breakfast was turning into some kind of binge eating. It was as if his body was screaming out for food. He couldn't get enough. Faron went to the pie that was left over from last night and after eating about 2 whole pies worth of assorted pieces he finally felt a little full. Unsure of what to do he wrote a small note for Mrs. Mable and set off down the street. There was a breakfast crepe stand near the old mill a couple of blocks down. Faron went down and quickly brought out some cash to buy a crepe, Then another, after 12 crepes and almost $30 Faron finally felt full. He took a deep breath and resolved to find out what was going on. He grabbed his bag thanked the old man that worked the Food stand that was giving him strange looks and set off to the side of the street. There was a car waiting for him. David was standing outside smoking a cigarette like always. his short cropped black hair was still a bit damp from his morning shower.

"How long does it take to eat a crepe, Faron? The hell been waiting here for 10 minutes and I thought I was running behind." David said with a jokingly accusatorial tone.

Faron apologized and got in the car. His thought was a mess over the last couple of days. From the tutorial, Talking to a living flame in his head, meeting with an ascendant, taking classes in martial arts, having a strict diet, and meeting new people. It was an overload for Faron. So much had happened in such a short amount of time.

"Sorry, Mr. David. I was really hungry today, I guess the workout I started has already made me want to eat more. So I got more than one. I still feel light though so I doubt it will affect my training. But look at you, With all those cigarettes it's a surprise you still do daily training." Faron ribbed back with David. The banter was fun. David seemed like a laid-back man who just wanted to live his life peacefully.

"Shit kid, my life has been rough. Plus I've been getting little sleep with that hellspawn My wife and I gave birth to. She screams at all hours of the night. I just need a little bit of external help relaxing. The company has strict policies on drug use. Otherwise, I wouldn't be smoking a cigarette. Also, I'm not a big fan of drinking, especially being that I am now a professional driver. Also with some of my meridians damaged it's hard for me to meditate." David grumbled complaining for the next 20 minutes about any and everything. Faron could tell he was not serious the man just needed to vent. Faron asked if he would like to join him for his morning run that was assigned. David, unfortunately, had to abstain as he had to be ready to drive all day if any call came in, especially if it was an emergency. Faron learned that every driver that worked at Headquarters was certified to do basic health care and had some supplies in their trunks to get people to the hospital in time. Faron did some quick math for the pickup, waiting, and driving to HQ. deciding to give David $50 and got out of the car. ready to start his day.

Faron got to the locker room and put on the most raggedy clothes that he could find to work out in. He borrowed one of the freezer cubby units that was near the kitchen and put the Ice Cream he purchased for Ash inside for later and went outside. Faron walked to the west end of the field and saw that there were already about 20 people on the track running. Old, Young, Small, and Large. Cardio was heavily emphasized for training here. There were not many pure "Strongmen" or people that neglected cardio from what he heard from Jessie yesterday. Running was a fundamental skill in the protocol. To an area or away from some threat. Everyone recognized the importance. as well as the Stamina that would be built up from running. Faron started to run at a medium speed. Getting winded about a mile in. He was much more tired than he was in the training room he wasn't sure why. He knew he could push through. However, the results spoke for themselves. There was something strange in the room. He also thought it was partially mental since he wasn't being watched and there was no fear of death lurking right in front of him. He spent the next 2 hours running the track with the others. more people filed in at around the 8:00 AM mark.

Falling backward onto the soft grass away from the track to not obstruct traffic. Faron grabbed his water bottle and gulped it all down. Pulling out his new phone he looked at the steps tracker and realized he had run a little over 10 miles. Half the distance with four times the time. It was strange what your body would do when threatened with death. Faron just lay in the grass for about 10 minutes before standing up on weary legs. Making his way to the nearby men's showers. He quickly disrobed with the other men and jumped into the showers. For communal showers, this place didn't hold back the budget. compared to his school, These showers were almost crystal clean. He could see his reflection on the walls. Dispensers for Soap and shampoo were on the wall and Faron used them both liberally. The few talkers in the shower were discussing the big storm coming tonight and wishing the rainy season would end. Faron finished up and felt refreshed. after drying himself off and changing his clothes. Faron was finally ready to start training. He saw that the beginner's class already had a couple of people in it. The giant of a man he saw yesterday. Jessie and Ash.

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"Looking good kid. Saw you on the track today. A little slow but I'm proud of the perseverance. Most people skip the day after the treadmill test. They also skip the day after when realizing something was off. So did you figure it out?"

Faron finally felt validated that he was right. There was something to this room. Faron looked around the room but couldn't figure it out. Maybe it was some magic or technology from the protocol that was aiding them. seeing his confused look, Jessie laughed and went on to calmly explain to him that the room was sealed off and the oxygen content in there was much higher than outside. As well as the gravity being manipulated to be ever so slightly less. about .8 that of the earth's surface to help prevent any falling injuries. She recounted how in the early years. Even with all the precautions and gear. accidents still happened. Even with the lessened gravity. There have been a couple of accidents. But no fatal accidents in over 3 years.

"Hey, Trent. Come over here and do some light sparring with the kid. I know you like to warm up in the morning. I know he's not an ideal training partner for you, but think of it as paying it forward when your betters sparred with you." Jessie called over the big man and proceeded to introduce him to Faron. The man stood at over 6ft tall and looked to weigh almost 300 pounds of solid, with a wild mane of hair and a beard that made him look like a legendary Viking of old. With the pleasantries out of the way, the two started to spar. Every so often Trent would give Faron some pointers about where to put his arms and feet. He repeatedly smacked Faron in the head. Like a firecracker going off. He wasn't babysitting Faron. He was putting him through the wringer. He was helping him train. He was already being polite.

When there were only 10 minutes before class ended Faron managed to dodge one of the smacks and got congratulations from Trent before he smacked him in the side.

"Stay focused Faron. You have a long way to go. I will say, however. I'm impressed that you didn't give up. Most people don't like being taught through negative reinforcement. But it's how I was trained, My brothers and Father as well. You managed to dodge one too. Good job. Let's rest this last bit before class begins."

Faron gave him a beaming smile and went to rest. He was right, Trent was hardcore. But he was a nice man. He was polite and instructed him to 20min. showing him the basics. Sure it stung to be slapped, but Faron had every reason to believe that this hulking man could probably knock him out in a single hit had he intended to. Feeling as if he made a friend. He just relaxed for the next 10 minutes. a few people were watching the training and some would shout some encouragement from the sides for Faron. This was nice.

Three hours passed and Faron felt exhausted. Running, Sparring, Training. The rookies couldn't hold back nearly as well as Trent could. he missed those explosive smacks. Better than accidentally getting kicked in the side. Though he too had his fair share of caused injuries. Everyone went off to shower and eat. Until Faron went to go find Ash who was talking with her mother.

"Hello, Ms. Jessie and Ash." Faron pulled a tub from behind his back. An extra large serving of Chocolate chip mint ice cream.

"As thanks for helping me last night, I went and got this for you. Please enjoy yourself" Faron handed over the ice cream and received a strange look from Jessie.

"Kid. did she tell you to get her ice cream?" She was scowling at her daughter. The girl always had a sweet tooth and one that she was helping her control.

"No mam. She and Ascendant Marzan helped me out yesterday. Im sure you already know the details. I wanted to take her out for a meal, but she said that she was busy today. So I decided to get her a gift. I won't take no for an answer. I must repay the kindness of your family and this is so small in comparison to what I have gotten"

despite both of them being 18 years old they were still weary of Jessie. She was a complete badass. Finally, with a sigh, she relented. Ash took the ice cream and sauntered off to the canteen and grabbed a warm spoon. She plopped herself down and just started to eat away at the tub.

While Ash was away Faron asked if he could speak with Jessie privately. He explained his situation earlier and she seemed at a complete loss. She figured out almost immediately that the rapid healing must have caused the need for more calories. But the fact that this skill didn't show up in his tests meant that it was something else. She thought about it for a moment then gave up. This wasn't her job, She told him about some very dense caloric foods. Special drinks and bars could get him through if he ever felt like eating a dozen crepes again. Also perhaps carrying a bag of nuts, a block of cheese, or butter. Or maybe a bottle of olive oil. for emergency use. Faron thought about it and opted for the latter knowing that it would be the easiest to move around and wouldn't need to be replaced all the time.

However, Jessie wanted to go test Farons healing capabilities. She took him to the training room and took a small knife. Cutting about 3 inches down his arm. They both watched in anticipation but nothing happened. Faron went over everything that happened, but they just couldn't figure out how it happened. She was starting to believe Faron was never stabbed until Ash confirmed it with astonishment and started poking his arm where he said he was wounded. They bandaged the cut and Jessie gave him a small notepad to write down anything he noticed before she went home. It was a long tiring day. When Faron finally returned.

When he got to his bed Faron opened his window to smell the air before the rain fell. When he pulled up his testing from earlier that Jessie had him do in case he had awoken a new ability.

"Status"

Strength

1.5

Fortitude

2 (+1)

Mana

4

Speed

2.5

Intelligence

2

Soul Sworn Items

Hardened Grell Armor (Fortitude +1).

Skills

(Novice, Anima Magic 26.5%), (Rookie- Elemental Magic 2.5%),

(Dormant, Bloodline 2.01%), (Novice, Spear proficiency 88%).

"Growth through adversity" Body Cleansing (1/10)

Total

12: Grade E-

In only a day and a half, he had already reached The Rookie Rank from Novice and was finally at a place that normal people started at with their physicality. However Faron still felt he was a cup half full, He could use quite a bit more to feel "normal"