"Kai, you're going to be late," Emdos says.

I yawn while I get up and stretch. "What time is it?"

"7:44 AM."

"What?!" I yell at the top of my lungs, instantly becoming alert.

There's no way I'm gonna be late for my first day! I’ll still make it if I sprint. I get up, put on my backpack, and then run to the front door.

From the kitchen, Emdos says, "Kai, before you leave, you should eat some breakfast."

"Ah, I'm not hungry. Besides, I'm gonna be late!" I’m already turning the door handle and start sprinting forward. A loud thump resounds as my head hits the door. Ow!

The impact launches me to the floor. I rub my head. What the heck?

Turns out, the door never opened. Did I forget how to turn a doorknob because I was in a rush? I get up and try turning the door handle again, but it doesn’t budge. It takes a few seconds to really process that I can’t leave. I kick the door as hard as I can. Damn you, door!

A hot puff of air escapes my nose as I turn around. I say, “Hey Emdo—“

Emdos is standing right in front of me. I rear back with his sudden appearance. His expression seems grim at first, but then it melts into an easygoing grin.

"I'm not letting you leave until you eat the breakfast I made you… It's your favorite," Emdos says with a smile and then giggles.

"This isn’t funny! I'm gonna be late as it is!"

"This isn't a joke. Would you rather not go at all?" He asks while looking at me with narrowed eyes and a frown.

I know that expression all too well. I immediately concede, "Okay, okay… I just have to eat it, right?"

I reluctantly run to the kitchen. It’s definitely soup if he made my favorite. I’ll gulp it down in seconds, and I’ll be out of here in no time.

In the kitchen, I find a bowl ready for me on the table. My jaw drops as my breakfast comes into full view. This… No… He didn’t.

I stir the soup with a spoon, scooping up random pieces. This isn’t my favorite food at all. I ask, “Emdos, what is this?”

Emdos laughs and says, "It's soup, of course… but I changed a few ingredients."

"A few?! What’d you put in this?!"

"Hmm…let's see… I used milk, lemons, Harpy meat, carrots, broc—"

"Stop!" I exclaim. The contents of my stomach are already turning sour as I imagine each individual ingredient. Some of my stomach acids already made it into my mouth.

Emdos is punishing me, after all. This soup is made with ingredients I despise. I’d better get this over with. I sit down at the table.

It’ll be better if I get rid of the liquid first. I grab the ends of the bowl with both hands and then tilt my head back, gulping down the soup. I do it in one breath to avoid tasting anything while using my teeth as a filter for the solid pieces. Despite not tasting anything, my insides want to reject everything back out.

Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

With the last of the soup gone, I take a deep breath. I immediately taste hell. I slam the bowl onto the table and hunch forward. A rush of hot, sour air travels up from my stomach. I think of all the foods I like. Bread, steak, hamburger, fried rice, soup—

Another rush of sour air burns through my throat. I press my palms against my mouth, using sheer willpower to keep everything contained. Emdos continues to laugh, enjoying my misfortune.

Five minutes have passed. I can’t afford to waste any more time. I take a deep breath before picking up the spoon and tackling the solid pieces. Unlike the milky broth, I have to thoroughly chew the pieces before I can swallow them.

I start with the hardest ingredient; Harpy meat. This type of meat is really chewy, and it forces me to taste it while I grind my teeth against it. I close my eyes, thinking about making friends as I chew each piece of meat. I already prepared my stomach with a large amount of liquid, so I don't feel any added discomfort of swallowing the Harpy meat.

Eventually, the torture comes to an end. I look at the time again; it is 8:00 AM. That meant that the Academy is starting right now. I wipe my mouth before running to the front door again. I turn the door handle and push, and it actually opens this time. I turn around, smile, and then wave at Emdos. "Well then, Emdos, I'm leaving! See ya later!"

"Yeah…" Emdos smiles and says nothing else.

I run out the door and go north on the main street. I turn my head back while running, and Emdos is still smiling at the entrance of our home. I can’t explain why, but it feels like he is a bit distant. It worries me, but the excitement of making friends is too much to not think about.

The Academy is on the opposite side of the city, so it’ll take me some time to get there. That’s one downside from living at the edge of Drymo. Sometimes I wish it wasn’t so massive. It’ll probably take me thirty minutes at this pace.

Up ahead is the marketplace, crowded with people despite still being quite early in the day. I know that it opens for twelve hours starting at 6:00 AM, but I have only been here with Emdos in the afternoon to pick out ingredients for dinnertime. I squeeze through the hordes of people, not caring for invading their personal space. Despite all the tasty fruits, vegetables, fish, and meat on sale around me, I don’t want to eat any of them.

My stomach rumbles a bit, feeling like something is stirring inside. I stop running. Oh, no. Something terrible is going to happen. An awful feeling radiates throughout my entire body that stems from my stomach. I know this feeling from eating too many of Emdos’s weird experiments. Even my mouth is watering from the discomfort.

I’m late as it is, but this will give me further drawbacks. I can’t hold it back anymore. I hunch over, feeling the sudden rush of air out of my throat. A burst of a white, yellow liquid spews out and hits the ground, creating a splattering sound.

A couple of people give me weird looks, but no one seems to really care. The taste of the puke in my mouth combined with remnants of that soup is awful. I spit out the remaining nasty bits out of my mouth, but I can’t clear it all—time to move on.

I manage to reach a less crowded area out of the marketplace and continue running at my full speed. Five people in armor carry some type of meat past me. I stop running and stare at them. Cool! They must be Adventurers! One day, I'll be one too!

I take a deep breath, wipe off the sweat on my forehead with my shirt, turn back towards my path, and continue running. Eventually, I come to an intersection where going straight would lead me to the Royal District, and turning left would lead me to the Trade District. I choose the latter path and run still having plenty of energy left.

I recall a memory with Emdos at the restaurant called 'The Green Boar' on my right side. It was the first time we ate out, and I experienced all kinds of foods I never had before. None of which I want to eat right at this moment…

Just a little more, and I’ll reach the Trade District. I didn’t believe it at first when Emdos told me that the Residential District took up nearly 35% of the city, but it’s enormous.

A weapon shop is up ahead. There are many different weapons on display. Wow!

There are so many different shops I’ve never seen before! I wish Emdos took me here so I could’ve explored a bit more.

I’m confused if I’m going the right way at this point, but it doesn’t matter as long as I’m moving in the general direction.

Unsure of how long it has been, my legs start to feel heavier. I shift my weight on every new step I take. My chest and throat burn from not being able to get enough air into my lungs. Sweat drips down my face with every step I take, and a few drops, unfortunately, make their way into my eyes. It burns a little, but it feels better after rubbing them with my finger. My heart is practically beating out of my chest, but that doesn't stop me from moving my legs.

Ahead of me, there's an enormous building which stands on top of a hill; it is the Academy. A smile emerges while I'm still running towards the building.

I’ve still got a long way to go, but I’m almost there. I don’t know how long it’s been, but I haven’t stopped running since I started, so not that much time should’ve passed. Just a little more!

Eventually, the path that leads directly to The Academy is in front of me. It's a curved path that is slanted upward, so it would be more challenging to traverse. I get on the road, and with every step I take, my legs feel like they weigh twice as much. Maybe even three times as heavy compared to normal.

Obviously, I stop running, as each step forward feels more demanding than the last. At some point, I slump over and collapse while frantically gasping for air. Just a little more…

I pick myself up and limp my way to the top. It feels like an eternity, but I persevere forward. I will make it!

I grit my teeth as my vision blurs. With every muscle in my body aching and fatigued, I find myself swerving left and right, unable to walk normally. It’s getting increasingly tougher to keep my balance. So…close…

The two people equipped with armor and weapons stand outside the entrance. They turn their heads to each other. I squint my eyes and discern their lips move, but I'm unable to hear anything. They continue talking while glancing at me.

"Hey, you! Who are you?" one of them asks.

As I continue to lumber my way to the entrance, the two figures run towards me.

"Are you a new student?" one man asks.

I slouch forward and grab both of my knees with my hands, shifting my weight into them.

"My…name…is…Kai…" I take a couple deep breaths between every word I say.

Something drops to the ground, driving me to move my head slightly up. One of them takes a book out of a rucksack. He flips through the pages. All I’m trying to do is breathe as it feels like I’m getting weaker with every passing moment.

"Hmm… Oh, there you… Kai,” the man says with some of his words fading out. “It looks like…properly registered to start this year. You know…over an hour ago, right? They probably finished…tests by now... I will take you…first years are…explain…the instructor."

Oh, no. I’m losing it. I barely hear any of the words coming from his mouth at this point. They both walk toward the Academy, so I attempt to follow them. I’m eventually able to take several steps forward when suddenly, all my strength leaves me, and I fall.

"Hey…Alright?" The words fade completely as my vision goes black.