I don’t know how long I sat there, listlessly staring at the goblin corpse. Minutes…? hours…? days…? I wasn’t sure. All I was sure of, was that when I finally came back to reality, the sun had just started to begin peeking over the horizon, its rays lighting up the world brightly. I watched the morning dew glisten, and couldn’t help but let out a long sigh. How… gorgeous. As I looked down at my blood covered hands, I considered the corpse near me closely. I think… I had come to terms with what I had done. As odd as that sounded. It was what anyone would have done really, minus the wild laughing as I choked the life out of the goblin. More than that though, I didn’t… couldn’t… regret anything. These two goblins had definitely not been up to anything good, I could tell that just by how quickly they had jumped on the opportunity to attack me. Not only that… I was happy that I could protect my classmates. Even if I had to take this step. I turned and looked at the corpse again. I had no other choice but to accept that I was a killer now. But… in this world, I don’t think that was a problem. Frankly, this would be something that I would always have to live with, even if we were all able to find a way back home one day. But… for now, while I was stuck in this different world, I was going to have to accept this new reality of mine, whether I like it or not.

I let out a loud sigh again, and I stood up, stretching out my legs. Oh what a depressing thought. Even if I was able to find a way back home. Was that really all I wanted? A way back home? My classmates had all gotten called… summoned, apparently, to this new world by a literal goddess. In contrast to that, I had been left behind, rejected by that very same system. Why had I felt so disappointed back then? It was because I had wanted to go with them. To a new world. With new opportunities. When I had been running, and noticed that my world was shimmering again, I hadn’t felt fear. I had felt… excited. Excited at the thought of being summoned. Excited at the thought of not actually being inferior or bland. I had been excited to come here with my classmates.

When I had opened my eyes to this new world, I had been happy… for once. No more boring reality. No more boring schoolwork, races, and family dinners with everyone on their phone. I had really felt the opportunities for a moment, and they had all been so glorious. At least, they had been until I had put my hand on the crystal ball. The look Cylkia had given me… That look of disgust and complete disinterest. It was infuriating, painful, and downright humiliating. I was sent back to just being an average guy. An average guy surrounded by classmates who very much weren’t average. What did that make me in comparison? They had all these amazing abilities and skills, and had obviously been smiled down on by the goddess when they had brought them here. That alone was enough to make anyone bitter… except… I wasn’t though. Deep down, I still felt that same excitement filling my entire body. I could still see so many opportunities in front of me. I could actually see a path forward. Most importantly though… I felt like if I really tried here, I would actually receive a reward as thanks for it. I was level 3 now, which if I was being honest, I wasn’t sure exactly what that meant. Still, I could definitely feel the effects even now as I sat on this tree trunk. I was noticeably stronger, and whenever I picked up the sword, it was incredibly easy for me. In comparison, when I had tried to lift it before, it had felt heavy, as if I was lifting a barbell over and over.

I eyed a nearby tree and swung at it experimentally. My sword flashed through the air and impacted into the trunk with a loud thunk. I winced as I felt the vibrations from the strike recoil up my arm, but I could tell that something had changed. In comparison to the training earlier today, I actually noticed a dent in the tree's bark… for once. I chuckled, and closed my eyes, really searching for that void again. I hadn’t been able to call upon it during my fight with the goblin, and that was a mistake I just couldn’t repeat again. After a long moment of searching, I found what I was looking for and pulled hard, activating sword slash the same way I had activated sprint. My arms and muscles lit up with energy and unused potential, and with every bit of strength I had, I swung my blade. It flashed through the air and after a moment, it crashed into the tree, slicing through about a foot of it before it finally came to a stop. A smile spread across my face and I let out an ecstatic laugh.

Last night was a good first step, but even with all the elation I felt right now, I knew I was too weak. If it weren’t for the level up I’d gotten after killing the goblin, I would have probably bled out on the forest floor, concussed by that damn club strike. I needed to get stronger. But first, I needed to wash off at least some of this blood, I looked like a spear of asparagus. I hesitated for a brief second, but reached into the void, pulling on the area that had activated Sprint last time. My vision narrowed and I strided out, catching the ground under my feet, and propelling myself forward as fast as I could. I charged through the forest on an approximate path of where I remembered the river had been. I wasn’t sure if there were any other monsters around, but I was sure that I would be able to easily outrun them at this pace. I knew that this wouldn’t last for long if I was being honest, but it was still such an amazing feeling as I kicked off of trees and spun around trees, running faster than I had ever sprinted before.

I heard the river before I saw it, and I thankfully dropped out of Sprint, gasping for air, and leaning against a tree. Thankfully, it had been way easier racing through the forest in daylight in comparison to the middle of the night. I hadn’t seen any monsters or other goblins, which was a major plus, but I still checked out the forest that was surrounding the clearing before I made my way to the river. I sighed and looked down at myself again, wincing as I saw how I was covered in green and red like some psychotic christmastime elf. I wasn’t exactly sure how I was going to be able to explain the bloodstains when I went back, and frankly, I was really not looking forward to all of the nicknames everyone was probably going to make up for me. God, and I had thought the cross country kids were ruthless when they had realized I had a reading addiction. I sighed and made my way to the edge of the river, pursing my lips as I remembered how cold it had been. Hopefully it would be worth going in there again, and I could still wash off most of the blood before I made my way back to the others.

I stripped off my tattered shirt and shorts, and walked over to the larger and smoother rocks near where the river fell down, cascading down a little waterfall. I took my clothes and dunked them in the cold water, getting them wet before I started to scrub them off, pushing them against and in between the rocks and gravel near the edge of the waterfall. It was more effective than I was expecting, and I let out a sigh of relief as I watched as the blood seeped off of my clothes, getting washed away by the river's currents. I guess goblin blood was water soluble? Or maybe it was the river itself? What had Xi called it again, a rejuve river? Short for rejuvenation river I bet… Hmmm… I’d have to remember this for later.

After I decided that I had scrubbed off most of the blood, I shook and wrung my clothes off as best as I could. Thankfully, my practice shirt was already green, so the extra green stained into it didn’t stand out too much. My shorts however… oof. They had originally been a light gray, but now, they were a dark greenish brown. I guess my blood and the goblins blood had mixed on my shorts, creating the interesting tie die I had now. Ugh, I hope no one noticed the color change.

I nodded and eyed the forest again. I was sick of these goddamn trees. I couldn’t wait to be back on flat plains again, where I had all the time in the world to react if someone, or something, showed up nearby. I couldn't even hear if something was creeping up on me, because all of the wet leaves muffled every single noise! Even if it had helped me to get a jump on the goblins, it had almost cost me my life all the same!

I started off into the forest again, carefully checking around every tree, and pausing at every noise I heard. I didn’t know if there were more goblins, and the more I thought about it, the more sure I was that they must have been scouts or sentries. I wouldn't have stood a chance against them if they'd had a skill. Hell, just using the sprint skill against the first goblin had been the only reason I’d managed to kill it. I sighed and thought back to the fight again as I made my way forward. Thinking back on it, even after how it almost ended, I didn't regret waking up the second goblin, before I fought it. It might be absolutely stupid of me, but I just couldn’t bear the idea of killing a defenseless creature. I did wish that I had figured out how to use sword slash before going into the fight though… Sure I'd found out how to activate it, but using it on the fly and for the first time was obviously not gonna work. I had this feeling that a solid hit by that skill might have ended the fight then and there.

I grunted and ducked under a low hanging branch. Well, the past was in the past. Right now, I really needed to get back to that barrier and the safety that Xi and the others offered. I'd be safe there, and I figured that if this was a test like I’d assumed already, I'd proven myself by killing two goblins. What did worry me and was a much more important and pressing issue, was that I needed to let Xi and the others know about the Goblins. If they were scouts, that must mean there was another group of goblins or a tribe nearby… I knew that Baern and Halfi had taken their groups out into the forest to train that first day, and if I didn’t get back in time, I didn’t know if they would get caught up in a goblin raid. Even if I was being tested by Xi, I couldn’t just risk them being caught by some goblin raiding party or something. I set my lips in a hard line and nodded. Yeah, I definitely needed to get back and warn them. I picked up the pace, abandoning most of my stealth as I felt like I was getting closer to the barrier.

After a while, I started to notice the trees thinning out, and I could tell I wasn't too far away from the barrier… ugh, finally. I stopped and looked back down at the sword and shield. At some point in the night, I’d picked them back up and looted the other goblins' corpse. It had a small pouch much like the other one, but instead of the coins, it had a blowing horn and a couple crystals. The horn was probably to signal the rest of its party or the other goblin that something had gone wrong, though I was confused why the other goblin hadn't had one.

I doubted anything good would come from me showing up armed with weapons, and I could probably get away with saying that I'd just ran away from any monsters I'd encountered. James and Ashton were on the Track team at school, so they knew I was a pretty solid runner. Yeah, they’d be able to back me up, and especially when I paired it with my sprint skill. I could just say I’d woken up in the morning, and figured out how to use it on my own and sprinted back. That’s when I noticed the goblins as I was on my way to the barrier. I paused, and then nodded my head, yeah… that should be a good excuse. I could even say that they’d run away when they saw me.

I frowned down at the sword and loot and cocked my head in consideration. Now… What the hell was I going to do with these? After a moment, I decided that I should hide the pouch, sword, and shield close to the barrier. Somewhere that I could grab it quickly if I needed to run from Cylkia and them… Hmmm… I looked around for a moment and then froze. Oh yes… yeah, that’d do perfectly. I climbed up a nearby tree, secreting them in a hollow near the top. I clambered down and looked the tree up and down, committing it to memory. I would be able to find it pretty easily, but I still slashed an S into the bark of the tree by its base. I took a step back and eyed the tree. That should be good enough, and I honestly doubt that any animals would try to snag anything. It’s not like there was any food or things that they could want.

I started jogging back, my eyes narrowing as I peered around the tree trunks. There… and… there! I grinned as I started to make out the silhouette of my classmates moving around a fire, the sounds of their laughter echoing through the air. I couldn’t believe it… a part of me had felt like I was never going to make it back. I felt my lips twitching as my body relaxed. I'd survived… I’d actually survived! And leveled up twice to boot! Just some nobody with a sprint skill and a useless ability! HAHA!

I rounded tree after tree, my eyes locking unto the others as I gave up on any remnants of stealth I had left. Out of nowhere, I suddenly felt something slam into my chest, stopping me stone cold. I grunted in surprised pain and folded over it like a chair, all my air getting knocked out of my lungs. The thing vanished from my gut like it was never there, and I fell on my ass, struggling to drag in a breath. Fuck me, was it another goblin? Was I too late? I knew I should've brought the sword, I really just didn't think I would need it! Blearily, I looked up at what had hit me, and I brought my arms up defensively.

It wasn't a goblin. It wasn't even a tree branch I just hadn't noticed. No, it was an armored behemoth, a great sword strapped to their back and standing well over seven feet tall. It was… Xi…? A sense of relief pulsed through my body, but it was short lived. Wait, hadn't they just left me to die all night? With only a sword as defense? Fuck… what was I going to do now? I finally dragged in a breath of air and coughed, shooting a glare upwards at them, “I… got the… feeling… you didn't want me… to make it… back to… everyone...” My breath wheezed out of my lungs, and I strained to stand up again, pushing off of a tree. “Were you… trying to leave me… to die? Or are you… gonna kill me… now? I guess I can't… stop you… but make it quick… asshole.”

I gritted my teeth and raised my fists, eyeing Xi's sword. They hadn't even unsheathed yet, but I got the feeling that they could take it out and strike me in a matter of moments. I knew it probably wasn’t the smartest thing to say to someone who could lop off my head before I could blink, but fuck it if I cared. They had just left me here to die, not a single warning, note, or anything. I was at least going to go down swinging. Hell, maybe I could flash past them with sprint, and at least warn the others about our psychotic ‘guardian angels’.

Silently, Xi cocked their head, helmet looking from my raised fists to my legs. A long moment passed, but still, they didn't do anything. They just stared at me with their head cocked and their arms folded. The two of us just stood there, the long silence growing more and more awkward as time crawled on by. I felt more and more uncomfortable as they continued to stand there with their head cocked to the side, and I couldn’t help but get even more confused. I still kept my stance, ready for Xi to attack, but what was I to do? If I tried to attack or tried to move, I had no doubt in my mind that they would be able to fend me off or stop me instantly. I gritted my teeth and eyed their massive armored shape and the greatsword strapped to their back. I just needed to wait for them to strike before I did anything, and maybe I could dodge around the attack and sprint off while they were discombobulated. Then it happened, and I tensed as I watched them suddenly start… shaking? What the hell did that mean? Was it like some skill or something? Wow, using a skill on a level three newbie, how impressive! Angrily I gave Xi my fiercest glare, baring my teeth and clenching my fists. “Alright you piece of shit! Fight me already!”

Xi just kept on shaking, which was really starting to annoy me, and right before I was about to charge at them, I was interrupted by the sound of… wait what the fuck, was that laughter? You cannot be serious! My jaw dropped as I watched Xi's little shakes turn into full body spasms as loud guffaws started ringing through the air. For what felt like forever, Xi laughed at me, their full body shaking as they put their hands on their knees and bent over. Well that was… humiliating. I let out a long sigh and rolled my eyes. Oh whatever. I dropped my fists and my stance and folded them, leaning against a nearby tree.

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I looked down at the massive form of Xi and shook my head. “Am I really not that threatening?” I asked dejectedly, kicking my shoe into the dirt.

Xi just kept on laughing, but after another long moment, they finally began to slow down and then stop, straightening up as they fought for air. As Xi gasped for air, finally taking in a long deep breath, they looked up and finally responded. “Oh gods, it's been so long since I've had a real laugh like that! Look kid, that was about as threatening as a slug saying it was gonna end the world. You got spunk, I'll give you that! But the thought of you taking on me?”

Xi started laughing again, shaking their helmet after a moment, “No, you wouldn't stand a chance, little sprite. Especially not with a stance like that! Where'd you even learn that? Not only that, but you're what, level two now? On top of that, if you take in your lack of literally any fighting skills or abilities, that's just suicide. I respect it kid, but let's save that for another day, eh? Now, what happened after I left you? You might’ve fooled the others, but I can tell you fought something, and it didn't go down easy. Which means you won, or are even weaker than I originally took you for. Besides, it looks like you must have leveled up as well, huh?”

I hesitantly considered how much I should tell Xi for a moment, pursing my lips together hard. Any way I looked at it, I was pretty sure they had left me to die. Sure, I'd leveled up twice and even gained a skill, but was I sure that was even worth it? What if I had faced something seriously strong? Would they have just been okay with leaving me to die? Would they have been able to save me, even if they wanted? I guess it wasn't going to help hiding anything at the end of the day but still. I glanced at their massive form again and sighed. No, I might as well just tell them. After all, what good was it going to do for me if I held anything back? Besides, it sounded like Xi had already figured most of what had happened out on their own, and I still needed to let them know about the goblin scouts.

Still leaning on the tree, I told Xi all that had happened after I had woken up. How I had awoken and realized they had left me behind, the realization that I needed to get back, and then finding the first goblin. I’d realized that it might have been a scout, and I had decided to sneak around to the other side to try and make my way back to the others to warn them. Then, I had discovered another goblin who had noticed me and we had then subsequently fought and I had killed it, before deciding to kill the both of them. I mentioned how I had gained the sword slash skill and also leveled up twice. It was a long talk, and to their credit, they were a very good listener. They nodded along as I told them everything, their helmet locked onto me the whole time. They even grunted approvingly when I told them how I'd fought the goblin, and subsequently killed it and then leveled up. When I told them about how I had woken the second goblin up before fighting it, they had laughed and slapped me on the back, causing me to stumble from where I was leaning.

“It's good that you followed your instincts and struck first! If you had gone and tried talking to the goblin, you would have probably died. A lot of newbie’s end up being held back by ‘morality’, and their standards. The thing is, morality is just going to get you killed out there. Especially from a goblin, they have a nasty attitude towards any other half sentient race. The ones that you fought were probably long range scouts, so there’s no worries about any raiding parties nearby. Frankly, you got lucky that there weren't others nearby. Goblins almost always travel in packs, which makes them a massive pain in the ass for adventurers to deal with on their own.” They slapped me on the back again and nodded, “I approve of you not taking the cowards route with the second goblin. Just because an enemy wouldn't do the same for you, doesn't mean that you should just because an inherent monster. Morals and standards hold back adventurers from living, but they are all that gives us knights a reason to keep fighting.”

I listened to Xi, confusion running rampant in my body. I wasn’t exactly sure why they were telling me all this if I was being honest. Still though, I desperately tried to memorize everything they were saying. If I didn’t know better, I could’ve sworn that Xi was… teaching me? Nah, there was no way, didn’t they literally just say that they had left me to die? Or… wait a second, did Xi even admit what they had done? I frowned, and I’d them. No… they definitely hadn’t. Patiently I waited, and then I interjected right as they were about to start talking about the weak spots of a goblin, “Hey, look, I really appreciate the goblin lesson and all, but why did you leave me behind in the first place? And if goblins travel in packs like you said, shouldn’t you be going and killing off the rest of the goblin pack right now? What if the raiding party catches Halfi’s or Baern’s training group off guard? There’s only one of them against all of those other monsters!”

Xi, who had been animatedly moving their arms and hands around, suddenly froze. “Ah… I didn’t say, did I? Look kid, I like you. You have more guts than most of the adventurers who normally start out. Though, if I was going to be honest here, you were almost certainly going to die after we left you all.” Xi rubbed the back of their neck, their metal gauntlets grinding against the armor. Then they let out a long, deep breath, “The others might not care that much, but that doesn’t sit right with me. Just leaving you to die that is. At least the other people you were summoned with have some strong skills. However, you…? You weren't so lucky, were you? Still, I don’t believe in handouts. So, I decided to leave it up to fate. If you could survive the forest and defeat one or two of the monsters, I decided that I’d help you out. Get you up to the point that you might stand a pretty good chance of surviving here. If you didn’t… Well, you were probably going to die later anyways! Luckily for you, you survived! And not only that, but you killed two goblin scouts! Cheers to you kid! So, I’ve decided I’m going to get you strong enough to survive by the time we leave! I wasn't even expecting you to learn a skill, so my job just got even easier!”

I stared at them with my jaw agape, before I shook myself and brought myself back to reality. “Wait, what the fuck!? You’re gonna train me now? To make sure I can survive here? The hell does that mean, aren’t you already supposed to be making sure that we’ll all be able to survive after you leave us? Including me?”

At that Xi froze again, hesitating. Then, after a pause, they shook their head. Xi looked me up and down again, before they finally began again, “Look, Cylkia acts sweet, but she's still a noble of this kingdom. The nobles here expect their orders to be followed, and they are not against physically enforcing them either. I might be her bodyguard, but Cylkia could beat me to within an inch of my life if she so chooses. We mentioned it before, but otherworlders are not exactly rare here. Definitely not something that happens more than once in a hundred years, but enough that we have a general idea what to do when they are summoned here. It’s one of the reasons that tipped Baern and them off when you all were summoned here. From what Cylkia had been mentioning, they had already been on the lookout for the signs… something about these old tomes and the timing or whatever. I never cared to listen much, but when we had been summoned to the Queen's war meeting, I could tell that it had really pissed her off something fierce, seeing the summoning signs had really made her day.”

Xi didn’t say anything after that, simply folding their arms and staring into the forest. I narrowed my eyes and carefully spoke up, “So, Cylkia is trying to take advantage of us? I'm not surprised that we're not getting this help for free, but what are a bunch of kids going to do for a noble like Cylkia? We can’t be that important to her, especially if she’s a noble, right?”

Xi let out a sigh and turned back to me, “Well, the most important part of all this summoning process, is that Malxonus gifted you all skills. Some of them are incredibly powerful or rare, and most of them are of Hero quality, but those aren't what matter. There are plenty of stronger adventurers and soldiers out there, many of them with much stronger skills. No… what's particularly important about you otherworlders, are the abilities that the goddess gifted to you. They allow you all to get much stronger than would normally be possible here. Lyla's Phoenix Flight will allow her to increase her Flame skills exponentially faster than any normal mage. It wouldn't be surprising if she managed to cast a stronger Fireball than Baern in a few years. Likewise, Barbarians Strength, or Knights Valor, which would allow you to be able to learn physical attack skills and increase their strength and power. Your ability may not be as innately strong as those ones, but your Enduring Heart ability will allow you to train relentlessly. When others fall over from exhaustion, you'll be able to keep on going! No normal person or even any of your classmates would have been able to swing that sword as much as you had, kid.”

I groaned and slapped my forehead, and gave Xi an exasperated glare, “... So what you're telling me is that I'm pretty much starting from zero? That instead of being like the others and only having to train for 2 hours in order to get twice as strong, I’m going to have to be training nonstop everyday just to get slightly stronger in a skill?”

Xi laughed and clapped their gauntlets together, rubbing them excitedly. “Exactly! Isn't that just amazing? If I had an ability like that, I could even be able to make even that old fool take me seriously…”

I blinked and cursed under my breath at that. Oh no… this really wasn't going to be good for my health at all… I schooled my features, despite the sinking feeling that was developing in my gut as I watched Xi rubbing their gauntlets together. If their training was anything like the training this morning…

Xi stopped muttering to themselves and looked up at me, “So! From here on out, you're under my wing. You know, I was the best trainer back when I was an adventurer? Now, hold your applause! I will break you so intensely, that your body will have no other choice but to get stronger!” Xi leaned their helmet back and laughed, pure joy echoing through the air as my face paled, “Don’t worry though! You’ll have the rejuve river nearby, so nothing is permanent! I’m sure you’ll adapt all right! You were able to manage to kill those goblins after all!”

I swallowed hard and nervously spoke up, “I uh… appreciate the… help… but what did you mean by Cylkia knowing how to use us? I feel like that’s pretty important…”

Xi cocked their head to the side and let out a loud grunt, “Ah… I didn’t say that did I? Well, I guess you’re not necessarily wrong. As I was saying, the abilities Malxonus granted you are incredibly strong, and in a few years, I’m sure your classmates will be stronger than a large portion of humanity here, save for a few. A force that strong is a boon to anyone who has managed to gain their favor, why do you think Cylkia is taking all of this time to train you all? Not only is it a great benefit to you, and trust me, Cylkia will make sure that fact is made crystal clear to you all, but with the abilities they have been given, once they all level up a few times, they will be strong enough to take on many threats.”

I let out a loud sigh and threw my hands up in the air. “What threats? I know she’s already mentioned that life here isn’t easy, but she has a whole queendom and army! Even if we can become super strong we’re still just weak kids! And we’d get stronger in a couple of years!? Ain’t no one got time for that! There’s no way that we can possibly be worth all of this extra effort.”

Xi nodded their head, “You’d be half correct. Cylkia is a noble for sure, but that is not as powerful of a position as you would assume. Besides a claim to the local towns, a mansion, personal guard and staff, and the right to conscript any adventurers in the nearby guilds, she has no other real power.” Xi rubbed their gauntlet on their head and sighed, “Still, with that being said, she, like many other nobles, are constantly vying for power. We might not have much time with you all, but she doesn't want you to just go free into the world, where other nobles or nations may snap you up. She most likely intends to have you all make the trek to her mansion after these next few days. That way, she will be able to personally train and advocate for your powers. She likely intends to inform the queen of your existence at the coming war meeting in ten days. Cylkia may hope to win her favor, and gain more prestige at the same time. As an added bonus, she would also be able to earn the favor of you all. It’s a gamble, a dangerous one at that, but one she intends to take advantage of. She won't admit it to you, but she expects all of you otherworlders to help her and to become adventurers for this kingdom which will end up bringing in more money and prestige for her.” Sighing, Xi started walking back towards the barrier again, “Frankly, she only sees you otherworlders as gold mines. She had Baern, who is a family friend of her House and loyal to her, set up a spell that alerts her if anyone is summoned to her province. She has been ready to race over to make a good impression on you all and recruit you for her land for a long time now. She’s seen the records of past otherworlders, and has been preparing for your arrival for years. If you can't help out her goals, she has no problem leaving you behind to die or become someone else's problem. The weak are culled early in this world, goddesses gifts or not. It's one of the reasons why we won't help you get back to town. In your case however, you're no stronger than a child! Your death was pretty much guaranteed, and Cylkia wouldn’t have cared about it at all! Do you understand now why my aid is such a boon for you?”

I stared at Xi as they started back towards the barrier, that rock in my gut somehow getting heavier. I had the feeling that Cylkia had ulterior motives, but really? What were we, child gold mines? Or just a way to garner favor for the queen? And she was totally okay with us dying? How many ‘otherworlders’ had died because of this world’s belief in the survival of the fittest? I swallowed hard and shook my head. No, I just needed to take in a deep breath and relax. I could worry about all of that later, for now Xi was right. I needed to get stronger, and fast. I’d passed Xi’s test, so maybe there was hope after all.

I cracked my neck and then raced after Xi, who had already made quite a bit of distance on me. They nodded at me as I caught up, and as we approached the barrier, Xi hesitated before turning around, “I figure this is common sense, but if you say anything about this, or talk to any of the others about Cylkia, I will kill you, and every single person you told, got that?”

I froze for a brief moment, before I raised my hands placatingly, “No worries here, it's not like any of them are my friends anyways. Though, I guess I should ask, what happens when we get back to Cylkia’s domain? She isn’t going to make all of us her slaves, right?”

Xi shook their head and sighed, “No, they have no reason to go through all the effort of getting you so strong if that’s what she intended for you. Besides, slavery has been outlawed by the gods and goddesses here for millenia. Unless any of you die of your own stupidity, once your classmates make it back to Cylkia’s domain, they’ll be properly trained and taught by us and the best teachers Cylkia and the queendom can offer. At this war meeting, Cylkia will inform the queen of your arrival, but it is highly unlikely that she will take action. Besides your goddess given abilities, otherworlders are not innately special, and many who have come here in the past have simply died or become simple folk, who lived simple lives. The queen will not edge any bets on the lot of you, which is why this is such a risky move for Cylkia. Though, based on what the crystal showed us, this group of otherworlders are some of the strongest we've seen yet… besides you that is.” I rolled my eyes and shot them a glare, but they continued on without even pausing. “Who knows what Malxonus had in mind when she blessed them? Even your Enduring Heart, while not uncommon, is quite a solid ability if you are trained correctly. Now, if any of them ask what we were doing, just tell them I was punishing you with a thousand sword swings because you fell asleep yesterday, eh?”

With that, Xi turned and passed through the barrier like before, not even waiting for me or any of my questions. I let out a long sigh and cast one last glance at the forest. A thousand sword sings, huh? And that’s the whole reason I was gone all night? Was anyone really going to believe that? I cracked my neck and then followed Xi, pushing through the barrier and into safety once more. Gods, this was going to be a long training camp… This almost made me wish for the constant drills from track season… almost that is.