A gentle breeze caressed the courtyard grass and rustled the trees’ leaves as the high sun’s rays shone down upon the earth.
Jack, eyes closed, relaxed on a reclining chair as he sunbathed and listened to the sounds of nature around him.
He hadn’t felt this peaceful in a long time.
“Another day is going by. I’m sure that soon she’ll come back…”
A mutter, now a habit, escaped his lips.
By now, he had lost count of how many times he’d said that over the past couple of months, and despite it never becoming true, he had never lost hope.
Jack scratched his head and murmured, “Hmm, nobody has come to bother me yet today. How I wish I could spend the rest of my time this way.”
Every day, somebody would find him and try to talk him out of his recent habits, but they would soon leave in failure.
There was no getting around it. Every good point raised by the other person would be shut down with a smile and a wave of his hand as if they didn’t need to worry about anything. Then, he’d simply go back to relaxing for the rest of the day.
However, for his sake, neither his friends nor Erevan gave up, despite the latter also having his own personal reasons for doing so.
Two and a half months without training certainly didn’t mean Jack was weak now, but time was merciless. The big advantage he had over many others in terms of strength was narrowing with every passing second, and the time when his friends would catch up and slowly surpass him was fast approaching.
At that point, if he, for whatever reason, wanted to join them on their adventures or if there was a need to rescue them, it would be too late, as his strength wouldn’t be enough.
Jack knew this, and even if he didn’t, he was constantly being reminded of it, but it seemed he didn’t care.
Knock, knock.
“Jack, it’s me. I’m back.”
Right then, two knocks rang out in the silent courtyard.
“Oh, Cassie is already back?” Jack whispered before raising his voice and calmly saying, “Come in.”
Click.
The door opened, and Cassidy slowly walked up to him with eyes filled with mixed emotions. The sight of her friend in this situation, and the powerlessness she felt at not being able to help him, filled her with sadness, but she quickly hid it.
The last thing she wanted was for Jack to see her like this and feel even worse because of it.
She grabbed a nearby chair, sat beside Jack with practiced movements, and, looking at him, asked, “How are you feeling today?”
Jack turned his head in her direction and smiled. “I’m feeling great. Are you here to change my mind about training again? If so, there’s no need to waste your energy.”
She didn’t bat an eye and said, “No, I’m not here for that.”
Her words took him by surprise.
He was expecting the same discussion that always happened when someone came to visit to replay all over again, but unexpectedly, today’s visit seemed to be different from the rest.
Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.
Raising an eyebrow, he said, “You aren’t? If you aren’t, then… are you here just for a chat?”
While it was true that all his friends visited him on a daily basis, none of them had failed to bring up training in one way or another. Even if it was subtle, only a mention in passing, they all ended up mentioning it.
They couldn’t be blamed for that. By now, everyone on Earth knew that strength was everything, and being weak would earn you nothing but ridicule wherever you went.
While they would always be there for him, they were also afraid that something bad might happen on the rare occasions when they couldn’t be near him.
But, even if that were to happen, it would only be years in the future.
Hearing Cassidy immediately deny it sparked his curiosity.
Instead of answering, she reclined in her chair and stared up at the blue sky.
Jack didn’t urge her on and silently stared at the sky as well, enjoying the moment.
Like that, seconds passed with both of them in silence.
Then, when she felt it was the right time, she casually asked, “Have you ever thought about going back to teach?”
“Teach?” Jack exclaimed before thinking carefully about it and shaking his head. “I haven’t thought about it, but I don’t think I’m suited for that role.”
Cassidy side-eyed him and said, “Why not? I think you were a great teacher back when we were in Univara, and it would be a pity if you didn’t teach.”
He sighed. “I should’ve expected it. You want me to teach and, while teaching, I would also need to train, right? I’ve said it many times, I’m not going to train. Why are you guys still fixated on it? I don’t understand.”
“No, you’ve got it wrong,” she continued. “I don’t expect you to train, only to teach the students in Quarath. After teaching a few classes per week, you can do whatever you want. If you want to train, then train. If you don’t want to, then don’t. No one will interfere with your choices anymore.”
“What do you say?”
This time, Jack didn’t answer immediately.
If what Cassie is saying is true, and after teaching nobody will raise the topic of training anymore, then it’s indeed a good offer. But… would Amelia consider teaching as training? It’s fine if she doesn’t, but if she does, then the chances of her coming back would be slim to none…
His eyes narrowed. I can’t gamble on this.
He opened his mouth to speak, but before he could—
Buzz.
Cassidy’s communication device vibrated in her pocket.
Her gaze lowered as her hand moved toward her pocket by instinct, but she stopped, unsure whether answering right now was the best choice, as it might change Jack’s mind.
Seeing her freeze, Jack calmly said, “You should answer. We can resume our talk after.”
Cassidy nodded and picked up the still vibrating device, ready to answer with her usual calm voice, but when she saw the caller ID, her eyes couldn’t help but light up with excitement.
Without a word, she quickly stood up and, under Jack’s confused gaze, left the courtyard.
As she left, she answered at once and said in a low voice, “Where are you?”
On the other side of the communication device, Nova was standing in a courtyard on the shore of a pond, looking at the house not far away.
“I’m at your house,” he said with a smile. “I’m here to hand over the resources I’ve gathered to you. I’ve more than made up for what I used, so you don’t—”
He couldn’t finish the sentence before Cassidy interrupted him.
“We can talk about the resources later. There’s something more important that you should know.”
Taken aback by her urgency, Nova’s smile faded as he asked, “What is it?”
Without wasting a moment, Cassidy recounted everything that had happened with Jack and Amelia since he’d left, focusing mostly on Jack’s current situation.
Nova’s expression changed many times as he listened. He couldn’t believe how much had happened in the two months he’d been gone.
Even more unbelievable was the fact that his best friend was currently going through so much, and the reason for it only irritated him further.
Leaving someone in their time of need?
It was so infuriating that his hands clenched into fists as popping sounds rang out.
When Cassidy finished recounting everything, Nova could barely suppress his anger and, as calmly as he could manage, said, “Wait for me there.”
After ending the call, he threw the device into his Inventory and took several deep breaths to calm himself, but it was harder than he thought. Cassidy’s words kept replaying in his mind, refusing to fade.
He couldn’t believe what he’d just heard, but he knew Cassidy would never lie about something so serious. She wasn’t that type of person.
‘She left you while you were unconscious, and instead of training and giving it your all, you’re lounging around like a fool waiting for her to come back? Can you even believe your own words? What the fuck is wrong with you, Jack?!’
He screamed in his mind and, with a crack of thunder that echoed throughout Quarath and would’ve deafened normal humans, sped toward the village.
Bonus Chapter Count: 0
Extra chapter for each milestone Ratings 97/200
?????????? 40%
Reviews 10/20
Followers 674/2000
?????????? 40%
Whoever wants to help and read advanced chapters can check out my .
