Scythe sighed after finishing his snack beneath a tree, he sat there watching his students training in the evening, making sure that none of them is skipping their duties.
"Alright that's enough, training is over for today.. Go back to the shack." He said as he stand up and walked forward.
"Huff.. Huff.. Okay.." Said Seir, he wiped the sweats on his face and began walking to the shack.
Everyone also followed soon after, they're exhausted and are sweating a lot, they didn't even get a bath before going to sleep, a week without a bath will cause their body to smell bad, but there was nothing they can do to wash it off, there's no nearby water source in this packed forest, and even if they try to search for one, Scythe and the cloaked men would stop them from doing so.
***
The night went on pretty normal, the students received their night meal consisting of the same vegetable soup again, however this time there was no fight that broke out, mostly because they were scared of being injured like Vedra and Carsel, after Carsel defeated Vedra, he had unofficially became the leader of the group, that's what everyone was thinking before, but after seeing Calea who managed to use for the first time, their opinion started to shift.
While everyone was eating, some of them began to stir up conversation amongst eachother, the inside of the shack was getting loud, and for the most part, their conversations is just a mocking battle between their rivals.
"U- uhh.. Hey, Calea.." Said Zayn quietly, he slowly approached Calea while she was eating, he wasn't included in the conversations infront of him, so he just went to Calea, he also wanted to say something to her sooner or later.
Calea glanced at Zayn to see what he has to say, she didn't respond to his words, but Zayn already expected it to happen, so he just continues talking..
"Listen, uhh.. I- i'm really sorry about what happened yesterday.." He said, his face shows a genuine guilt, like a person who knew they had done something wrong.
There was a short silence, before Calea suddenly whispered, "I don't care."
"Huh?.." Zayn said, not sure with what he just heard.
"You're the only one who stayed still until the end." Calea said, she then looked at everyone except Zayn. "Those people.. They've all gone crazy, however i don't blame them for that, they're right after all, to survive this place, you need to embrace madness and insanity.. There's no such thing as friendship or teamwork here, you can only rely on yourself.."
"That's.. You're right.." Zayn responded, their voices were all quiet, and the two of them sat on one of the corner of the shack, so there was no one that could hear them.
Calea then placed her bowl down beside her and crossed her arms while resting it on her knees.
"You're Zayn, right?.." She said, her eyes temporarily looked at Zayn's face.
"Ah, yeah.. That's my name." He replied, feeling a strange happiness at the fact that Calea remembered his name.
"I want to ask.." Calea said, her emotionless face looked oddly threatening. "Why didn't you help me that night?.. Is it because you're scared?.."
Zayn flinched at the question, his eyes flickered, reflecting on his action last night, he then said, "That's right.. I was scared, to be honest.. If i just had a little bit more confidence, i would probably be able to convince Deon not to do that, but.. Back then, my body felt heavy, i saw how chaotic the situation had become, with Vedra and Carsel fighting, everyone else started to have evil thoughts passing through their head– And, i feared that if i interfere, i would be beaten up by them.."
Despite Zayn best effort to make Calea understand, her reaction to his respond was just a brief glare, she seems to not buying his words and kept her vision out of him.
'I thought so, it's already too late for forgiveness..' Zayn said to himself, he thought that Calea wouldn't want to speak with him anymore, but unbeknownst to him. she suddenly replied..
"What.. So you're just a normal human, huh.." She said, her lips began to widens and a small yet noticeable smile appeared on her face. "If.. Being a merciless weapon means i can stop even one person from going to the path of insanity, i think i'll gladly do it.."
"Calea...." Zayn whispered, his eyes sparkling from her words.
"In the next two months, i might turn into a different person than what you're seeing today, i'll stop at nothing until i achieved my goal of killing every single instructors and everyone in here– That's why, you need to become strong as well, so that you won't be swallowed by those who seek power." Calea said, her little smile faded when she told him that she's going to kill everyone in here and the instructors.
"...I guess you're right, it's just as you said, i have to rely on myself, although i placed second to last on the training today, if i manage to find a goal for myself and lit the fire inside of me, i think i can perform better and push my body beyond the limit." Zayn replied, he clenched his fist, a surge of confidence gushing in, filling him with excitement.
Calea who saw Zayn's new face couldn't help but to smile aswell, 'I think.. i found a new reason to go forward..' She thought, even among the brutal environment she's in, there is still a small light that gives small warmth in the middle of it. 'At the end of this, will you be a friend, or a foe? Zayn Coldstone..'
The rest of the night then smoothly sailed and everyone slept in peace, Calea also didn't get assaulted again, it was probably due to her newfound power of aura, everyone was scared of her because if she decides to use it, then her normal punch would be enough to knock one person unconscious.
For those who is seeking to be the strongest, Calea's presence were like a thorn, the fact that she was the one who managed to use aura using the method told by Scythe felt infuriating for others.