Early the next morning, Xane woke up.
Zayn mumbled from inside his head, [Oh, looks like we've once again switched bodies.]
Xane yawned and nodded.
Zayn mentally clicked. [I think it's more about time. It's like… You can control the body for a day and a half, and I, on the other hand, only get it for like half a day and maybe a full night.]
Xane got up from the bed and said,
[Sure, but now's not the time for that.]
Xane glanced at his ID and looked around.
The room was super quiet, with the occasional snoring sound. It was still too early for the others.
Not wanting to disturb them, he quietly walked out of the room.
The moment he stepped outside, he rubbed his forehead in irritation.
Even this early in the morning, he could hear someone shouting from one of the rooms.
He just shook his head and walked out of the building.
As the chilly morning wind hit his face, he smiled. He started stretching and asked Zayn,
Zayn begged him, [Dude, please don't overdo it.]
Xane started jogging toward the track while stretching his arms and legs.
Zayn frowned in confusion as Xane walked past the track toward the forest.
He asked, [Why are we here? Don't tell me you want to climb trees.]
Xane bounced lightly on his toes.
Zayn asked, [Next stage? What are you talking about?]
Xane stopped bouncing and said calmly,
Zayn focused on the ground and replied in a low tone, [No, but don't worry. I read a few basic fitness guides, so I'm not totally clueless.]
Xane smiled.
Zayn had a bad feeling. [And what's this method?]
Xane started folding the sleeves of his shirt. It was a good thing Zayn had changed into casual clothes last night. It saved him some extra hassle.
Zayn urged again, [Dude, tell me—what the hell is your method?]
Xane waved him off.
[Unlock our body? What do you mean by that?]
Xane clicked his tongue, pointing ahead.
Xane began moving around, searching for the perfect place to start.
Zayn watched in confusion as Xane wandered through the forest for a few minutes before stopping at an opening.
The scene surprised him. The trees were packed so densely that he couldn't see more than a few meters ahead.
The roots twisted out of the ground, making even walking here difficult.
Xane nodded.
[What?]
Suddenly, Xane bent down and took a deep breath.
Zayn realized what was happening and cursed, [Wait, what is this madness!?]
Xane closed his eyes and inhaled deeply.
The moist, earthy smell of wet soil helped him focus.
He could feel the damp soil sticking to his hands.
Zayn was still screaming inside his head, but it was nothing more than background noise now.
Xane focused on the distant sound of birds chirping, the breeze that occasionally shook the dew from the trees. All of this made him calm.
Just then, he felt the wind hit the back of his head. At that moment, he opened his eyes and shouted, "Go!"
With that, Xane launched forward with full force, taking long strides.
Two seconds in, a massive tree appeared in front of him.
Instead of slowing down, he twisted his body mid-run and curved around the tree.
The sudden motion disoriented him, but he shifted his upper body to avoid falling.
Two more seconds, and he jumped over a tangled mess of roots, eyes darting to find every stable place to land.
At the fifth second, he slipped on a root but rolled forward, carried by his momentum.
At the eighth second, he saw a narrow gap between two trees.
He grabbed one tree to curl around it and turned. At the tenth second, he managed to pass through the gap, reached for a low branch—only to slip again.
This time, his luck ran out as he slammed face-first into the ground.
The instant his head hit the earth, pain erupted—and with it came a loud scream inside his head.
[Aaaaah, you bitch! Fck, that hurts!]
Xane just lay there, tasting blood in his mouth. He must have cut his lip.
But instead of crying in pain, he burst out laughing and started rolling. "Hahaha."
He lay on the green algae, realizing this was going to take a lot more time.
Not wasting a second, he got up and started running again, ignoring Zayn's screams in his head.
Not even a minute passed before he was on the ground again. And again. And again.
The cycle repeated for hours.
Xane was covered in mud from head to toe. His clothes were in tatters, with holes here and there.
Blood seeped from scratches all over his limbs. But he didn't care.
He got up, bent down, and took the stance again.
He was exhausted. Sharp pulses of pain from bruises shot to his brain from his limbs. Breathing was hard. Sweat dripped from his eyelids and chin.
Even with all of that, he had a massive grin on his face.
In this short time, he'd managed to increase his run duration to one full minute.
The taste of moist soil, the smell of damp algae on his skin, the buzzing insects, the endless green, the softness of leaves—everything excited him.
Bum. Bum. Bum Bum!
The pounding heartbeat in his chest felt like it could tear out any moment.
It all felt unreal. It reminded him of the past, when he used to cry while doing the same thing. A process he had come to love.
Xane pushed off with his legs and started the last sprint for the day.