"A colosseum." A loud and grand voice echoed around us. "A colosseum designed by yours truly when Lady Ouroboros explained the situation. It has been a long time since a mortal was blessed by my presence."
The voice had no body, but I could guess who it was.
"Janny, stop startling the poor child. You and I both know you were looking forward to this more than you're letting on." Ouroboros cut me off, clearly agitated by Janus, The Door Constellations' tone.
"Hmph." In a weirdly uncharacteristic tone, Janus appeared next to us. "Don't think you know everything about me, Lady Ouroboros. I can be impartial to most, but I can't help but think we know next to nothing about this mortal."
Surprisingly, the voice was coming from… Below me. I glanced down, almost taken aback by how different the voice was from the body.
Janus stood at about 4 feet tall. He was thin, almost childlike, but there were signs of age. His eyes carried an untold wisdom behind them. His movements felt perfectly placed, as if practiced for centuries.
"I mean, sure, he was chosen by that star, but what about it? How can we be sure he'll be able to conquer the Pocket?" His tone pulled me out of the thoughts I was swimming in.
"I will conquer the Pocket Realm," I reassured. "I will find a way to escape, and I will make sure I get you guys out as well."
"And I'm just supposed to take this poor mortal's words?" He huffed back. "I mean no offense, but what achievements do you have that prove you are capable?"
"That's enough, Janny." Ouroboros tore apart the argument that was starting to bloom. "You are right, he has no achievements, but that's why he is here. To learn, and then when everything is against him, to win."
Her words lit the smoldering flame in my soul ablaze. For once, I felt needed. I felt useful.
Janus clicked his tongue but shut up nonetheless. It seems like getting onto his good side would take a decent amount of effort.
"The training will be simple," He snapped his fingers. A floating sheet of marble shot from the ground right next to my feet, hovering inches from my face. "This tablet here summarizes your current aptitudes, your strength, stamina, and endurance. Once these reach 50 each, you'll move on to the next stage of training. "
I glanced over the stats in front of me:
Strength - 24
Stamina - 28
Endurance - 32
What do these numbers mean? Is it just my current power numerified?
How will this help me?
"Those numbers," Janus said, as if reading my thoughts. "They are just a basic outside look at your body. It's not perfect, but to survive the next step of training, you need to reach a certain strength threshold.
"Your energy replenishes here 5 times faster than outside, so you can push yourself harder, and more often." He pointed over to the 'workout equipment' he made.
"These were the most popular weight-lifting and sports equipment around before we got stuck here."
My eyes twitched as I looked over. Did they leave in the middle of medieval times? Why did the equipment look like it was also used to fight wars?
"What about my stamina? How am I meant to train it?" I asked skeptically.
"Peep your eyes over here." He pointed to the open air.
"What… am I looking at?" I asked, staring at the nothing he pointed to.
As the words left my lips, sheets of stone rose from the ground, creating an ever-expanding and ever-challenging obstacle course.
…
Janus's amused eyes found mine, a devilish grin plastered along his lips. "Well, let the games begin."
Just like that, my life collecting berries was over. Time stretched along my rigorous training efforts. Any chance I got to slack off was washed away by Ouroboros, who would start quizzing me on dinosaurs.
Apparently, the outside world was starting to shift, the island's hierarchy was in a rampant shift. The quetzalcoatlus that I ran into earlier was fighting a Spinosouras.
Was I really gonna be strong enough to fight something like that?
I glanced down at my new body, my brown hair sitting along my shoulders. I never asked how long I was here, as my life was pretty simple. Eat, train, learn about stuff, sleep.
Janus would create food with stuff he called Stellarium, the essence that allows us to wield stars.
Ouroboros would explain things I had questions about, the best way to train, the best way to rest, and how to wield space better.
I pulled the tablet from under my seat, tracing the numbers carved into the surface.
Strength – 49
Stamina – 51
Endurance – 58
One more. That's all I needed.
The machine tightened around me, pressing my body into a ball. Every muscle screamed.
Then it was released. I pushed out, every part of me exploding at once until my arms and legs locked straight.
It hurt, but Ouroboros said this one was made for glaive users. It trains balance, control, and force at the same time.
I curled back up, already wanting the next pulse.
Again.
And again.
I stopped thinking. Just listened to the rhythm inside my chest.
Boom.
Boom.
BOOM.
The sphere fought to hold me, but I pushed harder. I wasn't tired. I wasn't done.
I could feel the edge of that fifty. I was so close.
"Kid, if you do any more, you're going to break something." Ouroboros's voice cut through my head.
I didn't care. I couldn't stop now. Not when I was this close.
"Brat."
Shut up.
"BRAT."
Stop talking.
"Jay."
The pressure in my chest broke. My mind caught up to my body again.
I gasped, breath heavy, sweat dripping into my eyes. "Sorry, Ouroboros." My voice came out smaller than I wanted it to.
Her face seemed pained, like she wanted to tell me something, but it quickly vanished. "Get some rest, the next phase of the training begins tomorrow."
I quickly scrambled for my tablet, my eyes darting to my strength section
Strength -50
Finally,
"Do I finally get to hold my weapon?" I asked the air where Ouroboros had been.
"Tomorrow."
I sat there in a daze. Finally done. No more passing out while climbing walls. No more death squats.
I fell back onto the cold marble floor, my mind giving in to rest.
"He's losing it, Ouroboros," Janus said. His tone had none of its usual arrogance.
"I know… but—"
"How long will you lie to this poor boy?" Janus cut her off. "We've been stuck here for thousands of years. Not a single day goes by that we aren't searching for the exit, the mark of repetition, the causality point." His voice cracked with fatigue. "No matter where we look, nothing ever comes up. Not even a trace."
Ouroboros stayed silent.
"How could a boy, barely sixteen, be the one to find it?" Janus asked quietly.
"I believe he can," Ouroboros said, her tone final. "Let us prepare for the next phase."
Janus exhaled, resigned. "Of course, Lady Ouroboros."