"Something important? How important is it?" Cole asked.
"It is highly important; it decides our standing in the academy, and even for some, it can be said to be life or death," Bryan said in a heavy tone.
"I can't say for sure what it will be, but I know it won't be easy."
Those words rang deep in Cole's head. Triggering something he had attempted to bury deep in the confines of his heart.
"It won't be easy,"
"Has it ever been easy for me? "No, it has not; I have never had that pleasure," Cole said out loud.
"Easy isn't the right way; easy feels wrong now."
"The last time I chose easy, it brought me intense pain and torture," Cole said while thinking back to his days in Doctor Thomas's lab.
Bryan listened to Cole's words with a solemn face. Every single statement Cole said sounded foreign to him.
"Easy, I have had it easy all my life," Bryan said.
"Is that wrong?" He asked with a confused expression.
Cole remained silent for a while before opening his mouth to talk.
"Then we are polar opposites," Cole said coldly before closing his eyes and lying back to sleep.
Bryan was left sitting alone on his bed as he watched Cole's bed with an awkward expression.
****Bryan's Mind****
"I know having it easy isn't the best thing; I know having it easy makes me weak."
"But I can't help but want life like that; it felt just right, just right until that moment when it wasn't anymore."
"All until that point that led me here, now I am letting go of easy, I am going in search of something more."
"I know I can't do it alone, but something tells me, we will achieve this together, Cole."
Bryan thought while he was still staring at Cole's back, waiting for him to turn around.
1 minute. 5 minutes. He continued to wait.
He waited for a while longer but he couldn't
****Cole's mind****
"I have crossed the line," he berated himself.
"I have no right to judge someone when I don't a good grasp of my own life."
"I know I am not someone righteous; I never thought of the other kids I left there."
"Just continued my life like nothing happened; that's really bad."
"At least he attempted to warn me; he wasn't obliged to."
"I ended up flaring up on him like that."
"I better apologize."
Cole turned again to check on Bryan, but he had already closed his eyes.
"Hmmmmm," Cole exhaled hardly before turning back to sleep.
The next morning, Cole woke up earlier than he used to for some weird reason. He turned to check on Bryan, but he realized he wasn't in bed.
He didn't think too much of it, though; he attempted to stand up to get ready for classes that day.
"Haaaa!" Cole suddenly screamed out.
Intense pain shot across all of his joints and muscles; they all felt like they had been twisted and worn out in a very unusual way.
"What is this? What's wrong? Did Bryan do this?" Cole wondered.
But then he thought back to the possibility; though he was still a little skeptical about Bryan, he knew he couldn't.
Only one answer was left then; it was a side effect of absorbing so much life energy at once.
"Why did I feel enlivened yesterday and in so much pain now?" Cole questioned as he attempted to climb back onto his bed.
With great difficulty, he was finally able to climb back on his bed. He lay there staring at the ceiling, not daring to move.
The sun rose higher and higher in the sky with Cole still completely incapacitated. Bryan also didn't return to the room, leaving Cole alone.
Cole lost track of time for a while as he totally zoned out. He was snapped back to reality by a buzz on his Academy watch.
[-10 academic points for unsolicited absence]
Cole felt a bit of annoyance by the notification, but he felt even more pain in his chest due to the loss of his precious academic points.
About an hour later, Bryan finally returned to the room; in his hands were two packages.
Cole lay in his bed staring straight at him. The air immediately became awkward as they both tried avoiding each other's gaze.
"Here you go." Bryan handed a package to Cole when he got close enough.
Albeit with a little bit of struggle, Cole was able to collect the package.
Inside it lay a small tube vial that contained a slightly luminous green product.
"Your pain is due to life's every overload; that will help," Bryan said.
Cole's eyes widened as he looked at Bryan.
"How did you know?" He asked.
Bryan didn't reply, though, only giving a faint smile beforehand and turning away.
Cole stared at the glass vial and then at Bryan's back before saying gently.
"I owe you."
"And I am sorry for yesterday; I shouldn't have lashed out at you like that," Cole continued.
Bryan froze in his steps when he heard Cole's apology before turning around with a now widened smile.
"It is fine, but don't blame me when I lash out too in the future."
"We are friends now, right?" Bryan responded.
"But I have to say, you seem to have gone through a lot, and things must be hard."
"You are tough though, really though and that's why I don't mind you lashing out because I will need your help in the future."
"Alright, brother," Cole responded with a smile as happiness crept into him.
"Ohw-ohw." Cole suddenly screamed out as Bryan touched him.
"Ohh, sorry, sorry." Bryan suddenly jumped away in realization.
The two of them burst out in laughter that resounded across the whole room.
****Another Location****
"How is your preparation?" someone said.
"I am almost done; I need about four more days." The figure responded.
"Just in time, none of them will be escaping this time," the other person responded.
He looked around him as more and more eyes opened in the surrounding areas.