Nixxin, Drei, and Kael stood in a wide and quiet training ground while several teachers watched from a distance. The field was plain, covered with dry dirt and a few training posts. Not far from there, inside the building, Oniu was in a room of his own.
Their trainer slowly walked toward the three of them.
"You three should have a sparring match," the trainer said. "That way Drei can copy your attacks, and the two of you can train."
After saying that, the trainer turned around and walked away.
Kael stared at him in confusion. "What?"
Drei watched the trainer's back as he left. "He looks tired."
Nixxin also looked at the trainer. "I wonder why."
Soon after, the three of them began running around the training ground.
While running, Nixxin kept thinking to himself. Why are we running? Is this even important? What are we even doing?
Finally, he stopped and bent forward slightly, breathing heavily.
"Why are we running again?" he asked.
Kael dropped down to sit on the ground. "I don't know. We just thought of doing some training, and then we started running."
Drei sighed as he sat down and stretched his legs. "Let's just go for a walk."
Kael immediately gave a thumbs up. "That's a good idea. Maybe we can think of something useful to train while walking."
Drei gave a small smile and thought to himself, Why does he act like a background character? Is he a robot or something?
After resting for a moment, the three of them began walking through the quiet streets nearby.
Nixxin walked a little ahead of the others while Kael followed behind him.
Kael looked around at the tall buildings surrounding them. Many of them looked empty and silent.
"I've been wondering," Kael said. "Why are there so many buildings here, but no people around?"
Drei walked behind them while thinking. Does he seriously not know this place loses people every year?
Suddenly, Nixxin stopped and turned to look at Drei.
Kael continued walking for a few steps before noticing that the other two had stopped.
Nixxin leaned closer to Drei and whispered quietly.
"Just let him keep wondering. I know you understand that he is a dumbass."
Drei quietly laughed.
Kael turned around and started walking backward so he could face them.
"What are you guys laughing about?" he asked.
"Nothing," Drei replied, still smiling.
As they kept walking, Kael noticed a small restaurant nearby.
"Hey, should we enter this restaurant? The sign says it's open," Kael said while pointing at the door.
Nixxin looked at the sign for a moment. "Maybe the wind pushed the sign."
Kael walked up and opened the door anyway. He turned back toward them with a knowing smile.
Drei touched his chin while thinking. That smile already says what he is thinking.
Kael spoke again. "I know you guys noticed it too."
The three of them stepped inside the restaurant.
The place was quiet. The cashier had been looking at his phone, but he quickly lowered it when he saw them walk in.
"What are you guys ordering?" the cashier asked.
Nixxin stepped forward and looked at the menu.
"I just want kebab," he said. "Mister, what drink usually goes well with kebab?"
Drei did not even bother looking at the menu while Kael carefully searched for something he wanted.
"I think a light drink would go well with it," the cashier answered.
Nixxin glanced at Drei. "Won't you order something?"
Then he looked back at the cashier. "Sorry, we're minors."
The cashier simply shrugged. "Don't worry. It's just a light drink."
Kael raised his hand. "I want a burger, any soda, crispy fried chicken, and a taco."
Drei rubbed the back of his neck. "I wasn't planning to buy anything."
"Mister, please double my orders," Nixxin said as the cashier headed toward the kitchen.
Drei looked at him. "Thanks. But I guess you are paying for those."
They soon sat down at a table while waiting for their food.
Kael leaned back in his chair and stared at the ceiling.
"Have you guys thought about what we should train?" he asked.
Drei crossed his arms slightly. "First we should understand each other's abilities."
Kael nodded. "Mine is simple. I can create a gate, and my body becomes stronger."
Nixxin spoke next. "Mine is similar to Kael's, but I have another gate that can summon soldiers. I read somewhere that summoning through gates in the game is illegal."
Drei then explained his own power. "My ability lets me copy other people's abilities. Now that we know each other's..."
Just then, the cashier returned carrying their food.
"Here are your orders. The total is 1,590," he said while placing the plates on the table.
"I'll pay for it," Nixxin said. "You guys don't have to worry about it."
Drei looked at him. "Are you sure?"
Nixxin yawned. "Don't worry about it."
Drei began eating his kebab while thinking.
"Now that we know each other's abilities, we can start training properly. You two can become stronger through physical training, while I can gain more abilities by copying them. Also, Oniu is a healer and buffer mage. He would be a great support for us while we defend against enemies."
Kael nodded while biting into his burger.
"We still need someone who can fight from long range. Maybe you could do that since your ability copies powers."
Drei shook his head slightly.
"No, I can't. I'm mainly a close range fighter because my eyes are kind of blurry."