Tristan and I stood in the main hall. The two of us were having a heated conversation about the best type of cheese. We'd been arguing for a while, enough that several priests had poked their heads out of the hallways as we started getting heated.

  I knew we'd gotten a little uppity since we'd completed our training, but how could we not? I'd been busting my ass for a year, and Tristan had for several. If we wanted to be a little loud from time to time, they should just accept it. We'd get it out of our blood eventually. We deserved this.

  Plus, Tristan was wrong, as usual.

  They, like a freak, said that cheese was nothing without flavor and that only good cheeses had strong tastes. Thus, the sharper and saltier, the better.

  "You don't know what you're talking about." Their arms were crossed over their chest, and their chin was lifted halfway to the ceiling. They always reminded me of a scolding wife when they did that, which was often.

  I wasn't about to back down, though. They were wrong. Cheese should be gooey and stringy, like mozzarella. And while the flavor was important, it wasn't everything. Texture was king.

  "You're a monster. A freak. That's not the natural order of things," I argued. "Soft cheese is by far the superior cheese!"

  "You're an idiot! A savage! No one worthy of their salt would choose soft cheese over the good stuff!" They marched up to me and thrust a finger into my chest. "You don't even know what cheese is. No, you don't know anything!" They shoved me, scoffed, and thrust their head to the side again.

  "You're really going to tell me that—"

  "Recruits!” A gruff voice boomed through the hall. We both stood straight as arrows. Our eyes met. We were in trouble.

  We both turned. Renard was standing at the entryway to the temple, a large pack over his shoulder and his weapon—a massive two-handed mace that glowed white even when it wasn't being used—strapped to his back. "What have I told you two?"

  Tristan responded first. "Don't let everything get to our heads."

  Not to be outdone, I added, "Never argue under the Goddess's gaze." I looked back at her statue. She did seem disappointed in us.

  "And?"

  Tristan hesitated. I didn't. "If we did, we'd run laps around the temple until we passed out or it got dark, whichever came first."

  "Get started." With those words, he turned and shut the large double doors behind him, making the entire temple shudder.

  Tristan groaned and began limbering up.

  "Should we... just... not?" I asked, hoping we could get out of this.

  "They will actually kill us."

  Okay, it was happening. I pulled off my shirt and started limbering up. I noticed Tristan's eyes linger on me.

  I shimmied. "Like what you see?"

  They blushed. "No!"

  Why did they blush?

  "If you'd ever take off your robes, you'd catch some looks, too. You're kind of skinny, but I know you've gotta be lookin' good under all that fabric."

  They rolled their eyes. "Not everyone's a vain asshole like you."

  "There's no harm in showing what you got." I had to say, my muscles had certainly come back, and then some. I wasn't quite at Ro's level, but I wasn't that far off either. I found myself wishing I had a Renard back on Earth. I would have cleaned up.

  Devon popped into my head for the first time in a while. I hoped she was doing well.

  "Come on. Let's move." Tristan walked to the front door.

  "You're gonna pass out first."

  "Fuck if I will. Bring it, bitch."

  I laughed. Tristan had taken up some of my mannerisms over the past year. They were also absolutely the best friend I'd ever had. We were inseparable.

  "What's that face for?"

  I noticed Tristan was looking at me. I felt the impulse to jab at them, and realized this was a moment for honesty. "I was thinking about how you're my best friend."

  Their face grew red, and they started sputtering.

  "What, was that too sensitive for you?" They'd been getting weirder and weirder whenever I gave them compliments and stuff. But I was an open book. I always said, if you wanted someone to know how you felt, you just needed to come out and say it. That way, people always knew where you stood.

  "N-no!" They took a step back. "I just wasn't expecting that."

  Seeing the rise I got out of them, I went straight for the throat. "I love you, man."

  "I..." Their face turned red to the tips of their ears. "... I love you, too."

  I clapped. "There's the emotional honesty we've been working on. Good job!"

  "I meant it!" Their voice squeaked. "And don't patronize me!"

  "I did, too." I grinned. "And no promises."

  "I'm gonna kick your ass out there."

  "Bring it."

  "Oh, what? Big, strong Alex can't keep up?"

  "Fuck... you..." I gasped, pushing myself harder to match their pace. "I'm... twice... your... size..."

  "Sounds like a... you problem," Tristan panted back.

  We'd been running for a good hour, and they were absolutely winning. Ever since they'd unlocked the system before me, they'd been gaining far faster than I was. It was infuriating.

  They started running ahead of me. I picked up the pace, but soon, I was huffing and puffing.

  Thankfully, they slowed their pace a bit when they saw that I was actually struggling.

  Apparently, they'd unlocked some enhancements through their levels or something. They'd even unlocked a class.

  Asshole.

  I knew I'd eventually get there, too, but it was frustrating as hell. However, it was a small consolation that many people didn't learn how to access it either, and they were from here. It took a lot of work and focus. Luckily, even without accessing the system, I knew I was getting stronger.

  Once I did unlock it, though... I was going to be awesome. I'd unlock some badass class and go on a real quest.

  "Hey," Tristan asked beside me, "I didn't know... the old man... was leaving today."

  "Yeah... neither... did I." Renard had been gone a lot over the last few months. Ro-Saleh had taken on instructing most of the classes in the training fields. "Why's he... leaving so much?" It was getting hard to talk and run.

  "Dunno... was gonna ask... same question." I felt a little better when I looked over at them. Their face was red, and they'd finally started dripping sweat.

  "He's been... leaving... more... why?"

  "He's... a badass..."

  Tristan laughed and picked up the pace.

  We ran around the temple grounds once, twice, three times. On the fourth lap of the massive plot of land, I gasped out, "How... long... run..."

  "Until... nighttime..."

  "Fuuuck..."

  Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

  By the start of the fourth lap, we started doing that walk-jog thing people do when they hit their limit.

  I looked to the east. By the look of the Tower, it was late afternoon.

  This would suck.

  "Ahhhhh..." I groaned as I sank into the bath. By the end of the ninth lap, we'd crawled our way to the temple's bathhouse. Once inside, I stripped off my disgusting, drenched clothes and jumped into the large, steaming pool of water. And by jumped, I meant limped.

  The instant I hit the water, my protesting muscles started to relax. I dipped under the surface and scrubbed the sweat out of my hair. As I ran my fingers through my hair, I couldn't help but marvel at it. The bath was fed and heated by some magical stone called a lotus stone. Somehow, the stone pulled hot water from who knows where. Whoever figured that out was a genius.

  When I surfaced, I looked over at Tristan. "You gonna come in?"

  They shook their head. "No. I'm still a little queasy from earlier. I'd rather wait."

  They'd vomited hard halfway through our final lap. It wasn't pretty. "The water feels good."

  I'm sure." They were stretching their legs next to the pool. "Sorry about throwing up out there. Renard couldn't have chosen a worse time to make me run."

  "Why?"

  Tristan opened their mouth, then hesitated. "Reasons."

  "Cryptic."

  They rolled their eyes. "I've just been going through some changes for a while." Their sapphire eyes met mine. "It's like I don't know my body anymore."

  "What, you're finally going through puberty? And at twenty-two? Sucks."

  "Shush, you."

  "No promises."

  They huffed. "I just... I've been grappling with something for a while."

  "Want to talk about it?" I looked over at them. Their eyes were distant.

  "Yeah, I do. But not now. I don't think I'm ready."

  "What's it about? Can I help?"

  "Don't want to say, and..." They didn't answer the second half.

  "How long have you been feeling this way?"

  Their eyes met mine. "A little over a year."

  "Damn, and you've been keeping it to yourself? That's bad for you. You could get a tumor."

  "I talk to Na-Ya about it sometimes. Maven, too. That helps."

  "And not your bestie?" I batted my eyes.

  "Nope."

  Their voice had a tone of finality to it. I knew them well enough to know this wasn't going anywhere else. "Just know you can open up if you need to."

  "I know."

  I redirected. "Renard's evil."

  "Yeah, he's not very nice."

  "Has he always been like that?"

  "He was worse when I was younger. I was scared of him." Tristan stretched their legs and smiled. "But as I got older, I realized he's kind of the best."

  I laughed. He really was. "You think he's taken more quests out in the villages?"

  "Probably. With the increased monster activity lately, he's had a lot to do. The villagers really look up to him." Tristan lay back on the stone, their arms spread out to either side, and stared at the ceiling. "It must be nice, being respected like that."

  The man took quests from the nearby villages for basically no charge. When I asked why, he said it was his duty to help the people of the land. He really was a hero. "That'll be us one day. I'm sure of it."

  I stretched out and lay my head back. It was a little weird at first taking baths in this world. Baths here were communal, and people weren't modest about nudity. It took some adjusting. When I was weird about it, they said it was all in my head and that I was making it weird.

  Everyone had a body.

  I realized people hadn't been so heavily sexualized here, which was nice. After a month or so, I stopped caring. Unless Na-Ya came, then I cared. She was way too pretty, and my broken Earth brain couldn't just see a body. I had to keep my eyes away from her anytime we ended up in the bath together.

  Damn you, puritans! You ruined me!

  The only person who was ever weird about it now was Tristan. They'd always been nervous about bathing with me and, after a year, had never done so. They were the only person I knew in Reial who was shy about it. The only person they bathed with was Na-Ya.

  Lucky bastard.

  We relaxed for a while. As my muscles untensed, I started thinking about my training and progress. Or lack thereof. A single question had been turning in the back of my mind on repeat for a while. "What do you think I'm doing wrong?"

  "What do you mean?"

  "I've done all the lessons. I meditate now. I focus. But I still can't see the words that everyone's talking about. Why?"

  Tristan laughed. "You need to be patient. It takes most people years of practice. You're trying to do it in one."

  "I feel like it should be easier than this."

  "I've been working at it since I was a kid and just learned how. It's not easy."

  "Yeah, what's up with that? Why do we suck so bad?"

  "Speak for yourself. I'm great." They sat up and looked down at me with their big sapphire eyes. "But, if I had to guess, it's because you have too much stuff in your head. Your Earth ideas are messing you up."

  "Meaning?"

  "From all our talks, I get the feeling that you don't really believe it's real. Right?"

  I wanted to disagree. I wanted to say I totally believed. But I didn't. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

  "I know." They scooted to the edge of the pool. Dropping their bare feet into the water, they worked their toes and ankles.

  Their skin was so smooth. And they didn't have any hair on their feet or legs. Tristan was such a mystery at times. "Why are you so smooth? Do you shave or something?"

  They blushed. "Or something."

  Weirdo. "So, where are you at now? With your classes and everything?"

  Tristan looked at me out of the corner of their eye. "You gonna get all butt hurt, or...?"

  Maybe. "No, of course not. Talk to me."

  They sighed. "So, I've unlocked apprentice class. I'm an [Acolyte]

  "Oh no! You've surpassed me!" I held my hands to my chest.

  "Ass."

  I laughed. "That's great. I'm proud of you."

  "Thanks." They smiled, but it was small.

  "Is that bad?"

  "No. Well, it shouldn't be."

  "Why do you say that? Why aren't you happy about it?"

  "Because I feel like I should be further along."

  I understood that completely. "What about patience and all that?"

  They smacked me. "Shush, you." Adjusting themself on the stone floor, they began kicking the water. "Everyone says I have all this potential, but I just can't seem to figure out what I'm supposed to do next. I should be a priestes—a priest, but I just can't seem to get there."

  "Is there something special you're supposed to do, or what?"

  "It's a bunch of stuff. First, I had to understand the basic principles of the faith. Then I had to learn how to use divine energy." They held their hand up in front of me. Their brows knitted, and white light radiated from their palm.

  "Dude, you're doing the light thing!"

  Sweat beaded on their brow. Their hand glowed for a moment longer before it began to fade. "Pretty cool, huh? That spell's called [Bless]. Most aspirants learn it. It's usually our first and only skill from the Aspirant class."

  I smacked them. "Why didn't you tell me before?"

  "Because of your signature butthurtedness."

  I gave them my best glare. "Even if I'm a baby about things sometimes, never hide things from me. It's on me to be a big boy, and you should never have to hide things from your best friend."

  Their face dropped. Then, it grew tomato red. "Who says you're my best friend?"

  "Am I not?"

  They shuffled. "Well, yeah, you are... but...."

  "See? Don't hide shit from me."

  They slowly nodded. "Okay."

  "So, what else do you need to do?"

  Tried sighed. "I need to be reasonably fit, I need to understand the Goddess's magic, and I need to swear to the faith. I've done all that, but I can't seem to figure out the next step."

  "Which is?"

  "No clue. Renard's been helping, but it's just like there's a hole I'm missing. He says we need to have a catalyst, something we care about so deeply that we can't help but break through our limits, but I don't know what that could be. I've asked the Goddess, but she doesn't give hints."

  "That sucks."

  "Yeah, it does."

  The room got quiet. I dipped under the water, rinsing my hair a final time. By the time I surfaced again, Tristan had scooted closer.

  "Hey, come over here." They'd switched to a kneeling position and were gesturing at the wall in front of their knees.

  "Are you trying to convert me, or what?"

  "Shush. Just come here."

  I floated over to the edge of the pool and sat on the stone bench in front of them. As I leaned back, their fingers found my temples. "What now?"

  "Close your eyes."

  Obeying, I felt a soft energy enter my body through their fingers. It was warm, like the sun when you lie out on a warm spring day. "That feels good."

  "Good. Clear your head."

  I let all the thoughts in my mind fade away. The warm sensation seemed to seep through me, slowly relaxing each muscle as it moved through my body. The soothing sensation entered through my temples, trailed down my neck, ran over my shoulders, and flowed down each limb. My sore muscles tingled as their spell spread further and further.

  "Now, visualize yourself being filled with light."

  "Filled with light..." I focused on the light from their spell, trying to imagine it filling me. It took several seconds, but I managed to fill my body with the glow in my mind's eye.

  "Hold it. Try to memorize how this feels, both physically and mentally."

  I stayed as I was, keeping my breathing deep and steady.

  Slowly, Tristan's fingers left my temples. "Keep that feeling in your mind and focus. See the light flowing through every part of you. Feel its warmth. Remember this." I heard Tristan speak, but their words sounded distant. "Now, try to find something inside yourself, something within you that's yours and yours alone."

  I struggled to see beyond the light I'd created. Slowly, I searched myself, looking for anything different. I strained to push my senses outward and into every inch of my body.

  And I did find something.

  At first, it was tiny, barely visible in the mental light I'd conjured. But, as I watched, the ball exploded into a bright light that spread throughout me. Within it, I found myself floating in a vast white nothingness. Below me, I saw a white orb floating in front of my... spirit? My heart skipped a beat. That was new.

  Reaching out, I touched the orb. Every nerve in my body lit on fire for an instant. I couldn't help but open my eyes. And there, in my mind, words appeared.

  Alex Clark 0

  My head swam. "Tristan, I can see my—" A wave of nausea washed over me as more words appeared in my mind.

  You reach Strength 9.

  You reach Resilience 11.

  You reach Agility 4.

  You reach Power 3.

  You reach Will 6.

  "Ugh... This... Sucks..."

  "Don't fight it. Keep focusing."

  I tried to relax, but it felt like I was inside a blender. Another wave of nausea hit me.

  You gain the Fighter (★) basic class.

  You gain the [Grit] talent.

  You gain the American (3★) heritage.

  You gain the [United We Stand] talent.

  You gain the Human (★) race.

  You gain the [Adaptable] talent.

  You gain the Shield (2★) sign.

  You gain the [Unbreakable] talent.

  "Why does this suck so bad!" The room spun around me.

  "You're fighting it!"

  Their words sounded so far away.

  You do not qualify for a Heroic Class.

  "Alex?"

  You gain the American (3★) task [Lead the Free]

  You gain the Fighter (★) task [A Good Fight]

  You gain the Human (★) task [Jack of All Trades]

  You gain the Shield (2★) task [Protect the Weak]

  "Tristan, I just got a—hhhhurrrkkk!"

  Alex Clark, American Human Fighter of the Shield 0

  Attributes

  Strength: 9

  Resilience: 11

  Agility: 4

  Power: 3

  Will: 6

  Talents

  [Adaptable]

  [Grit]

  [Unbreakable]

  [United We Stand]

  Tasks

  American (3★): [Lead the Free]

  Fighter (★): [A Good Fight]

  Human (★): [Jack of All Trades]

  Shield (2★): [Protect the Weak]

  The Goddess's words burned into my brain as the world faded away.