"I SAID COVERRRR UP!!" Taking a pen from the table, Alan threw it at the shameless Ethan.
"Ouch! That was painful, you bastard! Aren't we both guys?" Ethan protested, rubbing the spot where the pen hit.
Alan immediately responded without turning around, "I refuse to hear words like that from a virgin."
Ethan was left speechless, utterly defeated by the retort. He gave up, picked up his clothes, and dressed quickly while Alan pointedly looked away.
"Aren't you angry about what Sansa did?" Alan asked, his back still turned.
Taking a deep breath, Ethan finished buttoning his shirt and turned to the mirror. He looked at his reflection for a moment, thinking, Not bad. He then walked over to Alan, stopping a few steps away.
"If I'm being honest about how I feel right now," he began, letting out a heavy sigh, "I have to say, I'm more grateful towards her than angry."
Alan spun around immediately in shock, but then halted, remembering himself. "Please tell me you're dressed. I swear I'm kicking you out this window if you're not."
Ethan was speechless at his friend's prudishness. He slapped the back of Alan's head lightly. "I don't even know what you're so ashamed of. It's my body, and I'm not."
Honestly, Ethan didn't know why he was so shameless about it.
Alan rubbed his head. "That hurts, you know? And I don't care whose body it is, I refuse to be tainted with a sight like that."
"Ugh, you're a handful. You can turn; I'm dressed now."
Hearing this, Alan was about to turn but decided to confirm. "You're not messing with me, are you?"
Bam! Another light slap to the back of his head. "Stop being silly," Ethan said, pulling out a chair and taking a seat across from Alan. The playful glint in his eyes faded, replaced by a sober intensity.
"Honestly, I'd rather it was her than someone else," Ethan continued, his voice dropping. "I think we've underestimated the path before us. The rooms, the temples... there's something about the controlled environment the Order has provided that has kept us blind to the true nature of an ascendant's path."
Alan, who had been listening carefully, was confused. "The true nature of the path...?"
"When I lost my balance and fell, I felt a despair I've never felt before," Ethan said, his tone weak as he recalled the sensation. "I've been in accidents, Alan, but never like today. It was the sharp twist from being thrilled to start this path... to the terror of ending it without even reaching saturation once."
He looked directly at Alan for a moment. "So you ask if I'm angry about what Sansa did? Yes, I am. But not for the reasons you think. I'm happy with what I learned though."
Alan was still confused. "Learned? You learned something?"
Ethan shook his head at his friend's naivete. "Yes, Alan. I learned the true nature of this path. It's a struggle for resources and information. And anyone, absolutely anyone, can kill you if it means they'll have a little more for themselves." He paused, letting the weight of his words sink in. "Imagine Sansa wasn't the one. Do you think 30 points would have been all there was to gain from us? Alan, lose that carefree behavior if you really want to survive here. She found out your secret—the one our master had to pay a price to hide—so easily. She had me at her mercy without lifting a finger. She could have gained so much more if she had made me a slave, or worse, sold information about your 'Elemental Body' to the higher-ups."
He leaned forward, his gaze intense. "So, do you see, Alan? Thirty points are nothing. In fact, I'd say she was just messing with us. And it was our fault for not asking the right questions."
Ethan turned to see Alan with his mouth agape and eyes wide. Before he could speak, Alan stammered, "You... you thought of all these just from what happened?"
Ethan looked at the shocked Alan and asked with a wry smile, "You didn't?"
"Of course I didn't! All I've been thinking is how could Sansa put us in harm's way like that? And here you are, thinking about the 'true nature' of this and that. Isn't that just... just...."
Ethan helped him complete his sentence with a soft smile. "Stupid?"
"Who are you calling stupid, you bastard?" Alan retorted, but the tension had broken.
Ethan waved a hand as if shooing a fly, the atmosphere finally lighter. "Alan, it's easy to get swept up in anger. But remember, we only just met Sansa yesterday. By all indications, she's still a stranger to us. So, dump all that nonsense about her putting us in harm's way, and learn from it."
And he continued in his head, a sharp, competitive glint in his eyes, Of course, she's going to hear from me about this. But it's no hard feelings. I just hate being on the losing side.
Hearing Ethan's advice about shelving his anger, Alan went silent. Ethan, seeing this, kept quiet too, waiting for his words to either sink in or be rejected. He was simply trying to make Alan understand that he had to take their situation seriously if he wanted to survive.
"You know, Ethan," Alan began, his voice thoughtful. "When I first saw you slam that boy in the Awakening Hall. I was impressed. But after seeing how calculative you were, even around our master, I was getting a little pissed. I couldn't understand why you acted so cautiously. To me, this Path was a dream I've had since I was little—to join the Temple, become a powerful ascendant. I guess I never really understood what lies on this path, thinking all I had to do was cultivate quietly to greatness." He chuckled, a soft, self-mocking sound.
Ethan didn't respond. He just watched with a small, understanding smile on his face.
"Thank you, Ethan," Alan continued, his tone firming with resolve. "For making me understand that there's more to this than quietly accumulating power. But at the same time, I don't think I can be like you, always calculating and stuff. But I know the risks now, and I'll be careful."
Ethan's smile widened, and he felt a genuine wave of relief. This was the best response he could have hoped for. Alan didn't need to become a copy of him; he just needed to be aware that the system wasn't going to keep him safe. At the very least, Ethan now knew Alan wouldn't be a reckless burden on this path.
"Alright, let's get back to the important things," Ethan said, his expression shifting to seriousness. "Did you find out anything about the Blue Mountains? I'm getting low on points. At this pace, I might not be able to eat soon."
Alan's attention snapped back to the present. "Cough... well, I found some general knowledge, but nothing about the specific dangers of the area. The cheapest detailed information I could find is going for 10 points. I can try to bargain with the user for less."
Ethan tapped his forehead with his index finger, thinking. "Tell me about the general information first. We'll decide after that. We could always ask Sansa and see if she'll answer for cheaper, or even free, as part of our tutoring."
Alan was, once again, amazed at how Ethan was always quick with practical solutions.
"The Blue Mountain," Alan began, reciting what he'd learned. "It's said that a Demigod-rank ascendant once used the mountain for meditation, and the resulting mutation of the mountain's energy comes from the law that the ascendant cultivated. The mountain was originally a mine for elemental stones, but it took on the characteristics of that ascendant's energy, which created the True Blue Stones. The Order uses it as a resource point, but entry is restricted to Initiates only.