Chapter 2: The Two-Meter Man.

Confluence.

Chapter: 2

Title: The Two-Meter Man.

Time passed, and Thales got used to the environment around him. His life was summed up in complete boredom. There was no chance of making friends with anyone in his class, as they were all younger than him.

"I'm going to go crazy."

Rarely fell asleep during classes, taking the time to read. He closed his book as if he had a great idea. "I have nothing to lose."

Everyone looked at him. "I was talking to myself, don't pay attention to me." The children's attention was even more aroused; he rarely spoke, and many thought he was mute.

"Can you speak?" Asked one of the children, all waiting for an answer.

Thales didn't know what to say and remained silent.

After classes, he went home, somehow managing to be independent, although this independence made no sense. Lost in thought, something caught his attention: older students having martial arts classes.

He observed intensely, trying to assess their strength. "I get it! I'm in bad shape." He couldn't determine anything.

Something in the group caught his attention, and he approached. He came to a scary, thin man two meters tall.

Good afternoon.

He just looked at Thales and turned his attention to a group of ants on the ground.

"My name is Thales, sir, you seem very strong, could you teach me how to fight?"

He didn't even look at Thales.

"This is my fourth year of school, and I don't have many expectations for my future. This universe is scary and dangerous. Could you help me, sir?"

"Your parents must have fed you very well." The man finally spoke.

Thales didn't want to hear those words from a two-meter man. "No, I had already completed my studies, but for many reasons, I had to go back to studying everything from scratch."

The man looked at him, took his chin, and spoke.

"Are you a co-governance candidate? Were you compatible?"

"They didn't tell me, just informed me that the information came from the main Cardinal, and I was forced to study in a room full of children." Despite his appearance, the man was kind.

"If I were you, I would have definitely gone crazy." The man sympathized with Thales.

"Come on Saturdays and Sundays and whenever you have time, I will always be here."

"Thank you." Thales was very happy; he was already tired of books.

"Well, sir, what can I call you?"

"Naxos."

Naxos thought that the boy who had the courage to speak to him would not withstand the pressure of his training and would give up in a few months. However, during those months, he could have free food.

The students who were training thought Thales was related to Naxos, as a sane person would never dare to casually face someone as scary as him.

Thales took Naxos's words seriously; he practically had free time all week. If he missed classes, no one would miss him, and he also got the opportunity to try something he once couldn't.

"This time I will get stronger."

The next day, early in the morning, he was there to train and surprisingly found Naxos sitting on the bench.

"Seriously? You look like a robot." Thales thought, full of prejudices.

"First, we must improve your endurance. You should run about thirty kilometers, maybe that will work."

"Where should I run to?" He had faced something more terrible.

"Go north. They sell something there that I want to eat for lunch. District 4 should be about twenty kilometers away. When you pass by the street, you will see what I want. When you buy it, you can come back."

Thales started running, giving his all until he reached the fourth district. He soon noticed that there were many people eating on the street; it seemed to be a place for that purpose. He didn't have to look far; he soon saw what Naxos wanted.

It was a lunchbox in the shape of an ant. The food was expensive, but he had no choice but to buy it.

"Two, please." He thought he should eat next to his new master, as the old one always lost his appetite when he saw him.

Naxos was different; he was much kinder. Thales started running back.

"Ah! I hope this time is different. Hmm, this is good." He was happy.

He ran faster and arrived where Naxos was.

"You arrived at the perfect moment." Naxos was still on the park bench.

"You bought two?"

"And you bought what I wanted! You must really like me." Naxos was very happy, snatching the two lunchboxes from Thales' hands and starting to eat.

"...Yes, I bought two for you. (~My money)" Thales lamented as Naxos enjoyed the two lunchboxes.

"What should I do now?"

"I also wanted to know. Do you want me to teach you how to pilot?" Naxos spoke with food in his mouth.

Thales shook his head. "My stomach doesn't allow me to get on vehicles that move abruptly. What I want is to learn to fight with my body."

"Do you have a body capable of raising your physical fitness level?" Naxos continued.

"Or do you have hopes of finding someone compatible and exerting your strength in what's called co-governance?" Thales had none of these things.

"I doubt there is someone genetically and mentally compatible with me." He replied sadly.

"It will be very difficult for you to survive in this universe in the situation you are in; you have very weak physical conditioning. That's regrettable."

"It's also a great loss that I can't teach you how to pilot; I was a legend in piloting." Naxos decided what he should teach Thales.

Naxos, besides being a great teacher, also became a great friend.

Time passed.

On a rainy day, Thales threw his fists into the great storm, next to him was a two-meter tall man.

"I must admit, you are extraordinary." Naxos spoke, still sitting on the park bench.

"I doubt you sleep eight hours; I don't doubt you only think about martial arts. I think this is the limit to how much I can teach you; now it all depends on you."

Thales clenched his fists. "Maybe the universe is against me!?"

"I can't say, but there are people who were not made for a certain thing; that may be your case." Naxos seemed very sad.

Thales went home in the midst of the storm; it seemed that nothing in his life had value. He no longer needed to go train, so he had to return to classes. He was already accustomed to the sanction of failure and recovered very quickly.

When he opened the classroom door, he noticed many differences; his classmates had grown. 'How long did I train with Naxos,' he wondered.

No one bothered him, and the teachers didn't say anything; they knew the situation Thales was in. They nurtured a more positive emotion towards him; they admired him.

Anyone in the same situation as the poor boy would probably have given up on studies and entered a life that would not bring benefits. However, that boy had not given up; he did not run away from reality, he faced it.

Many knew what Thales was doing to avoid attending classes; their sense of admiration for him multiplied. Thales was unaware of this; he thought everyone saw him as the worst kind of trash.

It had been a long time since he had seen such a wonderful class as the one that had just happened; this sparked a new interest in him.