True intentions

"Y-Yes. I thought that this could be the case...", Xavier admitted while scratching his neck. He was feeling a bit helpless while saying so to Ares, but it was only the truth.

"I mean, you are a very rare case. There aren't many trainees that come here before they Awaken. There isn't someone who is possibly weaker than you out there unless it's some crazy person that decides to come here without any physical preparation, and that's impossible by the way."

"Why is it impossible for someone like this to come here and become a trainee?"

Xavier rolled his eyes as if it was the most obvious question in the world.

"Because the people that are allowed to participate are the ones that get the approval of one of the two Colonels of Stokil Fortress. They only call people that they can see growth potential. Otherwise, any idiot that appeared in Stokil would be able to participate and get killed due to lack of preparation.

"That's another reason why types like you are very strange to appear. I didn't know about a single trainee before that couldn't control Mana, at least. It's already rare to see people Awakened coming here without any knowledge about the Mystical Arts, just trusting on their Mana alone."

Ares understood now what was happening there. It took a bit of time because lots of information wasn't explained to him by Isaac, the Guardian that guided him, nor Donovan and Giovani, who couldn't see him before he left that break room.

'That's why Isaac was always saying something about the Colonel ordering him to take me. It means that she approved my potential... Why is that? I didn't do any kind of test. Or maybe she knows about my journey alone through the forest and thought that it was explicit evidence about my strength?'

The boy was lost in thoughts again, which made Xavier feel ignored.

"Hey! You always get immersed in your thoughts, huh? That's not the first time... Why are you so pensive?"

Ares looked at him with confusion on his face.

"Isn't that normal? The thought is the very core of all our actions and the most decisive factor of our success in our plans. It's just natural that I will overthink about many things that get my interest," Ares recited that quote as if he memorized it and, actually, he did.

That was the response that his father gave to him when he asked the very same thing that Xavier asked.

The latter looked at him with amusement, and a bit of curiosity. Ares surely was out of the line. He wasn't the average teenager that you would find out there.

'Well, that's an idiot thing to think in a place like this. All people here are outliners. After all, just this kind of person would be willing to go through hell during one year just to keep going through hell during the rest of their lives inside a fortress, hehe...', his giggle in the final was more of an irony, because he was talking about himself and his future, in a certain way.

"Well, leaving these things aside and returning to the main subject... The truth is that I am taking this opportunity to team up with you, yes. That's also because, while conversing with you now, despite your straightforward personality, I liked you. I think that we can get along well.

"Furthermore, think with me about it: we are the only enemies of those guys. We are by ourselves against eighteen strong people. This last week and a half will be decisive. They will use their last cards to make us give up, so they can have the exam just for them and have a 100% of chance of becoming Novices with the people that they themselves selected.

"It's just me and you. So why not team up to make things easier? We can't make one of them give up, after all. However, we can struggle together not to do it as well. Of course, they will still try to mess with us during the exam, but they will be fighting against one another too, so it will be easier for us."

Ares, as always, got pensive about what he said. Xavier surely was a smooth-talker. He knew how to control people's desires and make them correlate with his own desires and goals. He could influence others easily.

That was Ares' first impression of him. Not that it was a bad thing, but Ares didn't have good experiences with smooth-talkers.

'Anyway, he doesn't seem to be a bad person. And, analyzing all this information that he said to me, it is improbable that he is going against me. After all, with this system of approving just eighteen novices, even if he deceives and traps me, he is weak and it won't change. People will go after him, or end with his plans during the exams. Actually, this deal benefits me much more than him.'

Ares felt that it was the best way to go at that moment. He didn't know how much useful Xavier could be, but he was a trainee much more time than Ares was. He knew about many things that the latter didn't know yet.

'Also, I would be lying if I said that I don't care about eighteen people wanting my head. These rules of the trainees really got me off guard. If I knew it before, I wouldn't let them know that I didn't have my Awakening yet nor measure my power.'

Ares stopped to think and stared straight into Xavier's eyes. He noticed the dark color of those eyes and tried to find any trace of malice.

With a serious voice that didn't seem to belong to a fourteen-year-old teenager, he stated:

"If you betray me, you better expect something worst than just not becoming a Novice or getting bullied every day. Got it?" He offered a handshake.

"Ugh, scary... Ok, ok. I know. Also, after seeing what you can do with that battle-axe, I won't dare to mess with you. Erwin didn't let it show on the surface at the moment, but he sure was frightened when he realized that the blade of an axe was near his neck. I am certain that he couldn't even see your movements."