Max looked up to see the boy's face.
"Chris!"
He said in a shrill and shocking tone.
'Wait, how do I even know you?'
"Max. So that was you! Are you hurt? So sorry about that. Mr Rhodes can be a bit intense at times, especially on us hybrids.
"Hey, is your headache gone now? I thought we could head on to the clinic before night falls to get you fixed up."
While he spoke, he could only capture fragments of Chris' speech as he still wondered how and why this face seemed all too familiar to him.
Memories began washing up on the shore of remembrance.
He could remember Chris and meeting him but in shattered order and with a foggy recall.
He also remembered heading out into the woods as soon as the bus dropped due to an intense migraine headache he was having.
But none of the memories were his own. They seemed to belong to someone else.
Perhaps, someone also named Max Fentanyl with this same body.
'Could it be I was transmigrated?'
'What did that goddess do?'
His face contorted with shock as he attested his inference was valid.
Chris too was uneased by the spinning expression on his 'friend's' face.
"Okay, I see what's going on here."
Max quickly jumped out of his reflective moment.
"You are scared of docs, aren't you?"
"What?"
"Don't worry. No need for denial. As soon as we finish with the clinic we are off to have a delicious meal in this awesome space the academy got us. You gonna love it."
"Academy?"
"Come on. Stop playing dumb and let's get that wounded arm of yours fixed up as well," he said as he grabbed Max by the other arm and briskly walked towards the clinic.
He held his arm tight and with an obvious dodge of delay.
"Hold on. What's the rush."
"Haven't you heard? There have been rumors of some shadow terrorizing this place at night so whatever we are doing, we've gotta do it quickly to avoid being victims as well."
"As well?"
"I heard that last night, some level 5 guys were beaten dead on the alley path and robbed of all their cores. Don't wanna be them so..", he walked with an intent increase in speed.
***
In the Academy space
"It's too bad that there wasn't any efficient spell they could perform to instantly cure your arm but I believe these herbal medications should get you up and running in no time."
"Thanks," he said as he stepped out of the shower and sauntered to a corner to dress himself for bed.
"What time did he say the ceremony was again?"
"In two days. At noon."
"Okay. Men I am beat. People around here sure don't joke with their meat."
"Seriously. Did you see how the mistress stared at me when I ordered a salad and not her meat porridge? She looked so livid," Chris chuckled while taking a sit by his bedside.
"Ya! The look on her face sure was amusing. Best look out for her tomorrow. I think someone isn't gonna have a pleasant breakfast," he said in a puerile and playful tempo to his words.
"Oh please. Let her do her worst. I'll gladly take her on with just my finger," he said jokingly and the two burst out in laughter.
Even though Chris and Max weren't as close before his transmigration, he tried as much as he could to build up a relationship with someone here to educate him properly on the intricacies of this new reality.
And Chris was perfect for it.
From his insight, he saw he was a hybrid like him, had a fair stat composition and seemed to be social hence information could get by him fast.
Clash! Clash! Clash!
Noises of clattering metal could be heard blaring outside.
Max quickly got up and peeked through the window side to sight the source of the sound.
It was dark so he couldn't get a clear view but from the helpless cries below he could tell some people needed help.
"People…They never listen."
"What do you mean?"
"Weren't we properly informed about the outbreak of some shady figure wandering about at night? Yet some still wouldn't adhere to such simple instructions. Whatever they get, they deserve."
Max looked down in pity and pondered on whether to help or not.
"Don't tell me you're thinking of going down there?"
" But don't you think we should help–?"
Chris quickly cut in. "Definitely not. Just as we were, they too were warned and now face the consequence of their disobedience."
Max thought for a while before he gave in. "You are right."
"Sure fact."
"Besides there wasn't much we could do to help them," he said trying to find justification for his actions.
The sounds continued momentarily before it abruptly halted with each falling voice.
"There! They are all knocked out cold. Probably in the morning, if they are still kicking, though doubt it, they'll surely have learned their lesson."
His words were a bit cold and harsh but were nothing short of the truth.
The two went on talking that night and soon later got some shut-eye to get an early rise for tomorrow.
The next day.
"I never knew you were this much of an early riser.
"You could have at least let me finish breakfast before leaving the dorm. What is it you are out to get this morning?"
"Power."
Chris' expression stilled for a moment before bursting with a loud giggle.
"Power! You've got to be joking. Leave that quest for the pure blood, not us. That's way off from our reach."
"And why is that? After awakening, power shouldn't be too far from there, right?"
"'After you awake' may never actually even come let alone power. Remember we have only about a 10% chance at this."
"10%! Really. So this is more like a luck game for us."
Dreams and hope quaked that instance almost subject to the fate of quell.
"Why do you act so surprised like you didn't already know this? Everyone knows that the only way we hybrids are ever gonna try to scratch the surface of power is through ability books."
Somehow, through all the haze in 'Max's' memories, that word shone bright the minute he heard it.