Queen Qirien sat on her throne, sipping the warm tea in her hand. The edge of the teacup inched closer to her supple lips, but she stopped. The door to the great hall opened as a beautiful woman entered.

 

The sound of her heels echoed in the great hall. Her white linen chemise trailed from behind, sweeping up the floor of the great hall. Yet not a speck of dirt blemished the pristine white of the chemise. Her honey-blonde hair and pale emerald eyes accentuated the simple beauty of hers and the chemise. She bowed slightly at Queen Qirien.

 

“Greetings my queen,” said this beautiful alva.

 

“What brings you here, second-elder? I did not see you in the last meeting,” said Queen Qirien. She continued sipping her tea, not bothered by the appearance of this second elder.

 

The impassive face of the second elder changed as a frown appeared in between her eyebrows.

 

“I was told that my disciple has been given to the human,” said the second elder. A stony stare coming from the second elder as deep down her patience was running thin.

 

“Your action is becoming unsightly, Lautiria,” said Queen Qirien. She stared back at Lautiria as a heavy pressure succumbed to the latter.

 

Lautiria flinched a bit as her legs started shaking under pressure. Yet she remained standing tall but slightly lowering her gaze. Lautiria's action was out of the line. She was facing the Queen of Vindtra and not some schmuck besides the street. 

 

“I apologize for my misbehavior, and I congratulate your majesty for the success of your Transmigration Art. But a question remained in this elder’s head, do we need the human?” asked Lautiria.

 

“We are out options, and time is of the essence, we need him more than you can possibly think,” the queen answered.

 

“I have heard rumors floating around. The human is free from a slave pact. It is dangerous, your majesty, at any time he could betray us! Like…” said Lautiria. 

 

Lautiria stopped as she saw the queen’s hand being raised.

 

“A man being bound by the shackle of slavery will not help us with a sincere heart. He agreed to save us all knowing he is up against an insurmountable wall, and I, as the Queen, will not betray that trust,” said Queen Qirien.

 

“He agreed? A foolish man with an inflated ego and arrogance. What tier is he, your majesty? For him to have such confidence, it must be at the higher end,” said Lautiria.

 

“He is a Guest,” said Queen Qirien.

 

“Tier three? Huh, a laughable cause. If we tread on this path, we will be doom, your majesty,” said Lautiria.

 

“You questioning my decision?” the queen asked.

  

“No, my queen, but the logical path is to request aid from…” Lautiria’s words cut off as the pressure blanketed over her becoming stronger.

 

“Silence!” roared the Queen. Lautiria dropped on one of her knees. 

 

“Utter another word about them, and you shall face my wrath,” said Queen Qirien.

 

“I ask for the forgiveness of the Queen, this elder has stepped beyond her boundary,” said Lautiria.

 

“Do not play around with your useless chatter Lautiria. Tell me now the real reason for you being here,” said Queen Qirien.

 

“Please return my disciple,” said Lautiria. It was the only reason she stepped inside this great hall. A great hall that she had long abandoned.

 

“I cannot entertain your request Lautiria,” said Queen Qirien. “He asked for a healer, and she is the only one we have.”

 

“But…” Queen Qirien interrupted Lautiria with a raise of her hand.

 

“Do not misunderstand, Lautiria. He only asks for aid and nothing else,” said Queen Qirien.

 

“He is not taking her to battle?” asked Lautiria.

 

“No,” said Queen Qirien.

 

“Then what for, did the human asked for her?” Lautiria asked. As right now, confusion was all over her face.

 

“I do not know, but it seems he requested a running partner,” said the Queen.

 

Both were left with no answers as none of them knew the reason why Kevin was running of all things.

 

On the outskirt of the city, a man was heaving for his breath. His feet were barely off the ground shuffling over the dirt. The speed when he started had dwindled to a pathetic walking pace. Yet he did not stop his run.

 

Shit, my lungs hurt, my flank hurt. And I’m starting to feel my legs cramping again. I can’t do this anymore.

 

“He… Heal,” said Kevin.

 

But the thing he expected did not come. His head turned slowly to the side. He saw a woman was staring at him with a weird look on her face.

 

“Heal me,” said Kevin.

 

The woman snapped out of it as she reached her arm to Kevin. Green circles appeared rotating around her hand as her action enveloped Kevin in a warm fuzzy light.

 

His pain, his imminent leg cramp, and his heavy breathing vanished in a blink of an eye. The shuffling feet turned into huge strides. Kevin was back to his optimum form. To begin with, he was unfit, but he had no choice but to turn it around.

 

This is freaking hard. I should have expected it to be this hard when compared to playing a game. 

 

Kevin was having second thought about this idea of his but giving up wouldn’t be the best way. 

 

No, I can’t give up. Not right now. This is just the beginning. But damn, this is so hard.

 

He realized the reality between real and virtual. It was easier when he was just sitting on his comfy chair and clicking around the keyboard and mouse. Finding mysteries and secrets in the game was a whole lot easier when you’re not gasping for air. 

 

No matter, he had no choice other than to follow it through. He did have a few other methods but seeing he had an opportunity at hand. He might as well use it to the best of his ability.

 

Meanwhile, the alva woman who was running besides Kevin still couldn’t comprehend why she was stuck with this human. Yaereene, a disciple of Lautiria. She, like any alva, despised the human, and being side by side with one enhanced her hate.

 

She was one of the younger generations of the Vindtra to still survived after the invasion. The last thing she wanted to see was the vile and disgusting humans, but the Queen’s order was absolute. 

 

She suppressed her hateful emotion and followed along to the whim of this human. Unlike those other alvas who could easily show their discontent, Yaereene had trouble expressing herself.

 

Even now, while running beside Kevin, the awkward smile still hung on her face. The insincerity was apparent, and yet it didn’t change as she continued to do so.

 

“Heal,” said Kevin.

 

Being ordered by a human was infuriating as well as humiliating, but she did her job. The green circles appeared, and the tired Kevin returned to his optimum state.

 

In the beginning, Yaereene was shocked. Seeing a human in front of her was the last thing she expected. She felt even a bit of fear crawling inside her heart. More so, being the disciple of Lautiria, every day, she was hammered by her teacher about the evil and dirtiness of mankind. There was not a day that she didn't hear the story of humans massacring anyone in their path for conquest.

 

She was afraid of encountering a human, and after being told she was to aid Kevin, it only heightened her sense of wariness. She couldn’t let her guard down even for a second. The Queen told her about Kevin’s circumstances, and she thought she would go out of Edelstein for Kevin’s training.

 

But contrary to her expectation, her job was merely healing him while accompanying his endless running. 

 

“Heal,” said Kevin.

 

She healed him without much hassle and continued running along with him. If it wasn’t for her high level as well as her adequate stat, she wouldn’t be able to follow along with this nonsensical stunt of his. Two hours went by of him doing this, and it didn’t seem he would be stopping anytime sooner.

 

Another five hours passed, and Yaereene was adapting herself well with the absurd situation. Kevin was no longer needed to request a heal as only a glance at Yaereene was enough for her to took action.

 

When is this going to stop? A simple though tin Yaereen's head.

 

But then she suddenly stopped. The person besides her was no longer there. She turned around and saw Kevin standing there staring at the air. For the first time, Yaereene was seeing Kevin smiling from ear to ear.

 

Vitality increased by 1

 

It works! The thing I did in the game works here.

 

Finally, the thing he desired had come. Him running for seven hours straight finally gave some result. In a way, his effort wasn’t useless.

 

Then it’s possible! The thing I’ve tried in the game can be replicated here in this world, the real world.

 

Kevin couldn’t stop smiling. Even his heart was beating faster like it was thrilled along with Kevin. The sense of accomplishment he felt was like the first step of what he wanted to achieve.

 

“Are you not well?” Yaereene asked as she approached Kevin.

 

A second later, she realized her action. She realized she worried about the human that she despised. She bit her lip and turned away from Kevin. 

 

Her emotion was in disarray. Deep inside, she was fighting for the sake of her hatred, to justify her reason for hating humans. If Kevin knew of what she was feeling, he would have pitied her. Yaereene wasn’t the type to hate others, much less wanting to hurt another person. She was much alike with her class, an acolyte, someone who cherished the life of others, caring and compassionate. But the time of war could easily influence the most kind and the most naive. Clenching her fists tightly, she kept quiet with her head down, fighting her internal struggle.

 

Then a voice came.

 

“Miss Yaereene, sorry for being a bother, but can you help me for a little more while,” said Kevin.

 

She looked up and saw the smiling face of Kevin. She didn’t say a word and only let out a forced smile. 

 

Kevin ran first ahead, and Yaereene quickly followed him behind. But as she saw his back. Unknown to her, the edge of her lips curled a bit.