Zane looked at Onilia with a blank expression.
"I'm well aware of my own shortcomings, Onilia." he said in a low tone, but loud enough for the alien girl to hear.
"Surely you didn't wake me up to remind me how pathetic I am, did you? Even without you saying anything, I bet every single trainee here already knows my name by now. The trainee who died several times… just because he couldn't withstand the gravity."
He let out a bitter chuckle and looked away, walking to the window. He stared up at the sky and sighed.
"The same trainee who took nearly two months to climb the same damn mountain others scaled in minutes. Hell, I couldn't even open a stupid door without your help. So tell me, why are you saying all this to me?" Zane finally turned to look at the girl.
"It wasn't my intention to belittle you," she said in a gentle voice.
"The reason I'm saying all this is because I'm going to help you change that. It won't be overnight, but with time, no one will be able to say those words to you again." She placed a hand on her chest as she spoke.
Zane laughed out loud as he laid on the bed, adjusting the pillow under his head.
He stared up at the ceiling as if lost in thought.
A cool breeze drifted into the room, fluttering the curtains.
Zane had never trusted anyone—not his teachers, neighbors and definitely not his family.
The only exception—the only person who ever meant anything to him—was his little sister.
Ariel.
When he was thrown out of the house, his father, cold and controlling, had made sure Ariel couldn't lift a finger to help him. He watched her closely, kept records of everything she bought, made sure no money found its way to Zane.
Still, she found ways. Small ones.
She sent him little amounts of money when she could, quietly, carefully. It was never much, but to him, it was everything. It wasn't about the amount—it was about where it came from, even though he never received it.
Zane had enrolled in a school. Following his long-term plan, he could barely manage to afford a single room—just enough to survive. His room was tiny, a little more than a box. The walls were chipped, and the floor creaked with every step. He may have planned for most of it, but the world didn't make it any easier.
He may be young, but he had learned something about the way of the world. 'A man for himself, God for all.'
So now… now, on this strange planet where gravity threatened to crush his bones, some alien girl kept helping him again and again—and what? He was supposed to believe she was just being nice?
'Bullshit.' He cursed inwardly.
Zane closed his eyes and spoke.
"The price?" He stared at the girl through the corners of his eyes without turning his head.
"What… what do you mean?" Onilia asked, confused.
Zane opened his eyes and looked at Onilia. Her eyes, calm and unreadable, stared back at him with that same quiet look she always wore. But he couldn't understand it. He couldn't trust it.
"From the moment I arrived," he said quietly, "you've continued to help me—over and over again. I was grateful at first, but as the saying goes, 'too much of everything is bad.'"
He stared back at the ceiling, then at the floating crystal orb.
"You're also the only reason the other trainees have yet to pick on me. You're always there. It has always been a universal rule—the strong bully the weak and call it survival of the fittest. But how could they, when you're always there—ever present by my side. Where I come from, people help only when they expect something in return. That's the rule. No one gives for free. No one's kind just to be kind. What do you want from me, Onilia?"
After a long pause, she took two strides and sat at the edge of the bed. She placed the sword on the floor beside the bed.
"You're right, Zane," she said quietly. "I did want something. But not from you."
'Actually I was only honoring my brother's words. But I grew fonder by the day. It's such a nice feeling to look after someone weaker than myself.' She thought.
Zane blinked. "What's that supposed to mean?" The truth was, she didn't even seem to realize how much she'd helped a complete stranger.
She paused, twisting her fingers in her lap.
"If you want a satisfying answer, then it's because you remind me of a friend I lost during the Tutorial."
Onilia took a slow breath. Her fingers twisted, then relaxed.
'Someone she lost. Does she think I'll fall for that?' Zane thought.
"The system we live in… it's not fair. It had never been. Everyone talks about ranks and power, but they forget the cost. Losing a Ranking Competition doesn't just mean your world falls—it can mean losing everything."
Zane's brows pulled together. "What do you mean by everything? And why are you telling me this now?"
She looked at him, and the light caught her eyes, making them shine like deep oceans.
"Besides risking your own life," she said slowly, "you also risk losing what's most precious to you. I'm a candidate of the current Ranking Competition, and my opponent has already been decided. If I lose…" She paused.
"I lose my family. My home. My world."
Zane's eyes widened. He quickly sat up, facing the girl. "W-what? You're participating? But… you're Apex-ranked. There's no way you'd lose, right? Why would you come here if something that important was at stake?"
Onilia gave a soft, almost bitter chuckle.
"There's still time before the battle. And I'm not invincible, Zane."
She stood, her tone hardening. "Being the strongest Ranker in my family means if I fail… I'll lose them all. They could be sold into the Universal Slave Market or worse."
Taking a few steps toward the window, she spoke. "It's a horrible place. Where people who've lost their freedom are bought and sold like objects, treated however their new owners decide. And the victor… can do whatever they want with my world. They could destroy it, enslave it, drain it of all its resources. It'll no longer belong to us."
Zane sat frozen. 'If an Apex Ranker is this uncertain of her victory, just imagine Earth.'
He stared at her, struggling to understand the weight she was carrying.
The way she'd trained beside him, stayed patient with him, protected him—even smiled—while all this was going on… it suddenly felt unreal.
"But why come here?" he asked again, quieter this time.
Onilia turned, her hair catching the light as she faced him. "Because I needed more strength. I heard the Master's training broke almost everyone—but the five who survived it… became legends. Beings whose power could shake the Tower itself."
Her voice trembled, just barely.
"I want that power. I need it. And I thought… maybe I could find others too. Allies. People who could stand with me when the time came."
'For an Apex to make all this preparation before the real battle, just who the hell is she up against.'
Zane swallowed hard. "So who are you fighting, exactly? What kind of opponent could make even you afraid?"
Onilia's smile faded.
Her sapphire eyes locked onto his, and her voice dropped to a whisper.
"Zelkish, the Destroyer," she said.
Zane looked at her, but said nothing.
'What can I say? An Apex Ranker is afraid, and Earth hasn't even finished its tutorial.'