Resolve-H

I swing my mace before protecting myself behind the shield. Once done, I repeat over and over again. My muscles ache and hurt since I've been doing this for hours without stopping. The pain is uncomfortable but I have grown accustomed to both weapons.

The mace is heavy and all the weight is focused on the head. It feels nothing like my bat but it's essentially the same when it comes to fighting, just more powerful and somewhat uncomfortable to swing in comparison.

The shield on the other hand is simple and comfortable to use. I'm sure there must be some kind of technique to use it effectively but just putting it between me and whatever attacks me does the trick.

I've been repeating these movements ever since Nayuta and Touji left four hours ago. Being alone with my thoughts is dangerous right now so I started doing this to occupy my mind. I'm used to doing exercise so I have been able to do this for quite a while, but even I have a limit.

I dropped both weapons to the ground as it suddenly became a lot harder to breathe. I fell to my knees while sweat was pouring out of my pores like crazy...it seems like I overdid it. My arms are shaking and my muscles ache like hell. I knew that I was getting closer to my limit a while ago but I ignored it because there wasn't anything more to do.

"I should drink some water..."

We don't have much but i feel really dehydrated...i stayed like that for a while before getting up and walking towards my bag, as i did so i saw Sophia staring at me with blank eyes.

She woke up about two hours after Nayuta and Touji left. My first reaction was to talk to her but she didn't react at all. I tried a lot of things but she just stared at nothing the whole time. Im worried but I don't know what to do.

Seeing her like that makes me want to cry, which is precisely what I was trying to avoid by training. I walked towards my bag and took a small water bottle from the inside. Before we got to this horrendous place we were on a school trip to the mountains. Most of our classmates only brought a single water bottle but Nayuta was different. She and I have gone hiking together so she knows how tiresome it is, so she had us pack multiple bottles. We drank most of them on the trip and once we got here we survived with what we had left.

"I only have two more..."

We all had about the same amount of water so there was no need to distribute it equally or something like that. However we have been here for almost a week so water is scarce now. Fortunately, we have a lot of food even if most of it is just vegetables and dry meat.

I sat down and I brought the water bottle to my mouth. It wasn't refreshing nor satisfactory. It was hot and unsavory. Maybe it's because I'm used to only drinking sport drinks but water has never been a favorite of mine, but still this water seems awfully worse than normal. I took a bite of a carrot too. It was old and didnt have much flavor but it wasnt rancid or anything like that, so its fine.

"I...don't know what to do now."

I have been trying to avoid thinking about it, much like everybody else...but I really don't have much hope of going back home. I try to stay positive, after all maybe the next gate we find will send us back but...it just doesn't seem to be the case.

I'm sure that Nayuta doesn't care much about going back home, she doesn't have anything that binds her there, but it is not the same for me. My parents may not have been precisely good to me after my brother's death but I still love them. My dream of becoming a professional baseball player is another thing that makes me want to come back and I also want to travel the world like I once did with my brother when we went to Europe together but more importantly...I fear for my life.

We havent been here for much time but i have already witnessed horrors that i only thought possible in horror movies. Zombies, monsters and mutants...beings i never expected to encounter and yet i have already killed multiple of them. The blood of those corpses still terrifies me but i cant afford to show weakness, i know that i will crumble the moment i do.

"I guess that i have no option but to fight"

I don't like it, but if I want to get back home, I need to survive, and the only way for me to survive is to get stronger. I need to get strong enough to guarantee my friends' lives and my own...there is no other choice.

I stood up, ready to start training once again, but I stopped when I felt a tug on my sleeves. I turned around only to see Sophia grabbing my sleeves as she looked up at me with tears in her eyes and a frail expression on her face.

Her stare still seemed somewhat blank, but I clearly saw it. She was sad, scared and... Scarred.

There wasn't much thought going on in my head. I just embraced her in my arms and let her let her tears out. She was crying like I had never seen her do so before. I felt my shoulder get wet from all the tears coming down her cheeks.

I'm not sure what triggered this reaction. She had been looking blankly at me the whole time and now she suddenly broke down. It may sound bad but I am relieved. I was scared she had been hit so badly with trauma that she couldn't react properly anymore.

She isn't weak by any means. She always keeps a smile on her face even if she feels sad or angry, she's sporty and outgoing, she enjoys a challenge...and yet she is so frail. Nayuta and Touji are capable. They know how to take care of themselves, avoid danger or defend from it, but she doesnt...I guess thats another reason to train.

As she eventually calmed down, I took a step back and saw her eyes once more. They were red from all the crying but even though i could still see the sadness in them, i also saw what i could only assume to be resolve. It was like a mix of anger and resolution, something I have only ever seen in the faces of teammates with the desire for revenge after a lost match.

"Haruto, let me train with you!"

That surprised me. Although she enjoys playing games and sports she has never been the type to train for anything, but I can guess where that's coming from.

"Sure girl, let's do our best!"

Even thought it was faint. i saw her smile again. Again that smile was probably a mask to cover the fear but...thats enough for me, seeing her smile is better than not.