Love? and Survival

Earlier that day, when the gates to the base had just closed, Ripley and a small group of about five nobles were deciding which direction to go. However, Ripley did not want to admit it. Aston and Kayla were a strong group, and thus, he decided to follow the direction that they had gone.

Ripley and his group kept a distance from Aston's group so they were not noticed. He hoped to follow behind them and mooch off their hard work and effort. They were strong, so they could take care of anything beast that came their way. So they could follow the cleared path behind them and survive the Exam.

"Ripley, are you sure we should follow these commoners?" asked Frank, one of Ripley's lackeys. "Yes, isn't that the disrespectful commoner from the other day?" rubbing his hands together, Jack asked, "We could use this chance to get revenge and teach him a listen now."

"Do that, and we will probably get killed by those two commoners. Overall their combat strength is greater than ours." Ripley looked in the distance as Kayla climbed the tree. "Plus, that commoner girl there has caught my interest. Can't you see her sublime beauty? It would be a crime to harm such a maiden."

"Boss, it looks like they are going to head east. Should we follow?" another noble in their group asked.

"Yes, we will allow these commoners to carve a path ahead for us," Ripley said as they followed behind Aston and Kayla. Ripley began to remember what had brought him to this crazy Exam. The truth was that Ripley was scared of how he would survive. His father forced him to take part in this Exam. Saying that if he couldn't pass the Exam and prove his worth, he would not be allowed to use the Gate his family owned, and his father would disown him.

In truth, Ripley had trained very hard in his youth, but his younger brother showed him just how untalented he was. So Ripley stopped trying so hard and spent his days goofing off with his friends and drinking. However, one day his father pulled him into his office.

"Ripley, I am disappointed in you. Despite your lack of talent, I planned on making you the head of the family because you were smart and level-headed. But just seeing someone more talented than you caused you to give up and stop trying." His father, Reiss Holloway, shook his head.

"I did not plan to do this, but you give me no choice. I am sending you to Gate University to have you compete in the Exam. Should you pass, you may still yet inherit the family head position and be able to use the Gate freely. However, should you fail, I will have to disown you, and your brother shall take up the head of the family.

"Father, why must you do this? I will not survive that Exam! That Exam is for commoners or illegitimate children from noble families or nobles with Gates that are not very valuable. The pass rate is low, and many die in the survival test. Would you truly send me to my death!?" Ripley shouted at his father

"You have spent too much time with your hooligan friends." Reiss put his hand on his head. "Do you truly believe that crap that we are better than everyone?" Reiss pulled out a picture and put it on the table. "Your younger brother is from another mother. After having you, your mother could no longer bear children, so I had to find another wife to continue our lineage." Reiss said as he tapped the photo.

"Your brother was born from a commoner, and he ended up being the most talented Holloway our family has seen in generations. Our noble families are not any different from commoners. We just had better fortune and opportunities that allowed us to have our own Gates. What truly sets us apart is our ability to have sway in the Star Empire." Reiss said as he turned his chair around to face out of the office windows.

"If you can't survive the Exam and pass, then you would not have achieved anything in another world regardless. To have you waste your life away is a dishonor to the hard work our family has done to get where we are today." Reiss sighed.

"Go, Ripley, do not return if you do not pass. If you can pass and return, hopefully, you will learn how vast our universe is and how to put aside your pride." Reiss waved Ripley out of the office.

During the Exam, Ripley had indeed seen a lot. He saw that there were people who did not fear status, people who, despite being talentless, still risked their lives to achieve great things. He also saw how many ordinary people were much stronger than the nobles. People like them who took their blessing for granted were outshined by ordinary people who had worked hard and had put their talents to good use.

However, he still had yet to drop his pride and continued to talk down to these ordinary people as if he was better. He feared that the moment he accepted them as equals, he would realize how little he matters in the universe and that he was just a speck in time among the story of the world.

Back to Aston and Kayla. After a while, Aston and Kayla noticed they were being followed and sped up. It did not take long for them to lose their tail. "I wonder who was following us?" Aston asked as they sat in the trees of the giant forest.

"I am not sure, but we shouldn't take any chances," Kayla said, playing with the bow in her hand.

As the sun dropped, Aston and Kayla sat down together in silence. After a while, they both decided to ask each other something but spoke at the same time. Embarrassed, they went silent again before Aston spoke up.

"Kayla, what are your plans after the exam?" Aston asked as he looked at Kayla. She was truly a beautiful girl. She had fair white skin with a light tan. Her hair was that cool silver color, and her eyes were the most prominent feature she had with their light purple shade. Aston had never really paid attention to girls growing up. He had friends but did not spend much time with them. He spent most of his time studying and training. He was quite the bookworm.

He once had a girl ask him out, but he did not think much of it and turned her down. He was unsure what to do with a girlfriend and how it would work and decided it was not worth the effort.

As for the friends he had growing up, it was mainly people who followed him around, asking for help with schoolwork or just chatting together during lunchtime. So he could not call them true friends. However, this never bothered Aston. He was content with being a lone wolf and had a loving family at home, something not everyone had. So he appreciated what he had and lived comfortably.

"I am not sure. I have never given it too much thought. I was going to work and continue the family business. However, when I told my dad that I didn't have any goals and would continue the family business, he told me no." Kayla said as she recalled that day.

"Kayla, soon it will be time for you to decide what you want to do in your life. You just graduated from school and can either finish your education or enter the workforce. Or you can go to Gate University." Alan Roselle, her father, sat with her at the kitchen table.

Alan Roselle was a tall, middle-aged man, his shoulders squared and his posture erect. His hair, once a deep shade of brown, is now silvered with streaks of white and gray, lending him a distinguished air. The silver strands fall in a neat, combed-back style. His eyes are a piercing shade of blue, like the clear sky on a bright day. They are framed by thick, dark eyebrows that lend him an air of intensity and focus. When he looks at you, it feels like he is peering into your soul, sizing you up with a keen intelligence and a touch of skepticism. He is dressed in an impeccably tailored and crisply pressed dark suit with a subtle pattern that catches the light just so. His tie is a deep shade of blue, matching his eyes, and his shoes are polished to a mirror shine. He carries himself with the poise and confidence of a man who has seen the world and knows his place in it.

"I don't really know what I want, Dad. I have always thought I would work for the family business after finishing school, just like you did. Isn't that enough? I don't have any dreams of going to other worlds or much else. So my mind was always set on just becoming a good merchant to take care of the business you and Mom started." Kayla said as she played with the food on her plate.

Alan's heart ached as he sat there. He and his wife Cassie Roselle had started this business from nothing and only had one child. However, they neglected her growing up as they were too focused on their business to teach their child how to be independent of her parents and have goals and aspirations of her own.

As their only child, if Kayla did not inherit the company, it would disappear along with them when they passed away. Truly Alan wished for Kayla to continue their legacy. But after talking with Cassie, Alan and his wife decided that if their daughter's dream was not to work in the business, they should sell the company and let her daughter live and pursue her own dreams. This was a difficult thing to do. They would be giving the dreams of their business being around for generations. However, how could they ask Kayla to live in their footsteps, knowing it was their fault for not caring enough for her growing up that she did not even take a moment to consider a life different from what she had known?

After hearing Kayla's response, Alan understood that Kayla had suffered from her parents not teaching her independence. It was not her dream to be a merchant, but it was the only thing she had known her whole life. Due to that, she would end up living out her parent's dream without finding her own.

Cassie began to cry and left the room. She felt horrible they had indeed neglected Kayla. Kayla did realize why her parents seemed so sad. "Kayla, me and your mother have decided to send you to Gate University," Alan said as he sighed and sank into his chair.

"Why, Dad, am I not good enough to inherit the company?" Kayla asked as she sat up with tears in her eyes. Cassie walked over with tears in her eyes and hugged Kayla." No, sweetie, it is not that, but you should find your own dream in life and meet a boy and fall in love." Cassie said as she rubbed her hands through Kayla's hair. "Don't worry about the business. Me and your father will find someone to continue the business." Cassie lied as she looked at her husband.

Alan had tears in his eyes, but luckily Kayla could not see him. He wiped his eyes and walked over, and hugged Kayla as well. "Kayla, you are the brightest person we know, and you would be a great merchant, me and your mother love you very much, and we want you to know that we are sorry for not spending more time with you growing up," Alan said as he hugged Kayla.

"Your father and I want you to see more of the world. And with your mind, anything you put your mind to, you will do great." Cassie said as she looked Kayla in the eyes.

Cassie was a very beautiful middle-aged woman with striking silver hair, which fell in soft waves around her face, framing her features like a halo. The strands shimmer in the light, with hints of lavender and white interwoven throughout, giving her an ethereal quality. Her hair is cut in a shoulder-length bob that moves with her every step, lending her a sense of grace and elegance. Her eyes are a stunning shade of violet, the color so rare that it almost seems as if it were made up. They are large and expressive, with thick lashes that flutter when she blinks. Her gaze is intense and focused as if she sees right through you, but also kind and welcoming, with a hint of warmth that makes you feel at ease.

Her parents hugged her for a while before sending her off to bed. "I guess we'll just have to sell the business." Alan sighed as he and Cassie sat on the couch, drinking wine. Cassie's eyes were red from crying.

"Where did we go wrong, Alan? I'm unsure when, but we stopped paying attention to Kayla and became too focused on our work." Cassie said as she sniffled.

"I am not sure, but we can only do what is best for Kayla and let her be free to live her life and find her own dream," Alan said as he held Cassie. "I think it best we wait until after she graduates from the school to sell the business. She might force herself to stay here and work if we did it before. By then, she will have earned her right to use a Gate, and hopefully, she will have maybe found a different path." Alan said as they looked into the fireplace.

Not long after that night, Kayla's parents sent her to take the Exam. She still doesn't understand why her parents did not want her to continue the family business.

"Well, Kayla, why don't we travel to the otherworld together?" Aston said as he stood up and pointed to the sky. "There are unlimited possibilities and things to see." Aston pulled Kayla up, and she looked toward the sky. "Even if you're unsure what you want to do, you won't have to figure it out alone. I think you're a great person and a good friend." Aston said as he smiled. "Once you see more of the universe, it won't take long for you to figure out what you want to do in life. I am not sure either." Aston paused as he appreciated the scenery. "However, I know that you can fly freely in the otherworlds. Doesn't that sound like a good place to start?" Aston asked.

Kayla looked at the setting sun and twinkling stars and thought of flying through the air. "That doesn't sound like a bad idea, Aston," Kayla said as the sunset. Little did Kayla know that Aston wanted to fly through space, not air. If Aston had told her, she would have punched him.

As they stood there watching the sunset, Kayla and Aston saw a person covered in blood running toward them. "Ripley?" Aston recognized him instantly.