Waking Up With An Old Man

When Jax finally awoke, he found himself laying on his couch in the cave. Everything seemed normal as if meeting Ivo had been all a dream. The only thing reminding him that it was very much real, was the pain in his cheek and back. The slap and subsequent landing into the wall hurt so bad that Jax wanted to return to sleep almost instantly.

Deciding to look around his cave while still laying down, Jax spotted Ivo sitting on the table across the room.

"Ah you're up I see," Ivo said. "Let me start. While I believe I had every right to discipline you for your rudeness, after seeing this pitiful cave I can tell it has not been easy for you here, and I'm sure that the stress was starting to get to you. My apologies boy."

Jax slowly sat up, issuing his own apology for the words he had spoken before. His head hung as low as it could possible bend.

"Well then let's start over as if that little spat had never happened. Let me reintroduce myself. My name is Ivo, and I look forward to surviving with you boy."

"I look forward to surviving with you to Ivo. Oh, my name is Jax."

"Now then, aside from this little hole in the wall where you live, how about you describe what's going on outside. I'm still too weak to fight against any strong enemies, so I'd rather be cautious."

Jax began explaining the landscape of Mitte that he had explored. He spoke of the lake nearby with its clear waters and the fruits that grew on trees. He described the crash site and what items each of the containers had. Jax also described the cave where he found the blue crystals to power the facility down below. Finally, he described the winged horror, how it terrorized his first night here, and how no other animals lived nearby because of it.

Ivo sat for a while, eyes closed as he listened to the descriptions. When Jax finally finished, Ivo released a deep sign before looking up at Jax. There was a long period of silence, where Ivo opened his mouth multiple times, attempting to say something but failing to put it into words. This reached a point where Jax almost wanted to ask if the old man was alright, as he was beginning to look like a fish the way his mouth kept opening and closing.

Growing in frustration, Ivo quickly ruffled his own hair, before giving himself a small slap to both cheeks, almost as if attempting to stay awake.

"Boy, I wasn't on such a dangerous planet I first entered stasis many years ago," Ivo said staring deeply at Jax. "But it's now apparent that someone moved me, and that I have grown very weak. I do not have the strength to deal with many of the creatures on this planet now."

Jax's eyes grew wide. Ivo was strong enough to knock him across the room with one slap, and he was still not strong enough? What would that make Jax then?

"Hence, I'll need to do something I very much wanted to avoid," Ivo spoke again.

A scowl appeared on Ivo's old face, showing his discontent with this situation. He stood up slowly, looking out of the cave's crack in the wall. It still looked dark, but Jax knew that sunrise would be coming soon.

"Follow," Ivo said before slipping through the crack.

Jax stood up in shock, calling for the old man to come back inside.

"Didn't he hear me when I said the winged horror was out at night, still hunting for me???" Jax thought.

Jax quickly squeezed through the crack, seeing the old man briskly walking away towards a hill nearby. Ivo was walking in the direction of the mountain, and at a speed unfitting his old body.

Jax raced behind him, trying not to lose sight of his new companion, all while keeping an eye out for the beast flying in the skies. The night sky was slowly beginning to lighten, indicating that they would be safe soon, but there was still plenty of time for Jax to be killed right now.

Ivo led Jax through a confusing path of trees and hills, always being just a few meters ahead of Jax. This continued for nearly half an hour, causing Jax to become exhausted at the astounding pace that Ivo maintained.

Suddenly, Ivo dipped through some thick brush, causing Jax to lose sight of him. He sprinted towards the brush, trying to not lose track of where Ivo had run off to. After all, this was his supposed way off this planet.

Bursting through the brush, Jax came out to find Ivo standing on the edge of a cliff that jutted out above a deep valley. Jax had never seen this place before, meaning it was most likely outside the range of his normal searches.

Ivo stood there silently, facing the expansive valley. Jax took a second to catch his breath, amazed that Ivo didn't even seem to be the slightest bit winded.

"How did he maintain that pace for so long?" Jax wondered to himself.

Finally, after catching his breath, Jax began to call out to Ivo, who cut him off, jutting his hand out to indicate silence.

"Boy, this world is dangerous and unfit for someone as weak as you," Ivo began. "It is unlikely that you would survive a whole year, even if I were to protect you every moment of that time."

Jax knew that Mitte was a dangerous planet, but he never thought it was as dangerous as Ivo made it out to be.

"Not only this, but I also must spend time healing and regaining my strength. You would only be subjected to even more danger during those times." Ivo continued.

"But Ivo, that winged horror only comes out at ni-" Jax began before being stopped by Ivo indicating for him to stop again.

"Even with that beast here, it is only a matter of time before either it finds us or something else does. Who is to say when a stronger beast would take its place." Ivo said.

Jax never realized this. He had automatically assumed that the winged horror he had seen his first night was the strongest beast on Mitte.

....

"But what if it wasn't?" Jax thought.

This realization helped Jax begin to understand just how much peril he was in.

Ivo began to speak again.

"Since I cannot protect you properly, I have no other choice in this matter. Forgive me, boy."

Jax suddenly feared for his life again.

"What if Ivo threw me off the cliff? Or just outright killed me? Just to save him the trouble of having to keep me around." Jax thought in terror.

But Jax's fears never came to fruition.

"I will train you boy. Again forgive me, this path is one of danger and loneliness." Ivo said, still facing away from Jax.

Jax was shocked out of his fear. His legs, which had begun to feel like jelly, gave out placing Jax on his knees. He looked at Ivo in confusion.

Ivo turned at this moment, showing his face once again to Jax. The sun had begun to rise behind him, issuing the beginning of a new day.

And the words Ivo said next would change Jax's life forever.

"Follow my teachings and you shall rise to heights never before seen in the cosmos!"