Left, Right

"Well, since we've finished our mission, let's head on back before the beasts of the forest catch the scent of blood in here," Tristan ushered him to get up.

As the two made their way out of the cave reeking of death, the fresh air of the divine forest blessed their skin. The smell of wild berries and pollen replaced the coppery aroma of blood that previously occupied their noses.

"So, do you think I'll be able to meet the other Outlanders today? I didn't see any of them this morning before heading out," Ren asked, following Tristan as he trusted the man to guide them through the thickets.

"I guess there's really no use in keeping it a secret--we're having a welcoming dinner in celebration of your arrival as part of the Outlanders. It was Sora's idea--the oaf really hasn't lost any of his party spirit since coming to this world," Tristan looked back at him for a moment, his amethyst irises now resonated with warmth.

"A party--? So will they all be there? There were twelve in total right?" Ren asked, now giddy at this new development.

As an introvert, the idea of a party full of strangers was something he never thought he would find himself excited for. In an unknown world like this though, meeting those from Earth like him was almost like meeting a new family--it was definitely an odd feeling.

"Ah, I wouldn't get my hopes up about that. Gathering all of the Outlanders is a herculean task as at least half of us are out on missions at any given time," Tristan seemed a lot more talkative now.

He couldn't tell if the man was now more open due to the mission being complete or that he had truly warmed up to him, but it was a definite improvement on his previous cold demeanor.

"I see...sounds busy around the house. Are there any cute girls--?" Ren asked with a shrewd smile.

When he thought about it--the only Outlanders he met were guys. Sora, Donatien, and Tristan--all dudes. It was a complete sausage fest in that house, save for Beatrice--who he doubted was even human.

"I'm not going to answer that. I'll just tell you, yes, there are girls in the Outlanders. Happy?" Tristan shook his head.

The sunlight of the graceful noon began to glimmer past the ceiling of leaves above, blessing their skin with the warm illumination. As he watched Tristan from behind, he found himself enamored once again in the man's natural white hair despite him not being at that age.

"I've got one more question," Ren began to ask, "how long have you been here? In this world?"

He watched as Tristan scratched his head as if pondering that question for a moment, looking up to the sky of leaves hanging above.

"Honestly...I stopped keeping track of time a long time ago. I was around your age when I arrived here, so probably at least a decade, I'd say. Damn, it's really been that long, huh?" Tristan muttered as if just realizing that.

"A decade--? As in ten years? That's…" Ren looked at him.

"Yeah. Ten years. I wonder how big she's grown by now…" Tristan looked down with a slight smile.

Ren could see the sadness lurking in the man's eyes as he reminisced. A gentle breeze carried fallen leaves through the wind, brushing against the man's coat as he stood there for a serene moment.

"She?"

"Nothing," Tristan shook his head slightly," come on, let's hurry back. Don't want to keep them waiting."

His stomach growled as he marched through the boundless stretch of nature, dragging his feet along the damp soil as his stomach roared out.

It was easy to lose track of time as seconds became minutes, and minutes became hours--listening to the constant buzzing of nomadic bugs and calls of lustful animals in the wild.

"How much longer--?" Ren whined, letting his arms hang as he walked.

Tristan stopped for a moment to look back at Ren, who in his sluggish pace had fallen behind by nearly a dozen meters. He left his mouth agape like a dog trying to cool off from the persisting heat, hunched over as if using all of his strength to stand. Cardio may have been his one strong suit, but it wasn't as if he was a superhuman.

"Sheesh, you need to get in shape," Tristan gave him a look of pity.

Ren felt vindictive--Tristan didn't even have a drop of sweat to glisten his forehead, acting as if this had just been a nonchalant stroll outside to catch some fresh hair.

"Listen--if I knew I would be dragged into another world, maybe I would've prepared better! That's besides the point--anyone would be tired! You're just not human!" Ren yelled out, venting his frustration which was multiplied by the headache-inducing heat.

"If you're throwing that big a fit, then you're not going to like our way up," Tristan commented before pushing past the wild grass.

"Way up--?" Ren hurried over to catch up.

Just as he left the tree line, he was face to face with the behemoth of a tree--"Grandfather Gyma". He had only seen it while airborne or standing atop it near the house, so this view was something foreign. It put into perspective the unorthodox size of the pillar of nature was, with its thick roots embedded into the ground as if holding the world together. It rose above even the clouds, stretching as wide as the eye could see.

Then he noticed--a door-shaped entrance directly in the center of the tree.

"Don't tell me…"

"Yup. There's a staircase built by ancient druids, carved from the innards of the tree. Although I thought druids wouldn't want to "harm" a tree, whatever, I'm sure they saw the value of a base like this," Tristan ran his hand over the ancient bark.

"Staircase...how…" Ren stammered, still gawking at the size of the tree, albeit with a new perspective.

"Remember what I said about getting into shape? Well, looks like we have the perfect catalyst for that," Tristan gave him a smug smile.

Before he could respond, Tristan vanished into thin air, leaving a trail of abyssal mana vaguely in the shape of himself.

"I'll meet you up there, good luck," Tristan's disembodied voice taunted him.

The small lumps of black mana fell onto the ground like snowflakes, dissipating as they met the rich soil. It took him a minute to process what he saw, but it was undeniably "teleportation magic"--specifically a type pertaining to dark magic. He caught a glance of it when studying magic, but it was far beyond the level of beginner spells.

"That bastard...I thought he was warming up to me then he pulled this…" Ren clenched his fist.

Then, he got an idea. One he considered to almost be foolproof.

"If I just stay down here, he'll be forced to come get me. Besides, there is a party, right? What's a party without the guest of honor?" Ren smugly smiled, shrugging his shoulders before sitting himself down on the firm ground.

It was a childish resolve if it would even be called as such. Tantamount to a child refusing to get up from their seat after being scolded by their parents, this was the peak of Ren's own resolve. Even if this plan failed, his excuse was that at least it bought him the necessary time to rest up for the stairway to heaven awaiting him.

The tall grass bordering him periodically rustled, as if something--or a lot of things, were circling him. He lasted a good five minutes before running into the hollow entrance of the tree to escape the feeling of being watched by whatever predators laid in wait.

Looking up--the staircase made of natural wood, carved from the tree's innards spiraled along the daunting walls. The summit of the herculean-level staircase reached lengths that made it impossible to truly grasp the true height, only seeing a glimmer of light peeking far above.

"Get in shape, huh?" Ren let out a nervous chuckle as he gazed high.

He grabbed the metal plate covering his torso, planning to shed his armor to lighten his load--stopping himself before doing so.

"If I want to live, then I have to fight. That's what you told me, right?" Ren muttered to himself, remembering those recent words spoken to him, "I guess that doesn't apply only to killing goblins, does it?"

This was a test--not to prove himself to Tristan, Beatrice, or anyone else for that matter. Nobody was watching, this feat would go unseen and the only one who could enforce this discipline upon himself was--him.

Taking a long breath, letting the natural air resonating from the great tree fill his lungs, he slowly let it out before he began to traverse the steps.