Clyde stared at Jonathan for a while before he turned and headed straight for his room to arrange his items properly.
On a normal day, he would ask Eddie to wait for him to properly arrange himself so he can be prepared for anything imaginable and unimaginable.
*sigh*
'Good thing I didn't unpack my things yet,'
He picked up his bag from the end of the room and slung it over his shoulder, staring out the window at the stable where the horses were.
'I wonder if the Mireling will attack again or if that was the only one,' he thought for a while before turning around and making it out of the room.
He got down the stairs with his bag slung over his shoulder and a tired expression on his face.
"How long is it from here to the academy? Will it take a day? " he asked, fixing the bag properly behind him.
"It won't take that long. He should be reaching there within three hours or less if we get to the station on time." He answered, fixing his glasses on his nose properly.
"The station? We're going by train? I thought it was within the city," he muffled with a raised eyebrow.
"No, it's not within the city, or his son would be visiting, don't you think?," Eddie worded carefully, fixing his glasses again.
"Right right, my bad." He apologised before things got ugly.
'Seriously wished it was within the city though,' he sighed as he slung his bag properly over his shoulder, then stepped forward.
"Well then, let's start going before the headmaster goes for the summit." He reminded, walking up to Jonathan.
"Well, it was nice having you around for a while. Would miss the company, but I can manage. Do you well to take care of yourself out there, alright? And don't worry so much about me." He said, patting Clyde on the shoulder.
'This guy hardly knows me, but he's already treating me like his own son, if only my parents showed me this kind of love,' he smiled with wide eyes.
"I will take care of myself, but you should also take good care of yourself while I'm away. If the Mireling shows up, please do well to inform me, and I'll get here as soon as I can." He reciprocated with a beat on his chest.
"Hmm, now get going before it gets dark," he advised, helping Clyde out of the house.
They stepped outside, and Eddie made his final greetings with Jonathan before he turned to meet Clyde by the gateway for them to make it to the academy.
They started out, waving back at Jonathan as he disappeared down the street till they couldn't see him again.
"I feel bad for him," Clyde muffled out loud with a sad look.
"Why's that? You know him personally?," Eddie asked with his side eye, fixing his glasses again.
"Nope, not really, but he finally got company after a long while, and now he's losing it before he could even have fun," Clyde mumbled to himself.
"Don't worry about him. He's a strong man despite his age. He can survive alone even without anyone's help, even in a zombie apocalypse." He remarked with a subtle smirk while fixing his glasses.
"How so?, what makes you think that?," Clyde asked curiously with a raised eyebrow.
"He is a retired army general, after all. Back in his days, he helped us a lot during wars and beast attacks. Most people don't remember because we're now in a newer generation where almost everyone can awaken their soul cores."
"That's why we're teaching them how to handle those abilities and use it in the right way so that they can protect those weaker than them," he said, fixing the top of his glasses to rest on his nose.
'Wow, that dude looks nothing like an army general. I can't believe what I'm hearing.' He gasped with wide eyes.
'Makes more sense how he carries those buckets all on his own every day despite his age, and probably why his house looks like that. It's probably to hide his identity as an army general to avoid crowd and danger.'
"Wow, Jonathan is way cooler than I had thought him to be. From your story, I'm guessing you two know each other?." He asked, shifting the hand of his bag so it rests properly on his shoulder.
"Yes, kind of. We met during a beast attack, and back then, only a few of us had awakened our soul cores, so we were greatly relied on. That's why we worked with the army to secure a peaceful coexistence in the country," he cleared his throat while fixing his glasses.
"But during one of the beast attacks, I got badly injured, and everyone was too busy to take a look at me. I had lost all hope to survive until he came to my rescue and saved me. He carried me on his back, a long mile to get to the nearest hospital at that time, and he never complained about muscle strain during the journey."
"We reached the hospital, and he fainted out of tiredness and stress, but eventually, we were both saved by the doctors. So I owe him a lot, and taking care of his son is one of them." He explained, adjusting the frame of his glasses to fix his vision.
"That must have been really hectic, especially during the attack. What happened after that?" Clyde asked further, now more interested in the conversation.
"You'll learn more about it later. For now, we have to focus on getting to the academy safely. We're stepping into the heart of Zenón, the border to the next city, and beasts lurk around these corners. So stay sharp, and keep your eyes and mind active at all times." Eddie warned, adjusting the frame of his glasses once more.
Clyde turned to the field, which they approached and noticed they had left the bustling view and sound of Zengchan. He had been too engrossed in the conversation that he didn't notice they had left already.
While Eddie stayed vigilant despite being so deep in the conversation, which was one of the qualities of a good fighter.
'I have so much to learn,' he sighed, stepping into the field.