Sven walked away without a change in expression.
Meanwhile, inside the room, Frenrin was sitting on the bed, stroking Garmr's back.
Garmr tried to escape, but Frenrin just pulled him back. He looked at Frenrin's gloomy expression and decided to just let it be.
Frenrin was currently collecting his thoughts, mindlessly petting Garmr.
"I need to get rid of my parents' fear of not me, but my 'Death' element... I'm not too sure how to do this, though..."
Frenrin thought for a while longer but couldn't think of anything; he eventually decided to just ask Garmr.
Frenrin stared down at Garmr. "How do I get my parents to not fear me and my element?"
Currently, Garmr was also zoned out; he was really enjoying the massage...
When Frenrin stopped petting Garmr, he eventually snapped out of it.
"Ahem... The best way to get rid of your parents' fear is to become a noble sort of person, one that is kind to others... but I fear this does not fit your nature at all."
Frenrin was a bit confused. He knew he was a bit different from others, but due to having almost no social interactions, he didn't realize the extent.
"Do you remember those kids we met while traveling here?"
"Yes, I remember."
Garmr rolled his eyes before continuing. "Do you remember their names?"
"No."
"Do you remember their faces?"
"No."
"Do you remember anything about them?"
"I know that a lot of them died."
"The only thing you remember is that they died. Fitting for your 'Death' element. But anyway, the point is you weren't affected by them dying in the slightest. Normal people would at the very least remember their faces, considering that they died not even a day ago."
Frenrin raised an eyebrow. "Is there anything wrong with that?"
"No, there's no problem with it at all, but 'kind' and 'charitable' people would have felt sadness, and the 'noble' type would have felt self-loathing for not being able to protect them. Most people, if somebody they knew even slightly died, would feel pity for them; however, that doesn't affect you."
Frenrin responded, "Just because I don't feel the emotions doesn't mean that I can't pretend, right?"
Garmr rolled onto his back, allowing Frenrin to rub his belly. "Yes, you can do that, but it's lonely to pretend to be somebody you aren't, and honestly, it gets very tiring. Take it from me; I'm a demon that has infiltrated society at the highest level. I have great experience at acting."
Frenrin fell back into contemplation while there would be a soft "awoooh...." every now and then from Garmr.
Frenrin thought about it and decided, then told Garmr his decision. "I will pretend, but how do I pretend to be a kind and noble person?"
Garmr laughed for a moment before he went back to his relaxed state.
"Kid, I think you're asking literally the worst person possible, but I do know the basics."
Frenrin stared at Garmr intensely. "Please teach me."
Garmr sighed before responding. "To be a kind person is to do things others wouldn't. For example, if you had three pieces of bread but a complete stranger had no pieces of bread, a kind person would give them one—maybe even two or three! But people like you and me wouldn't even give them a crumb."
Garmr continued talking while rolling around so Frenrin could find the preferable parts to rub. "It also applies to social behaviors. For example, if there was someone who wronged you, a kind person would forgive them. Or on a more basic level, showing sympathy to an outcast. But anyway, to be kind is to do things that would benefit others while potentially harming yourself."
Frenrin responded with a serious face, contrasting how he was using both of his hands to rub Frenrin's stomach. "You're correct; this... really is not what I would do in the slightest. I would, if it were my family... or you, but I wouldn't do any of these things for a stranger."
Garmr felt a warm feeling when Frenrin compared him to his family but hid his emotions.
"That's why there aren't a lot of kind people in the world. I don't blame you, and a lot of people wouldn't blame you either, but the problem is your sympathy for strangers is almost nonexistent. It will be very hard for you in the coming years..."
Frenrin lay down on the bed, staring at the ceiling while ceasing his belly rubs. "I will do it; I have to..."
Eventually, Frenrin fell asleep while Garmr lay at the foot of the bed.
"I'm worried for you, kid..." Garmr thought before drifting to sleep himself.
The moon fell, and the sun rose.
"Wake up, kid, it's time to meet your trainer."
Frenrin groggily woke up after Garmr alerted him of the time.
Frenrin stood up, then stared at the mirror in his room. Frenrin's eyes had bags; he looked as if he didn't get enough sleep, but in contrast, he actually got plenty of sleep. The problem was that the entire night he had nightmares about his parents.
Frenrin entered his personal bathroom, not before opening his closet, which was made of some sort of white-wood material.
Frenrin changed into his clothes, then left his room with Garmr.
Garmr then reminded Frenrin of his schedule for today. "Today we have physical training in the morning, physical training in the afternoon... and physical training in the evening?"
Garmr and Frenrin were both confused. "Shouldn't you be training your Ren, or learning about it?"
Frenrin was confused but shrugged. They continued walking until they eventually went into a courtyard.
The courtyard had floors of concrete, sand, grass, and even water; it was perfectly shaped like a square.
Before Frenrin and Garmr could explore a bit more, they were stopped by Revan.
Revan stared down at Frenrin with his eyes, but he didn't move his head to look down on him.
"For the next month, we will be training your body heavily. Your schedule every day will be the same for this period."
Revan continued, then started to walk away.
Garmr was even more confused; he pestered Frenrin to ask Revan why, even though he didn't want to ask.
Frenrin asked in a voice as if he were repeating a script, "Why are we doing physical training and not training our Ren?"
Revan continued to walk with his head forward, not stopping to explain or turning his head.
"We are training your body because currently, you have an incredibly weak build. To be frank, this isn't normal for any student. The problem is you have the 'Death' element, and from what we know, you need a strong physical body to start your cultivation.
Revan continued while not stopping or turning his head toward Frenrin. "I am not sure of the reason, but there have been many reports of 'Death' users straining and injuring themselves while trying to train their element."
Frenrin nodded his head; meanwhile, Garmr was still confused but eventually thought about it and told Frenrin, "Demon bodies are sturdy and strong even right after being born. It makes sense that I never knew that it was different for humans."
Frenrin, Garmr, and Revan continued walking until they reached the edge of the sand square.
Revan pointed at the square. "Complete three laps around the entire square. During the sand section, I want you to run; in the water section, I want you to swim; in the earth section, I want you to crawl; and in the concrete section, I want you to sprint as fast as you can until you reach the end. I will allow you to have a five-minute break after each lap."
Frenrin started to stretch before beginning. This made Revan reevaluate Frenrin. When students were made to complete laps, it was usually to punish them, and even then, they would only do one lap! The square is not small in the slightest; each square is over three hundred and sixty feet wide and the same for its length.
Revan expected Frenrin to either complain, bicker, or even show a defiant attitude, but it was as if he didn't care.
Frenrin actually did care, but he was already prepared for much worse.
Frenrin thought to himself, "I probably will be completely out of breath before even getting to the earth section, but I need to get as strong as possible."
Frenrin knew the stronger he was, the more reputation he would have, which would, in turn, help in his task of improving the 'Death' element's reputation.