Lynx saw a participant standing in front of the cave entrance, wearing a mask and blue robes.
"Hey, how is the XP farm?" said the participant, taking off his mask.
Lynx did not have much energy left to fight, but he still raised his hands defensively.
"Woah, woah. Chill bro. Does this cave have mobs? I want to level up," he said.
{I do not know what is weirder, the way he talks or that I actually understand what he is talking about,} Lynx thought, slowly lowering his guard. "Who are you, and what are you doing here?"
"I am just trying to get stronger. Nobody wants to take me on their team, so I am just looking around for mobs," he shrugged. "My name is Rey. What about you?"
"I am Lynx," Lynx replied. {He doesn't seem to be lying.}
Lynx extended his hand toward Rey in an offer. "If you are looking for a team, join us."
"You bet! But where are the other members?" Rey excitedly ran inside the cave without Lynx's permission.
{Now I need to babysit another idiot,} Lynx sighed. He turned around and noticed Lucia smiling and waving at them.
...
Later that night, Lynx was lying against a tree near a river, far outside the cave, his eyes closed.
{After I introduced Lucia to Rey, I explained how we met.}
{Although I like this feeling, I can never get rid of the fear that they will betray me.}
{Maybe I am overthinking, but it is better to doubt and expect everything so I can prepare for that day. I am no coward to run away from it. That way, I can prevent the things I care about from abandoning me.}
{But even so, in some situations, they will not want me, and I will not be able to do anything.}
{If there is a greater power out there, tell me... what is the purpose of my existence?}
{If I die, I will be trapped alone for eternity, suffering endlessly.}
{My soul is somehow holding on. I hope nothing gets too bad so my fusion breaks and everything ends.}
...
Lynx let his eyes sink deeper, slipping away from the sound of the rushing water and sinking into his inner world.
Inside his mindscape, Nx flew in a pitch-black void. Behind him sat a shadowy figure.
"Lin... do you hate me for forcing you into this world?" Nx asked, facing the shadow.
"Nah, it is cool. It is better than how I was back there," the shadow replied.
"Although we use this body as a compressed soul, do you not mind if we die?" Nx floated above his head.
"That is why it is great. You only live your best when you are against hardship," the shadow said, standing up.
"We both need to be in control, keeping a balance of Positive and Negative Will so we both remain stable," Nx explained.
"Why do you even wish to keep the fusion? Just be part of my soul. It is better than being apart from each other and the body with lesser things to worry about," the shadow suggested.
"You know there is a chance that it would end you. You are compressed out to half already, and we would still end up trapped if we die—"
Before Nx could finish speaking, the shadow reached forward and made his choice. A blinding clash of light and dark energy violently slammed into Nx, forcing their existences together and locking them into a single, unified soul.
Lynx's eyes snapped open, his chest heaving as the heavy soul-pressure settled. "Wh—Who am I now? I have both memories in one soul... Do I not need to focus on maintaining the fusion anymore?"
"What are you yapping about, bro?" Rey suddenly jumped out of a nearby bush.
Lynx instinctively threw a fast punch, but Rey casually caught the full force of the blow with just his pinky finger.
A sudden jolt of shock ran through Lynx's arm. {A pinky? How strong is he?}
"Bro, you are so weak! Aura farm like me!" Rey laughed.
"You want to be on the team or not, brat?!" Lynx snapped, masking his shock behind sheer annoyance. {And how did he even find me?}
"Chill, chill, catch some air. Lucia brought a pan and cooked something, so she told me to find you," Rey whispered, leaning closer to Lynx's ear. "Bro, let's run away. That shit looked completely poisonous to me."
Lucia appeared behind them, wearing a rage filled smile. "Did you say something?"
Both of them gulped.
"Dig in!" Lucia said brightly, handing them plates of burnt rice and charred meat that she had cooked.
Rey stared at Lynx with an expression of pure terror, while Lynx struggled with everything he had to hold back his laughter.
Lucia glared at Rey coldly. Terrified, Rey quickly forced a few bites down his throat.
{God, I am coming to you...} Rey thought right before he passed out cold on the grass.
Lynx stared at Rey in horror. Lucia instantly turned her icy gaze toward Lynx. His hands shook as he began eating bare handed. He kept eating faster and faster until his plate was entirely clean.
"Thanks for cooking. I have not had a cooked meal in a decade," Lynx forced a smile.
Lucia beamed with happiness, but inside his own head, Lynx was screaming. {I feel like vomiting. I need to hold it in. Is this how I die?}
Lucia walked over to Rey, slapped him until he woke up, and forced him to finish every last bite on his plate.
...
Back inside the cave, Lynx pulled a spare sleeping bag out of his pack and handed it to Rey, who instantly fell asleep. Lucia watched the bag with a terrified expression.
Before sleeping, Lucia stepped forward like a true leader, preparing to give an official speech.
"Tomorrow the tournament starts, and our first match is against a group of martial artists," Lucia informed them.
"Girl, let me sleep. You already fed me your poisonous meal, at least let me die in peace—"
Before Rey could finish his sentence, Lucia slammed a massive rock directly into his face.
{Eh... how did I end up with these two?} Lynx thought, raising his hand. "We should select an official leader since we are a team now."
"You should be the leader," Lucia said, crossing her arms. "You are the most strategic out of all of us."
Rey raised his hand from the floor. "Even though you are the weakest one, I would rather follow you than that monster."
"Who are you calling a monster?" Lucia stared at Rey menacingly.
"Enough," Lynx said. "If I am the leader, then my first order is, go to sleep. And second, we will win."