"Hey teach mind telling me why we return to the scene of the crime?" After Luke agrees to become Royce's student the two start their day by leaving the town and going to the forest
"Well, I've heard some horrible news from a friend in the organization. Don't worry she's trustworthy. Possibly the only person I'd doubt would stab me in the back,"
"Well if you vouch for them then I can't disagree. What's this news all about? Did they send someone here to kill you?"
"Bingo!" He points both his pointer fingers at him jokingly and Like couldn't figure out if he was lying or not
"Stop playing around teach. If they're here to kill you then we need to move. I'll pack my bags so don't go anywhere-"
"Easy there kid it's just a joke. They're here because of that Grave Robber incident. Also, a tiny chance they come to kill me,"
Seeing as there were no changes in the way he acted Luke sees this as the truth and asks for the reason they came to the forest. "So why are we here in the first place? Are you gonna give me your last will or something? Maybe your techniques?"
"I'm not so weak that I'd die so easily. Plus if the organization wants to kill me they need someone at my level. And believe me only a few monsters can stand toe to toe against your teacher. So there's no need to worry. Are you seriously doubting me? Look I may be a little bit of a jokester but im the real deal and the reason we're here is to train,"
"But I have school," Luke reminded him of that fact and Alex seemingly dons a wide and noticeable grin in response
"Sorry to say this but injuries originating from the Undead rebels are special. The entire school even if it was mild got exposed to Chaos which proved to be lethal. So as luck has it the school informed the students that they'd have a month-long vacation," Luke's instinct told him to escape but the deed was done and he felt his entire body transported to a different place
'This feeling... it's the same as when we're inside that fog? But it's a little different from before mainly the disappearance of the forest. Also isn't it supposed spring? Why is it so cold? Wait a minute where am I? Teach was here a while ago-'
"Make yourself at home," Alex gently taps his shoulder and his student jumps upon the drastic change in his environment
"God damn it, can't you stop that? You're gonna give me a heart attack at this rate. Also, where are we?"
Alex remained unfazed by his question and all of a sudden a cabin appeared before them and his teacher opened the doors. "Well you've experienced this before, let me introduce it to you again this magnificent technique is an Array. By utilizing Order quite masterfully one can create an Array also known as a realm where reality and fiction are blurred. The difference between this and the fog is that I have full control over this place as well as it being a high-grade Array,"
'So this is an Array? Just what sorts of other thing can I do once I mastered Order? But before that didn't he tell me he's going to teach me? I wonder when we're going to start im so hyped than ever-'
"Ahhhhhh!!!" Luke suddenly his footing collapsed and so to prevent his fall he grabbed his pocket knife and stabbed the cabin's walls
"Nice reaction, very impressive," Royce commends his disciple's reflexes and claps in response
"You asshole! Why didn't you warn me? I thought I was about to die! Once I get out of here I'll stab you a hundred times,"
"What a fiery attitude you have, I knew that we'd get along real well, it's great that you wouldn't give up so easily,"
Upon his reply, the entire structure of the cabin turned upside down as the wooden planks expanded turning into a pillar. These newly created pillars were then aimed at Luke granting him no rest as he evades the dozens of pillars from every side. He notices his teacher's faint shadow and gambles to escape for the next room where the pillars are too big to pass through
"Glad that's all over– Shoot! It almost had me. Are you serious? The next trap is darts. Just how bad do you want me to die?" Luke manages to parry a dart and as the dart falls it lands on a loose floor triggering hundreds of darts to fire from his sides
'I don't see any patterns concerning the floor so this thing can't be dealt with speed alone maybe there's a gap in between? That may be true but I highly doubt I'd only encounter darts, maybe an axe, a pit full of spikes, and a log to push me aside. His setup feels like that one scene on The Lost Ark, which is scary on its own knowing what will happen if I fuck up even once,'
Just as he predicted that long hallway was full of all sorts of traps and as he got close to the other side he got booted by a log. After a few tries he manages to cross over but the third space locks him in an underwater chamber filled with sharks. As he progressed room after room the challenges came to be more difficult than their initial stages
"No wonder that trainee thought he was a Rogue Keeper? His prowess when it comes to battle is rather precise. He's far from a soldier but his actions alone made it look like he's a veteran,"
This whole ordeal was a way for Alexander to have a better grasp of the ability of his students but the results shocked him. He not only excels in physical exercise but his problem-solving, investigation, and intuition make him bizarre. His information was normal but his actions say otherwise leading even Royce himself to doubt if he was truly a normal kid
'He had no noticeable scars to prove he trained his body, there are no records of him having any special background. His birth was normal, and his family members were as well doesn't have anything strange. The death of his parents are recorded with a burglar taking their lives and he lived with his grandfather for most of his life,'
Luke was remarkably different so much that his teacher doubted if he was a spy sent by the organization themselves. But the fact was he holds his all his records, something he got from his friend, the person in charge of holding and managing records. Nevertheless Luke's talent remained a mystery and he could only come to terms that he was naturally born to be a Keeper
'I already called him a monster just by his extreme amount of Order but his overall performance is insane. It's hard for me to believe this kid live in the boonies all his life with that kind of potential far from someone like me. But isn't this great? If the organization was the one who found him then he'll truly become a mindless hound,'
Upon accepting the truth Alex laughs quite hysterically that if anyone were to here him he'd be called a madman at best. The euphoria gushing from his chest at the sight of a monster he can mold to be his ally raises his spirit to a new height. He glanced quite earnestly to the movement of his disciple as he gets close to the end of his impossible test
"I thought it'll take me a month to teach him the basics but maybe... I can teach him that technique earlier on. His physical prowess needs no improvement it's best if he works on his Order. I wonder how much he'll grow after a month filled with nothing but my teachings day in and out,"
After a while Luke manages to pass the final trial and was happily greeted by Alex's overly cheerful demeanor. "Good job out there Luke! I knew you had it in you. I still can't believe you'd make it all the way here at the end,"
"You were expecting me to clear that?" Luke glared at him with such rage filled eyes that he couldn't help but give an answer
'I don't know much about his personality so I might as well set this level as the norms of the organization. That would get him pumped up since he'll be frightened at the the thought of hundreds of Keepers chasing him training like this. I'm doing this for your own good so once you find out about my lie I'll take the full force of your punch,'
"Don't get so cocky Grimes, this level is below the training session of the organization. That's the reason why im so overjoyed with you clearing it. That means if you keep this up then you can keep up with their forces,"
"You're joking right? This is their usual training session? God damn it!!! It seems I'll have to work a lot harder,"
'That's it I'll make sure to nurture you well–'
"Okay time for round two,"
"Come again?" Alex was confused by what he meant so Luke repeated himself
"I meant the exercise. I still have some energy left, just call me once dinners ready okay? Now send me back in!"
"Sure..." Royce would later find out that Luke was incredibly desperate to improve if it meant that he'll escape the clutches of the organization