The two followed the path of flowers toward the dojo, Charlotte looking back to see how far the tree reached. He could barely see the end of the tree and some of the sky; it looked close to sunset with the orange in the sky.
"Hey, I got a question."
Charlotte turned back and sped up his pace to walk beside the man.
"Before that, could we start with names?"
Charlotte was surprised as he scratched the back of his head.
"They didn't tell you my name?"
He started laughing; his voice was very calming, much like the feeling he gave off. It was as if his entire presence had led to this one point. It was as eery as it was relaxing.
"Did I say something wrong?"
"No, of course not. I didn't expect that to be your reaction. Usually, the reactions I would expect would be anger or them becoming upset. You are a breath of fresh air. I am Reese, and I know your name. I would still like to hear it from you, not my coworkers."
He stopped walking and extended his hand towards Charlotte. He shook it with a smile and responded in a cheerful tone.
"Nice to meet you, I'm Charlotte."
The man's grip was gentle and even a bit weak, but he was most likely careful not to hurt him.
"Please ask away; I'm sure you got many questions."
"First question, where is my stuff?"
He slapped his forehead and shook his head.
"Sorry, that's on me; I was just going to bring you and your classmates your things."
Charlotte hadn't noticed it before, but he was wearing stud earrings with a green gemstone in the middle. His glew was slight as his armor and gauntlets appeared on his hands, and he handed them to Charlotte.
Charlotte held onto his things and pointed up to his earrings. Words failed to form, but Reese could tell precisely what he was thinking with how intense his gaze was.
"This involves my power and someone else's, and You can eventually have one...You have to earn it, though."
His tone when he mentioned "earning it" sounded a bit bitter. Not that Charlotte was listening as he wondered how much it could fit or even how it was made. The term powers were vague and most likely on purpose.
"Was that your only question?"
His voice took him out of his stupor as he shook his head. It seemed to make Reese chuckle as he waited patiently.
Charlotte decides not to put the armor on yet; he hopes to get a chance to put it on later. He shouldn't let the other students know about his healing armor, but they might try to take it. He was going to wear it under the tunic, perfectly hidden. Especially considering the tunic fit him loosely, they couldn't tell.
"I saw many people use their powers efficiently; I thought you could only learn what element you are blessed with when you reach the second stage."
"Element is a vague word; it's more like...what force you are blessed with. Not everything is an element like fire or water. It can be something vague, like space an-"
He stopped his explanation short and looked at Charlotte; Reese was easy to read. Charlotte could see the exact moment he made the connection.
"Charlotte, did you possibly pass the whole test without knowing what you are blessed with?"
Charlotte sighs and nods his head. He was expecting possibly some praise or ridicule; it was simply what he had expected. He might even get both.
"Impressive, is the only word for it. When I was your age, I was much more afraid to take chances like that, especially because I was as unprepared as you. Here I was thinking we were similar."
He sounded sad, and Charlotte tried their best to pat his back and cheer him up. He did smile a bit and spoke once more.
"Usually, you are correct; unless you reach the second stage, finding out what you are blessed with is hard. The exception to this would be if both of your parents were blessed with the same force if they did and conceived a child. That child is more than certain to acquire the same blessing, and they can learn to use their "power," as you call it."
He nods along, which explains why they had their power. Sadly, his father never developed his power, or at least he didn't know. His mother was as big a mystery since everything about her was vague at best. This did raise a question, though.
"Isn't that bad? If your whole family have the same power or force? Wouldn't that be easy to exploit?"
"No, people can be blessed by the same force. However, the way it applies can change substantially. While they can be different that way, the amount of force they can use is different. You know this, and I do, too; we aren't born equal. Some are better, and others are worse."
"Don't worry, I am in that better square."
The two walked in silence afterward, although it was for different reasons. Charlotte reviewed the new information they got, while Reese seemed to have taken it more harshly. He didn't hide his distaste. The words seemed to bother him so much.
They had reached the dojo, and he spoke before Charlotte could ask more questions.
"You remind me a lot of myself, Charlotte. So please take what I say next to heart: be strong and tough. This school will teach you a lot but also try to break you. The same goes for your classmates; if you let them, they will eat you alive. When I first came here, I was soft and let many things pass that I shouldn't have. Don't make the same mistake."
The intensity of his voice was in contrast to his nature, which made him nod his head.
"Now go inside, and if you have more questions, just find me."
He smiled and nudged him towards the door as he turned away, but he vanished before Charlotte could say anything else.
"I can't catch a break..."
He turned back to the dojo and shook his head. He could worry about it later; he already knew he had to be tough. The image of the man he killed flashed through his head, making him feel sick but also focused. He opened the doors and stepped inside.