“You must sacrifice a dash of your own blood so that this compass can show you the way to your soul weapon.”

Ryousuke was shocked by Decode’s summary of the soul weapon and compass. More so, he couldn't understand why one had to give blood. Ryousuke choked on his words, struggling to reply, “Wait… what? What do you mean by sacrificing blood?” A bead of sweat trickled down his temple as Ryousuke brushed the vein of his wrist with his fingers.

Decode had no problem answering his question. He whispered, “These soul compasses are demons with pride in them. You have to show that you are trusting them with your life by sacrificing a spurt of blood. The same applies to weapon bonding, where the weapon offers itself to you, while you put your life and soul on the line for it.”

 “I understand, now can you give me the compass, sir? So I can obtain my weapon and train with it?” A seedling of greed flourished in Ryousuke’s mind.

“Yes, but you must search for the compass with your own abilities,” Decode answered, stirring up a plan of some type in his mind.

In the twinkling of an eye, Ryousuke asked, “But how?”

“You will find out soon, my dear disciple.” With that being said, Decode vanished into the air, only to return a few seconds later. As soon as Decode returned, he ordered Ryousuke’s first task:

‘’Now, I have hidden the soul compass on the other side of this forest. It is your job to get the compass. As long as you’re alive, you can try again and again.” 

 “But why? Why should I search for a compass? I haven’t even trained yet…” Ryousuke asked, as he was annoyed at the fact that he couldn't train if he didn't get the soul compass.

“You will either do as I say or leave, it's your choice,” Decode replied, with a rough and threatening voice – which, of course, he didn't have the intention of using. Ryousuke was frustrated as to why he should go on a search for a compass instead of training and growing stronger. “You will leave first thing in the morning. You may have breakfast before you leave. Now go get some rest and eat all you want, because there is no assurance of what lies ahead.” Decode was talking to Ryousuke like a typical teacher who is strict and always pushes the limits of his students. Ryousuke was mad, so he did not eat and fell asleep without really knowing what was ahead of him.

The next morning Ryousuke left without informing Decode, but as they say, teachers know more about you than yourself. Ryousuke  has no water or food and remembers he is all alone because of himself. Ryousuke was thinking back to the events, the events and decisions he made. Even though Ryousuke was afraid, his emotions blinded his eyes. He couldn’t see the truth behind the task he was given, and the truth behind the situation he was in. 

Arrogance and ignorance are part of a bigger self called ego. Ego is when self-respect is combined with anger or arrogance. Having self-respect is good for one’s success and having ego is also good, but can lead to one's failure. Ryousuke has an ego which he does not recognize. Recognizing it would hurt his ego, giving off a feeling of losing, but what exactly would he lose? Does he have strength? Does he have money? What does he have? This was the reason why Decode had sent Ryousuke into the woods, so he would understand himself and realize who he is, and what he’s doing.

Ryousuke has been running for ten minutes straight, without eating anything for the past fifteen hours. He’s bound to get tired very quickly even though ten minutes is the maximum he can run with proper nutrients. He walked for another ten minutes before collapsing on the ground because of the lack of energy in his body. 

The sky was covered with nimbostratus clouds and the forest was filled with the odour of damp soil. Little drops of water began to fall from the depths of the heavy black clouds. A storm was coming. Shortly after, all the water that had accumulated returned to the earth as rain. A raindrop fell on Ryousuke’s forehead and he had a flashback, where he could see every decision he made up to his current situation. As the shower of rain splashed Ryousuke, he lay helpless on the ground. A barrage of questions shattered him: “Who am I? Why am I doing this? Why is it me? Why the hell should I be a king?” With all these questions in his mind, Ryousuke slid into a mode of unconsciousness.