'34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40.....'
Before he knew it. The bell had already hit and his body was ushered back to Gardenia, but there was a difference, he counted, counting till the 'right' moment came.
He aimlessly walked through the entire School building, trying to see any difference he had missed before than before. More precisely, the location of where the dwon originated from, that thing still likely existed for all Cale knew
'That's new'
The teachers conflictingly scarce before, were patrolling the entire building however it didn't seem like there were enough teachers to go patrol outside, so they were all focused on the building
'60, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5...'
Whenever Cale's counting reached 60 seconds, he'd reset and start from 1 again.
In Gardenia's classroom there were at least 25 'students' Including the humanoid monster and of course Cale, or that is at least what was counted carefully
'If there aren't enough teachers...15... then how were they able to put all 500+ first years In their respective classrooms on the first day...18'
Cale didn't consider himself to being that dumb, but it wouldn't make any sense on how they were able to keep an eye on all students, but somehow, they didn't have the numbers to patrol outside? there must have been a different reason than a lack of numbers.
'Could it be they are disorganized?...22'
That was the only reason that made any logical sense, the voices he would occasionally tune in and hear in his mind came to that conclusion too. For reference, ever since in primary school Cale would 'talk' to himself, it would actually allow him to view things more passively when talking to the voices he created in his mind, he coined it "BCC" (Braincell Council Cale) it was also fun to do it in his opinion, so it stuck with him, becoming a fragmented piece to his very essence
'Or...are they doing it on purpose?...25'
The voices whispered quietly and agreed with him, some voicing their objection but becoming ignored in the process
"It isn't out of the realm of possibility, after all no one said that they'd follow the same kind of sound logic as humans, they could be Intentionally-"
His mutters ceased and he closed his self-chattering mouth
'No... not could, they must be intentionally avoiding the courtyard...'
"..."
Regardless, he kept counting, staring at the Courtyard that looked to be deserted at first glance
'60. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6'
Feet pounded on the stairs, resolve steeling itself with each step he flashed in Gardenia, finally he stood at the exit
'Something is wrong' Cale ignored the voices in his head
By now, he would have normally stopped counting, if it weren't for the bad premonition that shook him to his core. Cale would have already left and initiated his plan that the voices in his head presented to him
Though he did edit some of the contents of it
This, was Cale's thought process after all
'I need to know'
He gulped down his dry mouth, the desire for knowledge staining his breaths
How long will he go without ever finding anything? The coping mechanism in his head already revealed that staying passive will otherwise lead to death
Being active will accelerate that death too, but, if it were guaranteed that death would fall upon you if you don't do anything and laze around, what would you do?
If you were going to die anyway, why not grasp the short straw and gamble your life for a sliver of a shot at survival?
To survive, one could not sit still at the blazing campfire they created just because of the temporary safety it employed and veiled around them
You could of course sit close to the campfire, sitting down forever out of the desire to stay inside of a safety bubble you set up yourself
But in doing so, death would dawn and hound on you in just a couple of days
Why?
Because you outright refused to hunt for your food and search for water that could quench your constant thirst easily
The fear of the unknown predators were the instinctual reason why you would die, your refusal to progress would inevitably destroy you from the inside and eventually on the outside as well
Passiveness would only slowly poison you to ruin, Activeness would be your last reckless stand that would put your life on a giant scale, a scale that needs to tip in your favor against all odds that attempt to drown you
No hesitation could be made, it had to be done, if not now, when? An edge had to be gained, no matter how small it may be to someone else's eyes, every piece of knowledge that could be defined and decrypted in a new way was important
To know more about Gardenia was to first understand what laid bare to one's eyes. The more you knew. The more you understand Gardenia. The more you can manipulate their unique 'gimmicks'
The unknown was the most difficult to prepare for
But what about something you painstakingly gained the insight to understand?
Everyone who has received any kind of education know that preparation always tops no matter the subject, it was a hard truth burdened fact that is known to every single lifeform
For example, if your history teacher asked you a question you didn't prepare for. What would you feel deep inside?
Or when you fight an area boss in a video game and you do less damage than expected, what action do you take? Do you stop fighting it and instead start 'understanding' it? If so, why do you want to understand it? What is gained from repeatedly attempting to 'learn' from the area boss in the game?
Weakness. You start discovering its weakness, what works and what doesn't, you find 'gimmicks' you can take advantage of, you 'study' your enemy, you 'learn' from them, the mistakes that cause your demise.
Cale needed to do this, because only through the confirmation of his theories could he hope to survive.
It didn't matter if he was right or wrong, either he died quicker, or he died to a chalice full of poison, mistaking it as a gift for surviving for so long
To be Ignorant means to die a dog's death.
Only through Insight can one hope to survive and understand what others could not.
But to seek knowledge. Would that not end with consequence as a price?
This situation was slightly reminiscent of a corny line spoken only and highlighted mostly on novels
Like the cliché lines that may have been uttered edgingly to you 'When cornered with their lives on the line. Humans would even make a deal with the devil'
They would survive and flourish at first, but they will eventually reap the consequences
'Is that what they call karmic destiny?'
"Hah"
Cale scoffed, grinning maniacally at the voices whispering in his ears
'I need to risk my life In order for to Increase my chances of survival? What a joke'
30 Seconds
That is when he stopped counting
No to be exact. Cale stopped counting at 570 seconds. With 570 seconds already having passed since recess started, in another 30 seconds
Step!
'The bell rings!'
Cale burst forward, seeking knowledge which in equal exchange, would take something from him
Of course after the payment processed with no problem, he would get the knowledge he sought so curiously yet passionately