Felix kept trying to come up with strategies to catch a slicer. He tried catching beetles to bring to Knucklehead, trapping a slicer before they arrived in a ring of beetles, and so much more. He spent days trying to come up with solutions. For one reason or another, everything he thought of failed.

  Eventually, his options dwindled to one. finding ingredients in the forest. That left him with another problem. He had no idea how to identify if something was edible, let alone palatable. Even if he found individual ingredients that would work, he couldn’t know if they’d go together to create a dish good enough for Knucklehead to earn his name.

  It took lunch with Lara and Aster for the girls to point out the obvious solution. He could ask Agrona for help. He’d spent so many mornings with her that he’d honestly stopped thinking of her as a guide. He’d started seeing her more like a caring aunt.

  She’d spent so many mornings listening to his worries and subtly guiding him to think through the problems he faced that he was sure he wouldn’t have gotten as far as he had without her help.

  The next morning, when he sat down for their early morning chat, Felix was a bundle of nerves. He explained his situation to her while she patiently listened. She’d known about some of his attempts over the days, but it was the first time he laid out his efforts in so much detail to anyone.

  Agrona let him tell his story, nodding along and adding the occasional comment.

  “I see why you’d want my help, child, but that doesn't mean I have the time to teach you. In case you’ve forgotten, I’m responsible for cooking the meals of the entire Crossroad, and even the café’s treats are made by me. When am I supposed to help you? In the few hours I have to rest while everyone is asleep?”

  Felix looked at her in surprise. Somehow, that had slipped his mind. For a moment, he was tempted to agree that she could just teach him when other people slept. He couldn’t bring himself to ask, though. She’d already done so much for him that trying to take advantage of her like that just felt dirty. Besides, it wasn’t like she’d agree to anything she didn’t want to agree to in the first place.

  After thinking it through, his eyes lit up.

  “What if I help you?!”

  Agrona raised an eyebrow at him, though her faint smile let him know he was on the right track.

  “Felix, if you had the skill to help, I wouldn’t need to teach you.”

  Felix chewed the inside of his cheek while thinking. He knew what to say, but he was really hoping there was another way. Eventually, he shook his head. What was a little humiliation in light of what he’d already faced?

  He was sure he was in for a rough time, but so be it. It wasn't like he’d had time to make friends outside of Lara, Aster, and maybe Henry. He didn’t think any of them would care, and he couldn’t let himself be held back by the opinions of strangers. His path would be hard enough without him adding obstacles for himself.

  After thoroughly considering his options, he resigned himself to his fate.

  “What– What if I took orders and served the food? Could I help with preparing the food as well? And– and– washing the dishes?” He finished in almost a whisper.

  He could feel tears trying to well up in the corner of his eyes. When he pictured the glorious start of his journey after reaching the crossroads, it definitely didn’t involve waiting on his fellow aspirants.

  Agrona’s hand landed on his shoulder before she pulled him into a hug. She held him there for a long time, allowing him to come to grips with the task in front of him.

  “The start of your journey is harder than most, but I believe in you. If you can conquer these trials, I’m sure you’ll be a great Traveller one day.

  “Go rest for today, child, we can start tomorrow.”

  Felix nodded before heading upstairs. The day's wait allowed him to give his friends some warning and to prepare himself for it.

  Early the next morning, long before anyone else woke up, Felix was in the kitchen helping Agrona to prepare for the day. She started by teaching him how to handle a knife before showing him how to prepare an ingredient. Then she’d have him prepare hundreds of the same ingredients before showing him how to do the next one.

  Felix thought he’d hate the repetitive task, but after getting the hang of an ingredient, he’d fall into almost a meditative state while processing the rest.

  If he could spend all day just doing that, then the day wouldn’t be as bad. He’d sheepishly asked Agrona if it would be acceptable. Unfortunately, she made it clear that Guides were an extension of the Ways. They had discretion, but the Ways ultimately determined what was acceptable. If he wanted to learn from her, then this was the price he’d have to pay.

  So when the first people started coming down, Felix accepted his fate with a sigh. He hung up his apron and made his way to the first table. A lone boy sat reading a book, hesitantly, Felix approached him.

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  “Uh, hey. What can I get you?” Felix winced, ready for a snide response.

  “Huh? Where’s the chef?”

  “Uhm, I’m helping out by taking the orders today.”

  “Oh, ok. I’ll have some pancakes, please, Agrona knows how I like them. I’m Albert.”

  He turned his attention back to his book.

  “Is that all?” Felix couldn’t help but blurt out, surprised by how well the interaction went.

  “Uh, yeah. Thanks.”

  Felix made his way back into the kitchen in a daze, only to be met with a knowing smile from Agrona.

  “You didn’t expect everyone to be an ass, did you?”

  “That’s– Actually, yeah, that’s exactly what I expected.”

  Agrona nodded.

  “You forgot that not everyone wants to be a Traveller, I’d say a third never tried. Add in the number who've already given up, and I’d say about half of your batch aren’t even entering the Ways anymore. Even among the people still trying, they probably have friends who have given up or never tried in the first place.”

  Felix looked at her in surprise.

  “That’s not all, let me ask you. Would you look down on someone for not wanting to go through what you’ve been through on your journey?”

  Felix immediately shook his head. He’d wanted to be a Traveller all his life, and still, he’d had several moments where he nearly gave up. How could he judge someone for not wanting to go down the same path?

  “Exactly. You’re not the only one who’s had a rough go of it. Even those on the path will just think you gave up. They won’t judge you for it.

  “That’s not to say you should relax just yet. There will definitely be a few people giving you grief. That little rival of yours has made friends with some rather… interesting people. I’d eat my hat if they don’t have a go at you. You’ll need to figure out how to handle that on your own. Just remember that fighting in the dining hall is strictly against the rules.

  “If you can’t abide by the rules, I can’t have you helping me, which means I can't teach you. Keep your focus on what you’re trying to achieve. Don’t allow them to drag you off your path.”

  Felix nodded. He expected that. There was no way Eugene and his group would ever let him hear the end of this. It didn’t matter. He’d do what he had to.

  The rest of the morning went surprisingly smoothly. Agrona was right. Most people didn’t think twice about it after he explained why Agrona wasn’t the one helping them. A few rude ones made snide remarks or snickered behind his back.

  One guy intentionally spilled his drink, hoping to force Felix to clean it up. It actually made him smile. Agrona already told him that if anyone tried something like that, he could just toss them a rag and make them do it.

  The guy tried refusing, of course, until Agrona told him that if he didn’t clean it, he could forget about getting food from the dining hall again. She’d have him banned from the café for good measure too. So either he cleaned or he’d be sourcing his meals from the garden for the rest of his time at the Crossroads.

  That shut him up quickly. Watching the jackass eat the humiliation he tried to serve Felix was rather poetic.

  Eventually, Lara and Aster made their way downstairs. Felix tried to catch up with them a little in between work. They didn’t get to talk much, but it was still nice to see some friendly faces. The girls tried hanging around afterwards, probably knowing how things would go once Eugene’s group came down for breakfast.

  Felix had to explain what Agrona said about the Ways. If he didn’t face the challenge on his own, Agrona wouldn’t be able to help him. As much as he appreciated their good intentions, he couldn’t let his efforts go to waste.

  Even after explaining that he had to face it alone, Lara didn’t want to leave. Aster had to drag her away when Eugene’s group came down. As they left, he could see Lara fighting to hold back tears. He knew she must have felt powerless, being unable to help.

  As they left, he tried to give Aster a grateful smile. Come what may, he had to face this.

  Felix saw the moment Eugene noticed him, and he immediately started to scowl. His face grew even more severe as he watched Lara and Aster leave. It didn’t take a genius to know that they’d been having a conversation. Aster and Lara glared at Eugene as they left, leaving Felix standing helplessly to the side, watching as a misunderstanding formed in real time.

  Felix didn’t bother trying to think of a way to clear it up. He’d come to accept that there just wasn’t any way for him and Eugene to get along, no matter how much Lara wanted it. He didn’t have the time to waste on it either. He’d just focus on his own path and try to see Eugene’s group as little as possible going forward.

  While Eugene glared at Felix, he didn’t do anything, he just grabbed a table with Irene and Marvin.

  Felix sighed.

  “Well, here goes nothing.”

  The moment he approached the group, Eugene’s glare intensified. His expression grew angrier and angrier as Felix got closer to their table. It didn’t take very long for the rest of the group to notice.

  So when Felix got to their table, all eyes were on him.

  “What would you like?”

  The group looked at him like he’d been pecked in the head.

  “What do you want, loser? You’re the one who approached us.” Irene was the first one to recover enough to respond.

  “I want– To know what you would like to order.”

  The group stared at him blankly, but soon he could see a look of realisation dawn on Marvin.

  “No shit! Hahaha, number one, you’re working here? I knew you weren’t going to make it, but I never thought the only thing you’d be good for is waiting on tables. Hahaha!”

  The rest of the group looked at Felix in disbelief. He had to close his eyes for a moment to centre himself, giving them all the confirmation they needed. They were so smugly satisfied he could practically see the waves of condescension roiling off their group.

  “Weren’t you acting tough just last month, saying how Eugene isn’t worth shit? Now look at you. Hahaha, I can’t believe it. It’s about time you learned your place.”

  “Don’t listen to them. I’m glad you finally learned your limits. Being a waiter suits you.” On the surface, Eugene’s words might have sounded kinder than the rest. If he’d made any attempt to hide his glee, it might have even been possible to believe he meant well.

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