Trust was such a fickle thing, changing with the moment. It wasn't black and white either. Even when everything someone said and did was correct, trust wasn't guaranteed.
Michael, through his actions, had earned at least a basic degree of it. His calmness when others panicked and his decisiveness in the forest made him feel like a leader.
Kiki, on the other hand, hadn't earned trust. She was deemed reliable; she often shared many things she knew. Tobi and most of the others couldn't fully trust her. How could he trust her when she clearly didn't trust them?
It wasn't impossible for her to become a leader, but in the short term, it would be difficult for others to follow her orders willingly.
Whilst everyone thought, quiet snoring cut through the room. Kwame had entered a deeper stage of sleep while sitting up straight. The sound snapped most of the gathering from their focus.
Marie appeared to have reached a conclusion despite this. "Perhaps each party will need a different kind of leader."
"A fighter," Yousef said.
"A thinker," Vita added, glancing toward Kiki before looking away just as fast.
"A person people can actually stand," Liam jested.
"That eliminates you," Kiki muttered.
Liam grinned. "I wasn't volunteering. I couldn't be a leader!"
A small chuckle came from the back of the room. Everyone looked towards the source of the sound. It was the old man who had not spoken since he entered.
He waved dismissively towards the attention everyone gave him, then spoke sternly, "You lot are counting seats without knowing where the cart is off to."
Seeing the confused look on the faces around him, the old man continued, "Parties are useful. Leaders are important. Doesn't matter if you're staying in this village forever."
"It doesn't?" Ohara Satoru asked.
The old man's eyes shifted toward the windows, watching the late-afternoon light shine through the glass. "What good would something like that be in a place where you're hardly ever in any danger?"
Once again, no one knew what to say. Every new point felt as if it were deciding some part of their futures. Tobi looked down at the system panel one more time.
The blue "Party Formation Available" text felt more imposing than a minute ago. It wasn't as though the party system had been created for book clubs or to be stagnant. It was for people who wanted to advance. People willing to take risks for rewards. It was meant to separate those who did from those who did not.
After the implications settled over everyone, the old man drove the final nail into the coffin, "You know, they told me of these wind surges. Beasts come tearing out and have a go at the town." Some eyes widened. Others nodded as though they had already heard. "Never lasts all that long, though. Hardly anyone gets killed."
Michael uncrossed his arms at last, and a smirk flashed across his face. "He's right. There's a more important question here."
Attention shifted toward the side of the room where he stood. His voice was peaceful and carried no command, yet it somehow directed more authority than anyone else's.
"Does everyone actually intend to leave Windhollow?"
It was a difficult question to answer.
Looking down, Tobi was the first to speak. "I do." Several voices followed, namely Kiki, Kian, and the old man. Their agreement came faster than Tobi's own decision.
He could have left it there, but something in him refused the silence.
"The people here are... good people," he added. "I'm grateful for everything they've done."
Tobi looked through the library window toward the open village. He saw people walking around, talking and laughing in the distance. The faint winds barely reached the village.
"But as soon as I think about staying, it feels..." He paused, searching for the right word. "Wrong, just wrong."
A week ago, he would have assumed the feeling came from wanting Earth back. But now Earth felt distant. It was gone. In its place, Windhollow had fed and sheltered him, given him work, routines, and even clothes.
Still, whenever he imagined staying here, something inside him quietly pressed against the thought. He did not know whether that feeling belonged to him anymore. This refuge was also his cage, and he refused to sing from inside it.
Liam leaned farther over the back of his chair. "I'm leaving too."
Unlike Tobi, he answered without any spectacle.
"This place is nice and all, but I'm not staying in one village forever. What's the point of getting abilities if we never go anywhere?"
"Not dying," Kian said bluntly.
"Obviously, besides that."
Kiki folded her arms. "Liam has a point."
Liam turned toward her, visibly surprised by her agreement.
After shaking her head in disbelief, she added, "Don't look so happy."
Yousef raised his hand slightly. "I will leave as well." His answer was calm, almost distant.
Vita glanced toward him. "Why?"
"There is more outside." It was a simple answer, and apparently the only one he intended to give. Attention quickly moved away from him.
Carlos rubbed his hands against the rough fabric of his trousers. "I want to leave at some point."
"At some point?" several voices repeated.
Carlos nodded. "I want to see what else this world has to offer. Even if I want to leave, I'm not ready yet."
Tobi gave a small nod. Most of the others did too. The desire to push forward didn't erase the desire to stay. Neither did it lessen the danger outside Windhollow. The village only allowed them to disregard it for now.
He thought back to the first activation of Transparent Quests, when it had warned him against leaving the zone. So far, Carlos, Liam, the twins, the old man, Yousef, and Tobi were the only ones planning to leave, even if Carlos wanted to wait.
Michael looked across those who had answered before asking, "Who intends to stay?"
Ohara Satoru answered before anyone else could.
"I do."
For the first time, his voice lacked its distinct uncertainty. His body remained drawn inward, but he did not shy away when everyone's attention settled on him.
"I'm staying here."
Liam's brow rose. "Forever?"
"If I can."
Ohara Satoru glanced briefly toward the nearest window, though this time he kept his head raised.
"I nearly died getting here... I would've died..! If you hadn't found me." His gaze shifted toward Michael, then back outside. "The villagers gave us so much and only asked for so little."
He took a slow breath. "I... don't need to see what else is out there. I don't care to be strong... I just want to wake up without wondering if I'll survive..." His voice trailed near the end, as though he were preparing for ridicule that never came.
Even the most immature one of all, Liam, remained still and seated.
"If the party system is for leaving, then I don't need it," Ohara Satoru said, his voice small but firm.
The words felt different from Tobi's own. His decision was complete. Tobi's had felt more involuntary, as though his body had decided before his thoughts. One carried absolute certainty while the other barely accepted what felt right.
Perhaps the System went beyond simply acclimating them to their new lifestyles. It did not control them or choose their paths. It simply made the paths they already leaned toward easier to accept.
Marie rested her hands together in her lap. "Staying because you want this life isn't wrong."
Ohara looked toward her.
"Neither is leaving," she continued. "The only wrong choice is the one you know you'd regret."
Tobi lowered his gaze.
Someone could stay because they were afraid and call it belonging. Someone else could leave because they could not sit still and call it purpose. The decision alone did not reveal the truth behind it.
Isla shifted in her seat. "I don't know yet."
Her admission was quiet.
"I can't go back into the forest. I'm not a fighter, I don't want to fight..." Her hands pressed together tightly in her lap. "But I don't know if I want to live here forever either."
"Then don't decide forever," Marie said.
Isla looked toward her.
"Decide what you want now," Marie continued. "You can change your mind later."
Kostas exhaled through his nose. "Finally, something reasonable."
Kiki glanced at him. "Obviously it's reasonable."
A few restrained laughs passed through the group.
After a moment, Kostas defended himself. "It's weird hearing reasonable things after hearing you talk." He then leaned back in his seat.
"Since I'm already speaking, I don't intend to stay forever. But I'm not marching through a lethal forest anytime soon because a blue screen made you guys feel adventurous."
Liam laughed. "Nobody said tomorrow."
"It was implied soon," Kostas replied starkly.
"It was implied eventually."
"You barely think past tomorrow."
"That's not true," Liam quickly retorted.
Kian looked toward him. "What are you doing tomorrow?" Immediately taking the opportunity to ridicule Liam as always.
The target of ridicule opened his mouth, then paused and frowned. "That's not fair!"
"Exactly."
Michael allowed the exchange to run its course before speaking again. "So we have three sides."
His gaze passed over the gathering.
"We have people who are leaving. People who want to leave later. Lastly, people who are staying or who haven't decided."
Tobi looked once more at the party interface. Three to five members.
At first, this had been an easy discussion about who should lead the parties. Now the limits felt restrictive, not because of the number of members, but because of who could be together in the first place. A party filled with useful abilities would mean nothing if half its members remained in the village.