"So, you managed to reach an agreement with the other you?" The Old Man asked while looking at Hal curiously.

"Yep," Said Hal confidently.

"I don't trust this man." A voice inside Hal's mind said

"We'll talk in a minute Tinct. For now, we need to prove to The Old Man that we aren't a danger." Hal Responded to the foreign thought without showing any outward indication of his internal conversation. "We worked everything out completely. I can confidently say I won't be losing control again." Said Hal while facing The Old Man.

"Uh-huh. Let's say I believe you, which I do, what evidence do you have of your claim." The Old Man said sternly. "Last week you told me that you hadn't even spoken to the other you in over a year, now you tell me everything has been worked out" His tone took on a more questioning nature while he spoke.

"Showtime Tinct. Just come out and say something, anything." Hal spoke inside his mind.

"Fine." Tinct, or Instinct, responded while taking control of their shared body.

The Old Man visibly tensed up at the sight of Hal's skin turning green and his nails growing into claws, but he did not immediately move to stop the boy's transformation. "Hello, I assume I am now conversing with the other inhabitant of Hal's mind. "Said The Old Man tersely.

"Yes. You may call me Instinct." Said Tinct flatly before continuing in another tongue. "O taach or och rhuul." "You smell of old blood." He did not wait for The Old Man to respond to anything he said before undoing the change by returning control of their body to Hal.

"What does his age have to do with things?" Hal asked

"Nothing, I will show you what I mean later." Instinct said.

"Well, I have to admit that that is rather convincing." Said The Old Man while relaxing into his chair. "Let's move on then. As you know, anyone older than eight is permitted to go into the city and work. I held you back before because I felt the risk was too high when you had the chance of losing control, but if you are positive you can maintain that control, you are permitted to join one of the groups that leave tomorrow. Understood?"

"Yes sir," Hal said confidently.

"Good, remember that if you choose to work in the city, you agree to all that it entails. Am I clear?"

"Yes, I understand that those who choose to pursue work outside of training must pay for what they receive. I wish to join one of the groups tomorrow regardless of this." Hal's voice wavered a little at the thought. He was confident he would be able to earn enough to pay for food, but the idea of going hungry was still a sore spot in his mind.

"very well. Tomorrow you will be allowed to go into the city, I wish you luck." The last part of The Old Man's statement was moderately kind in comparison to his usual tone.

"Thank you" With the ending of the conversation, Hal turned and left the office while sending his thoughts inward.

"What did you mean about his smell?" Hal asked curiously.

"He smells the same as a battlefield," Tinct said while pulling a somehow clinical vision into the shared section of the inner spiral. The memory was bland, only containing information, a war, a smell, the idea of bloodshed, but no emotion to tie them together.

"Oh, that makes a bit more sense. Wait, how do you know stuff like that?" Hal did not balk at the memory, instead, pursuing its origin.

"I just know," Instinct said flatly, "Dhakhaan rhaan der o." "Fate be with you."

Hal didn't bother responding, the final words of his companion were a small way of saying that he would be mostly uncommunicative for the foreseeable future. Rather than dwell on the oddity, Hal decided to go and prepare for what would likely be a busy day.

The next morning Hal rose with the sun, easily. While some would find it difficult to sleep on the eve of an exciting event, Hal was one who had always found it easy to sleep when he needed and wake when he wanted. That is to say, Hal was fully rested for whatever work he was going to do today.

Today's events did little to alter Hal's morning routine, he still fetched water from the well to wipe himself down, he still cleaned his clothes from the day prior, and he still made his bed so that it was uniform with the rest of the beds in the room. Hal made his way to the main hall, where morning roll was taken. It was a well-known thing that you could leave whenever you wanted, The Old Man wouldn't chase you, he'd even let you come back if you decided to, but morning roll served to keep track of those who had chosen to stay for another day or catch any new faces.

After morning roll, The Old Man called aside anyone who had shown interest in going into the city. Hal had seen the group every morning for years, but this was the first time he would participate in the gathering.

"Eh hem." The Old Man started off by getting everyone's attention with a short cough, while there hadn't been much talking, what little there was had quieted down at the sound. "I know some of you a tired of hearing this. Regardless, I would like to remind you all of what you agree to by going into the city instead of staying and helping around here." Some of the older members seemed to stifle a groan at the opening statement, lending truth to its contents.

"When you choose to leave for the morning, you agree that you are not assisting in keeping this facility running for that day, you did not help train those younger than you, you did not do any of the chores for that day, and you did not help any of your fellows with their studies. This comes at a cost." The Old Man stopped at this statement and seemed to hold the silence in his hand before continuing. "By choosing to leave in the morning, you forfeit several of the things you earn by helping throughout the day. You will not receive any free meals, you will not be granted any specialized training, and you will not be entitled to the information passed to your fellows during the day's lessons."

The Old Man stopped again, making eye contact with all of those present individually. "If you agree to this, then you may proceed into town. For those who are new, remember that we have an agreement with the labor guild. They will provide you with work for the day if you go to them." The Old Man looked out over the gathering of his charges and gave one of his rare genuine smiles. "I wish you all luck in your task for today. YOU ARE DISMISSED."

"Quite a performance." Tinct's flat voice did not show if he was sarcastic or if he had actually been impressed by The Old Man's speech.

"Well, he does make that speech every day, at least I think it's the same one." Hal continued to follow the other's out the front door while conversing with Tinct.

"What are we planning to do?" Tinct asked.

"Well, I think we should head for the labor guild. That way, we can guarantee we actually make some money today." Hal explained while he exited the front door and into the city.

The complex Hal lived in existed on the edge of the city slums. This would usually have been an issue for something that was functionally a gathering of children. Still, everyone across the city knew that if you never messed with The Old Man and, by extension, those under his care. The guard tells a story about those who attempt to trespass on The Old Man's land. "If we get ahold of them after he's done, then he found them in the yard. If they get inside or do something to one of the children, we'll never see them again."

No one knows who The Old Man is, or where he came from. One day he showed up in the city and declared that any child without parents was under his protection. At first, everyone laughed at him. They thought that he was just some old fool who couldn't hide his less acceptable fetishes any more. But, over time, people learned of the reality. The Old Man was as serious as could be, any child who lost their parents was offered the ability to train under him, learn from him, and be sheltered by him. He provides this without any prejudice to race, background, or disability.

No one knows how old The Old Man actually is. He first arrived fifty years ago, and since then, he hasn't changed even the slightest. He has always looked like he is about sixty years of age, with a more substantial amount of muscle than his apparent age would allow. Some believe he's younger than he looks or hasn't been the same person for all this time. Others think his age matches his strength. They say that he is amongst the few who are have reached the pinnacle of power with a single tier 5 class and four, tier 4 subclasses.

The only facts surrounding The Old Man is that those who he raised became great and powerful figures. He refuses to take those in who still have family, claiming that they still have a chance without him, but those without families would die without someone like him. He will never give his name. When asked what to call him, he says to call him Old Man. The last fact everyone agrees on is that he is strong enough to find you if you harm one of the children under his care.