Chapter 12: Training=Strong
I woke up,my head was a roaring mess. The world wasn't just clear; it was overlaid with a translucent sheen, every shadow too deep, every light too sharp. It felt like grief had been physically injected into my bloodstream.
The moment the purple light faded, Silas was there, standing over me. The Captain was already gone, handling business.
"You have two hours," Silas said, his voice flat. He didn't look at me like a person; he looked at me like a volatile equation. "The Anima organization doesn't coddle its weapons. You are too unstable, and the Authority will be here faster than we can predict. Your training starts now."
My body was still heavy from the Syqnix backlash, but memories of fighting I didn't recognize—made me feel coiled and dangerous.
I found Kenji outside the mess hall, picking miserably at a plate of nutrient paste. His eyes were wide, and a faint, shimmering sapphire blue light passed by as I watch him unconsciously clenched his fist. He was scared, but he was alive.
"I saw what you did for me," I managed, a shame that I couldn't help you.
Kenji flinched, looking past me. "Don't. Don't talk like that. You just… almost killed me, and now I feel disgusted everytime I see you so,Let's just get this over with." He didn't sound angry, just resigned and utterly terrified. I hated that I had dragged him into a theological war for my soul.
The training chamber was deeper than the trial rooms, a massive, pressurized hangar. It was designed to mimic the worst combat conditions: steam jets, razor-sharp metallic obstacles that swung on precise clockwork, and focused kinetic emitters mounted on every wall. It was less a training room and more a kill box.
The Captain stood on a high observation platform, his black hair stark against the white light.
"The goal is simple: survive and reach the exit point in three minutes," his voice boomed over the speakers. "Reiyo, use your speed and force. Kenji, your will is defense. You will learn synergy or you will die. The emitters are set to lethal, they will break your bones. Start."
The room exploded into motion. Steam jets screamed. Kinetic fire rained down.
I didn't think; I moved. I focused the unstable power in my legs, and the world stretched. I wasn't running; I was skipping through seconds.
That man's memory slammed into my mind I launched forward, avoiding a burst of concentrated steam by moving too fast for the naked eye to track. I didn't see the metal obstacle swinging toward me—I did feel the energy field shift, It was the kinetic energy; it was something cold, something that ripped the structural cohesion from the obstacle.
I punched the metal bar. It didn't bend,
"More power, Reiyo!" the Captain yelled, his voice laced with professional aggravation. "The power should drains your energy not store it!, Learn to moderate!"
But my momentum carried me directly into a torrent of pressurized kinetic fire. I braced myself, knowing this was it—the pain that would buckle my legs.
Then, Kenji slammed into me from the side.
He didn't move fast,but the kinetic fire hit the shield. It didn't shatter the shield; it just stopped. The impact was there, a shuddering THUD that vibrated through my bones, but the force was dampened, neutralized.
Kenji grunted, his eyes squeezed shut, focused entirely on surviving. "If you charge forward like a maniac, I have to shield you!"
We were a terrible sight. Our powers haven't even fully awaken, but we were still locked in for survival.
We stumbled forward, Kenji forcing himself to run just fast enough to stay in contact with me. We reached the exit point, collapsing over the line. The chamber immediately powered down.
The Captain looked down from his platform, his expression unreadable.
"You survived," he stated. "You will train for twelve more hours. Then, your mission begins."
My body ached, my head pounded, and my heart was heavy with the weight of training. I knew one thing: I wouldn't leave Kenji's side, even if he was destined to drag us both into the deepest hell.