Unmoving
Rattle. Rattle.
Sweat and musty air filled the room. The sound of the treadmill running rang in my ears.
Sounds of chatter flowed in the small room. There were two other members of the Earth Protectors with me. Odd-Star, and the new hero, White-Watch were running on the treadmill just like myself.
Hornet wanted me to get faster. Agile wanted me to train more.
Thud-thud.
My feet thudded against the surface of the treadmill.
Hornet had gone away to visit the GOU headquarters for some important meeting Agile refused to tell me.
Did she even know what the meeting was?
Hornet and her were close… but they still had a professional distance despite her being Hornet's daughter.
She and Coven were assigned to guard the laboratory while Stella works.
I hadn't seen much of them since…
Haha.
My hair whipped as I turned to look back at those two running on the other corner.
Ever since they entered, they have not said anything to me. I still didn't understand the factions within the arena. The Zionalma Kingdom, the Aeterna Veritas Arcanum, the Guardians of the Unirex and the Earth Protectors…
Divided.
Why was the arena this way?
Both Earth Protectors and GOU eat together at respected tables in the cafeteria.
AVA, for the most part, kept to themselves while Zionalma Kingdom members were the most divided.
I once saw the pale white Zionalma boy eating alone a week ago. With no other member in sight.
Isn't he the strongest among Zionalma members? Isn't Zionalma all about strength?
I had never seen an AVA member eat alone.
The Zionalma warriors did it all the time.
Huff. Huff.
My steps came to a halt. The other two were still running. It had only been thirty minutes since they arrived while I was here for the last three hours.
Ever since Agile had been busy guarding the laboratory Stella was working in, I had a lot of time to train on my own.
I glanced toward the Protectors. They were still chatting about trivial details of Earth like work, rent, grocery…
Nothing I considered important since I did not live here.
I was only bound to be inside the arena. At all times.
With light steps, I walked over to the water station. I opened the lid of my bottle and put it under the water dispenser. Once full, I brought it to my lips and took a big gulp.
I closed the cap and walked over to the door to exit with the arm swinging in my right hand.
The door slid open before I could reach for it.
In front of me stood the blunt yet mysterious Zionalma member: Skarvek.
His hauntingly deep red eyes bored through me. I stared at him, the pitch black mask concealing everything except his eyes.
A wave of awkward silence took over us.
I averted my gaze and tried to walk past him.
He didn't move.
His broad shoulders still blocked the doorframe.
I glanced up, noticing his gaze had averted over to the Earth Protectors.
I cleared my throat, to grab his attention.
His eyes flickered back to me as I tried to pass him for the second time.
Instead, he blocked my path.
My pupils dilated just slightly as if caught by a predator.
Why was he blocking my way?
I glanced back at the two Earth Protector members. They didn't even acknowledge the threat that was about to enter the training room. The woman in an all black suit with white seam lines talking casually as if she hadn't been beaten bloody weeks ago.
I straightened up, I saw his hauntingly glowing red eyes boring through me. His posture was dominant and sturdy. His body made it clear he was not going to move.
Why was he staring at me?
Did he think I was like White-Watch?
To quietly take the beating?
His eyes didn't leave me as I averted my gaze. I was taller by a fraction, yet it felt as though I was looking up.
His gaze dug deeper, clawing at my insides.
My hands grew clammy and my claws stiffened instinctively.
"Y—"
I pushed past him before he could utter a single word. My shoulder bumped against his but it didn't even move a centimetre.
It felt like walking into a wall.
I didn't look back as I left the speed training room.
My heart raced as if I were expecting him to attack me.
Though, the further I walked, the heavier his stare felt.
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