Strengthened Instructor Scene
"Here he is, Instructor," said a young man, his voice oddly respectful considering what a bastard he was and what he'd done to me ten minutes ago. I gave him a long side glance, our faces irritatingly close as he supported my arm over his shoulder.
"And what happened to... him?" asked the man before us, arms folded across his chest.
Instructor Arnold Alfonzo.
Crazy.
Like bat-shit crazy.
Even psychos knew how to act when facing him, explaining Lungris's sudden respectful behavior.
"Tell him, Kaeden," Lungris said, looking at me with squinted eyes that promised pain if I spoke the truth.
"I tripped and... fell down the stairs." The now-cliché excuse that everyone knew was bullshit. It was like saying 'we know you know it's a lie, but just agree with it anyway.'
"I see," the instructor said, nodding slowly. Then he looked at me more deeply, his gaze uncomfortably penetrating.
"You look different... you're Kaeden, right?" he asked, sizing me up with those cold, calculating eyes.
"Hmm... that's right... Wait... how is he taller than me?" I heard Lungris mutter beside me. I almost rolled my eyes. So he finally noticed?
"Yes, sir," I responded to the instructor's question. He looked me up and down for a long moment, then...
Shrugged.
Yes, he didn't care. That's how he was. It was actually a surprise that the man had even noticed the changes—he only ever bothered with 'talented' students.
Psycho, I scoffed internally. I wasn't stupid enough to say it out loud.
"You," he said, looking at Lungris, "head to the 13th platform. Your opponent is waiting there."
The idiot grinned. It seemed he still wasn't satisfied with nearly crippling me.
Damn.
I swear, one of these days, I'll make him regret ever knowing me.
"Sweet," Lungris said and walked away, but not before giving me a glance that told me everything I needed to know: Talk, and I'll visit you tonight. There was no need for words—it wasn't the first time, after all. I wasn't an idiot either. This academy was for the elite, so a crybaby constantly reporting to the authorities for something as mundane as bullying wasn't exactly ideal. At some point, they'd just find a way to rid themselves of the weakling.
The strong ruled here. It was an unwritten law.
"And you..." the instructor said, turning to look me in the eye.
"Me?"
"Yes, you. Head to platform 43. Someone is waiting for you."
I instantly pieced it together. Wouldn't take a genius anyway.
Amira.
At this point, I might as well just take the beating.
Amira was some... weird girl. That was my best description—beautiful, but a fucking mess. I couldn't even understand what went on in her head or why she'd made it her life mission to destroy me.
To hell with it.
All this had started after a certain day when I'd used some gadget I'd created (secretly, of course) to defeat her. I'd been confident I could finally win against a decent opponent after creating that relic, but unfortunately, I got paired with her and ended up 'disgracing' her in front of her simps. It wasn't intentional, though—I was just sick of losing, which was why I'd snuck the gadget in. My targets had been Lungris, Darvon, Chris, or any of those crazy bastards I still hadn't gotten my pound of flesh from.
But things didn't work out the way I'd visualized. That day, surrounded by stares—judging, demeaning gazes—I didn't want to lose. In fact, I swore to myself I wouldn't lose, and then... it happened. She was too confident, given that I was known not to possess ether, and that overconfidence made her fall into my hands.
She got thrown off the platform with what looked like a silly mistake (not completely silly given my relic had lent a hand, but no one noticed).
Well, no one except her.
She couldn't accept the shame.
Damn, she hated me more than all my enemies combined.
And given that her dad was the fucking instructor—yeah, THE INSTRUCTOR—I was 'coincidentally' paired with her in every combat session. But who was I? A survivor, and one who used his head at that.
So I continually surrendered the moment matches were declared, every single time.
But the last combat class...
Yeah...
A narrow escape.
The moment the match started, before I could even surrender...
SHE HAD ALMOST KILLED ME!
SHE WAS THAT DESPERATELY CRAZY!
Wait.
No, come to think of it, she wouldn't let me off with just a beating.
She would definitely try to kill me.
Yeah, fat chance.
I was done with this father-daughter revenge scheme.
"Sir, I don't think this is fair. For as long as I can remember, you've continually paired me with... Amira, even knowing how visibly weaker I am compared to her. I think that's unfair, as all students should be treated equally." The bullshitting began as I tried to touch some part of his conscience... that's if the guy even had one to begin with.
To this...
He grinned.
"And who told you she would be your opponent?" he asked.
I didn't like that grin.
My danger senses were tingling.
"I... I can't fight, sir. I'm still in recovery."
"Fine," he said after a moment, and my eyes widened.
Did... did this madman grow a conscience?
"But..." he continued, and I rolled my eyes.
Yeah, wouldn't the world end if you stopped being a dick for one day? I asked internally. Why internally? Because I wasn't stupid.
"When you're considered fully recovered... since you haven't participated in combat activities for a while now, I will personally supervise your training to help you catch up with your peers. From that moment until the end of this semester."
My blood ran cold.
"And just to make it clear," he continued with that same terrifying smile, "you'll be weeding a portion of the forest in Carizon. I'll personally get you a hoe, and yes, you must chop down the trees with that same hoe. That way, you'll grow stronger than your peers in no time."
Did I mention I hate him?
Hmm.
I think I did.
But did I mention I TRULY DESPISE HIM?
"I'll fight," I said, turning to find the platform. I could hear battle cries echoing around us—seems everyone was busy trying to kill each other.
"Good... and this time, you cannot surrender until the first twenty minutes of the match have passed," he called after me. I didn't bother turning around.
Sighs.
So I die anyway.