A Second Chance

Part 8 - That was unexpected

I slowly returned to the mansion, my body aching with each step I took. Giving up felt like a good choice, but I decided not to. The mission wasn't over until I made it back to Mark.

A smile crept on my face as I kept walking.

This was the first actual victory that I've had in 10 years, and I knew that there would be many more to come. There's now a new sense of hope in me that I can get rid of The Vipers. Now, I and Mark can get started with taking down The Vipers - this was the test, and I passed.

Speaking of Mark, he was at the doorstep, waiting for me with a huge smile on his face.

"I'm so proud of you!" Mark beamed. "You gave it your all out there!"

"Yeah," I replied. "It was hard, but I won,"

Mark nodded, likely understanding that I needed some silence right now. I was too tired to talk properly as of this moment. Actually, I needed at least 12 hours of sleep following that brutal battle - I had the energy to do nothing else.

"You should rest up," Mark suggested. "You definitely need a lot of sleep,"

"Not yet," I replied. "I have a question you might have an answer to,"

"Is it about the fight? Your powers?" Mark wondered. "Well, ask away, my friend,"

"Do you perhaps know...what happened in that fight?" I asked. "I was losing, but suddenly started dominating the fight. And I won without using my powers,"

"I'm not sure, but Billy did that too back in the past," Mark replied. "He was losing to this one guy, but suddenly started dominating the fight,"

"It's like I was in another state, like some sort of 'Phase 2'," I mused. "I feel like my strength, speed, and senses all improved,"

"It's called Pure Survival," Mark explained.

"What?"

"It's a special mode you enter once you're nearly beaten and full of stress, basically a near-death situation. You get better strength and speed. Oh, and you think much faster - it's like you infuse your brain with lightning,"

"How do you know?"

"Billy used it and that's how he said it,"

"Lightning to the brain? Isn't that dangerous?"

"Not for people like you, plus it only happens if you're in a near-death situation and feel like dying. It's not like a power-up or anything,"

"Interesting..." I muttered. "Well, I'll be off now. I'm gonna go and rest up,"

"Take care!" Mark called out as I walked away.

The streets were dark and empty, reminding me of that alleyway where I had my first encounter with The Vipers. Luckily, I was in The Sanction, so I didn't have to worry about getting into trouble at the alleyway this time.

It's still weird, how I managed to find Mark and how I changed from someone stuck in a desert for 10 years to a superhero. I was slowly getting my life back, piece by piece.

I wonder how strong The Vipers are. I did beat The Swordsman, but there are 10 other fighters above him that I have to beat, including Nightshade, before I get to Deathstroke. Those ten fighters would prove to be a pretty big challenge, especially given my current strength.

Suddenly, I wasn't feeling too tired anymore. Well, I was tired, but I didn't feel like sleeping. Rather, I feel like learning more about The Vipers. Maybe Billy's book had some information about the gang.

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"So, The Swordsman...lost?" ???(Ranked 9th in The Vipers) asked, surprised. "I never thought that he'd actually lose,"