ΩMEGA

Chapter Twenty-Nine

There will be some time skips in the next two chapters which I know is a little annoying for some readers. However, originally, I had given it a 4-month time-skip lmaoo.

Long ass chapter ahead and sorry for the little surprise at the end, I just couldn't help myself 😔 it had to happen, check the tags 

TW ⚠️ very brief mention of suicidal thoughts

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Kian
~2 months later

Pain explodes on my side as I fall roughly to the ground. I wheeze as my body slams against the hard floor. I land awkwardly on my shoulder, causing even more pain to my arm and back. I look up as the man above me stalks towards me and raises his foot, no doubt to crush my neck or face. I quickly scoot from under him and try to stand back up but he kicks me again, not letting me escape.

"BLOCK!" Corzo yells, "Block it, Kian."

I know it's just training, but nothing seems to stop the nagging fear in the back of my mind. Even with Bridger, I was always held back by fear and he'd lecture me about how I'll get myself killed if I keep being fearful. I can't help it. I've gotten better at fighting against it, but sometimes my instincts want to just submit to my attacker to make him stop hurting me.

I raise my legs to my chest to check the eta above me. His foot slams into my knees. It's painful but far less painful than being kicked in the gut. As soon as his leg goes back down, I try to stand up. He's faster than me and I'm back on the ground again. I remember Bridger's rant about no matter what happens, I should always land on my back. So I try to. I land on my side and pivot to my back, my feet up again to catch his next kick. When he's close, I shove my foot into the leg he puts all of his weight on when he raises his other to deliver another kick. He grunts in pain and stumbles a bit which makes me kind of proud since that means I'm getting stronger. As he stumbles, I deliver another kick to his stomach though very weak due to my position. He doesn't stumble enough so I keep my feet in front of me so his blows won't cause major damage.

They hurt. He's much bigger than me and every punch and kick feels like I'm being beaten by a bull. I learn to absorb his attacks, though. I learn to use his bigger build against him. I may not be strong or huge, but I'm fast and agile. So I use my own abilities to my advantage. The second he brings his body back to deliver another attack, I move fast. In the blink of an eye, I've pushed myself from underneath him and I scramble to my feet. I balance myself, bracing for his huge form to crash into me. When his body gets close, I swoop from underneath him again and kick him right beside the knee. His legs buckle and he slams onto the ground. This is my time to shine and I do all I can to make sure he can't get up.

"Enough!" Corzo says from the sidelines.

I stop kicking and hitting him and turn to face Corzo. Sweat pours down my face and neck and I pant loudly, placing my hands on my hips. I wince and I lift my shirt up slightly to see a big bruise on my side. It's already healing which never fails to surprise me. I'm healing much faster now that I'm becoming healthier. In the past, it would have taken my body hours or even days to heal.

My opponent, Madison, and I were introduced to each other just a few days after I moved in and we have been practicing with each other ever since. At first, I felt bad and was embarrassed that Corzo was forcing one of his etas to waste time on me. But Madison made it clear that he had volunteered to do it when Corzo asked his etas and that he enjoyed sparing with me. He had even said that I surprised him as he didn't expect me to be so skilled or "after blood" as he liked to put it.

"You need to learn to be one step ahead of your opponent," Corzo continues as he tosses Madison and me some water. "This is just sparing, of course, and I know Madison is going easy on you for the most part – but in a real life setting, your opponent would easily be able to read you and would be several steps ahead of you. You have been sparing on and off these past months and you have gotten great at defense, however, your judgment and offense still need to be improved."