OTHERS: Five elements

CHAPTER 5.6: AIR

22 February 2033, 01:00 PM

The second phase of training was focused on the body—on physical strength. Paola led me to another room. There was nothing inside. Just bare, cracked walls. She immediately began stretching.

- "This part is simple," she said. "Fight me. No powers, no giving in to the voice. Just you. The voice will tempt you to use your powers. You must not."

- "And what if I lose control?" I asked.

- "Then I'll stop you before you kill me. Don't worry. I've been through this before."

Not as comforting as she probably thought.

- "Since you became an Other, your strength has increased. You're faster now, your body more resilient. You'll unconsciously start to use your abilities. The goal is to control that—your body, your movements, your power. If you want to live like a normal human, you can't let the world see what you are."

We squared off. At first, Paola moved slowly, probing my reactions. I had never fought anyone before. She threw half-hearted blows, more like shoves than punches.

- "Come on, hit back," she said.

She circled me like a predator, and I was the prey. Just pushing, testing. Then I pushed her back—not expecting how hard I did.

- "Oh, we're getting serious now," she smirked. "Let's see what you've got."

Her movements became faster, more fluid. She was elegant, controlled—looking for an opening. In the blink of an eye, I was slammed to the floor. Pain jolted through my back as it hit the hard tiles. Then the voice returned.

- "Strike back," it growled. "Harder. She's mocking you. Crack her ribs..."

I stood up, trying to ignore it. Shook my head. Backed away. But Paola didn't stop. She pressed forward, forcing me to move, block, react.

- "Use me. You feel it, don't you? The strength, waiting. Just one punch. She won't get up."

I could feel it—that warmth rising in my arms, begging to be unleashed.

- "Stay here, Aiko!" Paola called out. "Focus on yourself—not that!"

- "Don't listen to her," the voice hissed. "Grab her. Finish her!"

And then the real fight began. I gave in. My body moved on its own, led by that voice. My instincts were not mine anymore, and the goal was clear: kill her. Paola didn't back down. She kept calling to me, pleading with me to come back, to fight it. But I wasn't myself. For minutes, we clashed. She only defended, never striking to injure, trying not to hurt me. But then I grabbed her by the throat. Threw her to the floor. I was about to strike again—to finish it— And then he appeared. A man. He slammed me to the ground with such force that my vision blacked out for a few seconds. When I came to, everything snapped back into place.

- "Paola, are you okay?" I crawled to her side.

- "I'm fine, don't worry," she said with a smile. "This isn't the first time."

- "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to—"

- "It's okay. You lost control. That's normal. You're here to learn how to stop that from happening."

I didn't know what to say. Shame burned inside me. I could've killed her.

- "Don't make that face," she said gently. "We're not done. We continue."

We got up, brushed the dust off our clothes, and squared off again. The man who had stopped me stood nearby, silently observing.

- "Don't let it take over," Paola said. "Hit back—normally this time."

I hesitated. I didn't want to hurt her again. But I knew I had to move past that fear. For Riku. And to prove—to the world and to myself—that we aren't monsters. That we can be like everyone else. Paola threw punch after punch. I dodged, some hits connected, but then... I hit back. It wasn't much. But this time, she didn't budge.

- "Perfect! See? You can do it!"

Pride swelled in my chest. A small smile formed on my lips. Maybe I could do this after all. We didn't spar long after that—it was still the first day, and I was exhausted quickly. When we finished, White Ghost entered the room.

- "How's training going?" he asked, his voice calm but firm.

- "Slowly. But it's moving," I answered.

- "Don't worry. This is just the beginning. What matters is that you understand what to do to control the voice. The rest is up to you," he said. "I struggled too, in the beginning. So did Paola. And Dylan, I assume you've met him?" he added, gesturing toward the man who had stepped in earlier.