Initiation

Chapter 2: The Master

     Deep in my gut, realization hits. Reality slams into me like a ton of bricks. There would be no feast tonight. Argon was not going to go easy on me. That thought would never cross his mind. If I wouldn't be able to beat him, his previous threat would be fulfilled.

     Argon stood firm in believing that everyone was inferior to him. If a person did not meet his expectations he would think little of them. He was going to think I was nothing. Although he's significantly older than me, and far more experienced, he still expected me to beat him.

      We take our places and stand roughly forty feet from each other. It took a ton of effort to walk to the position I was at in the middle of the battling ring. We were now in the far back corner of the room, in the opposite direction of the water funnel. Due to the position of the sun in the sky, this area of the warehouse was darker. Light didn't filter into this area until later in the evening.

     A worn down mat was the only protection my body had from hitting the rough cement floor.

"You can do the honors my pupil," Argon orders in his own special way. His tone of voice was taunting, urging me to say otherwise.

I did not back down. I was trying hard to convince him otherwise, but I knew he wasn't buying my act. This was going to go horribly wrong, and fast.

     I allow my hands to light up with a small aura sphere. By using fire instead, Argon would know I was weak. Then again I was contradicting myself when using my aura. I was showing him right off the bat how weak I was. His earlier suspicion was now confirmed. The way his cold, steel colored eyes stare me down sends a chill down my spine.

      Argon always ordered me to use my main element first, since fire was a stronger force of nature according to his standards. He surprisingly didn't call me out, and allowed me to attack first. I wait a few seconds before winding my arm back as if I am going to throw a baseball. In a quick movement I bring my arm forward, releasing my striking neon purple aura. Argon must have seen my move from a mile away.

     Shortly after the aura leaves my hand I get hit by a wave of black aura. Since his soul was as black as night, so was his aura. Not only was my aura a vibrant neon-purple, dark purple outlined the element.

     Due to the strength of his attack I fly back, rolling along the floor for a solid twenty feet, stopping on my stomach. I push myself up with shaking hands. Little did I know that Argon was already hovering over me. He grabs me roughly by the top of my dirty t-shirt and throws me back to the ground.

"Get up, or you'll be killed," he growls lowly.

     I try my best to do as he says, but again I am way too slow. He doesn't pick me up this time. His steel toed boot slams into my left side. For Argon it must have been a soft blow, but to me it was anything but. A shrill cry of pain releases from my mouth. He picks me up again before I can respond, but this time he holds me right in front of him.

     My feet are held off of the ground by a couple inches. I am so close I can see the emptiness deep in his steel grey eyes. The two inch scar that runs down his left eye is  even more pronounced up close. The scar tissue above his eyebrow is raised as well as it is below.

"If you can't stand and take a beating I might as well hand you to the League myself!" He spits in my face. "Now get up and take the beating. This is your punishment for not trying hard enough."

He releases me and I struggle to gain my balance as my feet touch the ground. The pain in my side is excruciating, although that was child's play to what was coming next. We were next to a wall, so thankfully I never fell to the ground again.

     Toward the end of the beating, my face, arms, and abdomen feel entirely numb. My back slides down the wall until I am sitting on the ground. He glowers down at me.

"That was pathetic. Tonight you will sit in your room and for the next two days I want you to stay in there and think about why you did wrong," he expresses bitterly. I was the biggest failure.

     "If I find out that you have sneaked out of your room from one of the guards. I will give you a far worse beating than tonight. You'll beg for mercy and retribution," he finishes, his voice was scornful, harsh, and deliberately murderous. "Do you understand?"

     By this point I was beyond petrified. I nod quickly with the fear he would beat me senseless for not responding quick enough.

"Good. Now go. I am finished with you."

"Yes master." I respond after bowing my head with downcast eyes.

     The only noise that I hear is the sound of Argon's fading footsteps. I lean my head back against the wall in relief. Argon was gone. All I had to do was gain enough energy back to get to my room before he came back. That was easier said than done. Torn fragments of skin littered my arms and legs. I was bleeding in many places. I couldn't stomach looking down at the open wounds. My breathing is shallow, and a sharp pain is ever present in my chest.

    I keep my eyes closed for a few moments longer. Eventually I know I have to make the exhausting journey back to my room. It takes a few tries for me to stand up. My body is weaker beyond imagine.

     I have to take at least six breaks on the trek back. By the time I arrive my legs feel like jello and my eyes can barely stay open. I slowly sit down onto the thin mattress I called a bed. I don't have a soft pillow to set my head on as I lay on my back. My head is beginning to throb. Even if I did have a mirror I wouldn't have looked at my reflection. I didn't want to see the reminders of how much of a failure I was.

    Even though Argon said I wouldn't eat for two days, food didn't arrive for at least seven. I did eventually lose count of time. The days were blurring together. This was yet another test Argon put me through. He made sure I knew that the League was vicious.

     If the League ever got a hold of me they'd lock me away for days on end without food. This is why Argon occasionally left me without food. As of now I could go five days without eating anything before my stomach would ache. I had a feeling that food wouldn't arrive for a few more days and I had been correct.