Interwoven ✔️

35~ Exclusive

It was a few weeks since my first day of training.

Jimin had written up an accelerated training plan and given it to Yoongi. Between the two of them, they pushed my body to the limit almost every day to build up my endurance. The first week had probably been the most brutal and at times I'd borderline resented the two Outworlder trainers for making my body feel worse than day 1 of period cramps.

I was slowly progressing nevertheless. I was a fast learner as Yoongi put it and even he was impressed at how quickly I was catching on to his instructions. He still ensured to keep me humble by candidly reminding me I was still nowhere close to engaging in actual combat.

For the most part, it was focusing on building my muscles and self-defense. There were a few days that either Yoongi or Jimin taught me more offensive moves. Yoongi even took me to the training center's shooting range to practice with a gun for a couple days. I wasn't too bad of a shot but it made my skin prickle to imagine in a real-life scenario, a wooden target wouldn't be what I would shoot at.

At the end of the third week, Yoongi had relented and admitted that if someone tried picking a fight on me I'd definitely give them more hell than it was worth. I was still debating if that was an insult or a compliment.

Meanwhile, as the weeks passed, the outside world sank into turmoil. More and more cases of Outworlders were found dead in the streets, covered in blood and the lethal corrosive substance that people were starting to call Moonsbane.

While technically the Infinity Council had declared the Pure Reformists criminalized with the penalty of minimum 30 years in prison for anyone caught being part of the group, more and more humans were siding with the Reformists.

It was becoming too dangerous for Outworlders to be outside without jeers or possibly violence. In fact, Jimin and the other Outworlders had begun morphing into something small and inconspicuous whenever they went somewhere to avoid being the next victim of the Reformists.

When I walked along the streets of the city now, there was hardly an Outworlder in sight. Humans became bold and openly cursed the extraterrestrials in public. It was all I could do to keep my head down and walk.

One day had been especially terrible when a man began yelling and stirring a crowd of pedestrians along the street.

"Is it not relieving with none of those marked fiends scuttling around our city?" He'd yelled. A growing crowd of people had circled him, listening with bright eager eyes. "I missed this. This, this, is how it used to be, do you remember? Just us humans. The city belonged to us. The country belonged to us. The world belonged to us. I say we all join the Reformists and chase out these alien invaders once and for all!"

The crowd had begun cheering. As I edged around the people to get to the other side, I'd caught sight of a policeman. According the Infinity Council's order, anyone who openly supported the Reformists was supposed to be fined. But the police officer had been cheering along with the crowds, a hateful grin twisted on his face.

I'd arrived at the training center in a sour mood.

Today Jimin was the one training me. His head snapped up from where he was sitting on the floor the moment I literally kicked the door open rather viciously.

"Uh-oh," he muttered as I stormed in. "What happened this time partner?"

When I explained about the man and the crowd jeering Jimin's mouth thinned a little, but as usual he remained calm. "What else can you expect in the tense times we're living in?"

I shook my head. "It's so unfair! Why are so many humans against having you here? You guys have literally done nothing wrong except... except..."

"Invade your world," Jimin finished.