This time I was fortunate enough to wake up on an actual bed, not floating in unknown water. Daylight pierced the cracks in the ceiling making it much harder to sleep in than I wanted to. I feel around, looking for my usual phone and TV remote, but all I grab is a handful of nothing. Slowly getting up, I can immediately tell that I'm still in a different place. The usual smell of breakfast doesn't linger in my room, but coffee and the outdoors fill it instead. I look around my new room, letting everything set in before I try to move. The room is barren, with bare wooden flooring making up most of it. Several items occupy my room, nothing too much though as I notice only a bed, dresser, chair, and coffee table are here. At first, I try to move, but my legs deny me that benefit and I immediately collapse to the ground with a thud.
"Kid! Don't you go breaking anything now up there okay!"
That's right. Cain's house, something about being in a rural area. I find my phone on the dresser nearby and look at the time and day, almost falling out of my bed when I see that it's already been 2 days since I last remember being awake. Memories start flooding back as the previous events come back to me. My mind isn't the only one to remember as my body begins to ache once again, my back and legs burning up once again. This time though, the pain wasn't as intense, only feeling like I played intense football instead of swimming, falling, fighting, and carrying. Managing to get out of bed I hobble my way downstairs, almost tripping on the last set of stairs.
"So nice of you to join us, we were wondering when you'd wake up."
Looking up, I see Cain and Chris enjoying breakfast. Chris is bandaged up, around where his wound is looking only slightly better than I last saw. He's now in fresh clothes and not looking dead like before. Cain on the other hand probably had the biggest change. His hair is longer, about shoulder length, though now it's tied back. His age has taken hold of him ever since he left Meadow Town, gray hair barely streaking across. Newly formed scars also go across his face, most notable, one going down from his right cheek to under his jawline.
Sipping on some tea while eating a bagel, Chris looks up and nods. I groggily walk to the kitchen and pour myself some cereal, not even bothering to pour milk.
"So good morning to you too, kid. I'll give you this, I'm impressed by how well you held your own. Especially with getting off the building, the way you used your second Gear to reduce the speed, quite impressive."
Did I just hear him right? He SAW me jump off the building. That's impossible though, he said he was busy with his own business, for him to have seen me jump, that means he saw the entirety of the fight. My struggles, and even walking around like a homeless person.
"I mean the way you were holding yourself, even after waking up in the water. Quite impressive, I didn't think you had it in you" while he starts walking away. Turning back, "Oh and by the way, you should try to learn breathing techniques. It'll help you conserve energy more."
Rage swells up inside me, as I feel the heat rushing to my head. For a moment, my vision gets blurry, the only thing I could focus on is grabbing him and yelling. As I take a step forward, Chris comes from behind, putting his hand on my shoulder. He looks at me with an exhausted expression, like he's already gone down this road before. My temper goes down, and when I look back at Cain, he's smiling at me as if he knows the reason for my anger.
"What are you going to do kid? Fight me? Try me."
That's when I lose it. I shrug off Chris's hands and walk towards Cain, mind filled with only one thing. Fight. It didn't matter if my body was still aching, or if I could barely walk properly, I was still ready to fight. Grabbing Cain by the collar, before I could even push against him, he grabs my collar and flips me over onto my back. Looking down at me from above he smiles.
"So what now? You're going to cry or complain that I didn't help you earlier. You had the situation handled and look, you managed to come out alive, only needing me to clean up the mess after."
Grabbing his ankle, I swipe it aside so he can lose his balance. He doesn't fall like I was hoping for, but he still gets off balance just enough for me to roll away and get back up. I charge at him and this time I connect, sending us both flying onto the living room floor. Thank you football skills. We start fighting each other, hands flying in a frenzy as we try to grab ahold of each other, but he manages to kick me off him, sending me landing onto a couch. With little time to react, he comes at me pummeling me into submission as I try to block his attacks. With one last punch, I see him raise his fist in an attempt to finish me, and that's when I let myself drop to the floor to dodge. I slip underneath between his legs and grab his legs, this time swiping with a force so he falls, hitting his jaw on the arm of the chair. I get up, raising my fist to strike as my arms begin to vibrate.
"Hey, Ethan I don't think you should-"
I strike him down with as much force as I can. My hand feels heavier than normal as I look at it glowing orange. Looking down at Cain, he groans trying to move. I grab him, haul him onto the chair and start pummeling him each punch connecting with his body perfectly. He puts his hands up in submission, but I just push them aside and continue laying him out.
"Hey Ethan, that's enough. Hey. Hey. Hey!"
Walking over to me he grabs me by the shoulder but then jumps back when he sees my face. Without knowing, my eyes have turned completely black and my face shaking as it tries to contain my rage. Still, he pulls me away and pushes me into a chair. I try to get back up but he pushes me back down, this time holding his fist up as steam radiates off it.
"Both of you need to stop it now. I thought it would be a one-time thing, but you seemed to just keep going. Ethan I understand, but you too dad? Honestly are you both babies-"
Right as he finishes his sentence, I push past him and run at Cain. I know what he was saying was right, that we shouldn't be fighting like this, that maybe one or two punches were alright. But it didn't register in my head. Nothing was, only the sheer energy to make Cain feel everything I felt that night. I feel Chris grab my arm to try and pull me away, but I shake him off, striking with my palm against his chest, sending him flying across the room into a bookshelf. I look back at Cain and see that he's gone, but when I turn around, all I can see is his devilish smile before his punch connects with my jaw.
"Is that all you got kid? Or do you still think just because you have a new Gear you're suddenly better than me? Know your place boy!" Striking me square in the jaw once more. This time I hear a slight crack and as I take a step forward, my legs give out a bit, the stress from before finally catching up with me. This allows him to get one last punch laying me out onto the floor. He gets on top, punches connecting against my face and sides, no matter which I try to block.
"Do you wish for my help? Do you want more power?" A voice echoed in my head as I was getting attacked. I don't care what you have to do, just let me end this now.
"Perfect, enjoy"
I felt a cold presence wash over me and suddenly, an energy that I've never felt before surged through me. Like life itself had entered my body and soon, as Cain threw another punch, I grabbed his punch, twisting his hand.
"Looks like you do have some fight left huh kid. Alright show me what you got-" he never got to finish his sentence as I kicked him off myself, sending him flying into the ceiling. I get up and before he can land, I charge my hand as I feel it vibrate. Punching him in the chest, he goes flying past Chris and breaks through the wall into the outside. I walk over to him calmly, Chris trying to stop me, but with my new energy, I toss him aside as he flies onto a couch. I put my hands together
"Gear Shift: Zero!" my hands sparkling with electricity as I generate a ball of electricity.
Cain gets up and before I could react, zooms behind me. A sharp pain takes over my lower back as I look over my shoulder and see a dagger embedded in my back. I try to swing at him but he steps back. I rip the dagger out, tossing it aside and as I look up, he charges at me, punching me in the jaw. As I try to rub it away, he zooms behind me again, but this time as he launches another attack, I'm ready for him as I send the ball of electricity at him. He goes flying back slamming against a tree on the outskirt of the lawn.
Walking over, the pain dissipates, leaving only the blood-stained shirt as evidence.
"Gear Shift: One!" My hands vibrate in response. He tries to get up, and right before he falls, with my left hand, I grab his hair.
Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.
"Don't go dying on me now. We're not finished yet" and I begin punching him, every punch heavy with the added force from the increased blood pressure in my body. The increased blood pressure allows for more oxygen to flow to my muscles. This allows for faster, heavier punches, hence the beating Cain is getting.
Blood and sweat splatters with each hit as he's not even able to stay awake anymore.
"Hey. Hey! Didn't I say no dying, huh?! Come on!" tossing him aside. He groans, trying to roll away, and right before I land another punch, Chris comes flying in between us, fist raised in ablaze.
"Ethan, back away NOW! I don't know what's gotten into you, but if you take another step, I'm not holding back anymore."
"Oh really, try me" and before I could even take my second step, he punched me with such force I fell back a few feet. Rubbing my lip, I taste a bit of blood.
"Fine, whatever. I'm done with him anyways" as I walk away.
"Where are you going? You're just gonna do all of this and leave!?"
"Well what, you want a beat down too?" Chris takes a step back.
"Didn't think so." And with that, I left. Now mind you, I wasn't back in Meadow Town anymore so after an hour or so of walking, I had no idea where I was. It didn't even register in my head. For the past hour, all that I could think about is wanting to punch something, wanting to fight someone, wanting to kill. Only up until now when my thoughts collected, I was a walking fighting machine.
Gripping my head, I sit against a tree, taking shade from the intense heat. My head was throbbing, the pain started setting in, my whole body aching. My vision starts to get hazy, and before I completely knock out, a man comes into vision looking down at me.
"Well well well. Would you look at this? And here I thought I'd have an actual challenge."
He reaches down and as his hand puts his hand over my face, my eyes roll back into my head. You know how when you're awake mentally, but you don't wake up. That's how I was, my mind woke up and the first thing I noticed was how cool I felt. Outside the sun felt like it was burning my skin. All my energy had been depleted, and after all the injuries prior and the ones I received then, my body couldn't handle it. But now, this cool sensation I was feeling felt relaxing, yet oddly similar. I decide to open my eyes and to my regret the moment I do, I know why. Sitting there is a large man, shadows hiding his face. The same man who I saw in my dreams. Around him stood seven others, all various heights, four of them male and three female.
"Nice of you to join us. Come, he's waiting."
Behind me, the same man who I last saw in the countryside motions me towards the front of the room. As we walk I notice statues and paintings depicting some type of war or battle. While walking up, I notice several of the seven staring at me, some looking at me with malice and others looking at me with a blank face. A tall guy, probably around 6'1-6'3 with grey hair, greeted me.
"Welcome, Ethan. Here, there are some fresh clothes for you waiting in your new room. If you have any questions please, just ask."
Looking around I had no idea what just happened. I had been transported away and ended up in this room full of people who looked like they wanted something from me.
"So are you going to explain what I'm doing here or do I need to beat it out of you?"
That got the crowd going, people started laughing, whispering, and looking at each other.
"Silence!"
The entire crowd automatically stopped, not a word was said. It was so quiet that I could hear my breath slow, but shaky. The wind, blowing through the enormous room we were in.
"I understand your concern with me and my associates, but I promise you. They will NOT bring you any harm" looking at the people on stage with him.
"As long as you follow the rules, you will be treated with the utmost care and honor."
My whole life after that one night has been about this guy. The 'Boss' has been coming after me, sending his minions to capture me, sometimes kill me. I've had to train, go through hell and back, almost die, witness friends die and now he's welcoming me as a part of his group. Everything in me was urging me, screaming for me to trash the guy behind me, and launch myself at the 'Boss' and kill him while his guard is down. But something in me held me back, a sixth sense that warned me if I did, I would be crushed not just by him, but the seven around him.
"One question. Why do people call you the 'Boss'? What's your real name?"
"And who do you think you are to know that? You're just a guest here, so know your place you little-"
"Silence Envy!"
Chuckling he gets up from his seat.
"You're the first to ask that. None of them have even questioned that" pointing at the seven.
"And as a guest of honor" emphasizing the last part while looking at the girl named Envy, "You shall know my real name. Please, call me Tenshi"
Looking around, I could tell his name held respect as the rest of them bowed their heads in response.
"Well Tenshi, I could tell I don't have a choice to stay here or not. Show me the way."
He motions at two others, most likely his minions, unlike the seven up there who seemed more like personal bodyguards instead of one of the people he just throws orders at. One goes in front, the other behind me as they lead me to my new room. We make our way through a long hallway, lined with cobblestone bricks, filled with statues and paintings depicting a battle of some sort. Sizing up my new tour guides, I try to figure out if I could beat them and make a run for it. As if they read my thoughts, the one in front of me looks back and shakes his head in disapproval.
When we arrive at my new room immediately I'm impressed. The walls are lined with marble, gold, and silver threading embroidered throughout the room. The ceiling was double my bedroom, and the normal ceiling fan was replaced with a chandelier, glistening with diamonds and jewels. The bed was centered on the right side against the wall, taking up the size slightly bigger than a king. As I admire the rest of the room, the two men walk out leaving me by myself. As I walk in, looking around the closets and even the personal bathroom, a man is waiting for me in a smaller room connected to mine.
"Welcome, sir. My name is Sebas. If there is anything you need, please see me and I will take care of them."
"Sure, thanks."
He leaves me to be as I settle onto the bed. I change into my new clothes and stare at the ceiling. Realizing my situation I try to find a way out. I'm stuck in a grand bedroom, the same space as the guy who's been trying to capture/kill me for the past several weeks. Juggling my thoughts, sleep and exhaustion take over, slipping me into sleep. This wasn't any normal dream though. Usually, they consist of football plays, things I should've done better, or the occasional movie scene from something I've watched. This time though, it felt less of a dream and more of reality. As I'm watching, Tenshi and the seven are gathered around a large table in the same room I was in before.
"So are we going to discuss the elephant in the room or what?" as one of the seven leans back on his chair, his feet up on the table.
"Watch it Pride, or maybe you miss that beat down I gave you the last time? I'm more than willing to do it again, you know."
Yawning, one of them sips on his glass.
"Pride, Greed, can you please just tone it down. It's too late for this."
"Silence all of you. Ethan is a guest here and you all know his place here."
Looking over at the other side, he brings his attention to a red-haired man with scars near his eyes. The man seemed to be the center of attention in the room, though he was more laid back than everyone else was.
"Rage, are the preparations in order?"
"Yes sir, everything is ready for the following days."
"Perfect. Now, I say we discuss what to do for the future. Ethan is going to have a lot on his plate as he takes on your new role."
Sweat beads down my face as Tenshi turns to me, eyes locked on me. There's no way he can know I'm here, this is a dream. Smiling, he turns away from me bringing his attention back towards his group. As the dream goes on, I try focusing on what they're saying, but their words fade away as the image blurs into nothingness.
Bright light hits my face, leaking through my eyes. Fluttering my eyes open, I look over to see Sebas standing nearby.
"Good Morning sir. Your clothes are ready and your escort is outside."
Groaning, I sit up looking around. The surroundings sink in as I remember what happened last night. What kind of dream was that? It was only a dream yet unlike others, I could clearly remember it as if I was right there with them. Grudgingly I get off the bed, hop in the shower, and get ready. The new clothes that are laid out for me are a black crewneck, khaki joggers, and white shoes. I walk out of my room, my escorts waiting for me directly outside. Still not knowing their names I've decided to call the one who's always in front of me Rob and the other Bob, unique right?
As we walk down the hall, I notice that something seems off. The paintings and statues have been replaced with swords and battle gear from different periods. The entire hallway seemed different as what was once a cobblestone path, had become a velveted walkway. As if reading my thoughts, Rob turned back and gestured toward the area,
"The rooms and hallways change every time here. No one room is in the same location as it was the day before. Only the 'Boss' room stays the same."
Well, that certainly cleared things up. Not like I have any questions on how the rooms change or why does the 'Boss'- I mean Tenshi's room stay the same? The moment I opened my mouth to ask, Bob tapped my shoulder, shaking his head in disapproval. I could tell that I would have to wait till later. Entering the main hall, it was as large as I remember from yesterday. The seven stood alongside Tenshi as other guards and servants stood below them. Walking me only halfway, Rob and Bob take their leave, which I guess means I have to walk the rest by myself, and that they're not allowed any closer. As I made my way to the throne, I could see several eyes make their way towards me, specifically the ones named Rage and Pride.
"Welcome, Ethan. I hope you rested well and had no troubles this morning."
"What is it that you want?"
"You little bastard-"
"Gluttony, silence. Straight to the point. I like that. Today you begin your training."
"Training, what training?" I was already tired of being here and now they wanted to 'train' me. For what?
Motioning for Rage, he steps forwards and makes his way to us so he's directly in front of me. Sizing him up I could tell he was a lot bigger and intimidating than he looked in my dream. Tenshi looks down at me, a smile on his face.
"Well boy, training to become the next new Sin of course." Looking around at the crowd he gestures,
"Everyone. This shall be marked as a new day in history! Please welcome the new Sin of Rage!" and with that, the place erupts into cheers and screams. At first, I stood there confused. Dread soon set into place as I realized what this meant, that I was to officially work for Tenshi as one of his most prized soldiers.