One month ago.

Light was training himself like usual in the PDT rooms. His muscular body that looked like he was twenty years old was sweating from all the self-training his been putting himself in. His blonde hair was drenched in sweat and his black eyes sparkled with determination.

It’s not enough. Allen was able to create hundred strikes in one attack. I need to do it too.

“Hundred thrusts in one.”

With the utter of those words, he thrusts his sword forward as twelve thrusts appeared piercing the straw doll in front of him.

It took me two months to just get the twelve thrusts. In here, it’s basically two years. Well, one year since I started learning this technique before the PDT rooms were built. I need to get stronger. Allen has been telling me that after five or so years, I should be much stronger than I am now. But that’s in five years. Coupled that with how time moves here in the PDT rooms, that’s like… one, two, three… like a hundred years. Hundred years? No, fifty years? Sixty? Argh, where is a Luke when you need one. All in all, I can’t wait that long. I need to get stronger now.

After an intense training session, Light exited the training room and went to see Allen. Since Allen was rarely available because of how busy he was, it took Light a while to finally meet him.

Light went on his knees and ploughed his head to the ground.

“Please, Allen. Make me stronger.”

Allen looked at him with a puzzled look on his face.

“What are you talking? I am already making you guys strong, so I don’t understand what you mean?”

Light’s eyes shrank in disappointment.

“You don’t need to worry. In a few years, you’ll be way stronger-“

“I know. I’ll be way stronger than I am now, right?”

Allen paused for a moment.

“I want to be as strong as you. Please make me as strong as you.”

“You can’t become as strong as me. It’s impossible.”

Light’s face changed as he realised the reality of Allen’s words.

“However, I can make you stronger than you are now.”

Light then jolted in joy.

“A heads up before we start though. You’re going to experience pain that you have never experienced before. You are probably going to hate me for it. You’re going to wish to kill me. You are going to wish you could die. But you won’t. It will feel like endless torture. Are you still sure you want to do this?”

Light swallowed a huge gulp and answered.

“Yes.”

“Very well. Meet me in one of the PDT rooms in twenty minutes. Bring your sword.”

***

Light met up with Allen at one of the PDT rooms at the allocated time.

“Okay then, let’s get started.”

With those words said, Light was confused.

“Attack me with the intent to kill.”

“W-what?!”

“If you keep being dumbfounded then I’ll attack first and trust me, you are going to lie on the ground, two steps away from the gates of hell.”

Light knew that Allen didn’t say things he didn’t actually mean. He charged at Allen with his sword in hand. His field of vision changed abruptly as he felt like he was looking backwards. His neck was broken by Allen. He collapsed on the ground.

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Allen healed him with magic and after a few minutes, Light woke up.

“What the hell just happened?!”

“Attack me again. With the intent to kill this time.”

Light was still confused by the events that had transpired. The only thought that came to mind was did he just kill me?

He charged at Allen and once again his field of vision changed. He had his neck broken again.

He woke up again in a few minutes and this time, he was sure he was killed.

“Did you just kill me?”

“Attack me again. With intent to kill this time, please.”

Light got up enraged and charged at him again and again. Allen never even gave him a chance to swing his sword. Every single time, he had his neck snapped. Whether he tried to fight. Whether he gave up and drowned in despair. Whether he ran away. And even when he pleaded to stop the training. Every single time, Allen viciously snapped his neck and healed him. Over and over again.

*Snap*

“And that makes one hundred.” Said Allen as he squatted down healing Light once more.

Light woke up again and immediately cried, on his knees pleading Allen to stop.

“You don’t have to worry. The first part of the training is done.”

“What?!” asked Light with a baffled look on his face.

“Don’t worry, I wasn’t actually killing you all this time. I was just bringing you closer to the brink of death. It’s a condition for learning this technique I’m about to teach you.”

Light was more confused.

“What do you mean?”

“The technique I’m going to teach is called Thrust of Death. Cool name, right?”

“Thrust of death?”

“It’s a technique that I created myself. It is derived from the Dark eclipse technique and the only condition for a person to learn it is that that person has to have been in a near death situation multiple of times.”

Light was awe struck.

“So, you’re telling me that I needed to nearly die a hundred times before I could learn it? Isn’t that brutal? Did you nearly die a hundred of times since you are the one who created it?”

“Well, no. You don’t really have to be on the brink of death a hundred of times. Ten times is enough.”

“Then what was the eighty times for?”

“Ninety, genius. You yelling and begging me pathetically to stop breaking your neck made me angry.”

“And you snapped my neck ninety more times because of that?”

“I actually got an idea after I did it about fifty times. A special training regimen that could build a group of soldiers’ mental state which can allow them to endure intense torture. It was just a thought so forget about it.”

This guy. Is he crazy or something?

*Snap*

Light woke up again after a few minutes.

“You did it again didn’t you?”

“You had the look that said, “is he crazy or something?”.”

Fuck. Is he a mind reader too?

“No, I can’t read your mind idiot. I just have the ability to tell what someone is thinking through their facial features.”

Is… is he even human?

“Yes, I am human. Back to the matter at hand. You are now ready to start your training.”

“Did you have to put me through all that?” Said Light as tears started falling from his face.

“I did tell you that it was going to be painful, but you still chose to do it.”

He’s right about that.

“Now, do you want to keep chatting or do you actually want to do the work.”

“The work please.”

Allen then went on and explained what the technique was.

“This technique isn’t like any other technique that exists in the world. That’s because this technique is alive.”

“What do you mean alive?” asked Light confused.

“It’s exactly as I said. The more you use it and the more you get closer to death, the more powerful the technique is. But because of that, the technique ends up taking over the body every time you get closer to death and eventually taking over the body completely. At least, that’s the theory I have.”

Light was shocked by what he was hearing. A technique that was conscious and can take over the user’s body.

“Did it try to take over your body once?”

“No. My willpower far surpasses it. To me, it’s nothing more than a mere technique. And it knows that too. After all, I am its creator.”

Allen sometimes gets scary. Those blue soulless beautiful eyes of his just shine in complete dominance as if he wasn’t even human. As if he was a god.

“I’m not a god, idiot. Stop with those eyes of admiration. Now, Light. On to the million-dollar question. Do you still want to continue the training even at the risk of eventually losing your body to this technique someday?”

Light looked conflicted.

Do I go ahead with it or do I give up? I’m not as strong as Allen so I can’t be sure if I’ll be able to subdue the technique like he did. But… after everything I’ve been through; I don’t want to lose ever again. I want to protect those I care about.

“How many times do I have to nearly die after learning the technique before it can fully take over my body?”

“Four or five times. Six tops.”

Light stayed in silence for a few minutes. He then looked at Allen’s eyes.

“I might not be as strong as you but even if I end up having my mind taken over, I can’t back down. I must become stronger. For you, for my old man, for my mother, for Luke and the others, for the village but more importantly, for myself. I don’t want to feel weak ever again.”

“Those eyes of yours,” muttered Allen to himself before he smiled lightly as he saw himself from him.

“Then, Light. In order to shine your light into the world like the rising sun, you’ll have to first embrace the darkness within. Let’s begin.”

All Light could think of at that moment was how cool Allen looked. His eyes sparkled with fire as he rose up and began his training.

Idiot.

That’s the only thing Allen could think of considering that he nearly killed him a hundred times but still admired him.