Last meeting

Garmond watched as the large transformed claw came down on him.

"Shit!" Garmond winced in pain; he was unable to dodge this one. He had unknowingly sprained his ankle while running around earlier, and it seemed to be taking effect now!

He gritted his teeth in anger. "Move! You stupid body!" The frustration of his body's weakness was getting to his head.

How was he meant to go against anybody if he was struggling to fight off a little kid who had just managed to unlock the next stage of his human abilities?

A silhouette flashed past him, soon standing between him and his opponent. Almost instantly, a loud sound followed.

The slap was heard even before he could feel it. Pain spread across his cheeks as he came back to his senses.

"I don't remember saying that unauthorized battles were accepted within these grounds. Or did I?" The figure asked, his voice calm and steady.

Shifting his gaze to Nate and the others, who were still locked in their fierce battle, the unease from the figure's gaze quickly made them halt. Cold sweat trickled visibly down their faces.

There was no pressure, no aura whatsoever coming off him!

Yet, his voice alone sent fear crippling through their bodies! Even Garmond, who had his butt on the floor, was now dripping in cold sweat.

A feeling of relief mixed with slight anxiety settled on his shoulders. His hands shook slightly as he pushed against the earth for support.

"He's fast!" That was the first thought that came to Garmond's mind upon seeing the figure.

The others didn't see it, but Garmond managed to catch a glimpse right before he came.

"Wasn't he standing near the infirmary just now?" He glanced back at the hospital, which was about two kilometers away.

"It's a normal thing for someone at his level. If you think this is fast, wait till you see me at my peak. Or probably when you unlock the full power of the sword." Ariana's voice echoed in the background, filled with prideful confidence.

Even at his prime, it was near impossible for him to accomplish such a feat without his armor. How? This put everything he found to be logical to shame.

"I'm sorry, Sir Chris." He held his head down, apologizing, his hands still rubbing his cheek to quell the stinging pain.

Ignoring the apology, Chris glanced back at each of them. His eyes moved slowly from one person to the next, then he spoke, his voice calm and steady.

"Leave here, and I don't want to see either you or anyone else not training under me near this portion of the land again. Am I clear?!"

"Yes, sir!" They replied, quickly scurrying away like a bunch of scared rats.

"Where's Lilian and the other guy? I thought I told them to show you to your rooms?" Chris asked, his gaze now fixed on the two who were left: Garmond and Nathan.

"They went off to use the restroom. That's when those idiots came along," Garmond said, his tone sharp, annoyance clearly visible.

Hearing him, Chris heaved a sigh, his shoulders slumping slightly. "One second without eyes watching them, and they're off doing whatever they want," he said, his voice tinged with irritation.

"Your training starts tomorrow. I don't have time for this. If you need anything from the others, it's best to get them now. There's going to be a bit of territorialism in this place soon, and I don't want my students getting involved in another scuffle." He waved his hands dismissively as he walked away with a silent whistle.

Nathan and Garmond stared at each other, their eyes locked for a second.

"What's with this guy?" Garmond couldn't help but ask. From the way he acted, one could tell he wasn't the type to talk to people much.

Regardless, he left a good impression on Garmond and Nathan.

"Maybe learning under him wouldn't be so bad. I mean, I'd love to be as fast as that," Garmond thought to himself.

He flinched slightly as the bruises from the earlier scuffle left him with a stinging pain. Plus, he had sat for so long that a feeling of numbness spread through his already weak body.

"You know, for someone who still has a lot on his plate, you attract a lot of trouble," Ariana said, worry evident in her voice.

"I guess it's the curse of reincarnation," Garmond laughed at his own joke.

He winced as Nathan pulled him back up to his feet.

"It's getting late. We'd better go find our rooms before we end up sleeping outside." Nathan chuckled at the thought of sleeping out, which he found somewhat amusing.

"You can wait for the other two. I'd like to take a quick walk around the place," Garmond replied grimly, his adventurous spirit taking charge.

Actually, he just needed a little time to think. Garmond's eyes looked off into the distance, watching the sun slowly settle behind the large steel walls of the compound.

"Alright then." Nathan ran off as well, heading out for his own exploration. Hanging around with someone like Garmond apparently wasn't the best for him.

Garmond quietly walked through the hallways, his footsteps echoing softly on the polished floor.

Suddenly, his eyes met a figure who appeared to be alone, sitting on a brightly polished wooden chair. Her bright blue eyes were lost in deep thought.

"Devine? What are you doing out here?"

She jolted slightly at the mention of her name, having traveled too deep into her thoughts to notice Garmond's figure earlier.

"Oh... Garmond." She stuttered slightly, quickly washing away her worried expression with a bright smile.

"I just came out to get a little fresh air," she said, and a brief silence followed, thick with unspoken words.

"You know, it's good to have a little time to rethink sometimes," Garmond broke the silence, advancing toward her and sitting calmly by her side.

"Yeah..." Her voice trailed off, pondering if she could share her worries with him.

"Gary, can I ask you a question?" She asked after a few seconds of silence.

A strange feeling of unease settled in. What could she possibly want to ask?

After a moment of thought, he replied, "Of course, ask away."

"Gary, have you ever felt the need to become stronger?" She asked, her eyes staring calmly into the darkness as though trying to pierce it.

His thoughts momentarily drifted. The hell, I'm feeling it right now!

He took a deep breath and said, "Yes, it's normal. Sometimes you just have something you want to do, but you don't have enough power to do it. It's quite an annoying feeling."

She shot a glance at him, finding it strange that something that seemed so overwhelming for her was normal for someone else. However, she didn't want to bother asking further.

She had already held out for too long; her eyes started streaming with held-back tears, stunning Garmond. She had looked perfectly fine just a second ago—what was with the tears?

He didn't know the right way to react to her sudden emotions, completely caught off guard by her tears.

"I was there! I almost watched you die... I was there... They took Trevor down... Yet I couldn't do anything! Why is this world so cruel?" Her lips trembled, and more tears streamed down.

Garmond felt a huge weight bore down on his shoulders. He wanted to tell her to stop crying. He wanted to assure her that he would deal with everything himself. But how could he? He barely had enough strength to defeat anyone at his current level.

He understood her feelings very well. At some point, he had felt similarly, which was why returning to such a pathetic body—though still that of his son—irritated him to the fullest.

"I knew I should've made him start his training earlier," Garmond thought, gritting his teeth slightly.

"Don't worry. I will show them all. I'll become so strong that even the emperor himself will fear me!" Her downpour of emotions surged from frustration to resentment and then anger.

Her resolve shocked even Garmond. She clenched her fists so tightly that she drew her own blood. The strong scent of blood filled the air. Garmond looked down for a moment, then reached out, his hands hugging onto her soft palms.

"Devine, just know I'll be the stronger one," Garmond said, silence filling the atmosphere.

He could've sworn he heard the sound of Ariana facepalming. "You're such an idiot," her voice mixed with annoyance and anger.

Devine had a flustered look on her face; even her tears seemed to come to an abrupt end. That wasn't exactly what she'd expected to hear. The heat of the moment had filled the air right before he made that statement, and she had expected something more... let's say, romantic.

Her loud laughter filled the air in contrast to Ariana's thoughts. Apparently, she didn't react like Ariana expected.

"Let's see then. This will probably be the last time we talk, so make sure you don't fall behind after making such a promise. It'll be a shame, because I won't be slacking," Devine replied, a smug look visible.

"Sure, let's see who becomes the strongest. I can't see myself failing to a girl," Garmond replied, puffing out his chest.

"Less talk, more action." Devine stood up from the bench, her expression brighter than before.

She walked away, her heels making clanking sounds as they struck the polished floor. She paused momentarily, stealing a glance at Garmond once again, a cheeky smile on her face.

"Thank you, Gary."