Hit me!

"You know my hands are cuffed to the bed?" I said, raising an eyebrow at Cassian, the man who had extended his hand for a handshake. He looked embarrassed and quickly withdrew his hand.

"Oh, right. Let me fix that," he replied, clicking his fingers and undoing the cuffs of the hospital bed. I flexed my wrists, relieved to have my hands free again. But then, Cassian stared at me in silence, a strange look in his eyes. It made me uneasy, and eventually, I couldn't help but blurt out, "What?"

Cassian's reply caught me off guard. "Are you sure you're not a girl?" he asked, his tone teasing. The unexpected question left me speechless. Ever since I was little, everyone had mistaken me for a girl. With my long jet-black hair, piercing blue eyes, and smooth skin that would make actual girls jealous, it was a common occurrence. I had often thought about cutting my hair to stop the confusion, but I could never bring myself to do it. I loved my hair!

In an irritated tone, I responded, "No, I'm not!" From the corner of the room, Sylvia, a beautiful lady in her early 30s with silver hair and violet eyes, couldn't help but giggle. Her laughter only made me feel more self-conscious. I quickly tried to push those thoughts aside, focusing on something else.

Cassian turned to Sylvia, asking her why she was laughing. She replied, saying how she had never seen the mighty, cold-blooded killer Cassian show so many emotions in her life as a mage healer. Cassian simply replied, "Don't get used to it," before turning his attention back to me.

He asked, "How do you feel?" I replied, "As good as I can after being hit by a train and a man who can teleport and kick with the power of a truck," giving him a thumbs up. Cassian sighed, clearly exasperated, and tossed a set of clothes at me, instructing me to put them on and follow him.

"Can I get a little bit of privacy at least?" I asked, looking at both Sylvia and Cassian. They both left the room, giving me the privacy I requested. The clothes Cassian had given me were a dark grey military jumpsuit. I quickly put them on and opened the door to find Cassian waiting outside.

"Sylvia went to check on her other patients. Being a healer is a busy job. Follow me," Cassian said. Curiosity got the better of me, and I couldn't help but ask how he had obtained the clothes. They had seemingly appeared out of thin air, which didn't seem possible.

Cassian replied with a smirk, "With magic, anything is possible. I used a storage ring. They can store any item in a small dimension, as long as the object or item isn't alive." The explanation left me in awe. Magic truly was a fascinating and mysterious force.

Cassian muttered something under his breath, and suddenly, a portal appeared in front of us. It looked like something straight out of a manga or film, roughly the size of a door. Without any warning, Cassian grabbed my arm and pulled me through the portal. The sensation was strange, as if my body was being squished and pulled apart, but it didn't hurt. Instead, it felt warm and comforting, spreading through my entire being.

In an instant, we were transported to a room that resembled a dojo. Cassian wasted no time in getting down to business. "Before you apply for the military, I will need to train you. Right now, no one in their right mind would accept such a weakling. First, show me what you've got. Hit me!"