CHAPTER 2 - THE BEACH

Years have passed since they came to the surface, their numbers had dwindled from the ten million that arrived to less than a million people.

The survival rate was less than nine percent, but the ones that survived prevailed they grew in strength despite their meager number.

Only the strongest of them could go to the outer reaches of the continent, they could barely move around.

They saw giants with one eyes, apes with octopus like arms, skeleton with human structures and a lower body of a horse, they saw animals, entities they couldn't even describe with mere words.

Behemoths size dragons flew pass the beach into the sea, they saw birds that shined like the sun and they realized the tale told to them in the first continent was true.

One sunny day as the waves rolled onto the beach, the smell of roasted fish and the salted sea filled the surroundings.

We could see children swimming with the waves, some playing with the sand, others exercising under the hot sun. Their sweats flowing like water through their skin.

While the others were catching fish and cooking it, some adults stood far behind watching them.

"When will you guys stop swimming and train with us" a burly youth spoke out.

"Don't you know swimming is a kind of training? It trains our stamina, and flexibility with our arms and legs muscles" a youth swimming spoke out.

What about them that are playing with sand, why didn't you tell them to train? You're just looking for our trouble.

Khmm khmm

The elder left out a light cough to gain the attention of the youths(teens) at the beach.

"You all should enjoy yourself for the time being, your coming-of-age ceremony is about to take place after that you guys will officially start your training" the slim elder spoke.

Although those training now might have an edge over you guys playing if you train hard enough you'll be able to catch up or even surpass them even your older ones.

"Look he said we could catch up with you guys even if we don't train now so I'll go and enjoy myself for the time being" one of the girls playing with sand jeered at him.

Hmm

The burly boy quickly scuffed at their words, if training could make them catch up to him he'd train three times, no five times more than them, and leave them in the dust and then he'd laugh about it in their faces.

He didn't waste his time asking them to join him anymore and continued training with his group.

The name of this young boy is Micheal.

Ha ha ha ha

The shouts of these young men filled the surroundings as they punched the air and trained their kicks honing their fighting instinct.

In the other side, the girls were roasting fishes that they caught, most of the fish there were larger than them it was a mystery how they caught those fishes with their frail and petite bodies.

Not far away from them was another boy exercising on his own, he was doing the handstand pushup. His body straight like an arrow, his muscles perfectly sculpted not too big or small, his skin glowing under the sun.

The sand under him had turned to mud due to all the sweats coming out of his body.

128… 129… 130… 131…

The sound of him counting as continued was barely audible, the two men guarding them looked at him with a smile.

He was one of the most hardworking group of people in this set aside from Micheal and some other people.

His name was Daniel, ever since he was born he had been sick, he was cursed with terrible health.

He made it safely to this continent with his parents but they died later in the catastrophe. Whatever sickness he had healed just two months ago, he started training then.

With his original frail and sick body, he transformed into something glorious in just the span of two months.

Although it wasn't rare for someone to train to that level in the span of two months, he was a special case because of his previous sickness.

His voice continued to chime the surroundings.

198.. 199.. 200..

As he got to two hundred he paused in the air resting for a moment before landing,

Fhwww fhwww

He let out slow breaths as he regulated his breathing while he rested, he was drenched his body already had the bad smell of sweat, he had been training his body all day.

As he finished regulating his body, the smell of sweat filled his nose he immediately got up planning to wash his body while he tried to swim.

Micheal who was practicing his fists and kicks saw him and quickly shouted, "Daniel I've been waiting for you since, why don't you come and join us to hone your battle instincts and technique"

Daniel looked at him and sighed and softly replied, "I would join you another time I want to rest for now."

When the words rest were heard from his mouth everyone was shaken, who didn't know about the crazy Daniel who knew nothing except training, and now he says he wants to rest.

Even the two men guarding them were mildly shocked but went back to normal quickly.

Daniel quickly jumped into the ocean, washing his body with the water and started swimming.

Swimming was one of the essential things taught to them as a kid aside from hunting, cooking, learning to read and write, and other stuff.

Sometimes large Tsunami come at unexpected times, flooding the city they built, people who aren't able to swim mostly drown at those times only the lucky ones survive.

It became mandatory to learn how to swim in the tribe from then on, from young to old everyone had to learn, and the sea was a dangerous place it wasn't all the time they could come to the beach to enjoy themselves.

Dangerous animals lurked deep in the sea and they usually came ashore some seasons, but they had measured the time and came during its absent times.

Another important reason was to learn how to fight underwater, since they couldn't come to the beach they usually went to rivers nearby which also had monsters in them but they were relatively weaker. They were used to train the new blood to fight in that environment.

Khhmm khmmm

"Gather round" one of the men said as they coughed lightly.

As all of them gathered together near the men their number weren't much as they were just eighteen of them.

"You all should round up we are about to leave soon" one of the men said.

These words brought up a round of pleading.

"Pls can we stay a little longer, you know we barely come to the beach, this is the second time we've been here since we were born, can we stay a little longer?" the young boys and girls all begged them a chance to stay a little longer.

The men had a look of acceptance on their faces as they allowed them to stay for a little while.

"We'll agree for you guys to stay for some time but no one should enter the sea, at this period of time it starts to get dangerous, and I'm only giving you guys an extra twenty minutes then we leave"

As they heard this they were happy, although they couldn't swim again they could do other stuff.

Not even five minutes later they all heard a roar coming from the water.