THE BOOTCAMP

Fear is an emotion triggered by the perception or acknowledgment of a threat or danger. The fear response originates in the brain and travels throughout the body, causing the body to adjust for defensive or evasive measures. The almond-shaped nuclei in the temporal lobe of the brain responsible for sensing the emotional salience of inputs are termed the amygdala.

When we feel a threat or any imminent danger, it prompts the amygdala's fear response to automatically activate the fight-or-flight functionality by sending out signals to release stress hormones that prepare our body to fight or run away. The brain becomes hyper-alert as pupils dilate, the bronchi dilate and breathing accelerates. There is an increase in blood pressure and heart rate as well as the amount of blood and glucose flowing to the skeletal muscles.

Noah conveyed the whole story to Melv. Listening to everything, he just uttered four words, "You peeped on Angelika?" Melv seemed to have a brain freeze. "I told you it was an accident. I didn't even realize she was there..." replied Noah. But Melv seemed to have his own version of what might have happened between the two. Changing room...both of them alone.

Some adult-rated content had just developed in Melv's mind as he got a nosebleed.

Let us not delve into that censored storyline. Above all, this is a tale for all age groups.

Damn Melv and his dirty mind. Almost took your mind out of context.

Noah shook Melv and asked, "What to do now? She is definitely coming for revenge." Melv, who was having the imagination of his life, came back to reality with the sudden shaking.

"Forget Angelika, if this story goes out, all the other guys will kill you first. You peeped on the war goddess Angelika!" Melv's voice started to get higher. "Shh… keep it down will ya. You wanna get me killed?" Noah hurriedly calmed Melv.

"Don't panic. For now, we will attend the bootcamp. If anything happens I will talk to the goddess. Don't worry..." smirked Melv. "You? You will be the first to jump ship." Noah shook his head.

"Ah, you think so little of the great Melv who beat Ton? Even the goddess might know the name of the great Melv of Delta Class..." Melv kept on boasting when his Holo device notified a message. It was a vmail from the agent. He had invested all the money. Stocks worth 12K ST were bought from mPure Pharma. "All set.." he signaled Noah with a wink. But Noah's mind was totally on survival. He felt it was as if a wild beast was playing with its prey before the kill.

…

The second half of the day was preserved for the bootcamp. Everybody was looking forward to it, except Noah. He was pacing about trying to find a solution. "If I can talk to her just once, maybe I can apologize and make things normal again."

Time was not passing the way it should be for Noah. It was way slower. The anticipation was killing him. Finally, it was the lunch break. "Only an hour left then", he sighed.

Food felt tasteless. He had only taken 2 bites and it was hard to gulp down. Melv was happy to have Noah's share as well. Noah left the canteen and went towards the outdoor Arena.

The bootcamp for Gamma Class had occurred before the lunch break. James had shown his masterclass and everyone was in awe. As the bootcamp for Gamma class finished, everyone went into the break.

The Arena stands were empty at the moment. Noah sat there for a while measuring the Arena and trying to figure out any suitable tactics. This was also something Kane had repeatedly told him. To win a fight one must be aware of their surroundings and use them to the best of one's ability. That is also a type of weapon. The outdoor area was specially cleaned for building the arena, but at one end there is a big cherry tree. During autumn the cherry blossoms are a sight to behold and thus the Principal liked it very much. So he kept the tree saying, "Sakura blossoms are a metaphor for life itself, beautiful yet fleeting."

Noah gazed at the tree for a while. "Maybe this is my last time seeing the blossoms", he thought. The break was almost over. It was better to get changed into battle attire first. He pulled himself up somehow and walked off.

Earlier, the fight Noah had with Ton was a battle simulation. But this bootcamp would be a hand-to-hand combat tactic. So they needed to wear the battle gear provided by the academy which suppressed the pain sensors to a minimum. Fights may result in painful ends at times. So it was a safety precaution. The battle gears were made in self-healing polymers that could heal itself. The polymer was engineered half a century back and had gone through many alterations.

Noah was still engrossed in his thoughts as he entered the changing room.

The first thing that he saw while entering was the bare backside of someone. He was about to turn and leave when his eyes fell on something. The person had a fair slender physique with an athletic toughness but there ran an indelible scar diagonally down the middle left side of the spine. The scar itself caused an unknown sorrow in Noah's mind. He could not take his eyes off the scar.

Suddenly, his gaze was broken as he felt the person had turned their head towards him. As he looked into the eyes of the person, he felt a deathly stare.

The eyes seemed to be burning with Hell's fire. It emitted a killing aura. "It feels familiar..." Noah thought to himself. Looking carefully, his eyes had widened, his heart skipped a beat, it was not any death aura but the same death aura. The person sitting in front of him changing clothes was none other than Angelika. Her hair was braided like a boxer, so Noah missed the long hair or didn't even have a clue of the person being a girl.

Noah didn't know what to say anymore. At least he should apologize but how? Words won't come out of his mouth. It was like something imaginary had sealed his lips.

"I deeply apologize. I didn't come here to peep. I am very sorry for earlier. Also this time. I am truly sorry. It is very unfortunate to have seen your back." This is what he wanted to say.

Angelika had now stood up covering her body with a towel. The killing aura she was emitting can make anyone wet their pants. She had become the Demoness again.

The words that finally came out of Noah's mouth after all this silence were -

"...deeply...peep….earlier….this time….truly.....fortunate to have seen your back."

What followed the words was pin-drop silence. It was such a dead silence that anyone could hear the fast pacing heartbeat of Noah.

It took a while for Noah to understand what he had said. He instantly started sweating.

"What did I just say? Ohh, fc*k!!" Noah's eyes widened even more as he covered his mouth immediately.

The killing aura had increased several fold. Noah could not breathe anymore. It was as if his organs were failing, blood circulation was hindered.

Still, he tried to speak, "Wait, this is not what I meant. It's just.." Noah couldn't explain anymore. He thought it best to run for his life, so he ran towards the door.

Suddenly his instincts told him to duck. As he ducked something flew over his head and stuck at the door. He slowly raised his head and found it to be a sword. The sword was aimed at his head, if he didn't duck then he would have been...

Noah couldn't think anymore as he saw Angelika preparing to throw another sword at him. He opened the door and got out. He ran like hell but this time he tried to see if Angelika was following him from the corner of his left eye. The door was still closed but he noticed the sign on the door, it was the girl's changing room.

"My life is over…" Noah thought as he ran.

…