The day started weirdly. Ever since Master had started our new gym routine, things had been going at a different but familiar pace.

  I’d wake up from my tank, put on clothes, we’d go eat a light breakfast, and then start working out. Then continue till lunch, then dinner, then finally home to do it all over again. But now things were sticking out to me, now that Vincent was here.

  How truly strange it was… that he had a room and I didn’t. I didn’t sleep in a bed, I didn’t have a desk, I didn’t have a job or money, Master was even grumpy about me wasting time to eat three meals. He was almost more dedicated than me for getting stronger. The fact that someone new was in the Dojo, not fifty feet away, and had all those things… it made me feel different. That Master treated me… odd.

  The next thing that jumped out to me was the clothes. The Gi had left, now, master gave me workout clothes. A simple thing of a bck shirt, boxers, and somewhat baggy blue pants. That and boots and socks. Again it felt… strange.

  Only after getting dressed did I realize what was bothering me. Master was taking care of me, completely. In a lot of ways, without his support, I’d be right back to where I started without him except with a higher power level and the potential to gain more. That was great but… I was too reliant.

  Not only was I too reliant but… master wasn’t a parent. He wasn’t giving me this stuff, he was loaning this all to me, and barely treated me like a person. I’d just never noticed until I’d seriously thought about what it would mean to lose his support, resources, and even his Dojo.

  I wasn’t ready, or even able, to give this all up. I’d… what would I even do? What would my next steps be? I’d still need to get stronger so, I’d need to go to a new Dojo. I’d need money for that. Which meant I’d need a job… which meant I’d need to go get a new ID after long, long having lost my old one somewhere along the way. And where would I even live during all that? Back to being homeless again?

  With every step I was feeling it. The ck of resources, the ck of knowing where and what to do without someone guiding my way. It was… incredibly uncomfortable. Training, learning, that was one thing. But this was codependency.

  Even when I’d been a broken mess of a person, I’d forced myself to make money and get my own food. Even when I’d been homeless and jobless, I’d at least begged on the street like a dog and taken from dumpsters. And when I’d been forced to survive down in the sewer I’d spent the majority of it hunting, fighting, and surviving on my own before I’d made it to Ragual’s vilge and that had only been after I’d fought a hell of a battle and saved his life.

  But I was not only reliant but indebted. Master may have sent me down there but he had done it for my sake and fixed me entirely up. I was incredibly thankful but only now was I realizing how much I’d been given and how much I was cking. I may one day leave this Dojo hating his very guts but, I’d at least have the tools to make my own path in this world.

  But that day wasn’t today. I was still too weak, too inexperienced. And if I didn’t remain stronger than Vincent… I’d never get to that point.

  Master had pushed me farther than I could ever have gone by myself. He’d taken a dying homeless man and turned him into a Warrior. He believed in me. I felt it more and more through our every conversation. He truly thought it was at least possible for me to win against Vega. He thought I could do it.

  I looked down at my hands.

  Too x. Far too x. From the first moment I arrived here even. Master’s training, it wasn’t something to just do. I had to earn the right to even receive it, even if he was a monster. I had to do my best. And my best… it had to be better than others.

  I clenched them into fists.

  I wasn’t going to lose. Not to Vincent. Not to anyone.

  I’d earn the right to train under Master and one day?

  I’d be the one to kill Vega.

  *****

  Breakfast was tense but not slow. I uh, I had kinda, lost the ability to eat slowly somewhere along the lines. It wasn’t my fault! You try eating rats and sometimes alive rats! You’d eat as quickly as possible and force yourself to swallow too!

  But that meant when actually good food came out…

  *****

  Vincent stared in awe. He’d seen it twice yesterday but Mutai truly ate like a rabid animal. He devoured pte after pte after pte of food. His Master seemed to not care about the costs, merely about how long eating took, and more than one grumble about ‘inefficiency’.

  Master ate his waffles and pancakes sedately but Mutai was already on his fifth pte and staring at it like he hadn’t eaten since Rabahgahdan. He stared down at his own food of sausage, pancakes, and orange juice with a frown. Bodies were different but they all needed nutrition. His own still hurt all over but without nutrition, without keeping up with how much Mutai was putting inside him…

  He abandoned his silverware, shoving the food into his mouth.

  He wasn’t going to lose to something stupid like this! Only breakfast and already, Mutai was trying to get ahead of him!

  “Great, now there are two of them…” A grumble came out from Master.

  *****

  I felt like a god of speed being chased by a demon lightning bolt.

  I was fast. I knew I was fast. I could feel it. I was going so fast that I threatened to unch myself clear over this stupid machine, through the wall, and across the city. But it wasn’t fast enough. Right next to me, was something trying to gain on me. Something like a bulldozer trying to reach me. It was always there, out the corner of my eye, with gritted teeth and panting breath. With Rage and Hatred. A force of nature come to be unleashed.

  Vincent.

  He was all but roaring as he ran on the treadmill next to me, constantly going faster and faster. We were the same power level but… I’d been at the limit for a while, merely getting used to my own strength and self. I’d even shattered that barrier and started to grow past my own limits again.

  And yet he was keeping up. No. No, not just keeping up. He was catching up. Going faster. Gaining on me. I felt like my head was going to explode. When had I ever been chased like this? Haunted like this? I could only go faster, no matter what. Harder, heavier, unch myself forward more, bring my legs down quicker, force my heart to beat even faster, force my blood to flow quicker.

  Everything… wasn’t enough. Soon, my worst fears were realized.

  He caught up to me, to my speed.

  And then went beyond.

  I saw it there, felt it then, knew it then. That…

  I roared, not caring about my surroundings, as I demanded my body grow, to speed up! I wasn’t going to lose like this! I couldn’t afford to lose to someone else!

  I pushed forward and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t reach my speed. But only barely. It wasn’t enough to stay stagnant. Even minorly, he was always increasing. Always getting better. Always improving. It was terrifying. I hadn’t ever thought my rate of improvement was very good or fast but to suddenly need to keep up and ahead of such a monster-

  “Next.”

  The machine slowed down and we moved onto the bench. We were both still charged, barely taking a drink of water before rushing over. I’d underestimated Vincent’s drive and he showed me just how much emotion could push someone.

  Throughout the entire day, he threatened to overtake me. More than I’d like I found myself nearly losing and could feel my body screaming at me. Lunch was tense and despite myself, I found myself gring at him and him at me.

  We both wanted the same thing but, only one could have it. And when there was only one thing to go around and all your effort wasn’t enough-

  “Would you just fuck off?!” Vincent screamed at me, rage fring in his eyes.

  We were on the stairmaster now and for once, I was solidly defeating him in something. Not that he was making it easy. I was having to push myself far more than I ever knew I could and his words sparked my own rage.

  “Me?! I’m not the one trying to steal food out another man’s mouth!”

  “You don’t deserve it! I need it!”

  “WHAT?!”

  What did this bastard just say to me?

  “Why don’t you try saying that again after you actually are better than me for once?!”

  “Fuck…”

  I doubled down my effort, feeling my legs practically snap and break as my sides twisted and my back screamed at me but I refused to be beat like a dog like this. I was Mutai! I was a Warrior now! I wasn’t allowed to just give in. Not if I wanted to win. I had to fight and struggle and crawl and cw my way to life, let alone to this. How dare he talk about deserve?

  I was going to make sure I beat you!

  Find your own way to victory and stop trying to take mine!

  *****

  “You both look like bow legged chickens.” Master chuckled.

  I struggled to stand, my legs were shaking like leaves in a storm. I was only mildly happy that it was the same for Vincent. Colpse you bastard. Colpse. That way Master can throw you back out and you can figure out your own way to beat Vega. I need this. I do deserve this. What have you ever done to deserve anything you…

  I breathed in deep while Vincent gred at me with utter rage and hatred. It was actually to the point that my guard was up, ready to fight him if need be. He looked pissed.

  How much longer would we need to-

  “We’ll be doing this for a while,” Master said, as if he were able to read our minds. “So I’d suggest you two get used to each other… for now.”

  Both our faces scrunched up at that.

  I doubt either of us predicted just how hard and desperate it would be to have a rival. It wasn’t fun. No, in fact, I’d take a whip to the back while running over having to see this man nearly surpass me at every single moment.

  It was horrifying, like watching your future nearly slip away.

  Pain simply just couldn’t compare. And now I’d have to deal with that for more than just a day? I didn’t think Master would throw him out after only one day but I’d begun to hope after around lunch that he would.

  “We’ll get dinner and then head to the Dojo to sleep and do it all again tomorrow.” Master said with a smirk.

  I felt my face get even uglier, before remembering something. A smile slowly slipped onto me.

  “What’s so funny?” Vincent said venomously.

  “Nothing, nothing. Have a good rest Vincent.”

  I was happy all throughout dinner and all the way back to the Dojo, even though I felt like I’d keel over and die every single step of the way.

  Because I had a healing tank and Vincent didn’t. He’d be sore tomorrow, I wouldn’t. I’d push farther and farther ahead of him while he was too tired and exhausted to do anything. I didn’t hate him but, he needed to go find a new master to train him and to stop trying to take mine!

  As I made my way down to the basement, I was confused. Master and Vincent were following me for some reason. Vincent looked just as confused as I did so I looked to Master but he didn’t seem willing to reveal anything.

  The second I got down to the basement-

  “FUCK!”

  I could practically feel Master’s smirk as now, there wasn’t just one healing tank down here.

  There were two.

  “Vincent, this is a healing tank. You may already know but it… from now on you’ll…”

  As Vincent listened quietly and I tuned them out, my expression colpsed. It remained just as ugly as I, more angry than embarrassed, stripped nude and got into my healing tank. Vincent didn’t even bat an eye, following my example, and getting in his own.

  But I could see the look in his eye. There wasn’t relief or happiness or even arrogance or a smirk.

  Only pain, rage, hatred, and above all of them…

  Determination.

  This… This wasn’t going to be easy.

  Warix_Viviana