5 months after the training had begun,
It was out last day of basic training, we were nearly done. Days months had passed and we were finally ready for the big leagues. We finished our training and had to be initiated as full-fledged Dragon. We had all worked our asses off, long nights and dark days were what we had grown to live for. We were given no sympathy. If one person failed something we all failed it. Training had been a bitch though. We worked 18 hours a day, doing what seemed to be non-stop sparring, obstacle courses, and simulated target practice. We had all become true fighters; even drive had learned a thing or two. We had all changed in the months that we had been training. I had grown several inches and I had shaved off the red hair, I had my natural curly black hair. I was still wearing the nose ring though. I expected to learn how to fight with my specific sword but I had been learning how to fight with an average katana. No one really knew about ancient swords so I would just have to make due with what I knew. Surprisingly we all had become much closer than we were at the beginning. We were all so different, but we had learned to co-exist.
The biggest change had probably occurred with Fox and I. When we first met I couldn't stand her, but as the days passed we became friends. She lived in the apartment with Allen and I, so it was always good to have her there. We even shared a room. I could trust her with almost anything. As expected Spike and I had become synchronized fighters, we each had the same style and our movements were almost always exact. Spike's hair was much different now; it had grown quite a few inches. It was like he had a green afro. He had become a great Marksman; he was the greatest shot that I had ever seen. He could hit a penny from 100 feet away, and he could call heads and it he would be right. Drive had become everything that we expected her to become, she was a genius. She could hack any computer system in the entire galaxy, and to top it off she was running a search engine .com company. Drivedragon.com.
Moses hadn't changed a bit in the 5 months that we'd been training. He was still the same nice and intelligent dude that we knew since the beginning. He had emerged as the leader of our group, and he definitely was our leader. He had been meditating allot, which definitely attributed to his fighting style. H was our recon unit, but instead of learning the traditional "splinter cell" technique he had specialized in ninjutsu. That's right we have a ninja.
Today was the "graduation". This was a very different concept than the school graduation. Today was the day that we all worked so hard for. For the group to pass and not be trained for another 5 months, one of the members had to defeat the sensei, or in this case Allen. If no one could defeat him, than we would have to be trained until we beat him after the next 5 months. We all were thinking who would fight; it would be Moses, Spike, or well me.
1 hour before the "graduation"
Spike was at the shooting range, trying to "concentrate". Drive busy being a creature of habit; she was smoking in the bathroom. Fox was flirting with some other guys and Moses and I were meditating in the library. I didn't meditate as often as Moses did, but I would try to work it in as regular training method. It was dark in the library, it was also silent. We had been sitting there for almost 5 hours, and I felt as if I was reaching my peak. All I was thinking about was fighting Allen. I didn't even know if I'd be fighting him, but I would want to. I should fight him, I thought, I could win. The ghostly silence was broken by Moses' frantic speaking.
M: "Loki! Open your eyes. You're not going to believe this. Open your eyes". He was screaming at this point. As I opened my eyes I felt my ass hit the hard carpet of the library, which we all knew so well.
L: "What, what happened?"
M: "Dude you were floating, honest to god. You were off the ground, hovering. It was amazing."
L: "How could I have been floating, its physically impossible. What am I a bird"?
M: "Dude, I know its sounds crazy but you really were floating, for a few seconds. Didn't you feel your body fall down?"
L: "Yeah, I guess so, but that cant happen. People can't fly, unless."
M: "Unless what?"
L: I could have reached my full chakra, and I could have ascended past my old limitations, but that's impossible, it takes years for that to happen."
M: "I'm just telling you what I saw, you were floating, but lets forget about that for now, we've gotta get ready for the fight. So, who do think should fight Allen?"
L: "To be honest, I think I should. I've seen Allen fight my whole life, he had taught me allot of what I know today, I think that the best payment for him teaching me, is to beat the living crap out of him. I know my brother; he'd want me to fight him.
M: "What ever you say man, just don't lose. He could probably anticipate my ninja moves anyhow." I knew Moses was disappointed, he was our leader but I had to step up.
L: "I'm gonna go. I think I'll go to the arena early, so I can make some kind of strategy."
I abruptly left the library and walked down the corridor leading to the arena. In the hall I saw Fox making out with some random guy from another group. She had either some serious emotional disorders, or she was just a whore. I was thinking she was allot of both. She seemed surprised when I passed her by; I decided not to make eye contact, which would make things even more awkward. I kept walking down the hallway until I got to the stadium. It wasn't really a stadium, it was a circular ring surrounded by tons and tons of chairs. It really reminded me of the ditch. Totally secluded to the public, only seen by a select few. In the middle of the arena was a man, just training. He was fighting the air as though it was fighting back, he had lightening fast movements, his style seemed to be perfect. As I slowly approached him I saw who it was, it was Allen. I should have known who it was, I had seen that style every day as we trained together.
As I approached Allen he turned his attention toward me, he wasn't sweating at all, which was surprising since he had been training so hard. He would always break an early sweat sparring, but something was different today. It may have been the silence in the room, or the calm breeze passing in through the open window, but I felt something from Allen. He was intense, he showed no fatigue, but showed a great amount of effort. This was the real Allen, this was not the sensei, nor partner, nor the dragon member, this was my brother, the strongest man I had ever known. His dead eyes stared into me like knives, I had interrupted him and he had been pissed. He had been training so hard but at this point, but he didn't look tough, he looked more vulnerable than I had ever seen him before. As our eyes met, the wind seemed to stop blowing, and the tides themselves were changing. I couldn't even look at my brother, and I was ashamed for him. He knew that I would fight him later in that day, but he also knew that he couldn't win. Why else would he be training, he would never train unless he was tutoring us. I was terrified of what he actually was on the outside; he was a man who had worked his way up the ladder of greatness. He had defeated many opponents and had demonstrated his bravery on a regular basis. He had been the youngest trainer of all time, but that wasn't what he was. He was just like me, a kid trying to survive and live up to a reputation. As I stared at the disgusting figure standing in front of me, I shed a single tear. It was not a tear of sadness, it was a tear if pity. I had lost respect in him. It would be the last tear I would ever cry for him or anyone. As I turned to walk out of the stadium my brother began to speak.
A: "What was the first thing I told you, never show your emotion."
L: "Yeah, and maybe if follow your rules I'll end up just like you". I said I said with a snicker. Then I had seen my brother cry for the first time in my life, he was more human than he let on, and with that I left the room. As I opened the rickety exit doors of the stadium to see that my entire group had been watching. Fox was crying, Moses was speechless, and Spike had the most emotionless expression on his face. I never wanted to see him like that again. I didn't talk to any of them, I had nothing to say.
8:00 PM, The beginning of my new life
It was time for the fight. Everyone other than Allen and I were all in the stadium, awaiting the fight of a century. Brother vs. Brother; David vs. Goliath. I walked down that same hallway leading to the stadium, I was wearing my red trench coat and the rest of my uniform, it was the first time that I could wear it since the day at the library 5 months ago. As I opened the set of creaky swinging doors I heard the cheer of the crowd, there were people cheering for me. There were some that were cursing me out, but it didn't matter I knew how the fight would end. I stepped into the ring 10 feet away from Allen, he was wearing his uniform. It was much like mine except he had a black coat instead of a red one. I could see my friends out in the crowd; they were all staring at me, their destinies resting in my two hands. Surprisingly I saw Vicious, he had changed, but I wasn't sure if it was a good thing or a bad thing. His eyes had lost their initial shade of green and had been replaced by a crippling bluish gray. I turned my attention away from the crowd and back towards Allen. He was nervous but there was no way he would ever show it to the crowd. He was thinking of a way to make me lose focus, but that would never happen. We started to stare each other down again; neither of us were flinching this time. I accepted what he had become, and he knew what I had become. Every day we would spar, and every day he would beat me, but yesterday I tied him. The tides were changing, and it was my turn. The awkward silence was broken by Sczai.
S: "Welcome to the moment of faith, the moment of destiny, and the moment of truth. Brothers will be pitted against each other in a fight for moral superiority. Shade will fight Loki, Allen will fight Cid, and Marcus will fight Marcus. Will Shade be beaten by his younger brother? What would that mean? But I have one more question for you, ARE YOU READY?" The people in the crowd started cheering loudly. "Are you ready?" Sczai was one hell of a leader; he could motivate an entire syndicate with only 11 letters. He reminded me of Cyrus from that really old movie "The Warriors". And with that the fight of a lifetime started.
The fight was beginning and we were both very anxious. Who ever kept his composure would be victorious. We stood facing each other, nose to nose, eye to eye; just recalling every day that we had trained, hoping for some type of opening or weakness. There were none. I was looking into his terror filled eye, wondering what he must be thinking, it was stupid of me; when I was thinking he threw the first punch.
WORDS IN ITALICS ARE PART OF A SONG.
Baby life is like a ride on the freeway Dodging bullets while your trying to find your way.
His punches were lightening fast, each quicker and deadlier than the last one, but I was moving faster than Allen was. I dodged every one of them without a problem, when he realized that his plan wasn't working he tried to execute a spin kick. I ducked under his leg and punched him directly in the stomach.
Everyone's around, but no one does a damn thing. It brings me down. But I wont ever let them.
It was the strongest punch I had ever thrown, he should have broken all his ribs. I thought that I had won when I saw the trickles of blood running down his chin. I was over confident in my own abilities. As I diverted my attention away from him, he scored a deadly uppercut to my chin. I flew what seemed to be 6 feet into the air.
If I seem bleak, then you'd be correct And if I don't speak its because I cant disconnect
But I won't be burned by the reflection
Of the fire in your eyes
As you're staring at the sun
I was launched into the air, there would be no graceful landings this time. I saw Allen's face, it was very sad looking; as though he was sad to have hit me. I hit the hard concrete with a large banging sound. My back was in extreme pain, this was to be expected though. As I was lying on my back I realized that I had to take this fight seriously, I had to put in every ounce of my effort into this. I had risen from the ground demonstrating my durability. This wasn't over yet.
When I ran I didn't feel like a run away When I escaped I didn't feel like I got away There's more to living than only surviving Maybe I'm not there, but I'm still trying.
I had risen from the ashes, just to be hit down again. Allen kicked my cranium in an act of pure desperation, but I still got up. He threw another punch, I forcefully grabbed his hand. I wasn't going to let him go. He was showing fear at this point. I knew I would win.
L: "Rule number 1, never shows emotion".
With that I palm striked him in the sternum. I felt his chest collapse from the sheer power of my palm. All the blood that was in his chest flew out of his mouth. Creating what seemed to be a wave of blood. He flew high up into the air, his body seemed to be hovering up above the floor. I ran with lightening speed to his floating body, I crouched down under his body and punched directly upward catching his head. I thought that I heard his neck snap. I had won. I didn't have to celebrate, because after I knew he was unconscious I passed out myself.
Though you hear me, I don't think that you relate My will is something that you can't confiscate So forgive me, but I wont be frustrated By destruction in your eyes As you're staring at the sun.
- Staring at The Sun (Offspring)
I woke up hours later in a foreign hospital bed. I saw a bright light and a fan rotating gracefully above me. I gingerly rose up in my bed to see that Vicious was sitting in a chair next to the door. He stood up from the chair and started to talk.
V: "Way to go man, you made it. You totaled Shade."
L: "What do you mean I made it?"
V: "You beat Allen, and you did beat him."
L: "Okay cool, but is he okay?"
V: "You hurt him pretty badly, he broke both his arms and has like 4 concussions, but hell be fine in a few months.
L: "So everyone in my group graduated?"
V: "Not exactly, the 2 girls in your group didn't progress enough to graduate. So they'll be training for another 5 months. Spike and Moses made it though. They'll be part of our group.
L: Who else is in our group."
V: "First of all were not a group anymore, were a fleet, and the other 2 people are right in the lobby." Almost on cue the two other members entered the tattered hospital bed. One was a very skinny, almost nerdy looking guy. The other was a girl, she looked pretty, but she was nothing special.
L: "Who are you guys?" The girl spoke first.
M: "My name is Stephanie, but you guys have to call me Mage."
L: "Okay I'll make a note of that, and who's Mr. Skinny?"
T: "Hey, my names Tom; but call me Twig. I'm the hacker."
L: Well I'm Loki, and if you guys don't mid I'm going to pass out again.
This was going to be quite a bumpy ride. Our fleet consisted of Green Hair, Gray Eyes, Mr. ADD, what seemed to be another whore, the nerd, and me the Leader? Was I?
It was out last day of basic training, we were nearly done. Days months had passed and we were finally ready for the big leagues. We finished our training and had to be initiated as full-fledged Dragon. We had all worked our asses off, long nights and dark days were what we had grown to live for. We were given no sympathy. If one person failed something we all failed it. Training had been a bitch though. We worked 18 hours a day, doing what seemed to be non-stop sparring, obstacle courses, and simulated target practice. We had all become true fighters; even drive had learned a thing or two. We had all changed in the months that we had been training. I had grown several inches and I had shaved off the red hair, I had my natural curly black hair. I was still wearing the nose ring though. I expected to learn how to fight with my specific sword but I had been learning how to fight with an average katana. No one really knew about ancient swords so I would just have to make due with what I knew. Surprisingly we all had become much closer than we were at the beginning. We were all so different, but we had learned to co-exist.
The biggest change had probably occurred with Fox and I. When we first met I couldn't stand her, but as the days passed we became friends. She lived in the apartment with Allen and I, so it was always good to have her there. We even shared a room. I could trust her with almost anything. As expected Spike and I had become synchronized fighters, we each had the same style and our movements were almost always exact. Spike's hair was much different now; it had grown quite a few inches. It was like he had a green afro. He had become a great Marksman; he was the greatest shot that I had ever seen. He could hit a penny from 100 feet away, and he could call heads and it he would be right. Drive had become everything that we expected her to become, she was a genius. She could hack any computer system in the entire galaxy, and to top it off she was running a search engine .com company. Drivedragon.com.
Moses hadn't changed a bit in the 5 months that we'd been training. He was still the same nice and intelligent dude that we knew since the beginning. He had emerged as the leader of our group, and he definitely was our leader. He had been meditating allot, which definitely attributed to his fighting style. H was our recon unit, but instead of learning the traditional "splinter cell" technique he had specialized in ninjutsu. That's right we have a ninja.
Today was the "graduation". This was a very different concept than the school graduation. Today was the day that we all worked so hard for. For the group to pass and not be trained for another 5 months, one of the members had to defeat the sensei, or in this case Allen. If no one could defeat him, than we would have to be trained until we beat him after the next 5 months. We all were thinking who would fight; it would be Moses, Spike, or well me.
1 hour before the "graduation"
Spike was at the shooting range, trying to "concentrate". Drive busy being a creature of habit; she was smoking in the bathroom. Fox was flirting with some other guys and Moses and I were meditating in the library. I didn't meditate as often as Moses did, but I would try to work it in as regular training method. It was dark in the library, it was also silent. We had been sitting there for almost 5 hours, and I felt as if I was reaching my peak. All I was thinking about was fighting Allen. I didn't even know if I'd be fighting him, but I would want to. I should fight him, I thought, I could win. The ghostly silence was broken by Moses' frantic speaking.
M: "Loki! Open your eyes. You're not going to believe this. Open your eyes". He was screaming at this point. As I opened my eyes I felt my ass hit the hard carpet of the library, which we all knew so well.
L: "What, what happened?"
M: "Dude you were floating, honest to god. You were off the ground, hovering. It was amazing."
L: "How could I have been floating, its physically impossible. What am I a bird"?
M: "Dude, I know its sounds crazy but you really were floating, for a few seconds. Didn't you feel your body fall down?"
L: "Yeah, I guess so, but that cant happen. People can't fly, unless."
M: "Unless what?"
L: I could have reached my full chakra, and I could have ascended past my old limitations, but that's impossible, it takes years for that to happen."
M: "I'm just telling you what I saw, you were floating, but lets forget about that for now, we've gotta get ready for the fight. So, who do think should fight Allen?"
L: "To be honest, I think I should. I've seen Allen fight my whole life, he had taught me allot of what I know today, I think that the best payment for him teaching me, is to beat the living crap out of him. I know my brother; he'd want me to fight him.
M: "What ever you say man, just don't lose. He could probably anticipate my ninja moves anyhow." I knew Moses was disappointed, he was our leader but I had to step up.
L: "I'm gonna go. I think I'll go to the arena early, so I can make some kind of strategy."
I abruptly left the library and walked down the corridor leading to the arena. In the hall I saw Fox making out with some random guy from another group. She had either some serious emotional disorders, or she was just a whore. I was thinking she was allot of both. She seemed surprised when I passed her by; I decided not to make eye contact, which would make things even more awkward. I kept walking down the hallway until I got to the stadium. It wasn't really a stadium, it was a circular ring surrounded by tons and tons of chairs. It really reminded me of the ditch. Totally secluded to the public, only seen by a select few. In the middle of the arena was a man, just training. He was fighting the air as though it was fighting back, he had lightening fast movements, his style seemed to be perfect. As I slowly approached him I saw who it was, it was Allen. I should have known who it was, I had seen that style every day as we trained together.
As I approached Allen he turned his attention toward me, he wasn't sweating at all, which was surprising since he had been training so hard. He would always break an early sweat sparring, but something was different today. It may have been the silence in the room, or the calm breeze passing in through the open window, but I felt something from Allen. He was intense, he showed no fatigue, but showed a great amount of effort. This was the real Allen, this was not the sensei, nor partner, nor the dragon member, this was my brother, the strongest man I had ever known. His dead eyes stared into me like knives, I had interrupted him and he had been pissed. He had been training so hard but at this point, but he didn't look tough, he looked more vulnerable than I had ever seen him before. As our eyes met, the wind seemed to stop blowing, and the tides themselves were changing. I couldn't even look at my brother, and I was ashamed for him. He knew that I would fight him later in that day, but he also knew that he couldn't win. Why else would he be training, he would never train unless he was tutoring us. I was terrified of what he actually was on the outside; he was a man who had worked his way up the ladder of greatness. He had defeated many opponents and had demonstrated his bravery on a regular basis. He had been the youngest trainer of all time, but that wasn't what he was. He was just like me, a kid trying to survive and live up to a reputation. As I stared at the disgusting figure standing in front of me, I shed a single tear. It was not a tear of sadness, it was a tear if pity. I had lost respect in him. It would be the last tear I would ever cry for him or anyone. As I turned to walk out of the stadium my brother began to speak.
A: "What was the first thing I told you, never show your emotion."
L: "Yeah, and maybe if follow your rules I'll end up just like you". I said I said with a snicker. Then I had seen my brother cry for the first time in my life, he was more human than he let on, and with that I left the room. As I opened the rickety exit doors of the stadium to see that my entire group had been watching. Fox was crying, Moses was speechless, and Spike had the most emotionless expression on his face. I never wanted to see him like that again. I didn't talk to any of them, I had nothing to say.
8:00 PM, The beginning of my new life
It was time for the fight. Everyone other than Allen and I were all in the stadium, awaiting the fight of a century. Brother vs. Brother; David vs. Goliath. I walked down that same hallway leading to the stadium, I was wearing my red trench coat and the rest of my uniform, it was the first time that I could wear it since the day at the library 5 months ago. As I opened the set of creaky swinging doors I heard the cheer of the crowd, there were people cheering for me. There were some that were cursing me out, but it didn't matter I knew how the fight would end. I stepped into the ring 10 feet away from Allen, he was wearing his uniform. It was much like mine except he had a black coat instead of a red one. I could see my friends out in the crowd; they were all staring at me, their destinies resting in my two hands. Surprisingly I saw Vicious, he had changed, but I wasn't sure if it was a good thing or a bad thing. His eyes had lost their initial shade of green and had been replaced by a crippling bluish gray. I turned my attention away from the crowd and back towards Allen. He was nervous but there was no way he would ever show it to the crowd. He was thinking of a way to make me lose focus, but that would never happen. We started to stare each other down again; neither of us were flinching this time. I accepted what he had become, and he knew what I had become. Every day we would spar, and every day he would beat me, but yesterday I tied him. The tides were changing, and it was my turn. The awkward silence was broken by Sczai.
S: "Welcome to the moment of faith, the moment of destiny, and the moment of truth. Brothers will be pitted against each other in a fight for moral superiority. Shade will fight Loki, Allen will fight Cid, and Marcus will fight Marcus. Will Shade be beaten by his younger brother? What would that mean? But I have one more question for you, ARE YOU READY?" The people in the crowd started cheering loudly. "Are you ready?" Sczai was one hell of a leader; he could motivate an entire syndicate with only 11 letters. He reminded me of Cyrus from that really old movie "The Warriors". And with that the fight of a lifetime started.
The fight was beginning and we were both very anxious. Who ever kept his composure would be victorious. We stood facing each other, nose to nose, eye to eye; just recalling every day that we had trained, hoping for some type of opening or weakness. There were none. I was looking into his terror filled eye, wondering what he must be thinking, it was stupid of me; when I was thinking he threw the first punch.
WORDS IN ITALICS ARE PART OF A SONG.
Baby life is like a ride on the freeway Dodging bullets while your trying to find your way.
His punches were lightening fast, each quicker and deadlier than the last one, but I was moving faster than Allen was. I dodged every one of them without a problem, when he realized that his plan wasn't working he tried to execute a spin kick. I ducked under his leg and punched him directly in the stomach.
Everyone's around, but no one does a damn thing. It brings me down. But I wont ever let them.
It was the strongest punch I had ever thrown, he should have broken all his ribs. I thought that I had won when I saw the trickles of blood running down his chin. I was over confident in my own abilities. As I diverted my attention away from him, he scored a deadly uppercut to my chin. I flew what seemed to be 6 feet into the air.
If I seem bleak, then you'd be correct And if I don't speak its because I cant disconnect
But I won't be burned by the reflection
Of the fire in your eyes
As you're staring at the sun
I was launched into the air, there would be no graceful landings this time. I saw Allen's face, it was very sad looking; as though he was sad to have hit me. I hit the hard concrete with a large banging sound. My back was in extreme pain, this was to be expected though. As I was lying on my back I realized that I had to take this fight seriously, I had to put in every ounce of my effort into this. I had risen from the ground demonstrating my durability. This wasn't over yet.
When I ran I didn't feel like a run away When I escaped I didn't feel like I got away There's more to living than only surviving Maybe I'm not there, but I'm still trying.
I had risen from the ashes, just to be hit down again. Allen kicked my cranium in an act of pure desperation, but I still got up. He threw another punch, I forcefully grabbed his hand. I wasn't going to let him go. He was showing fear at this point. I knew I would win.
L: "Rule number 1, never shows emotion".
With that I palm striked him in the sternum. I felt his chest collapse from the sheer power of my palm. All the blood that was in his chest flew out of his mouth. Creating what seemed to be a wave of blood. He flew high up into the air, his body seemed to be hovering up above the floor. I ran with lightening speed to his floating body, I crouched down under his body and punched directly upward catching his head. I thought that I heard his neck snap. I had won. I didn't have to celebrate, because after I knew he was unconscious I passed out myself.
Though you hear me, I don't think that you relate My will is something that you can't confiscate So forgive me, but I wont be frustrated By destruction in your eyes As you're staring at the sun.
- Staring at The Sun (Offspring)
I woke up hours later in a foreign hospital bed. I saw a bright light and a fan rotating gracefully above me. I gingerly rose up in my bed to see that Vicious was sitting in a chair next to the door. He stood up from the chair and started to talk.
V: "Way to go man, you made it. You totaled Shade."
L: "What do you mean I made it?"
V: "You beat Allen, and you did beat him."
L: "Okay cool, but is he okay?"
V: "You hurt him pretty badly, he broke both his arms and has like 4 concussions, but hell be fine in a few months.
L: "So everyone in my group graduated?"
V: "Not exactly, the 2 girls in your group didn't progress enough to graduate. So they'll be training for another 5 months. Spike and Moses made it though. They'll be part of our group.
L: Who else is in our group."
V: "First of all were not a group anymore, were a fleet, and the other 2 people are right in the lobby." Almost on cue the two other members entered the tattered hospital bed. One was a very skinny, almost nerdy looking guy. The other was a girl, she looked pretty, but she was nothing special.
L: "Who are you guys?" The girl spoke first.
M: "My name is Stephanie, but you guys have to call me Mage."
L: "Okay I'll make a note of that, and who's Mr. Skinny?"
T: "Hey, my names Tom; but call me Twig. I'm the hacker."
L: Well I'm Loki, and if you guys don't mid I'm going to pass out again.
This was going to be quite a bumpy ride. Our fleet consisted of Green Hair, Gray Eyes, Mr. ADD, what seemed to be another whore, the nerd, and me the Leader? Was I?