Cole moaned in his unconscious state as if he was filled with deep and unbearable pain. He tossed and turned, almost to force himself back into the real world. At the moment he was confined to the world of his dreams.
Maddox kneeled beside him calmly and glanced at the boy with pity. He looked away: he wanted to leave Cole alone and let him fight his demons like he needed to, but Maddox felt his own weaknesses taking control over him. That weakness of him was the power to love.
With a clench of a fist, Maddox smacked Cole across the face and let him roll along the ground. A veil of discomfort had been shattered.
On contact Cole's eyes shot open and their deep blueness pierced through the warriors heart. It looked as if Cole had seen death itself. Maddox couldn't help noticing the cold sweat trickling down his neck. Cole's eyes sent chills down the warriors spine.
Regaining his firmness, Maddox felt as if it was imperative at the moment to break the silence.
"Who was it?", Maddox asked coldly.
Cole's heart began to throb. "Who was who?", he asked dumbly. He knew perfectly well that Maddox wanted to know who he fought in his mental training session. He just couldn't let Maddox know who he really battled, who knows what that could tell Maddox about him.
"Who did you fight? You were supposed to do battle with one of your biggest threats, did you not?"
"Oh. That who...it was Sirix.", he wasn't completely lying anyway, he thought. He did fight Sirix...but then his Counterpart killed him first.
Maddox frowned suspiciously. "Sirix? That imbecile...the way your body was reacting to the simulation, you seemed to be fighting a dead relative. You didn't seem well at all."
Cole looked down shamefully, "Well...I guess my subconscious felt he was pretty tough." He smiled falsely.
Maddox had an urge to press the subject was obviously hiding something from him, but he must be very tired. Instead he smiled with just as much falseness and remarked, "I suppose I just wanted to be the one you fought."
Cole smiled sincerely now, "I didn't find you threatening."
"Why is that, Cole?"
"Because I always knew there was purity in your heart."
Maddox glared and turned away. "Training begins in half an hour. You have half an hour to rest." He stormed towards the central chamber.
Cole didn't quite understand what had just happened, but he was glad that the pressure was off of him. He turned to pop his neck when he felt a strong pain. He could feel a thin gash across the back of his neck.
He became frightened. It must have been a coincidence...or at least he wanted to believe that. Could it be possible that Cole's strongest threat to himself was himself? Would simply being himself one day become his undoing. His head was groping with confusion. He did not feel the same anymore. He could almost feel his own blood on his hands. It almost felt as if he really did kill himself--a piece of himself that had barely managed to keep him alive for so long. With his own blade he took a piece of his humanity from him. The Cole that had experienced the beginning of this war would never be around to see the end.
And maybe that was for the best.
