Breath With In
Chapter 12 - Training
Today marked my training as I was going to have to train a lot in order to complete the challenge left ahead of me. There was a mountain not far from here by bus and it was open trails so you can climb freely on the mountain without a permit. Since this was the future, they didn't have to worry about lost people because of the GPS built into your glasses. They had revolutionized safety by integrating a system that could track your exact location in real time, but somehow, everyone still managed to lose their phones. It was a paradox of technology. So all I needed to do was train. Monday came and went as nothing interesting happened. I trained all afternoon, going through my grueling workout routine of a hundred push-ups, a hundred pull-ups, a hundred sit-ups, and a 10-kilometer run, only to be interrupted by an email about some "special offer" on energy drinks, which I ignored. Then I got my homework done in the evening, but it was the kind of homework that didn't matter because my entire life was about becoming the ultimate mountain climber. What else mattered? Tuesday arrived, and I had a test. It was super easy since I was really smart and also amazing at everything I did. Like, I could literally solve complex equations in my sleep. Seriously, I did it once—slept through an entire math class and solved an equation in my dreams.
Other than that, I continued my training regimen. A hundred push-ups, a hundred pull-ups, a hundred sit-ups, and a one-kilometer run. Then I had lunch, which was just protein shakes mixed with raw eggs and a touch of regret. After that, I finished my homework (again, pointless, but whatever) and went to bed. Wednesday came, and I continued my workout routine. I felt like someone was watching me, but I doubt that. It could've just been the neighbors' cat staring at me from their window, but that cat had this weird aura. Like it knew something.
I did my homework, which I completed using a combination of brute force and luck. I didn't even read the textbook, but I got an A. My teachers were probably mystified. After finishing that, I went to bed. Now it was Thursday. Only two days remain. The day went on like usual, except I didn't have any homework. In fact, I had no obligations at all because, in the future, everything is automated, including education, which I found a bit scary. Who were the real teachers? Was I even a student? Or was I just a pawn in some futuristic simulation? These were the kinds of questions I didn't ask because they were too deep.
By the time I finished eating a mystery meal that tasted like a mix between cardboard and disappointment, I decided to go onto the roof and look at the stars. I put on my winter gear—because nothing says "I'm ready for an adventure" like a neon green parka—and went outside. Saying it was cold was an understatement. It was freezing. In fact, it was so cold that my breath turned into solid ice in front of me, and I had to chip away at it to see. After a few moments of stumbling up the small hill (which felt like a whole journey in itself), I was able to climb onto the roof. It creaked ominously under my weight, but I didn't mind. The house was old and creaky, just like me. I plopped myself down on the snow, which was about six feet deep in some places. As I lay there listening to the wind howling through the alleyways below, I had an epiphany. What if my training wasn't enough? What if I wasn't strong enough? Maybe I needed more.
After a while, I thought I felt something on the roof. I looked over and saw the dead cat that had been there the whole time. It was jittering on the roof, like some sort of possessed mechanical animal. Its eyes glowed red, and it made a strange clicking sound. It was probably that. I kicked it off the roof and sat back down. I wasn't scared. I was ready for anything.
After about a half-hour of contemplating the meaning of life and the concept of free will, I felt another bump. It wasn't the cat. No, this time it was something bigger. I froze. Something was moving beneath me. Something large. Something with multiple limbs and an appetite for destruction. I turned to look, my heart racing as the night sky darkened further. It was a giant, mechanical spider, its gears grinding and legs clicking with eerie precision.
"Hello," it said in a robotic voice, sending chills down my spine. "You are the chosen one. You must climb the mountain to defeat the force that lies within."
I blinked. "What?"
The spider repeated itself, and that's when I realized... I had never signed up for this.
