True Training

I was confused, unsure of what to do in that moment. But before I could react, Leader Damien was already taking action.

With lightning speed, he poured normal sterile saline over the cut. The sudden pain made me wince, but he didn't wait, swiftly wrapping a bandage tightly around the wound.

"You're alright," he said calmly, his massive palm resting on my arm.

Jack and Rick did not say a word the whole time; It seemed like this was just another day for them.

As I tried to figure out what had just happened, my mother rushed up, and hurled slurs at Leader Damian. I could feel her anger.

"What are you doing with my son?!" she yelled as she flipped her long blonde hair back.

Damien remained composed, his gaze steady.

"What I do is of no concern to you," he stated firmly.

"I will let Aiden know about this!" she threatened.

Aiden was my father's name.

Damien's expression remained impassive. "Report what you wish," he replied, his tone authoritative. "But it won't change anything."

"FUCK YOU!" she escallated.

I decided to calm the situation down. I stepped in, placing a hand gently on my mother's arm.

"Mom, it's okay," I said, trying to calm her down.

Her eyes flickered with concern as she glanced at me, her expression softening. "Graham, you're still bleeding," she observed, her worry evident.

Before I could respond, Leader Damien interjected, his voice authoritative. "This is part of the training," he stated matter-of-factly. "There's no room for play if Young Master plans to go to the frontlines."

But Leader Damien's next words caught me off guard. "On that note, I don't think Miss should be here."

"No. She can stay," I spoke up without hesitation, meeting his gaze head-on.

I told my mom to sit down and nodded to reassure her that I was okay.

She hesitated but eventually complied, her worry still evident.

It felt very strange for my mother to be so concerned about me.

Leader Damien's eyes bore into mine as he spoke again, "I wanted to test your reaction," he admitted, his tone serious. "To see how you'd respond in a desperate situation like this."

"And I'm not disappointed," he continued, a hint of approval in his voice.

"Not everyone fights with bare fists," he explained. "Especially not the Raven Mafia. You'll need to be ready to confront all sorts of weapons."

'Well, all sorts of weapons except guns...' I thought. I was still confused as to why guns didn't exist.

Was there no gun powder? no nitrocellulose?

After wrapping a bit more bandage around my hand, Leader Damien grabbed a strange square piece of wood, got up on the ring and gestured with his hand.

"Come on up here," he said.

I thought about it for a moment, looking up at his blood-red hair with mild fear.

He smiled. "Don't worry. I won't hurt you this time," he assured me.

With a deep breath, I nodded and climbed up into the ring.

Leader Damien explained, "There are different situations you may find yourself in. But until your Kainen is strong enough to directly counter blades, you need to learn how to fight against them."

"The easiest situation is when you have some sort of shield," he continued. "Here! Hold this!"

He handed me the square shield-like piece of wood.

Leader Damien stressed how important it was to always assume that an unknown person holds a weapon if they approach with a hidden hand. Especially when I'm in a war zone.

He instructed me that in that situation, I should move first, either throwing a powerful kick and injuring the opponent's hand or trapping the opponent's hand and holding it in place.

The opponent won't stand there and do nothing; they will try to get their hand free, strike at my chest, kick me, and push me to get their hand free.

With deliberate movements, he demonstrated how to grab the opponent's arm with both hands, yank it towards me and incapacitate the opponent by delivering a swift knee kick.

Then he explained what to do if the opponent's knife was already in a ready-to-strike position.

I should avoid standing in front of the attacker, stay at the opponent's sides at all times and keep my distance.

If I have some sort of shield, I should use it to protect my chest at all costs.

As he lunged towards me in slow motion, he showed me how to dodge the strike effectively.

If the attacker struck the shield, it would be the end for them.

In the event that I don't have a shield, I need to be fast enough to deflect the opponent's arm and break it or use the opponent's momentum to throw him to the ground.

After the intense knife-play training, we transitioned back to bare-handed combat.

There was a massive size difference between Leader Damien and me.

Fighting him without using Kainen would never end well for me.

When I told him that previously I imagined a ceiling fan, he laughed at me.

Leader Damien told me to make up silly stories involving fast-blowing winds to move the Kainen within me.

Anything but a ceiling fan.

I took the advice and got to work immediately.

I imagined a playful whirlwind whipping onto the shores of Boston, racing through the streets, transforming into a massive tornado as it wreaked havoc; buildings trembled and debris swirled as it zoomed towards the building where I stood on the ring.

When it reached the door, it compressed into a tiny cyclone, bursting inside, erupting into my chest.

In an instant, the unleashed wind torrent ignited the dormant Kainen within me.

My punch hurled at him with such force that even the air moving around it could be heard and a cloud of dust arose from the floor of the ring.

I closed my eyes and I could see fireworks!

A river of squiggly lines flowed towards my fist.

However, the feeling of accomplishment was fleeting. Something mercilessly seized my wrist the very next second.

I opened my eyes and the last thing I saw was Damian whipping up a right uppercut.

I took it on the chin, spat blood, and rolled over on the ring like a fish out of water, gasping for breath.

Leader Damien chuckled and laughed. "Alright, that's enough for now," he declared, a hint of amusement in his voice. "I want you to do 500 push-ups!"

I struggled to get up, feeling a mix of tiredness and pride.

Using Kainen like that was a first for me, and it felt good, but the next hour was brutal.

I pushed myself hard, sweating buckets, until I finally collapsed on the ring, completely worn out.

Leader Damien ordered Rick to bring out a barrel full of cold water, saying, "We need to let Young Master relax a bit."

I thought he was being considerate, but I couldn't have been more wrong.

As they made me enter the water, I regretted it immediately.

It was freezing!

I felt nauseous right away and almost vomited.

I tried to escape from the barrel, but they dragged me back in again.

As I stood in the barrel, shivering from the cold, Leader Damien explained that we needed to toughen up my skin.

He outlined the next phase of my training. I would learn espionage, group combat tactics to become a true leader, how to detect if I was being followed, and, of course, how to use Kainen effectively.

...

As I lay in the barrel, shivering uncontrollably, Emily entered the room.

"Hey!" she greeted me cheerfully.

"H-H-Hey!" I stammered, my teeth chattering from the cold.

"What's happening here?" Emily asked, glancing around at Rick and Leader Damien for answers, but they just shrugged their shoulders.

Before I could respond, Emily explained that she found out I was here from Susan and decided to join for some training. She had even called Olivia, her previous coach, to see if she had time to help out.

A second later, my mother approached Emily with a curious expression, and Emily, realizing that someone was standing next to her, just looking at her, looked a bit confused.

My mother looked at Emily for a prolonged moment while I watched them both, still shaking from the cold.

"Are you my son's girlfriend?" my mother finally asked.

Emily arched an eyebrow in response to the question and seemed a little embarrassed.

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