Chapter 64

THE ONE WHO WOULDN’T SURVIVE

ELENA

"Ye?" I wasn't expecting him to tell me to try jabbing his chest. I blinked but there was this expressionless look on his face. "Si," I said quietly and stood to my feet. I raised my left elbow like he said and held out my wrist but I hesitated. He was my master, how could I punch him?

"Look," he told me "bend your elbow and punch harder" like that would make me even dare to try. I took my stance but he stopped me before I tried

"Your knees" he corrected "standing like that would make you lose stamina." He grabbed my waist and shifted me in position making it feel even more awkward for me. "One leg front, the other back" he released me and stepped backward to show me how to stand.

I tried mimicking him and held my leg firmly to the ground "ready?" He asked.

"Ye?" What? I asked, still confused about the whole thing. He just grabbed my waist and made an invisible metal drop to the bottom of my belly. I felt uncomfortable as cold chills ran up and down my spine.

"Are you ready?" He asked, expressionless. Then, I figured that he didn't care.

"Si" I responded

"Take your best shot. Right here" he pointed to his chest. I hesitated again. He adjusted my arms again and waited for me to shoot but I just stood there panicking.

"What's keeping you?" His voice was stern, piercing through my hair pores and igniting my bones. I swallowed hard and closed my eyes and with all my strength, I aimed, shoot!

I punched him in the chest and every part of me vibrated. I opened my eyes slowly in a wince to check the effect of my blow on him but to my amusement, he was still standing on the spot like I didn't hit him at all. Then, the pain in my wrist began to register. Was he made of metal or something? I looked up at him and he was just as unfeeling as he was minutes ago.

"I told you to bend your wrist this way" he held up my wrist and twisted it in the right angle. My hands vibrated against his touch and I quickly withdrew. "If you keep punching that way, you'll get your wrist dislocated" he pointed out. "Do it again" he told me.

Again? I blinked. I should go through the process again? I heaved a sigh and then stood in position again. I felt the time was being so slow because I wanted this to just pass.

I closed my eyes again but before I could jab him, he held my hand and quickly, my eyes flew open. "Don't close your eyes" he said softly. "Look me in the eye. I am your enemy, I want to fight you. Would you close your eyes and let me win?"

"No" I shook my head.

"So, open your eyes," he told me. What was his obsession with eyes anyway? I wondered as I stood back in position. Ready... I jabbed at him and to my surprise, I didn't feel the pressure against my wrist and it sounded with a huge thud. This was amazing. I felt like I just swung a blow at an elephant and it landed with a thud. Only that the elephant was black soldier and he still didn't move an inch.

A smile grew on my lips subconsciously as I touched my wrists then, I looked up at him. He raised a brow in mockery knowing I felt good on the inside. "You still have a lot to learn" he croaked.

Must he sound like a prick every time? "Now sit" he commanded and I did without complaining. He reached for a cotton swab and cleaned the bruises on my palms ever so carefully. I watched him adroitly apply antibiotics to the surface and disinfectants making question pop up and down in my mind. I watched him for a while; he could be gentle if he wanted to but he chose to be a thorn in the flesh most times.

He was quiet the whole time and the silence stretched then, one of the questions that tore my chest open flew right out.

"What is an Athena?" I asked. I have heard commander say I belonged to Athena and it only registered when Redhead told me Atom belonged to the same Athena.

His glare met mine and I realized I was breaking a rule. The silence between us stretched for a few minutes before he cracked.

"You won't listen to me, would you?"

"Me sorry" I croaked

"You are still doing it"

"Ye?"

"Forget it" he dropped my hands. "Hold them out and let them dry," he told me and went into his inner chamber to get a bottle from a shelf. I looked around and concluded that this was his living space. He opened the cork, drank from it and returned it to the shelf. Then he came back to me "Athena is a place."

My eyes widened and my mouth spoke "a place. Like Dome?"

"No. A place like heaven"

"Haven? What is a haven?" I had said only to realize I had spoken again. He hesitated then scoffed; he was tolerating too much.

"Heaven is a place where you can talk whenever you want. It's like huh... Paradise... You know what paradise means?"

"Oh pentoriso, paradise. Like garden, beautiful garden..."

"Exactly. How did you know?"

"I dream it. I see a creature, a female... She tells me it's a paradise"

He nodded and then retrieved his blade from the rack. It was a long blunt blade that looked more like an iron rod with a handle.

"So, Athena still alive?" I pressed then he turned to me sharply drawing a sword. What seemed to be a blunt iron rod became a sheath for a sword and he pointed it at me, almost an inch away from my eye.

"That's enough," he said in a husky tone. "Athena got destroyed. End of discussion" he withdrew his blade and put it back in its sheath adroitly. I nodded, fearing for my life. It was that part of him that scared me.

"You fear too much" he noted. "Look" he raised his sword. "A black warrior's blade is its best friend. Bring out your weapon let me show you something"

I blinked

"Your blades" he stressed and quickly, I unbelted it from its pouch. "If you have a knife, you should know it well so, you'd be able to use it to your advantage." He attached his sword to his belt "let's go outside".

Once we were out in the open, away from searching eyes, Atom removed his sword and began to talk. "This blade belonged to the gladiators of Athena. It is two times the length of my arm so, when I swing, I know where it reaches. I know the firmest way to hold it, I know that if I hold it here... He shifted his hands on the handle "It would slip. Like I said, the blade is your only friend but that is only when it is in your hands" he came close "hold up your knife" he commanded and I raised the blunt edge "a knife has four parts." He proceeded "the hold, the hit, the slice, and the stab.

The hold is the connection between you and the knife, the hit is the blunt part. The slice is the blade and the stab is the pointed edge..." But I didn't really understand. He lowered his own sword and after seeing the puzzled expression on my face, he held my hand against the handle "the hold" he said and I understood.

Slowly, he took his stance behind me, still holding on to my hand against the handle, then he pulled me close so that we became one body and in one swift motion, he struck the blunt part against a tree which cracked in an instant "the hit" he noted then, he rocked me to the left and in one upward swing, he whipped the air "the slice" and slowly, he moved back to my front, held my hands against the dagger so that the sharp part pointed to him and in one swift motion, he pulled me and I slammed into him.

My heart fell. I have stabbed my master. He held me, pulled me, and drove the blade into himself. I let go and took three steps back in horror. I saw his head fell and he staggered like he would crash but it was just in my head.

Sharply, he raised his head and retrieved my dagger. He hadn't driven it into himself, he just slid it between his arm and body. "The stab" he added and his brows curved in mockery.

What was wrong with me? Why did it bother me?

I exhaled in relief and glanced at him to meet his glare. "The only thing you should fear is yourself. Once you conquer your inner demon, you conquer everything." He said then threw the blade at me. He had put on the safety so, it landed in my hands without scratching me.