I was in oblivion.
My body was weightless, floating in a starless sky. I twisted and turned, but I wasn't sure I was actually moving. My feet weren't touching ground, but I didn't know if I was floating. I was just...there.
Sensing my boredom, my body started to drop. I felt like I was falling, but I wasn't scared. As if it was possible, I fell into a darkness deeper than black but it didn't scare me. I just kept falling into nothing, and I accepted it, liked it maybe.
When I thought I was ready to hit the bottom of this darkness, I stopped. My body stopped falling, but I hadn't hit anything. My eyes, which I hadn't known had closed, slowly opened. In front of me, was a small floating ball of sun.
It was a funny little thing, flipping and falling, but it always got back up. Slowly but surely it came closer to me. It danced around me, making me laugh. When it reached out towards me, I flinched back. The little ball of sun stopped moving, a nonexistent face showing confusion.
And then, it started moving away. I called out to it, and it stopped. It waited for me. Carefully, I took a scared step forward. And then another, and another. I took more and more steps until I was besides the sunny little ball. It started moving again, but stopped every once and a while for me to catch up.
"Hold on," I half laughed.
It obeyed, coming to a complete stop. I reached my hand to it and carefully touched the top of its glowing light. And everything lit up. The room around me was no longer black and oblivious, but full of colors and depth. Of course, there was still black in the mix, but there was also blue and red and white and green and purple and indescribable colors. Shapes began to form around me and I-
I started falling again. All the light and colors hung above me, away from me. And, again, everything I saw was nothing but a dark and endless shadow.
---
I woke calmly, though there were sweat bead on my forehead.
"You okay?" Theo's groggy voice said.
He was still laying on my arm, which was going slightly numb.
"Yeah, I think I had a nightmare but I-I don't remember."
He looked at me for a second, tired eyes unconvinced. "You know what? You can't lie to me anymore. I don't know if I'm just picking up on it more or if it's a you thing, but I can tell."
"Just go back to sleep."
He didn't try, so I scowled at him. In response, he started lifting me until I was laying on top of him, my body crushed against his. Strong arms were wrapped around my back, holding me firmly down.
"What're you doing?" I asked, a bit alarmed.
"I'm going to sleep. Now stop wiggling, it's distracting."
I glared at him, but did as he asked anyways. I brought my arms up so they rested on either side of him and let his heartbeat lull me to sleep.
---
"Lena," a smooth, coaxing voice said. "Time to wake up."
"Fuck off," I mumbled. "I'm still tired."
"But it's almost noon."
"Why hasn't Theo come to wake me up yet?"
"I am Theo."
I peeked my eyes open to be momentarily blinded by light. When my vision cleared up, I could make out Theo standing over me, arms crossed and a lopsided smile playing on his lips.
"So you are. Morning, Pooh Bear. How goes it?"
"'How goes it?' Come on, Lena, time to get up. It's noon and people are starting to wonder where you are."
I sighed, pushing myself up and around in a sitting position. "Why didn't you wake me up when you got up?"
"You were sleeping like you were dead. Doc came in to check your wound and when I asked him if I should wake you up, he said it was best to just let you sleep. So, I did."
"Are you really Theo?"
My stomach let out a loud growl.
"Rosy brought you food and clothes. She says you probably reeked and I agree. You smell like a horses ass."
"Such vulgar wards from such a pristine mouth, Mr. Fuzzy Wuzzy."
He gave me a sideways smirk. I stood up and wobbled over to the table at the center of the room where food and clothes had been set out for me. Taking hold of the bottom of my shirt, I began pulling it over my head.
"What're you doing?" Theo shouted. Even though I wanted to, I couldn't see his expression through my shirt which was covering my eyes.
"Changing?"
"But what if- What about- Lena, I thought you didn't want anything like this to happen until after."
"Like what? I'm just changing. Gods Theo, grow up."
I continued to pull it off my head. On the far side of the room, Theo had laid his head flat against the door, his eyes sealed closed. I rolled my eyes, but kept changing anyways.
"Alright," I said after I'd finished, "you can look now."
"Are you sure?"
"Theo, I didn't care to begin with." When I saw him not moving, I said, "Yes, Theo, I'm sure."
He hesitantly turned around to find me munching at the food on the plate I'd been given.
"I can't believe you," he mumbled, a light blush still clinging to his cheeks and even spreading up his ears.
"Oh, grow up."
---
After I'd eaten, I asked Theo to gather the others in an area big enough for all of us to train. Rosy'd given us a courtyard big enough for every single soldier to practice. And, that's what they did. All the soldiers who didn't have another job was practicing in the courtyard.
The others in Squadron Five, along with Chris and Rosy were waiting patiently for me.
"Good to see you awake, Sleeping Beauty," Bryce teased.
"Tell you what. Let me stab you and then you can sleep all you want, kay?"
He didn't reply, though I'd earned myself a few chuckles from soldiers.
"So then, we'll train just like we did back in Lament, okay?" I suggested, my hands going to rest on the hilts of my daggers. "We'll pair up and go off to spar, got it? I don't want any stiff shoulders so hurry up with warming up."
Theo said he wanted revenge on Rosy, so he went to spar with her. Mila and Bryce paired up, Mila with a new steel bow which wasn't quiet as amazing as the one I'd had made for her. Mercy paired up with Levi, both of them quickly landing strike after strike on each other. And that left me with, you guessed it, Chris.
"I hope you're as good a teacher as they made you out to be," he'd said when I offered to spar with him. "Cause it's been a while since I've fought with anyone."
"I'm not going easy on you, you know."
"I figured. Your first impression of me seem like a-"
"Murderous, ass hat, with no moral standards."
"Well, those weren't exactly the words I was planning on using, but I suppose they might work."
I looked at him and he looked back, both of us examining each other like we were prey about to be devoured.
"So, what weapon do you use, Mr. Ass Hat?"
He scowled at my choice of words. "Anything you have to offer."
"You should've asked Rosy before she started sparring."
"Maybe, maybe. So, how about hand-to-hand then?"
"Ooh, Street Fighter style, huh?"
"I'm not following."
"I wasn't expecting you to." I sighed, reaching for the dagger hidden under my long sleeves. I pulled out the silver beauties that I'd take from Ravi and then went to the ones hidden in my pant legs.
"You can't seriously find any use in hiding those by your ankles," Chris said, watching me take the first dagger from my left ankle.
"You'd be surprised," I replied, setting it down and then going to the next. "These've saved me a few times. In fact, I earned a bit of respect from them."
I laid four daggers on the dirt ground and then went to my waist. Now, completely weaponless, except for a small knife inside my shirt because I want going stark naked, I felt bare, though a spark of eagerness was starting to rise in me.
"First one to give wins?" He asked, lifting his hands and spreading his stance.
"Sure," I replied, matching his stance. "But no serious injuries. We are going to attack the government the day after tomorrow. Don't want anyone else getting seriously injured."
"I'll try to hold back if you're scared, Little Fighter."
"I wasn't talking about me, Ass Hat."
I charged, swinging my right fist towards the left side of his rib cage. I know, my philosophy is to never take the first move. But, every now and then, it wasn't bad to be a rage filled ball of hate that strikes first.
He took the hit instead of blocking, firming his body in a defensive manner. Sharp pain shot up my arm, but that didn't stop me. The punch going for my stomach was easily avoided as I twisted behind him, using my punch as leverage to speed me up. My left foot slid back, slipping behind his left in a fluid motion. I looped my arms through his and pushed myself back, throwing us both off balance.
We fell with a thud, me laying on his back, arching my back and pushing his fast in the dirt. The more my back arched, the more pressure was put on his face and the more his arms were pulled up in the most awkward positon I could manage at the time.
"Give up yet?" I asked, digging his nose deeper in the ground.
"Yes! I give, I give!"
Satisfied that I'd gotten at least a little of my revenge, I stood, letting him up.
"You sure do bite hard, huh?" He asked, spitting brown muddy spit from his mouth.
"You haven't seen the worst of it," Rosy said, coming over with Theo who had a smug look in his eyes.
"I'm guessing you won?" I asked him.
His chest puffed out a little as he proudly nodded. "And I see you didn't have any problems."
"Against him? Not anymore."
"I get it, Almighty Fighter," Chris joked, "you're superior to me in every way, shape, and form. Happy now?"
"I don't know. Maybe a few more fights."
"Alright, but I'm warning you, I won't go easy on you this time."
I smirked. "Oh, we're not warming up anymore? I guess I could out a little more effort into it, not that I'll need much."
"You know what? You grew up to be a real smartass, didn't you?"
I flashed an innocent smile his way. "Let's get on with it? I wanna start."
He nodded, lifting his arms again. Theo and Rosy backed off, now watching from afar. Right before I focused on Chris, I could see a few other groups turn to watch us.
This time, I stayed still, waiting for him to take the first move.
"Oh?" He asked. "No quick attacks this time?"
I didn't reply, but instead remained entirely focused on the man in front of me. I pushed the other voices, the laughs and cheers, out until it was just us and no one else.
He charged first, his older, slower body not as fast as mine, but probably more powerful. Taking any real hits might bruise me a bit. So, when his fist came at my left shoulder, I tipped right. However, that fist stopped and I realized it was a feint.
His right arm came up, rapping itself around the back of my neck. With all his weight, he fell on me, crushing his body into mine on the dirt ground. His arm was tightly wrapped around my neck, keeping me down. His body was so tightly pressed against mine that I couldn't kick him and my strong right arm was quickly numbing under his weight.
My free left arm was my fear personified, striking insanely and wildly at his open back. My throat was closing, stopping all air from going in and out.
Calm down, I told myself. Calm.
My arm slowed. Instead wildly slamming against his back in quick pointless hits, I grabbed onto his shoulder to push him up. In that one free moment, I took a gulp of air before letting him collapse on my throat again, blocking the air.
With air in my lungs, I forced my body into a focused calm. I clenched my free left fist and landed a strong blow on the right side of his stomach. His body flinched into a tense state, lifting him off the ground if only a few inches. It may not have been much, but it was enough for me to knee him in the stomach and flip us both.
Now on top of him, I clasped both my hands tightly around his throat and in return, he did the same to me. I clung to him as he made attempts to buck me off. It was a test of endurance. Just as I was about to black out from loss of air, he gave, his grip releasing as he tapped out against the dirt.
I let go as we both gasped for air. I allowed my range to expand and finally took in the scene around me. Soldiers had formed a ring around us and they were all cheering my names, both Lena and Shadow.
"You're the champion," Chris admitted. "I can't win barehanded against you."
"Never forget it."