CHAPTER 27: CH 27: THANK YOU.

Levi continued to stare at her, the questions he’d been pondering all day and she knew it in minutes, but who was she? And how did she know about the training?

Levi shook his head, "Wait, how do you even know about Selene training me?"

She rolled her eyes, "This might be a secret base but nothing’s a secret down here. Me and a bunch of other trainees have been watching the footage of you two training for a while."

He shifted in his seat.

"What do you mean you’re watching me? Why?"

She tilted her head back, shocked at his question, "You went after a hive alone, you broke the test record, you kicked the ass of one of the best recruits here and scarred him so bad that his mama felt it but most importantly...

You’re not human."

Levi ran his hand through his hair, "who’s the best recruit I best up?"

"Alexander Branson, the guy whose skull you carved in on your first day here." She said flatly.

’Oh... Wait that guy was the best recruit, what a joke.’

He thought, before shaking the thought off and asking drifted back to the important question.

"How does my adaptation work?"

She leaned back into the bench, a slight smirk tugging on her face, "So you really don’t know, do you?"

He pressed his lips into a tight line, he knew exactly what she was doing, she was rage baiting him.

"Are you gonna tell me or not?"

She let out a heavy sigh.

"Selene is right in one part, you need to be put in a stressful situation... But you also need to be pissed off and I mean hulk level mad."

He raised a brow, "How’d you reach this conclusion?"

She leaned in close, elbows resting on the table, eyes locked onto his.

"Because I’ve watched you, every time you fight, it’s obvious.

Well for me, I’m part of the behavioural analyst unit in L.U.X, we were the ones who made the rankings, named their weaknesses and the fact that they are a hive—"

"Thought you were still a trainee"

He interrupted.

Her gaze tightened, "Rude but true. My predecessors were the ones responsible but I like to think that their wins are our wins."

He waved his hands for her to stop, "could we get back to the point?"

"Kheum," she cleared her throat, "every training session shows that you’re rising progressively but only when you get angry does your body adapt immediately."

Levi stroked his chin, lost in thought.

She had no time for it, she twisted and stood up from the bench.

Heading for the door.

He said nothing while her figure disappeared— until

"Wait!"

He screamed.

She turned along with all others in the cafeteria.

"What’s your name?"

He asked.

She paused at the doorway, one hand on the frame.

"Claire," she said simply.

Levi blinked. "That’s it?"

She glanced over her shoulder. "You wanted regular, didn’t you?"

He nodded slowly. "Fair."

And with that the cafeteria returned to normal.

Levi left for his room.

Shutting the door behind him and didn’t bother turning on the lights.

His body still aching from training, and the very thought of doing it again tomorrow made him groan before he collapsed onto the bed.

Claire’s words still echoed in his head.

’You need to get pissed, you need to be annoyed.’

She wasn’t wrong, every time he and Selene trained no matter how difficult it was it still felt more like a sparring session than a battle.

He face palmed himself, "I think I’m actually growing to trust the psychotic bitch."

----

The next day he headed for the training room early, with barely a wink of sleep and still too many questions in his head but he needed to move further.

Not just for him but if he was ever going to get a chance to avenge his family and find out if his sister was still alive.

Levi stepped into the training room and without a second’s breath put on the gravity belt.

The weight was still much, the pressure excessive but somehow he now managed it.

He stretched while waiting for Selene now.

The familiar mechanical whirl from the gauntlet brushed his ears and he turned to the door.

Selene.

She walked in, gauntlets already in hand, hair tied back in a ponytail and eyes sharp.

"You’re early," she said, "Already had the hot water prepared for you."

"Well no need, I’m up and ready," he said flatly.

"But I need a favour."

Her eyes widened with curiosity, "I’m listening?"

He locked eyes with her from afar, "I need you to not hold back no matter what."

She smirked.

"You sure about that Kane, I could still kill you."

"I don’t care, as long as I get stronger" he said matter-of-factly.

She shrugged, then raised her fists, "Suit yourself."

She lunged for him—

But so did he—

He moved with everything in him, almost matching her speed.

They closed the distance and met at the centre.

His fist collided with that of the gauntlet’s.

The impact of their punch created a shockwave short-circuiting the lights but for just a second.

The blast sent them both spiralling back before landing.

Selene’s mouth hung open, her breath in ragged gasps, she was genuinely surprised.

Levi Kane, the man... Or so, who struggled to even keep up with her yesterday but today was throwing punches like he felt nothing.

’I’m done messing around.’

Levi flew back then dragged himself back on his feet but slightly bent forward for immediate response, brows furrowed and fist clenched.

Her surprise turned into joy, evident by the smile on her face and a glee in her eyes, ’He might actually be strong enough to fix my mistake.’

She thought to herself before straightening her posture, back straight as she extended her right hand towards him.

Straight— before she curled her fingers sharply at him, a gesture known to all: come on.

He burst forward with a bullet like speed, closing the distance between them in a second.

She closed her gauntlets on her face to block but his strength was too overwhelming for them to handle.

As soon as his fist slammed into the gauntlets they shattered on impact and sent her flying.

She flew across the room before her back hit the wall and dropped her to the floor.

She dragged herself to her knees, clutching her

arms while the leftover pieces of the gauntlet fell to the floor.

With her sweat-ridden face she raised her head, loose strands of her stuck to her face.

’Levi Kane, Thank you.’