51 Chapter 51: Training or Hell?
The sun shone, illuminating a small figure lying under white covers in an entirely white room.
She opens her eyes and looks around but doesn't find what she's searching for, completely dispelling her sleepiness.
Paige wakes up and doesn't feel Connor beside her. Initially, panic sets in at the thought of losing her emotional anchor, but soon calm follows, remembering the promises made during the time she followed Connor, bringing relief.
Getting out of bed and walking to the living room, Paige smells coffee coming directly from the kitchen upstairs. As she enters the kitchen, she sees a rather handsome tall boy reading a book calmly while sipping his coffee.
"It looks like you're awake. How do you feel?" asks Connor, who was reading a book on advanced mathematics.
Feeling at home seeing this scene early in the morning, a smile blooms on her face as she responds, "I'm great. I see you made coffee. What do you have for me?"
"Scrambled eggs and bacon. You seem quite excited for someone who clung to me like a koala last night," says Connor with irritation in his voice, followed by a chuckle from Paige as she walks to the kitchen counter to pour coffee.
Time passed before Connor realized it was noon, and soon the sound of the doorbell rang out.
"Ding dong."
"I'll get it," says Paige, bouncing over to answer the door. As Paige opens the door, she is greeted by the sight of a small Leonard, who was tiptoeing cautiously while looking around. Upon seeing Paige's figure, his eyes light up, and he becomes excited.
Leonard, who had just come from school, got ready and came straight to Connor's house. After hearing Connor's conversation last night, Leonard had been thoughtful until some bullies at school who frequently tormented him stuffed him into a locker, causing him to miss a few classes and be found by the janitor. Because of this event, his determination to improve strengthened in his heart. Therefore, the first thing he did after leaving school was to visit Connor, reaffirming his resolve to better himself. Leonard looks at Paige and says, "Good morning, Paige. I'm here because Connor invited me last night. He said he would do something to help me gain confidence," says Leonard confidently, already imagining himself at school, entering with sunglasses while winking at the girls who would soon melt under his gaze.
click click (finger snapping)
"Wake up, Leonard. It's not time to daydream. Put this on," says Connor as he tosses a green olive Attacker uniform to Leonard. Holding the clothes Connor gave him, Leonard is slightly confused but soon accepts and changes right there.
Finding Leonard amusing, changing and wearing Superman underwear, I pretend to be serious as I watch this scene. Despite saying that I will torture Leonard, I will slowly train his muscles to adapt to extreme situations, which may take a few years, but everything has a beginning, so there's no harm in going slowly, after all, I have plenty of time at the moment, and there's no harm in occupying myself with something I enjoy.
"Follow me, Leonard. I'll be giving you some tasks," Leonard nods and soon follows Connor, who was wearing the same outfit but all black. They then leave the house and head towards a large, flat grassy area with a lake in the middle.
"Alright, I'll give you this. It's a mask that I specially modified for you. It's a mask that can handle your asthma while you do physical exercises, which you will be doing a lot from now on." Once he receives the mask, Leonard struggles a bit to put it on but quickly figures it out.
Seeing that Leonard was ready, Connor begins to speak and instruct.
"First, start by running 5 laps around this lake." Despite the lake appearing large, it was only 300 meters. Therefore, it was an interesting challenge for Leonard, who was just starting. As soon as Connor spoke, Leonard began to run. He had only taken a few steps before getting tired and stopping to catch his breath. As soon as he caught his breath, he felt a pain in his back.
"YOU FILTHY THING!! DID I TELL YOU TO STOP RUNNING?! DO YOU THINK I'M HERE WASTING MY TIME WITH A USELESS PERSON LIKE YOU!? IT'S JUST FIVE LAPS, WHY THE HELL CAN'T YOU DO THAT?" Connor shouts while holding a piece of wood and hitting Leonard's back.
Some people may find this cruel, but it's a normal procedure in the military and military police. The instructor is there to push the student to their physical and psychological limits, but because Leonard is just a child, Connor decided to go easy on him for now.
Startled by the sudden shouts and slaps on the back, Leonard begins to try to escape from Connor, unconsciously undergoing the training set for him.
Thud
After completing the training, Leonard collapses on the ground completely exhausted, and at that moment, the voice of the devil speaks in Leonard's ear.
"Well done, 01. You have completed the first training. Now let's move on to the next one." After hearing this voice, Leonard curses Connor's entire family in his mind before lifting his exhausted body and starting to do what Connor commanded.
After 3 hours of 'training,' Leonard couldn't feel his legs or arms anymore, his back was sore, as were his thighs and arms.
"Well done, 01. Now you can rest. Go take a shower and take a nap," says Connor with an omnipotent voice.
At that moment, Leonard didn't want to do anything else. His body, which had collapsed on the ground, had no strength to get up, so Connor had to drag Leonard to the bathroom and throw him in.
After spending some time showering, as soon as he left the bathroom, Leonard hears a melody and soon hears a voice singing from upstairs. As he goes up and looks at the scene, Leonard becomes completely frozen. In Leonard's view, Connor was playing a keyboard, producing a melancholic and sad melody, and then a whispering voice comes from Paige, who was sitting next to Connor with her head resting on his shoulder.
♪♫ lovely - Billie Eilish, Khalid ♪♫
Thought I found a way
Thought I found a way out (found)
But you never go away (never go away)
So I guess I gotta stay now Oh, I hope some day I'll make it out of here
Even if it takes all night or a hundred years
Need a place to hide, but I can't find one near
Wanna feel alive, outside I can't fight my fearIsn't it lovely, all alone?
Heart made of glass, my mind of stone
Tear me to pieces, skin to bone
Hello, welcome homeWalkin' out of time
Lookin' for a better place (lookin' for a better place)
Something's on my mind (mind)
Always in my head spaceBut I know some day I'll make it out of here
Even if it takes all night or a hundred years
Need a place to hide, but I can't find one near
Wanna feel alive, outside I can't fight my fearIsn't it lovely, all alone?
Heart made of glass, my mind of stone
Tear me to pieces, skin to bone
Hello, welcome homeWhoa, yeah
Yeah, ahWhoa, whoa
Hello, welcome home
In that moment, Leonard felt lost. What did they go through to be here? Before, he completely ignored this question, but seeing them together in such harmony made him feel excluded and... alone.
Ignoring these feelings, Leonard starts to clap.
Clap Clap Clap
"Very beautiful. Did you two make this?" Leonard asks, and Connor responds, "I didn't make it. It was someone truly worthy who made it," Connor says with some meaning in his voice. Not understanding Connor's words and feeling a bit embarrassed to ask, Leonard scratches the back of his neck and says, "I understand. It's very beautiful... I mean the music."
At that moment, a smile appears on Connor's lips, and he says, "It's alright, nothing really important," before Leonard or Paige could say anything, the sound of a horn and the house's doorbell rings out.
"I'll get it," says Connor before getting up and going downstairs directly to the door. As he went to answer the door, he found...
-End of chapter -
