Chapter 13: Journey

Chapter 13: Journey

Seated on the bed of his designated living compartment, his mind became consumed with thoughts of the future.

Many of the characters in the Born in Ashes novel would be present at the UEF academy.

It was a crucial part of the world-building and back-story of the novel, as it explained how the hunters and other survivors became skilled in the ways of the old world.

It also served as a means of advancement for the characters, as some were sponsored by organizations or individuals looking to hire skilled hunters.

And of course, it was a source of conflict, where characters competed against each other to gain the best benefits, where the Elite would fight over talented hunters, creating a battleground where the kids of bigshots played around with the students lives, deciding their fates.

Emir knew this, or at least expected this, but that was all.

It was blurry, fragmented, like the rest of the novel, he doesn't remember much, no names, no nothing.

He let out a sigh.

'Anyways, in a few minutes, breakfast will be served, so let's get going.' He thought as he stood up from the bed, walking towards the bathroom.

After washing up, he made his way to the dining hall, where the aroma of freshly brewed coffee and food filled the air.

The cafeteria was bustling with activity, as hunters and other passengers from various disciplines chatted over breakfast.

He looked to his right, noticing Laura and Lily waving their hands and ushering him to join them.

Emir quickly made his way over to their table, sitting down opposite his mother like usual.

Laura poured him a cup of coffee as Lily shared her plans for the day.

"I'm going to be studying hard in my room after breakfast. I want to be a top scorer in the academy." She said, her voice excited.

Laura nodded in encouragement.

"Stay focused and work hard."

When asked about his plans, Emir replied, "The usual, training, training, and more training."

Lily rebuked him, saying, "C'mon, we are going to the academy, why don't you have fun? You will train there anyway."

He shrugged.

"The test we will be going through will be tough, and if I wish to come out on top, all this training is necessary."

'Not for the normal students that is,' he added in his mind.

'The test for the average hunter trainee would be too easy for me, but that's not what I am aiming for.'

He then grabbed a plate and went to fill it with what looked to be weird-looking scrambled eggs and bread.

Going back to the table, he began eating with his mind returning to the novel's protagonist, whoever he or she was.

'I will be meeting them in the academy, and I have a feeling that if I see them, I will somehow recognize them.'

'I don't know what made them the protagonist, not yet at least, but what I do know is that they would be someone strong or at least have the potential to be so, they are the main character after all, they must have something special about them.'

Finishing the food on his plate, Emir said goodbye to them and went back to his room, planning to train his TDS ability.

As he entered his room, he closed the door behind him and took a deep breath.

'It's time to get to work,' he thought.

He walked over to the center of the room and stood there, closing his eyes to focus.

Opening his eyes back up, he started with some simple exercises to warm up, feeling the familiar tingle in his mind as he tapped into his ability.

TDS was not an easy skill to level up, even after all the time he trained, he could only slow down his perception of time to just one minute.

'Although hard, it is one of the most useful abilities a hunter could have.'

After several minutes of warming up, he began to focus on more advanced techniques.

Slowing down his perception of time in between movements, using it at the exact moment he would perform an attack, and the same for defense.

All in an attempt to keep his movements flowing as seamlessly as he possibly could.

He pushed himself harder, tapping into his abilities more deeply than ever before.

It was exhausting but exhilarating.

And as he pushed his limits, he felt his mind slip into a deeper state of focus, in turn completely immersing himself in his training.

He lost track of time and space as he pushed himself further and further.

Hours passed, but it felt like only minutes.

As if an alarm rang, he slowed down his movements and stopped his CQC training, sweating, breathless, but filled with a sense of satisfaction.

Today was like every other day his usual training, so he didn't need someone to tell him when to stop, as if it was almost instinctive. After all, his training regimen was devised entirely by Lyra, down to the last detail, all to maximize efficiency and recovery.

And Emir knew to trust her capabilities in making him get stronger as fast as possible.

'Training like this and noticing your strength growing in every passing day is an addicting feeling, way worse than nicotine.' He thought chuckling out loud.

He laid down on the floor for a few minutes, trying to catch his breath, but his rest was disrupted as he heard a sudden knock on the door.

"Sir Emir, please join the other passengers in the emergency area, monsters will soon attack the convoy!"

'NOW?!'

His heart skipped a beat as he instantly jumped to his feet, adrenaline pumping through his veins.

He quickly donned his augmented suit, and smashed his way through the door, running towards the emergency area, where other hunters and passengers had already gathered.

Emir surveyed the expansive, open space enclosed by towering, reinforced walls. It was designed with a strategic layout, featuring only a limited number of well-guarded entry points.

While his eyes scanned the room, he could feel the tension in the air as everyone prepared themselves for the incoming attack.

He quickly positioned himself next to Lily and Laura, sharing a brief nod, silently acknowledging what he was about to do.

'Nothing should go wrong since we were supposed to reach the academy safe and sound in the novel, but I can't trust it, so I'll have to improvise.'

With that thought in mind, he went up to a hunter nearby.

Stepping in front of the man, Emir said, "Sorry to disturb but I'm a hunter trainee and I know my way around a weapon, so could I get a gun? I'll help, in case it all gets out of control."

The hunter looked at him up and down before nodding and passing him a sleek black rifle with multiple magazines, along with a standard-issue knife.

Emir quickly checked the magazines, and after making sure the gun was fully loaded, he holstered it on his suit, sheathing the knife right after.

The sound of monsters grew louder and closer, making him grip his weapon tighter.

He watched as the passengers huddled together; fear etched on their faces, as they waited for the attack.

Glancing at Laura and Lily, he gave them a quick nod as he ran up the stairs, reaching the top of the truck.

Emir looked around the devastated wasteland as he saw the monsters closing in on the convoy.

The hunters next to him immediately began firing, startling him, as the sound of bullets flying was deafening to his ears, especially with the enormous weapons placed on top of the trucks.

Shaking himself out of it, he quickly lay prone next to a group of two hunters and joined them, firing at the monsters.

Emir and the rest of the infantry focused on the E to D-rank canine monsters, and the trucks' weaponry maintained its fire on the giant C and above-ranked monsters way in the back.

Due to the sudden pressure and unfamiliar environment, he missed a few of his shots, but when he slowly started getting used to it, every monster he set his sights on was shredded to bits.

When some monsters got too close, he focused on slowing down time, allowing him to adjust his aim with greater speed and accuracy.

His senses were heightened, and he could see the monsters' movements clearly, easily allowing him to aim and fire at the creatures, hitting them in their weak spots and taking them down one by one.

And as the battle raged on, he felt his confidence grow.

He had trained for this moment, and it was paying off.

But a bang suddenly reverberated behind him, jolting Emir from his thoughts.

He swiftly turned around, only to find a ferocious, stray dog-like monster that had somehow managed to climb aboard the truck.

Without a moment to spare, the creature lunged towards him, its intentions unmistakably hostile.

'DAMMIT!'

Desperation surged through him as he realized that his weapon was lodged deep in the ground, leaving him with only one choice.

In a split-second decision, he sprang to his feet, his movements fluid, as he retrieved his knife that he kept within reach.

With an intense glare fixed on the creature, he bellowed a challenge into the chaotic air:

"COME AT ME!"

The dog-like monstrosity charged forward, teeth bared and claws extended, its intent to rend him apart unmistakable.

Time slowed down as Emir, drew upon his sharpened focus, preparing himself for the imminent clash.

He took a deep breath, and deftly sidestepped, evading the creature's vicious lunge with great agility.

Seizing the opportune moment, he unleashed a swift, calculated swing of his knife, aiming for the beast's exposed neck.

The blade found its mark with deadly precision, slicing through meat and bone.

The monster let out a final howl of agony before collapsing to the ground, lifeless, its severed head rolling aside.

'Well, that was anti-climactic.' He thought with a chuckle, adrenaline still pumping through his veins.

He quickly looked around to see how the battle was progressing.

The hunters and the trucks' weapons had managed to take down most of the monsters, but a few still remained.

Knowing what to do next, he sprinted back towards his gun and he continued to fire at those that were still left alive.

As his bullets rang out, he could see the wave of creatures slowly losing their numbers and collapsing to the ground.

And after what felt like an eternity, the last of the monsters fell, leading the area to fall silent.

The hunters and trainees were panting, their weapons still at the ready, waiting for any further attacks.

But that was the last of the monsters, and so, moments later, everyone realized that the battle was won.

"ORAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!"

The hunter trainees and the passengers cheered, relieved that they had survived the attack.

But not Emir.

Quickly leaving his gun behind, he ran straight towards the emergency room, wanting to make sure that nothing happened to Laura and Lily.

Finally reaching the emergency quarters, he looked around, searching for them, but no matter where his eyes fell, he didn't find them anywhere.