"Gah— I...I can't ... coughs violently... b-breathe—"
A boy who still looked to be in his teenage years clutched his chest as he desperately tried to breathe, yet all he felt was the burning sensation searing through his lungs.
Collapsing on the ground, the boy kept coughing uncontrollably as tears and saliva kept flowing out of his face like an unstoppable dam.
Dirt clung to his skin, and deep bruises marred his body—clear evidence of the severe beating he had endured.
"Please…gasp…no more…my lungs…are broken" the boy pleaded
Weakly, he raised a trembling hand, a futile gesture begging for mercy.
Yet all he got was a nonchalant and uncaring response, "Do you think your enemy would care if you are hurt?"
With those words, the figure vanished, and in the next moment, the boy's vision blurred and faded into darkness.
***
Jolting up from a bed, William found himself in an all too familiar place, with light blue curtains and the stark white ceiling of the medical ward.
Touching his chest and breathing in heavily, it seems that his injuries have healed once again, yet the vivid memories of his lung being caved in and choking on his saliva still send shivers down his spine.
Hugging his knees tightly and rolling up like a ball, William couldn't help but let out a defeated sigh, "Fuck…"
As William was lamenting about his current situation, 2 nurses, subtly glancing at him, whispered to each other.
"Hey, how long has it been? 2 weeks? Since that noble kid came?"
"I think so?"
"Captain Jack really went hard on him, huh, to be able to reduce him into this state."
"Well, if you get beaten half to death every single day, I think anyone would be more 'humble' "
"Yeah, but isn't it sad? To see him like this, he is just a kid after all."
"Girl, this is the frontlines. No one would care how old you are. Everyone is just trying their best to survive out here.
Besides, I hear that the kid got banished by his family for assaulting a noble lady."
"Wow…"
As the 2 nurses were conversing with one another, an old yet lively doctor came up to the 2 and interrupted their gossip.
"Alright, that is enough gossiping, you two, let's get back to work, ok?"
"Dr.Lenny! Of course"
As the 2 nurses were scurrying away, the doctor couldn't help but smile at their retreating figure and focus his attention on William, who remained curled up in bed
As William sat by himself, memories of the torment for the past 2 weeks kept invading his mind
From his whole body being beaten black and blue, to his bones shattering, and his body twisting the wrong way
Ever since he was banished to this place, he had constantly been dragged out by Captain Jack to spar, and it always ended in him suffering non-fatal yet excruciating injuries.
As one scene after another kept replaying in his mind, tears started to flow out of his body as he trembled more and more.
'I am sorry… I am so sorry, that was all William could weep about as he recalled the mistake he had made.
"William, you okay there?" A rough yet gentle voice snapped him out of his daze
"Dr. Lenny…?"
William looked up, his eyes red and watery. He wiped his tears away, forcing a weak, defeated tone.
"No, I'm fine... I can leave now, right?"
Staring at William with a complicated look, Dr.Lenny just responded with a "Yes."
He watched silently as William slowly walked out of the infirmary, his steps heavy with pain and resignation.
***
The next day, the training ground of Gorgon City was unusually noisy, as many soldiers wearing the same uniform could be seen surrounding a sparring field, chatting fervently.
In the middle of it all stood William, clutching tightly to his sword in a futile attempt to control his trembling hands
While at the same time, occasional cheers and encouragement directed towards William can be heard from the crowd
"You can do it, Kid!"
"Try not to die!"
For the past 2 weeks, many soldiers had witnessed the 'personal training' between William and Captain Jack, and the longer they watched, the more they cheered for the kid who always got beaten half to death.
As sparring time was about to begin, a large shadow came down from the sky and landed right before William, creating a cloud of sand.
It was Captain Jack in the Flesh with a wooden club slung over his shoulder.
With a colossal frame, his massive and muscular body radiates raw power enough to crush mountains.
His skin was rough and scarred, signaling the years of battle he had fought and won.
His presence alone excludes the air of a predator, threatening to kill anything that dares to move.
Standing before him, William felt like he was just a mouse, ready to be toyed with and eaten.
"So you have come to own your own today, while that saves me the trouble of dragging you out myself."
"Anyway, the rules are the same; if you can hit me one time, I will send you back home right this instant.
But if you don't, then I guess we would have to do this over and over again until you do."
After saying those last words, Captain Jack flashed a sinister smile and beckoned William to come to him.
However, as if frozen in place, William could only stare at the towering figure right before him, not daring to move.
"Not moving? Then I will make the first move."
Laughing sinisterly, Captain Jack charges at William like a bullet, gripping his club tightly.
Reacting instinctively, William jumped to the side to avoid the charge, but before he could even land, a heavy club slammed into his chest, sending him rolling across the ground.
"Ughk—", the air was forcefully pushed out of William's lungs, as a sense of déjà vu filled his mind with panic.
Unbothered by William's internal strife, Captain Jack appears right in front of William again, raising his club high, ready to deliver another devastating blow.
Seeing this, William hastily raised his sword in a desperate attempt to block, but to no one's surprise, the sword was easily batted away upon contact with the club, spinning off into the distance and leaving William completely vulnerable.
William's whole body shuddered involuntarily, his wide eyes reflecting the next attack as it closed in with terrifying speed.
[THUNK!]
A direct hit to the head landed, with a force so overwhelming that William felt like his neck was being violently stretched and torn apart from his body.
The sheer impact hurled him backward, crashing onto the ground. William's trembling hands clutched at his head as searing pain tore through his mind.
The world spun chaotically around him, the disorientation so intense that it triggered a wave of nausea, forcing him to vomit.
"Kid, didn't I tell you before?" Captain Jack berated, "The moment you let go of your sword is the moment you die."
However, William was too disoriented to hear, let alone comprehend the words.
He lay curled on the ground, still clutching his head, as his body convulsed uncontrollably. His eyes darted around frantically, as though the entire world was collapsing in on him.
Captain Jack fixed his gaze on William, watching the pitiful sight before him. "Ah, there you go again, losing it after just one hit."
"Well, I guess if one hit makes you crazy, then a couple more hits will bring you back to normal, right?"
Flashing a grin, Captain Jack dashes toward William again, this time with even greater speed than before
His boots connected with William's chest in a swift, brutal kick, sending him upright onto his feet. Before William's body could collapse again, a powerful punch slammed into his gut.
The fresh wave of pain jolted William's senses, causing his blurry vision to clear just enough to register Captain Jack's oncoming frenzied assault.
A new wave of fear erupted in his chest as blow after blow rained down on him, unrelenting and merciless. Each strike landed with sickening force, preventing William from falling.
All he could do was feebly raise his arms to shield his head, as blood spattered into the air with each hit.
With every strike, bruises blossomed across his skin, swelling his body to a battered ragdoll.
Even his uniform, once pristine, started to be torn and tattered, resembling a soldier on a battlefield.
Yet Captain Jack showed no sign of slowing. His club swung down with relentless precision, hammering William's arms, shoulders, legs, and face.
The sound of wood meeting flesh echoed through the air, a grim symphony of violence.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the assault stopped, allowing William's body to collapse to the ground.
His body was now a patchwork of deep purple bruises and swelling, his uniform shredded beyond recognition.
Tears and snot streaked down his swollen face, a testament to the overwhelming trauma he had endured.
For a moment, silence blanketed the training grounds.
The crowd watching the sparring session stood still, their expressions ranging from pity to indifference as they took in the aftermath.
"Alright!" breaking the silence, Captain Jack's voice reverberated through the crowd, "Someone brings this kid to Doctor Lenny, my job is done here."
With that final order, Captain Jack turned and walked away like it was another day in the camp.