Kay zoomed through the forest like a bolt of lightning. His eyes flickered to everything in the surroundings. He evaded trees and animals with extreme precision. His mind calibrated every danger and obstacle and created imaginary paths and plans to avoid danger while focusing on the target. Kay's attribute – Total concentration allows him to solely focus on one thing he chooses while ignoring everything else.
Subconsciously, his brain takes in vast amounts of information in milliseconds, processes them and adjusts the body to avoid obstacles to allow him to concentrate. Thought, it took a lot of training to get this far. When Kay first awakened as a chaos incarnate, this attribute of his was quite…useless. It ignored everything else and took full priority to focus on what Kay chose. A horrible attribute to have as a special op's since sensing danger is one of their most important aspects.
After years of training and hard work, he trained his subconscious mind to take control of his body when his attribute was active. Muscle memory, instincts and reflexes also played a massive part at honing his attribute. Now, he was locked in on catching the cheetah. His figure blurred past the forest and eventually caught up to the cheetah. The cheetah noticed him and began running even faster.
Kay clicked his tongue and pushed his feet against the ground. In the next few moments, they burst out of the forest and entered the savanna. Kay changed his path and ran at the angle. The cheetah's eyes glanced at him and ran in the opposite angle. They passed each other and began zig-zagging throughout the savanna. When they passed each other again, Kay jumped backwards, sharply changing direction. He landed on the cheetah and it cried out in great pain.
They slid across the savanna and stopped after a few seconds. Kay stood up, exhausted and deactivated his attribute. He rolled off the cheetah and panted heavily.
"Your…not…going…anywhere…fuck…" Kay said in between breaths.
He sat up and gazed at the cheetah. The animals lied, out of breath and severely heated. Kay smirked and wiped the sweat off his face.
'I got the cheetah. Now, I need to get back to Arthur and the rest.'
He tried to stand up but his legs refused to move. He pushed once again, cramping his arms but his legs wouldn't budge.
'Why the hell can't I move?'
Right in that instant, his adrenaline washed off. He got hit with a massive wave of exhaustion. He fell as the world blurred together. His legs felt impossibly heavy as if he was underneath a building. An hour passed in a daze as Kay finally but barely stood up.
'Shit…going that fast hit my legs hard.'
His legs trembled even after an hour of rest. He approached the cheetah but slipped in the process. He barely caught himself and crawled near it. He fell again and covered his eyes from the sun.
'Oh lord, have mercy…I'm so fucked.'
More hours passed by in a fly and the sun to dip down. The noon turned to evening as an orange glow covered the sky. Kay gritted and stood up once more. His legs shook violently, screaming at him to let them rest. The cheetah had fallen asleep in the meantime. Kay, using all his strength picked it up. Pain shot through his legs as he began to charge up. He activated his attribute and exploded with speed. He passed the savanna and entered the forest.
He weaved between the trees and other obstacles. With his full focus, his body automatically adjusted itself with the cheetah on its back.
***
The sun dipped below the horizon. The full moon rose on the other side of the night, illuminating the earth. Arthur gulped and crossed his arms.
"When is Kay going to come back?"
"He's going to come, don't worry." Amelia replied, plucking the grass.
"Why shouldn't I worry? It's – been – 6 – hours since he left. I shouldn't have sent him to chase that cheetah to begin with." Arthur reprimanded his mate.
"I mean his legs would break after running that fast. He's probably resting right now." Amelia stood up.
"What…? His legs would break?! Then, why did you tell me before I sent him to chaos down that cheetah!!" Arthur shouted.
"Please…calm down, captain. Kay will return. He's worked under worse conditions." Harvey patted his captain on the shoulder.
"Yeah, I know but this is bad – bad. He might be halfway to the fortress for God's sake."
Just then, A massive cloud of dust kicked up beside them. The team and nearby enforcer coughed heavily. As the dust settled, two figures became visible. Harvey's eyes widened.
"Kay!"
He rushed towards the young man, pushing the now awake cheetah off him. He held him in his arms and wiped the dirt off him. Kay was heavily bruised, blood pouring from his nose and face. His clothes were ripped and his hair was filled with dirt. Arthur noted his condition and called nearby enforcers.
"Take him to the paramedics!"
They rushed over, pulling the young man from Harvey's arms and rushed him. Arthur turned around, locking eyes with Maple.
"Maple, set that cheetah to human speed before it runs off again."
Maple froze and then, ran towards the cheetah with Amelia. She gripped amelia's hand and pressed her hands against the cheetah.
'Harmony.'
Her inner world glowed and brightly and when she opened her eyes, the cheetah was still there. Maple sighed and looked at Amelia.
"Do something for me, will you? Try to run."
Amelia shrugged and ran off. Maple, heaved a sigh of relief – she hadn't made the same mistake again. Amelia came back and put her hands behind her back.
"Y'know for a captain, Arthur isn't very trusting."
"He was just paranoid. Give him a break." Maple replied.
"When will you?" Amelia grinned slightly.
"What?" Maple blushed.
"Nothing – that was a stupid question." Amelia pushed Maple forward with a mischievous smile.
***
Arthur and company waited outside the paramedic's tent. The tension in the air was as thick as water. Then, a doctor exited the tent, took off his mask and drew a deep breath. Arthur stepped forward.
"Is Kay okay, doctor?"
The doctor looked at Arthur's worried face and smiled.
"He's fine."
The tension dissolved as the group were left breathless one after another except for Amelia.
"How is he right now?" Harvey addressed the doctor.
The doctor rotated his head, looking back inside the tent. He locked eyes with Harvey once again and raised his arms.
"Currently, he's severely exhausted. His legs are well…torn to shreds."
The group's eyes widened in horror. The doctor panicked and quickly assured.
"Oh – no, don't worry. They can recover…it'll just take a long time."
Maple's mouth opened. "How long?"
"…Weeks maybe even months. He needs to gain every bit of rest he can so, listen carefully."
The group closed in on the doctor and listened very carefully.
"Don't ever let him go outside. Don't let his heart rate escalated too much. Feed him foods that'll boost his stamina, help his breathing and recover his muscles quickly."
The doctors spoke while counting the points on his fingers. The team nodded along and Amelia spoke out.
"Can we visit him right now?" Amelia asked.
"Of course, but please…be careful."
The doctor passed them, heading elsewhere. The group took deep breaths one after another and entered the tent. Kay was lying on a bed with half his body covered with roller bandages. His heartrate and breathing were being displayed on a monitor that beeped repeatedly. He opened one eye and smiled to the best of his ability.
"Hey…buddy. How are you feeling?" Arthur inquired, halting beside him.
"…Good…" Kay replied with difficulty.
"Hey, idiot. Feeling good on the bed?" Amelia asked.
"Yeah…I need…some rest…"
"Are you feeling uncomfortable, right now?" Harvey asked in a worried voice.
"No…Not…at all…"
They then, chatted for a few minutes, talking about random stuff. After a while, Arthur and company prepared to leave. They gave their condolences and said good night to Kay before exiting the tent. Kay was left alone once again, the only thing to keep himself company were him and his thoughts.