*BAM*
Bits of stone were sent flying into the air as a figure was launched onto the formerly grass-filled platform. His hair was a mess, and his eyes hazy. He had clearly not regained his composure yet. When his eyes finally stopped spinning, he looked to the cause of his misery. Golden hair and blue eyes. The instigator was his captain Mane, but he wasn't the only victim. Across the mock battlefield were four other figures, each thrown aside haphazardly. One of them was half buried in the ground, his mouth wide open with saliva just pouring out. He was clearly unconscious. Another, who looked just like the one before was embedded in a tree that faced the east, his eyes cloudy and disoriented. One didn't need a physician to tell him that he was out cold as well. The last male had most of his attire torn apart, his undergarments being displayed to the world. His looks were difficult to make out since he was buried into the ground face first. The only female in the team wasn't any better. She was in a kowtowed position, with her butt hanging ungracefully in the air for all to see. She was just like the other three, knocked out cold.
Abe looked at the mock battlefield before him. How was this even a competition? Even Selina wasn't spared the stern rod of their captain. He could vividly recall the words of his team leader, a huge surprise since he was certain he should have been concussed by the earlier blow.
"I believe in gender equity and equality. Some of the strongest people I know are women, and they are in the top three. So trust me, I won't be treating you any different."
And that he did. Abe thought back to when they had begun the training. That was just a few minutes ago. He was confident that the two new recruits would not forget this experience anytime soon. After all, he and the twins had their first three years ago, and they could still remember it.
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"Frederick; Selina, welcome. This is the private training center for the Silver Wolves team. How do you find it thus far?"
Mane smiled at the duo as he spoke. There was really no need to ask that question. The awe and wonder in Selina's eyes were a giveaway to her feelings. Frederick may be trying hard to keep his emotions in check, but was failing miserably. He may not have looked as awestruck as Selina, but the wonder in his eyes could not be hidden.
And why wouldn't he be. The place he was seeing was beautiful. It was almost as though the creator took a few days to sculpt this zone. The trees were tall and luscious green. They were evenly spaced and acted as the border for this region. The grass was level, almost as if it had its own caretaker. The flowers that blossomed were of a variety of colors, like a rainbow revealing itself after a mighty storm. This sight would have prompted any who had the luxury of experiencing it to exclaim in awe at the creator's design and exquisite taste.
It took a while for Frederick to regain his composure. However, he certainly found his bearings faster than his female counterpart.
"How did you get access into this place? I thought it was a forbidden region. Never mind. That's a silly question. With your strength, nowhere on Zandor is dangerous." Frederick had a bitter smile on his face when he recalled Mane's level of strength. The kid's strength was beyond Zandor. There was no place on this planet that could bar his progress. Even this 'place', regarded as a danger zone for peak mortal realm experts (SSS-grade wielders) wouldn't be a challenge.
"It is not what you are thinking. When Mane cleared this area, he was a wielder of the mortal realm." Abelard said calmly as he reached out to close Selina's open mouth. The pretty lady had still not recovered from the beauty of the place.
"What!? How is that possible? Even to masters of the SSS-grade this place is mighty dangerous. How did you clear it?!" Selina exclaimed loudly, a clear indication that she was 'awake' now. Frederick was just as surprised. Though he didn't scream like Selina, his doubtful eyes were directed at Mane, clearly awaiting an explanation. But it wasn't Mane who replied, John did.
"Brother Mane is awesome! He trained here in order to breakthrough into the above-mortal realm. You see, Brother Mane needed a challenge. He accidently stumbled onto this place. At the time, it was the lair of a peak mortal realm mountain lion. His pride lived here too, all of them just as strong. But none of them could stop Brother Mane. Then Brother Mane put up a barrier here, and built a teleportation circle to hide this place away from unwanted guests!"
Frederick turned his eyes away from John. The younger boy was gesturing as though he was present when it happened. He sure did paint quite the picture. He looked at Abe for confirmation. Over his short interaction with the team, he had come to acknowledge the intelligence of Abe and Mane. As for the twins, they were still children in his eyes. At least, mentally speaking. You can imagine his consternation when he saw Abe nod in acknowledgement.
This forest was called the 'Gloom Forest' by Zandorians. It was a dangerous place, steaming with strong beasts, poisonous plants and creepy crawlers. People dared not venture into it. Over the last few hundreds of years, many who had ventured into it had become part of it. The last time the four empire coalition sent representatives into this death trap was a hundred years ago. After that abysmal failure, they dared not try again. If it wasn't for the occasional roars outside, Frederick wouldn't have believed this was the place, even after Mane had informed them of their destination before bringing them here.
He wasn't that surprised with regards to the teleportation. After all, that was how they got here. The sealing barrier wasn't that surprising either. There were many families with such inherent ability on Zandor. It was Mane's strength that left him gob smacked. Unlike Zandorians, the beasts of the forests had been fighting all their lives. They fought to get food, to escape from predators, and to find a good home. In contrast to the wilderness, Zandorian empires seemed to be too peaceful, though it wasn't so.
Hence, it is no surprise that the animals of the wild are stronger than them. Their battle awareness was sharper, making it difficult for a Zandorian to handle a beast with a similar level of cultivation as themselves. Yet Mane had toppled this logic.
"Get used to it. It happens a lot." Abe seemed to read the older boy's thoughts. His comment was accompanied by a bitter smile on his face.
"For me, it is good that Mane is so strong. That's what pushes me. Anytime I want to take a break, I remember who I'm in competition with. It is the fuel for my hard work. Let it be yours."
It was a comical sight. A shorter, younger boy advising his taller, older counterpart. But Frederick did not see it this way. He and Selina nodded their heads, with the Student Council President going on to say,
"I will. So how does this training thing work?"