Chapter 21: Intense
Laith gestures me in and I obide.
'Hows your injuries Erza? Mine hurt like hell, you have quite a bite on you.' Laith chuckles tapping the bandage on his limb.
Ignoring the previous remark I bow my head show my neck; a sign of submission.
Laith's eyes widen showing he read my body language correctly.
'I want you to train me, Laith and then I want to be a flighter until I feel I am worthy of being a fighter for this cause.'
Laith sits contemplating for a few minutes leaving me in my submissive pose for effect I reckon but I stay put.
Laith pushes up from the wobbly desk until he is at full height and he sways from behind the desk to where I stand.
Laith reaches out and pulls me up into a standing position leaving me exposed.
Laith stands mere inches away and looks me in the eyes.
'I will train you Erza but be warned it wont be easy.'
I stare dead into his golden eyes and state 'I dont take easy options anymore Laith.'
Laith nods and smiles with pride best suited to a lion.
'Then what do you hope to achieve as the Purple Predator when training?'
Determination floods into me as I respond.
'I want to get stronger and I want to able to change into multiple forms on the go.'
Laith eyes look gleeful.
'That is going to require some serious work Erza but we can do it. Any forms in particular?'
Will's words come to my mind. So I smile and bear my sharp incisors elongating them into fangs for effect.
'How about a wolf?'
Laith laughs loudly.
'Perfect. Anything else?'
In all seriousness I had two other forms in mind but was doubting my ability to pull it off in my condition currently.
'When I fought that entity to protect Layla I wasnt fast enough and it got me badly. So I was thinking I need a fast form especially if I am going to be flighting before fighting. A cheetah.'
Laith clasps his hands together and almost dances with what I can discern as excitement.
'BRILLIANT! God I cant wait to start training again it reminds me of how I learnt to connect with my own lion spirit.' Laith continues to mutter but even my ears cannot pick it up due to the speed and intensity.
So I cough to try garner so concentration in the conversation, this doesnt work for the first three attempts so I resign to letting the tyrant finish.
'Oh we must get you in better shape first for the Cheetah form. The fast twitch in the muscles when you run as a cheetah may not be able to keep up so Interval training is a must. Then we must keep your muscular endurance to par so Body weight exercises must be conducted. Oh speaking of which did you have another form Erza?'
Finally I can now speak. 'A bat for night missions Laith.'I murmur due to my awkwardness of the lack of majestic animals in my forms right now.
Laith stills with no expression on his face its pretty difficult to understand what he is thinking now.
Then he speaks as if breaking out of a trance.
'Good god. You are thorough with your thinking arent you?'
That has me taken back I mean no one has inadvertently called me bright before.
So I dont rise to it and shrug.
'Your parents must be proud of the daughter they raised though especially with the power you have mastered?'
Pparents? Proud? The thought alone baffles me, not only to have Her proud of me and my powers but to even have a father? No. My father is dead somewhere he must be after what that woman said about him abandoning us.
Chewing my lip and feeling on edge i just respond back with 'I have no parents.'
Laith lowers his eyes and nods once solemnly.
'Well I am sure if you did they would be proud of you.' Laith smiles wanefully.
I smile quickly before turning and making my exit but something stops me.
'Hey Laith?'
Laith who has a troubled look on his face looks up at me expectantly.
'My field name is not the Purple Predator anymore. I have chosen another.'
Curiosity fills his eyes.
'Oh really? Tell me. Then I can know the name my first and final student will be known as.' A wide smile that brings light to eyes shows on his face and I know he means that wholeheartedly.
'Purple Streak. My name in the field is now the Purple Streak.'
So with that I turn and head back to my room, before I can reach the stairs a murmur reaches my ears.
'That you shall be Erza. You will be the Purple Streak that lights the way for all of us.'