Pain.
It consumed Andrew, rippled through him like waves in an angry sea.
Every bone in his body ached with the aftershocks of that brutal strike.
'I-it hurts… urk!' He grimaced, clutching his chest as he staggered to his feet amongst the shattered remains of the fence.
In the pit of his stomach, a sinking feeling took root.
His confidence had been high, his hopes even higher.
A native couldn't possibly be stronger than him, not when he himself was a survivor of Earth's brutal Tutorial.
Yet here he was, gasping for breath, struggling to maintain his composure.
His eyes were drawn back to the boy who had landed that crushing blow. His face was calm, his stance steady.
An adversary far beyond any he'd met since arriving in this world.
'C-could it be…?!'
The thought that the youth might not be a native, but a survivor like him, raced through Andrew's mind.
