Code stood before Van, the air thick with anticipation. "I'm ready," he declared, his voice firm with determination.
Van's masked gaze locked onto Code, his tone low and even. "Then let's begin."
Van stood up, his movements deliberate. "We're moving beyond the thread test." He turned to Code. "Stand."
Code rose to his feet, his mind racing with questions. What was Van planning?
"Okay... so what?" Code asked, his eyes locked on Van's masked face.
Van exhaled deeply. "I'm going to haul a wave of tenzen at you."
As he spoke, Van raised his left hand, palm facing Code. Code's eyes widened, but before he could react, a colossal blast of tenzen exploded from Van's hand. The air seemed to rip apart as the force hurtled toward Code, its fury building with each passing millisecond.
The impact was catastrophic. Code's body was lifted off the ground, his feet dangling in mid-air as the tenzen slammed into him with the force of a raging tempest. The sound was deafening - a cacophony of crackling energy, shattering wood, and the sickening thud of Code's body crashing into the wall.
Papers swirled around him, torn from their sheets, as the room itself seemed to shudder from the blast. Code's vision blurred, his senses reeling from the sheer intensity of the attack. He felt like he was drowning in a maelstrom of energy, his body battered and bruised from the inside out.
After a few minutes, Code's senses slowly returned, his vision clearing as he struggled to catch his breath. "Dude, what the hell!" he exclaimed, clutching his torso in agony as the aftershocks of the attack coursed through his body.
Van's expression remained nonchalant, his voice laced with a hint of amusement. "Yare yare, I thought the first one would do, but looks like I was wrong."
As Van raised his hand once more, Code's eyes went wide with terror. "Uh!" he yelped, his voice trembling.
Van's hand began to glow with an ominous energy, and Code's fear turned to desperation. "please, we can talk about this!" he screamed, his eyes clouded with panic.
But it was too late. Another blast of tenzen erupted from Van's hand, striking Code with incredible force. He was lifted off the ground, his body hurtling toward the wall with alarming speed. The impact was explosive, the wall shattering beneath Code's crashing form. Plaster and debris rained down, burying Code beneath a pile of rubble.
Code's body screamed in agony, every fiber of his being throbbing with intense pain. He struggled to his feet, shrugging off the rubble that had buried him. As he stood, a crimson tide burst from his lips, and he instinctively cupped his hands to catch the flow.
For a few moments, Code stared at his palm, transfixed by the blood pooling there. And then, he noticed something peculiar. The blood, instead of spreading across his palm, had coalesced into a single, glistening drop.
Just as Code's gaze locked onto the drop, Van raised his hand for a third time, poised to unleash another devastating blast. Code's eyes snapped up, and he raised a trembling hand. "Wait..." he gasped, his breathing ragged. "I-I think this is it."
Code turned to Van, his palm still cupped around the mysterious drop. Van's eyes narrowed, and he took a step closer. "Oh..." he breathed, his voice tinged with surprise. The drop of blood on Code's palm seemed to be suspended, as if defying gravity itself.
Van's eyes remained fixed on the drop of blood on Code's palm. "Wow, that was fast. I didn't expect two attempts to be enough." But before he could continue, the drop of blood began to twitch and contort, suddenly exploding in a tiny, crimson burst that sprayed droplets all over the room.
"Uh?" Code exclaimed, his tone laced with surprise.
Van nodded thoughtfully. "Hmm, I see."
Code struggled to catch his breath. "What happened?" he asked, still trying to process the sudden explosion.
Van's expression turned explanatory. "Due to the balance between your tenzen and Aidra's anti-tenzen, you can't control any external form of tenzen. But your own blood, which carries your unique tenzen signature, is a different story."
Code's eyes narrowed. "But why did it burst?"
Van's response was matter-of-fact. "You didn't maintain the balance well. That's all."
"Oh", Code replied, as he breathed a sigh of relief, staggering towards the exit, and thinking to himself, "I thought I was going to die." But his reprieve was short-lived.
"Where are you going?" Van's voice echoed from behind.
Code turned, his eyes questioning. "Uh?... Aren't we done?"
Van's response was a low, menacing chuckle. "We are just getting started."
Code's eyes widened in terror as he exclaimed, "Uh?" His mind racing with the implications.
Van's expression turned cold, his eyes glinting with an unnerving intensity. "You heard me," he said, his voice dripping with malice as he began to walk towards Code.
Shivers ran down Code's spine as he recalled Nara's parting words: "Make sure you don't die!" He thought to himself, "So this is what Nara meant..." Still wincing in pain, Code's anxiety grew, wondering what new horrors Van had in store for him.
***************************
Thursday, two days later
Nara lay sprawled across the plush sofa in the parlour, his eyes darting around the room like a restless animal searching for its next meal. His hands were busy juggling a hand weight, his fingers flexing with a mixture of boredom and agitation, causing the weight to clink loudly against the coffee table.
"Arrgh," he sighed, his tone condescending, as if the world was conspiring against him. "I thought I was going to die," he thought to himself, still wincing in pain from his own memories of training with Van.
Hina, seated adjacent to Nara, looked up from trimming her hair with a comb, her gaze meeting his in the mirror. "What's wrong, Nara? You've been groaning for two days now. Did you finally realize that your ego is bigger than your biceps?" she teased, a hint of amusement dancing in her eyes.
Nara's face twisted in a scowl, his eyebrows furrowing in mock offense. "I don't know, but I feel like they're taking too long. I mean, It's been three days, and everywhere is so boring," he complained, his voice dripping with melodrama.
Hina chuckled, her eyes sparkling with mirth. "You can't blame him; he's just starting. And come to think of it, you also took very long during your training," she replied, her tone calm and even, with just a hint of teasing.
Nara immediately sat up, his eyes narrowing in embarrassment. "Hmph, don't over hype it; it wasn't that long," he protested, his face turning a slight shade of pink.
Hina raised her hands, counting her fingers with a sly grin. "Yes, it was. Let's see... it was about two hundred and sixteen thousand, four hundred and twenty-seven seconds... give or take a few," she said, her voice steady and matter-of-fact.
Nara's eyes widened in alarm, his face turning beet red. "Oh my God! You counted the seconds I spent training?" he accused, his voice rising in mock horror.
Hina nodded, a mischievous glint in her eye. "Yep, I was just reminding you, since you are a muscle head," she teased, her tone dripping with sarcasm.
Nara's grin turned mocking. "Tch, flat-chested monkey," he retorted, his eyes sparkling with amusement.
Hina's gaze fell to her chest, and her expression darkened. "Nani!" she exclaimed, flying off the handle, her face turning a deep shade of crimson.
Nara's silly grin returned. "Yep, you heard me," he said, his grin growing wider, as he cracked his knuckles in preparation for a fight.
The atmosphere turned tense as Hina cracked her own knuckles, her eyes flashing with anger. "You're on a death sentence, aren't you?" she asked, her voice low and menacing.
Nara retorted by cracking his own knuckles again. "Bring it on," he said, his grin still plastered on his face, as he flexed his muscles in preparation for battle.
Just as it seemed the confrontation would escalate into an all-out brawl, the door opposite them flung open. Van, his face hidden behind a mask, walked out, his eyes gleaming with amusement. "What are you guys up to?" he asked, his tone dripping with sarcasm.
Nara and Hina's attention shifted from each other to Van, their gazes wary, as they both tried to compose themselves.
Van's eyes sparkled with mirth. "Wait, don't tell me... Ah, yes! Hide and seek!" he exclaimed, chuckling, as he shook his head in amusement.
Nara and Hina exchanged a confused glance. "Uhn?" they replied in unison, their voices laced with confusion.
Van's laughter grew louder. "You guys were playing hide and seek! Good grief... But really, you guys should do that outside?... No one even plays hide and seek again. I mean, even babies have better things to do" he teased, his tone dripping with sarcasm.
Nara and Hina's faces turned bright red with embarrassment. "Uh?" they replied again, their voices louder, as they both looked away, trying to hide their embarrassment.
Van's tone turned mocking. "I know it's hard not to want to play your favorite game, but at least, you should do that outside, I mean, it's more spacious, and you might just find some other kids who are interested too" he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm, as he shook his head in amusement.
As Van walked past them, he added, "Oh yeah... I almost forgot. Code's in there. I don't know if he's alive or not, but he's most likely dead," he said, his tone nonchalant, as if discussing the weather.
"I mean, who would survive two days of hell?", he chuckled, disappearing into the next room.
After a few moments, Hina and Nara exchanged a worried glance. "What have you done to him, Van?" Nara demanded, his voice low and menacing.
They rushed into the room where Code was. The question whether Code was dead or alive was more important than any 'acclaimed game of hide and seek'.