I stood in the middle of this massive underground facility we simply called "the basement." It measured over two hundred square meters and was built with incredibly resilient materials. Its main purpose was to serve as a secret operations base... or a bunker, in case things got ugly.
In practice, though, it was used far more often as a training hall.
Standing a few meters in front of me was a girl. Alice. My best friend… and also my girlfriend.
She was beautiful, with a strong, athletic build. She loved to fight—something she clearly inherited from her father.
We'd been training together for as long as I could remember. I'd already lost count of how many times we'd faced each other.
"It's time for my one thousand, two hundred and twenty-fourth win. That would put me just three behind you," Alice said with a grin.
She actually remembers that...
Cute.
"Well, looks like the gap is about to be five " I said with a mock-arrogant smile.
"Ha, we'll see about that," Alice replied.
"By the way, remember—no mana. This is just sparring, only using our natural strength."
"Yeah, yeah, like always," she answered, rolling her eyes.
She says that, but whenever she's losing, she always uses a little mana to boost her strength for a second.
I usually let it slide... because I tend to do the same.
But today, I felt like playing fair.
After that brief exchange, we both got into our stances. Mine was a standard close-quarters combat guard. My left arm low to protect my liver, my right hand covering my face. I leaned slightly to the left so my shoulder could shield my chin. It was a somewhat defensive stance, but excellent for a quick counterattack.
Alice, on the other hand, always preferred a stance with her legs wide apart and her hands low. She stayed on the balls of her feet. At a glance, it looked like a weak defense, but it gave her exceptional mobility and let her go hard with her kicks—her specialty in hand-to-hand combat.
As usual, she made the first move with a high kick. I blocked it easily with my right hand. Immediately, she started circling, keeping her distance.
I began to advance slowly, closing the gap between us, though it wasn't easy—she started throwing low kicks at my knees.
To change the tempo, I suddenly sprinted toward her and launched a combo—left jab, right cross. But with her superhuman reflexes, she ducked and slipped to the side in an instant.
She followed up with front and side kicks aimed at my torso. I blocked them with my arm or sidestepped them. I knew all of that was just bait, setting up for a high kick when the moment was right.
Several minutes passed in that constant back-and-forth, me trying to get close and land my jab or cross, and her trying to tag me with her rapid kicks.
But nothing landed clean. Every blow was blocked or dodged. It was obvious how well we knew each other.
Trying to catch her off guard, I went for a takedown, but I was a bit too slow—she caught me with a knee straight to the face. I took the hit and, in that moment, managed to grab her right leg. She looked surprised for a split second, and I swept her other leg to bring her down.
She reacted immediately, trying to lock me into a triangle choke with her legs. She was so fast, she almost had it.
I twisted hard to break out of the hold. She took advantage of the motion to release the triangle and tried to get up.
But in a flash, I managed to get behind her. Alice rolled to shake me off, but I rolled with her, keeping control.
Realizing I was still clinging to her back, she twisted around to face me, pushing me off with her legs. It worked.
Shit. Even without mana, she was incredibly strong for anyone, really, but especially for a girl.
But I didn't give up. I lunged at her as she was trying to get back up and managed to grab her back again. This time, she got to her feet with me on her, trying to break my grip around her waist.
But I was the one who let go voluntarily. It caught her off guard. I used that instant to land a straight right just as she turned to face me.
The punch made her stagger.
Trying to turn things around, she threw a high kick at me.
That's the mistake she always makes. And the reason I've got a couple more wins than she does. Whenever she's hurt or at a disadvantage, instead of pulling back or switching to defense, she tries to fight back and stay on the offensive.
Thanks to that pattern, I caught the kick coming straight at my face, grabbing her by the ankle with my right hand.
I quickly wrapped my left arm around her waist, lifted her up, and slammed her to the ground. Then I sat on her stomach, pinning her down.
"Sorry, darling, but I win this time," I said, grinning wide.
"Shut up," she muttered with a scowl. But after a few seconds, her expression softened. With a small smile, she said:
"You did great, darling. Congrats."
"You were great too. Just remember what I always say—when you're under pressure, that's when you need to stay calm the most," I said sincerely.
"Yeah... I'm working on it, thanks."
We started leaning toward each other slowly, and just as things were about to… escalate...
I heard someone cough.
Turning toward the sound, I saw three people standing a few meters away. I instantly recognized Alice's parents—casual as always—and my father, whom I hadn't seen in over a week.
Good to see he's still alive…
But what's with that awkward look just from seeing a couple being a little affectionate? What is he, fourteen years old?
Everyone says I take after him...
No way. I'm not that childish.
Appearances are deceiving, I guess.
My father looked like a middle aged man-six feet tall, dark brown hair, honey-colored eyes, and what you could generously call a beard… more like a few scattered hairs and a mustache so thin it looked like it had been drawn with pencil.
Of course, I thought all this in silence—everyone knows better than to make fun of the mustache…
"Ethan, I've got news," he said, and as he did, his expression turned serious. Way more serious.
There are two possibilities.
Either we're all screwed...
Or I'm screwed.
And for some reason, I have a feeling it's the second one.