"Goodbye,
Lewosito."
BOOM.
Lewosito jolted awake.
Gasp—gasp—gasp!
His heart was racing. His
fists were clenched tight as sweat rolled down his face.
"…Again," he whispered.
The same dream. The same
words.
This dream had first appeared
one year ago, on the very first day he began training in Mumbai. Then it had
vanished—remaining completely silent for an entire year. And now… for the past
few days… it had returned.
But this time, it felt
clearer. Heavier. More real.
Lewosito stared at the
ceiling.
Who the hell are you…? Who the
hell...
Lewosito sat up and started
drinking water—gulp, gulp, gulp. "Ahhhhhh," he sighed. "This dream... it isn't
random at all. I think it's related to my past."
He lay back on the bed and
tried to sleep, but the rest wouldn't come. He kept tossing and turning, but
sleep had abandoned him.
I think I should talk to
Acharya Guru today, he thought.
The morning faded into the
afternoon, and Lewosito finally fell into a heavy slumber.
"Khhrrr… khhhrrr…"
"Khhrrr… khhhrrr…"
Night — 11:00 PM
Acharya Guru spoke with a
serious face. "Now, Lewosito, listen. This is your final training: The Run of
the Survival Path. In this training, you must run, but you must be extremely
careful. Random traps will trigger—you have to be alert at all times. They can
come from any direction... even from the ground beneath your feet."
Lewosito replied, "That sounds
pretty interesting."
"Do you have any questions?"
Acharya asked.
"No, I don't," Lewosito
replied.
"Okay then. Start your run,
but stay alert," Acharya commanded.
"Yes, Guru-ji."
Lewosito started running. I
think this will be easy, he thought to himself. After running a short distance,
a massive log tied to a rope swung out of nowhere.
WHAM! It hit Lewosito
directly. "Uuuuu eeaaaaaa!" he shouted. It was completely unexpected.
He kept running, trying to
stay on his feet, but then he saw a pitfall opening beneath him.
"Eeeaaaaaaaaa!"
Lewosito ran again and again,
but the traps were relentless. He was getting caught in every single one,
getting hit by logs every time he tried to pick up speed.
"I have to look everywhere
now... anything can come from—aaaa!"
A rope suddenly tightened
around his ankle, trapping him and dragging him upside down into the air. His
vision spun violently—
WHAM!
A huge log crashed into his
face with terrifying force. "Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!"
STAMPED WASTED!!!!!
Lewosito eventually came back
down. His hands and legs were shaking, and his face had become swollen from the
impact.
Acharya Guru said calmly,
"Well, I think you took this training too lightly."
"I was surprised by that
unexpected trap," Lewosito replied, catching his breath.
After a few moments, Lewosito
spoke up. "Guru-ji, I want to tell you something."
"Yes, tell me," Acharya said.
"I saw a dream," Lewosito
began. "It was blurry. In the dream, I was lying down, badly hurt, unable to
move my hands. I saw a person standing in front of me. I couldn't see his face,
but he suddenly said: 'Goodbye, Lewosito.' I woke up immediately. I don't know
why these dreams are coming back."
"You didn't see his face
either?" Acharya asked.
"No, it was blurry," Lewosito
replied. "The last time I saw it was a year ago, when I was starting my
training in Mumbai."
Lewosito continued, his voice
low. "In the dream, he had a black-colored fist... and his eyes were black too.
I saw it through the blur."
Acharya was visibly shocked.
What... a Blackkonoi Fist? he thought. Is he the guy I'm thinking of?
Acharya knew there was only
one person in this world who possessed the Blackkonoi Fist.
Acharya spoke very calmly.
"Okay, listen. Do not ignore this dream. Just wait for the right time."
"I think that dream is from my
past," Lewosito said.
"Yes, I think so too," Acharya
replied. "It is something that happened. You must wait until your memories
return."
Lewosito looked at his hands.
"For a year, I haven't been able to remember anything. The only thing I have is
this dream. I talked to Jash about it too. The pain I felt in the dream... it
felt real. Who is that man?"
Acharya looked away, thinking
to himself: I know how you are feeling. The dream you are seeing really
happened in the past. That battle between you two concluded very badly... it's
why you were in a coma for six years and lost your memories. In this world, no
one has gained a Blackkonoi Fist through training—that person was born with it.
Only he has that mystical power.
Acharya looked up at the sky
and noticed a change. The clouds were turning very dark, and thunder rumbled in
the distance.
The Dark Age is going to start
soon, Acharya thought grimly.
"Lewosito," Acharya Guru said,
"Let's go and rest. It's 1:00 AM."
"Yes, Guru-ji. I am tired...
and everything hurts," Lewosito replied.
Dark clouds covered the moon.
THUNDERRRR!
THUNDERRRR!
A single vulture sat perched
on a tree on Trimurti Mountain.
"SKRRRAAA–KHRAAAH!"
"KHHH… KHHH… KRRRRAAAH…"
The sky turned pitch black.
THUNDERRRR!
The vulture spread its wings
and flew away.
"SKRRRAAA–KHRAAAH!"
The clouds crackled with
lightning.
THUNDERRRR!
Heavy rain began to pour over
the mountain.
THUNDERRRR!
TO BE CONTINUED
CHAPTER 7.5: LAST SIX MONTHS II