( Sunset )
Lisa turned around to glance at Seijuro, her red eyes fixated on his uneasy expression. Her smile? A comforting grin as usual, he didn't know why it was always plastered on her face. She slid open a door, "Here's your chambers, little brother. Cafeteria is on the bottom floor. Remember, this is floor 23, here's your key too!"
Lisa tossed him a set of keys, jingling softly in the air. Seijuro caught them and stretched, his eyes darted around the room.
Smooth white panels lined the walls with a single bed built into the far wall. A wooden desk ran along one side of his room, it's surface seamless and cool. Beneath it though, storage compartments labelled with light markers that could be slid in and out. A transparent screen hovered just above the desk with the words flickering,
{ Welcome, Seijuro Yoshiki! }
Opposite the bed, a tall wardrobe stood against the wall. It's doors were glass, which revealed neatly organised clothing suspended in precise alignment. To his right, a sanitation unit, feeling more like a capsule than a bathroom. To Seijuro, this was a far cry to his room back at home. Lisa's soft voice diverted his attention,
"Training is with Frank in the morning. My lecture starts after his session. Your computer has an alarm set at dawn, don't be late. Any questions can be answered by the computer, rest well, Seijuro!"
He nodded slowly, his eyes narrowed. The lady's silver hair swirled around her shoulders as she turned, leaving the room. He took off his scabbard and placed it underneath his bed, the scouter remained on his face. Seijuro let out a sigh and then collapsed on the bed,
Man, I'm beat.
His eyes slowly began to droop down, when his scouter began to beep,
{ Daily Quest }
[ Push Ups - 0 / 50 ]
[ Sit Ups - 0 / 50 ]
[ Pull Ups - 0 / 50 ]
[ 80 Rings Run - 0 / 1 ]
{ Penalty If Not Complete - Tenebris Shock }
You've got to be shitting me…
Seijuro groaned. He wasn't sure what a Tenebris Shock was, but he sure as hell didn't want to find out. For reference, rings was how they measured distance. It is around twelve and a half metres
His eyes narrowed as he reluctantly got up. He turned his head to the window. Outside, the distant glow of the Foundation of hovering lights and the faint hum of the dome within the centre. He glanced down just below his window to see students running in unison alone a huge track. His view obscured by cherry blossom trees.
Seijuro lowered himself into a push up position, his toes and hands pressed against the hard wooden floor. Despite the obvious scowl on his face, he began the exercise,
1... 2… 3…
Sweat began to drip from his forehead. His jaw clenched and his breath became ragged. The floorboards creaked underneath his weight. He closed his eyes,
47… 48… 49… 50…
Seijuro opened his eyes, immediately drifting to the scouter over his right eye,
[ Push ups - 23 / 50 ]
He let out a loud sigh, secretly hoping Frank or Lisa could hear how pissed he was. Of course, he miss counted. Seijuro glanced underneath his bed, the swords hilt jutting out from beneath. He slowly pulled it out from the bed, his fingers gently ran over Ren's toy,
"Look at what they got me doing, Ren…" Seijuro chuckled weakly, "This is all your fault…"
He hugged the blade tight against his chest, a few tears escaped. Seijuro took a deep breath, closing his eyes and then set the sword back under his bed,
"I won't let you down. I promise, I'll get stronger."
Seijuro got back onto his hands and toes, lowering himself till his chin grazed the floor before pushing himself back up,
27! 28! 29!
[ Push Ups - 50 / 50 ]
{+15xp }
He jumped up. Tha young lad laughing with victory, his breathing was still shallow and rapid. Seijuro sat down on his bed, his face dripping with sweat,
Should do the sit ups next…
He stood up, turning around to face his bed. He sat down on the floor, tucking his knees to his chest and his feet underneath his bed. Seijuro began pushing himself up and down from his waist.
Panting even harder, he glanced at the numbers on his scouter,
[ Sit Ups - 50 / 50 ]
{ +15xp }
Seijuro sat back down to catch his breath. By now the sun had set. Pathways ignited with a soft white and electric blue beneath the ground, tracing the walkways. The buildings lit up with light strips that climbed the edges of the structures. From the window, he could the training track now illuminated with lane markers glowing brighter as runners passed.
Seijuro whistled out of sheer admiration. This place was beautiful, he couldn't deny it. He headed out of his room. His footsteps echoed lightly against the crystal alloy floor. He looked up through the glass above, his eyes greeted with the night sky, star-strewn and vast. He presses the button on the elevator, his eyes narrowed, still not trusting the machinery. Sure enough, the doors slid open and Seijuro stepped inside.
It hummed softly on the descent. Outside, he walked toward the track. It was marked with luminous lane lines. Seijuro glanced at his scouter and took off jogging. He moved at a steady rhythm with his posture upright and shoulders relaxed. Sweat gathered at his temples and traced lines down his neck, catching the track's glow. His hair shifted with each turn in the knot,
Nearly… nearly there…
An hour had passed, his right eye was fixated on that mission. He was panting like a dog in the heat. Seijuro's heart was beating so hard, he could hear it drumming in his ears. Dying of a heart attack on his first mission was not a situation he thought he'd be in,
C'mon! Turn to 1! Show me that completion!
The scouter beeped and his face lit up like a Christmas tree. It quickly fizzled out the moment he saw what that beep meant,
{ WARNING }
[ 30 MINUTES LEFT TILL MIDNIGHT ]
[ PENALTY REMINDER - TENEBRIS SHOCK ]
Fuck… No way in hell I'm failing!
A surge of adrenaline pulsed through him, his eyes closed tightly as he dragged his numb legs down the track. After what seemed like eternity, the number transitioned from a zero to a one,
[ 80 Ring Run - 1 / 1 ]
{ +15xp }
Seijuro sighed with relief, his hands rested on his knees. He glanced back at the time left,
[ 15 MINUTES TILL MIDNIGHT ]
He attempted to control his breathing, inhaling through the nose and exhaling through the mouth. One more to go. He looked up at the other side of the track. The pull-up frames were glowing an amber light. Seijuro somewhat begrudgingly walked towards them, his calves were beginning to cramp.
He jumped, his hands stretched over his head as he gripped the bar. Now, dangling in the air, he pulled himself up, getting his chin above the bar before lowering himself down again. He repeated the movement.
19… 20… 21…
His grip slipped and he fell onto his back,
[ 9 MINUTES TILL MIDNIGHT ]
Seijuro gritted his teeth, scrambling back to his feet and leaping. His hands ached. His sweat poured down his forehead, dripping onto his eyelids, obscuring his vision. His grip slipped, but instead of getting up immediately, he remained lying down. He really was going to die of some heart issue. After a few minutes, his heart somewhat slower, his breathing somewhat controlled. He gripped the bar again,
39… 40… 41…
[ 1 MINUTE TILL MIDNIGHT ]
YOU AIN'T TENEBRIS SHOCKING NOTHING!
47… 48… 49…
Just as he completed his last pull up, the warning disappeared,
[ Pull Ups - 50 / 50 ]
{ +15xp }
[ Daily Quests Completed! See Captain Frank For Your Reward! ]
Seijuro let go of the bar, crashing down onto the grass below,
I did it, Ren!