After Marcus said "Ah, now I see it," his arms began to transform. The colorless mana reinforcement coating his skin shifted, taking on a silvery sheen like steel forged in the depths of a blazing furnace. The metallic shimmer spread across his flesh, iron components materializing and folding around his limbs like living power armor. Though his movements remained fluid, his form grew more angular and imposing - from shoulders to fingertips, his body now bore the appearance of medieval armor, complete with intricately crafted vambraces.
Seeing Marcus's transformation, Alex knew the fight had just become far more serious. Steeling his resolve, he stepped forward, ready to face his opponent head-on. Yet where his fists had previously made impact against Marcus's defense, now they met an immovable wall. They were back to square one, with Marcus's superior technique and talent slowly overwhelming Alex. Though neither had landed a clear blow, Marcus's expression revealed more than mere disappointment - it carried the weight of shattered expectations, as if he'd hoped to discover something extraordinary in Alex but found only mediocrity. Each exchange seemed to deepen his disillusionment, his eyes growing colder with every predictable attack Alex launched.
"Is this all you have?" Marcus asked, his voice carrying the same bitter disappointment one might express upon finding a prized jewel was merely colored glass. His face, etched with disinterest as they exchanged blows, spoke of someone who had expected - perhaps even wanted - to find a worthy opponent.
"Shut up, man. I'm trying my best," Alex shot back, frustration evident in his voice.
Marcus shook his head at Alex's response, a gesture heavy with resignation. "If that's your best, you have a long way to go before you can even think about sharing a battlefield with me. I had hoped..." he trailed off, leaving the weight of his unfinished thought hanging in the air between them.
As if to prove his point, Marcus pulled his arm back. Through his transformed eyes, Alex watched space itself tremble around Marcus's fist. Mana flowed like lightning, gathering into a sphere of pure destruction that radiated raw power. With controlled precision, Marcus launched the attack straight at Alex.
'I have to dodge!' Alex's mind screamed, watching the devastating force hurtle toward him. But the attack moves too fast, too powerful to evade. As the strike inched closer to his chest, Alex desperately tried to sidestep, but the fist closed the distance with inexorable purpose, ready to deliver its crushing verdict.
Marcus's fist slammed into Alex's chest with devastating force. Though Alex managed to reinforce his body at the last instant, the impact still sent him flying across the dojo like a stone from a slingshot. He bounced across the floor - thud, thud, thud - before crashing into the far wall. Blood sprayed from his mouth as his lungs emptied, leaving him gasping desperately for air. His vision blurred, darkness creeping at its edges, but something deep within refused to let him fall.
Trembling hands pressed against the floor as he staggered upright. Why couldn't he just stay down? The question echoed through his pain-addled mind as he locked eyes with Marcus, whose cold gaze held nothing but clinical assessment.
"I guess," Alex managed between ragged breaths, "I guess I just want to prove I'm more than nothing."
Something shifted in Marcus's expression - a slight softening, a glimmer of respect. "Perhaps I judged too hastily," he murmured, before launching forward with renewed purpose.
Alex raised his guard, thoughts racing frantically. 'I'm so screwed. Why did I say that? This hurts - God, why am I doing this?' His internal panic was cut short as Marcus's fist crashed against his defense. Alex felt his bones creak under the crushing pressure. 'Shit!' he thought, absorbing the devastating blow.
Fighting through the pain, Alex swung back wildly, but Marcus deflected each attempt with ease. Strategy abandoned him as agony overwhelmed his tactical mind, reducing him to desperate, flailing attacks. 'Why is training so brutal?' The thought barely formed before Marcus, apparently having seen enough, drew back his arm and delivered a final, decisive strike to Alex's head.
The world spun, then went black as Alex crumpled to the ground.
"Winner: Marcus," Professor Bain announced as Marcus walked back to his position. The professor knelt beside Alex's unconscious form, carefully administering a healing potion to begin the recovery process.
Darkness cradled Alex in its embrace as he drifted through a beautiful dream. He floated among clouds, weightless and free, his parents beside him as he showed them the wonders of his new world. "Look, Mom, Dad - see how the river winds through those mountains?" Joy filled his heart as he guided them through this magical landscape. But then his transformed eyes caught something familiar - the massive behemoth he'd seen upon first arriving in Terra, its form casting shadows across his perfect dream.
'Wait... that's not a wonder of the world.' Cold realization crept in as he turned to his parents, only to find their faces transformed - eyes hollowed out, expressions frozen in stone-like masks that bore no resemblance to the warm faces he remembered.
Alex jolted awake with a gasp, his heart hammering against his ribs. "What the hell was that?" he muttered, pressing his hand against his throbbing head. Disorientation clouded his thoughts as he tried to place his surroundings, but recognition quickly dawned - the familiar white walls and antiseptic smell could only mean one thing. "The infirmary again," he sighed, memories of his fight with Marcus flooding back. The devastating blow to his head, the world going dark - it all made sense now.
Taking stock of his condition, Alex found his body surprisingly intact despite the splitting headache. 'Must have missed afternoon classes,' he thought, before a spark of hope hit him. "Hey Alfred, what time is it?"
His OSAI materialized in response, its purple glow gentle against his eyes. "Sir, it is 1:20 PM."
"Sweet, haven't missed class yet!" Alex moved to stand, eager to return to his normal routine. However, a firm voice cut through his enthusiasm.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa there, Mr. You might not want to do that just yet." A woman appeared in the doorway, her warning halting Alex mid-motion.
Peering into the infirmary, Alex instantly recognized that voice - Nurse Wendy. Her tall, statuesque form filled the doorway, her pristine white uniform highlighting curves that seemed at odds with her professional demeanor. Her dark hair, pulled back in an elegant ponytail, swayed gently as she moved, and her wire-rimmed glasses caught the infirmary's ethereal light. Despite her beauty - or perhaps because of it - Alex's pulse quickened, memories of their last encounter flooding back. Though she'd earned a reputation for skilled care among his classmates, he couldn't shake his unease about their previous interaction. The mysterious drug she'd administered, the missing hours, the questions that still lingered - it all left him wary of her intentions, especially regarding him.
"Oh, uh, hey Nurse Wendy. How're you doing?" Alex stammered, trying to mask the flash of panic that had crossed his features. Her green eyes, sharp and knowing behind those scholarly glasses, studied him with unsettling intensity.
"Now what were you planning to do there, Mr. Lunaria?" Wendy's full lips curved into a knowing smile that suggested she hadn't missed his reaction. She crossed her arms beneath her ample chest, her pristine uniform crinkling softly with the movement. "That look on your face suggests you're worried to see me - as if you shouldn't be getting out of bed, hmm?"
"Look, I know you're feeling spry, but that's just the initial medication talking. To properly address that headache, you'll need at least another hour of rest before the treatment takes full effect. Understand?" Her tone, though melodious, left no room for argument. She adjusted her glasses with practiced precision, the gesture somehow making her seem both more approachable and more intimidating.
Recognizing a losing battle, Alex slumped back against his pillows. "Yes, Nurse Wendy," he sighed in resignation.
"Good boy," she beamed. "Now, care to share how you earned such an impressive injury? I know Marcus landed the blow, but I'd love the details."
Desperate to avoid conversation, Alex scrambled for an excuse. "You know, since you mentioned rest being important, maybe I should close my eyes for that hour..."
"Oh no, no - you're right. Rest comes first. The gossip can wait for another day." With a knowing smile, she glided from the room, leaving Alex alone with his thoughts.
Resting against his pillow, Alex replayed the fight in his mind. 'Why did I lose my cool? Sure it hurt, but that's probably nothing compared to what's coming.' The weight of his journey ahead pressed down on him - long and arduous, filled with challenges he could barely imagine.
'I'm overthinking this,' he decided. 'Maybe I should take Wendy's advice after all.' As his eyes drifted closed, Alex focused not on his failures but on how to learn from them, determined to make them stepping stones rather than stumbling blocks. This time, mercifully, his sleep remained dreamless.