(Open) Let's Flex

[Shinsou Vaan Osiris]

As the Phalanx chain delivered the coup de grace to Hayate, the world tumbled and swayed violently before Shinsou’s eyes. There was no cause for celebration, and there wasn’t time to think, react or even speak. The Telgradian was suffering from a devastating trauma wound on his left hand side, and the blood lost from the sheer effort of remaining in the fight had reached a critical point. As the motor neurones and synapses in his body shut down wholesale, Shinsou crashed to his knees and with him dragged the lifeless corpse, still fused to him, to the floor. The tangle of battered bodies was now only fit to plummet into the infinite void below.

There was a rush of air, then absolute darkness. A few minutes passed before Shinsou Vaan Osiris’s golden eyes opened, peeling the oblivion of death away to reveal the frigid, miserable greys of the ceiling of the Citadel’s medical wing. His limbs felt heavy and cumbersome, and as he rolled over, a monk hung over him for what seemed like an eternity. Another man was by his side, although he couldn’t yet distinguish him.

“Welcome back. Please, do not move too much. We are still healing your wounds.”

The voice was muffled, as if spoken underwater. It was always the same with the Citadel after a fight. The Telgradian hated this part of the process the most, where the Citadel’s unique magic messed with his brain and made it struggle to make sense of anything. He’d always look down upon himself, stunned to see there were no wounds. Checking himself twice, thrice, and once again after, it would take a few hazy minutes before Shinsou realised he was completely clean of any cuts or blood thanks to the the Ai’Bron attendants.

"This is most unusual," A familiar voice sailed over the bed as a pair outstretched palms hovered inches from Shinsou’s body. "I can’t remember the last time you got this badly beaten.”

Osiris’s face contorted with confusion, before finally realising he was listening to Soap. “To be fair, you weren’t there to see what Rayse Valentino did to me in Radasanth.”

"So, what did you make of him?" Soap continued in a substantially hushed tone. "He’s a tough one, isn’t he?"

Shinsou turned his head entirely, staring the Brotherhood contact in the eyes. His mouth tightened into a smile.

“He reminds me of a younger version of me. Brave, full of heart, but rash. His decision making needs some fine tuning, too; he was far too quick to close me down without assessing my capabilities. That being said, if I had bothered to fight at full power, he would last longer than most. Especially with the ability to summon that giant bastard, too. Which, by the way, you could have warned me about.”

“Hey, I know how much you like surprises,” Soap muttered, “Who am I to stifle your training?”

Shinsou shook his head and sighed. “But yes, he impressed me. By the way, Hayate seemed extremely irritated that I knew who he was, and wouldn’t explain myself. The truth is, even if I wanted to, I couldn’t tell him. What’s his deal?”

"He’s the head of one of the four noble families in Akashima," Soap responded, rising to his feet. "He didn’t get there by accident, either. He’s tough, he’s smart and he’s dedicated to his duties. The reason he was irritable was probably because you wouldn’t explain anything to him, and he was worried that you’d probably go around blabbing about the fight. He comes from a proud culture. Hayate was supposed to be on the family premises, in the unlikely event the house needed defending. It wouldn’t do him well being in the Citadel if something unfortunate happened.”

The Telgradian straightened his neck, drawing back his head before brushing down his white coat. The monk hung precariously over him, putting the final touches to the healing process. “That explains quite a bit. He’s got some rough edges, but I’d like to see if I can turn his head. The kid has a bright future, as long as he gets the right guidance, of course.”

"Well, good luck," Soap continued as they exited the room together and continued down a sloping, torch-lit hallway. "He’s still here, just down the corridor, if you’d like to speak to him."

With that, Soap nodded before waddling off to other duties more suited to a man of his shady disposition. Silence once again descended over the one of many labyrinthine Citadel corridors as Shinsou pondered the day’s events. The Citadel, the proving ground of Althanas, had revealed much to him. Hayate Atsukami had given the Telgradian cause for further thought. The warriors had left the arena, but there were questions to be answered and futures to be decided.

What had started as a training session had left Osris with the machinations of destiny to contend with.