Condition Evolution 2: A LitRPG / Gamelit Adventure by Sinclair, Kevin (black female authors txt) 📗

“I missed you. Not your snark,” I strained back.

“Shaun, you really don’t need to strain like that. You look like you’re doing a poo.” I peeked at her and she was looking at me. Shaking my head, I closed my eyes again. “Pointers?” I strained.

“Visualize me in your head. Like it’s really me. Then, talk to me.”

I did as she said and tried to talk, “So, this is weird, huh?”

“Sure is. Much better too. Well done.”

“Well, I don’t feel like I’m going to burst a blood vessel anymore, so that's good.”

“So, you love me then?” was her reply.

“Shouldn’t we be listening to the teacher?”

“Yeah, in a bit. She always blah’s on about breathing for five minutes before she gets to anything interesting. I can’t fucking stand her to be honest. She’s a pompous bitch. Thinks she’s better than everyone else, just because she’s been asked by Ogun to teach us, what she’s had plenty time to learn.”

“Isn’t the breathing important?” I interrupted.

“Probably. I’m good at it anyway so it’s boring. You might need to listen though. You’re pretty stupid.”

“I’m misunderstood.”

“Misunderstupid.”

“Great! And she’s the pompous bitch? Do you have any other powers? Not including the ability to insult people in their own thoughts.”

“I’m faster, stronger, and fitter than I was, or ever been. Other than in Anatoli of course.

“You’ll need to learn the exercise to repair your body. It’s called holistic repair practice, or some shit like that. Anyhow, if you do it daily it takes five minutes. I do it every morning before I get up. You can leave it longer, but it takes longer to complete. It’s the technique that stops the Fystr aging,” Ember explained.

“I heard about it vaguely from Professor Ogun. You totally have to teach me that one.”

“Someone will. I’m still perfecting it. And it’s Ogun, not professor, captain, et cetera.”

“Right, yeah. He told me that. Good to be reminded though. It seems a thing.”

“It really is a thing. Some superiority, inferiority complex situation. Don’t really understand it myself.”

“Okay. I trust you. And, you’ll be fine teaching me the exercise. I know it.”

“Don’t worry about it. You’ve already been repaired on a molecular level by the immersion tub thingy.”

“Is that the scientific name for it?” I thought, sarcastically.

“I play to my audience,” was her damning reply.

“Funny,” I mentally fake laughed. “How did you get stronger?”

“Nothing I’ve done. It’s a by-product of the immersion tub thingy. Our bones are stronger now too, apparently. Not tested that one out yet… ah shush, we best listen now.”

I agreed, changing my focus to the teacher’s voice.

“Now, I will try to restrict your movement. You must try to resist. Julio, you’re first.” There was silence for a few seconds.

“Very good. You managed some resistance. Now, focus on how it felt to resist. Learn that feeling and strengthen it.” She moved through the classroom testing everyone.

Ember and I were last, I assumed because we were the newest.

“Shaun,” she announced.

Pressure suddenly appeared inside of my body. It was very uncomfortable.

“You need to try to push me out,” came a voice inside my head.

I tried to think about rejecting her presence. Nothing happened.

“Keep practicing your control,” Cassia said, while easing off the pressure.

Worst teacher ever! Control of what? I didn’t even do anything!

Next, Cassia turned to Ember. “And finally, Ember. Let’s see what you’ve got.”

I opened my eyes to watch. Everyone else still had their eyes closed. Teacher’s pets.

Ember’s trial seemed to last longer. She had a furious expression on her face, then suddenly Cassia gasped. Her eyes opened in shock. After that she took a moment to compose herself and muttered, “well done, Ember. Keep practicing.” As she moved back to her original position in the room.

“Okay, everyone. If you partner up and practice on each other. We’ve an odd number today.” Her clear blue eyes landed on me like a predator eyeing its prey. “So, Shaun can pair with me as he is most in need of guidance.”

I looked at Ember. She seemed to be absolutely fuming. “Oh, I’m quickly falling even more out with this bitch,” she said dangerously into my head.

“What the hell happened?”

“I kicked her stupid ass out of my head. I assume her training with you is my punishment for beating her like a drum.”

“Why would that be a punishment?”

“Why do you think, dipshit? Everyone knows how much I wanted to drag you out of Anatoli. They’ll make their own assumptions from that. Now, go on and train.”

“Why the hell are you angry with me?”

No answer was forthcoming.

“Shaun,” the teacher cried. “Let’s begin.” She sat down in front of me. “Close your eyes and concentrate. Find your center.”

“I’ll try,” I said.

“Don’t try. Find it. We’re being hunted by super powerful aliens across space,” she said, a little too aggressively.

“If I don’t know how, then all the fucking aliens in the universe won’t change that,” I replied.

She actually huffed in my head. I couldn’t believe it. I was already pissed with her for intentionally not letting me and Ember work together.

“You need to find the center of your soul.”

“Do you have maps, pictures, coordinates by any chance?”

“Why don’t you just try to do what I’m telling you,” she snapped.

“Because you’re not telling me how to do anything! Only that I need to do it. News flash: That’s not fucking teaching. You might as well put a five-year-old in a fighter jet and tell him to fly the bastard.”

“Fine!” she snapped again. “Try to free yourself from my control.” She held my body in full lockdown to the point that I couldn’t breathe. Great, twice in a day I was being internally suffocated.

“Retaliate!” she shouted angrily in my head.

I couldn’t do anything at all, and it seemed this time I wasn’t being freed quite so quickly as Ogun had. My lungs screamed for air as I faded out of consciousness. My last act was to scream for Ember telepathically. Thankfully, she must have heard me because her presence appeared in