'Don't worry. I'll show you how lethal your True Origin is,' the Inner Self suddenly spoke in his head.
It reassured Raia. The three military men rushed at him once again. Two delivered diagonal kicks from each side, while the other aimed a front kick meant to push Raia off the edge.
From anyone's perspective, the match was already over. Raia was cornered. Raia thought so too until something unexpected happened.
His body moved on its own. He raised his right leg and blocked the kick from the attacker on the right. Their legs collided mid-air, and Raia used the moment to block the side kick from the left with his left hand. Two attacks stopped.
He then punched down the leg of the attacker with the red bandana who had delivered the frontal kick. The man's leg was forced down to the ground. Raia somersaulted and landed in the middle of the field.
Raia was astonished by what he had just done. It was the most astounding thing he'd done in his life so far.
"What just happened?" he asked himself.
'It's one of my abilities as your Inner Self. I can tap into your instinct and enhance it. Count it as your Super Instinct,' Inner Self explained proudly.
Raia looked amazed and regained his confidence. He turned and saw the perturbed faces of the three men. They were equally surprised, none of them expected an 18-year-old kid to pull that off.
They exchanged looks, signaling a plan they had agreed upon beforehand.
Suddenly, they ran in circles, surrounding Raia and attacking one by one. This time, they didn't use only kicks but mixed in jabs and punches. After one attacker finished a set of moves, they retreated, and the next one stepped in.
Unfortunately for them, Raia's Inner Self was indeed powerful. He dodged and blocked every attack flawlessly. He looked like an overpowered main character from an anime.
The sky began to darken. A sunset now glowed on the horizon.
The fight continued. The three military men used every tactic they knew, but Raia's body was too agile to land a clean hit. Pressure and frustration built on their shoulders. It was humiliating to be held off by a mere college kid.
"Let's not drag this out," Inner Self's voice rang inside Raia's mind. Raia's face brightened. He knew he needed to end this quickly. Even though Inner Self could control his body to an unbelievable extent, that didn't mean his stamina and endurance were equally enhanced.
All Raia could do was dodge and block. Each second cost him energy, making him slower.
Fortunately, his attackers were tiring too. All the fighters were drenched in sweat, breathing heavily.
Raia closed his eyes. He sensed something strange in his body, a flow of energy, almost incorporeal. He followed the flow and distributed it around his body.
He opened his eyes.
Now, he could feel the light wind brushing against his skin, hear the breeze swaying the trees and grass, and smell the earthy, loamy aroma of his surroundings. He felt completely relaxed.
His eyes fell on the attackers, who were once again closing in from different directions. But in Raia's eyes, their movements slowed. It was as if time had stopped for a moment.
Following the flow inside his body, he raised his index and middle fingers side by side. He applied pressure to them.
Raia couldn't explain it, but his hand suddenly moved. One of the military men was the first victim. Raia's fingers struck the back of his neck with precision. Simultaneously, his left hand, also with two fingers extended, jabbed the abdomen of the second man. Finally, the man with the red bandana was hit on the side of his neck.
Then, everything returned to normal. The three men stood still in place. After a few seconds, the man on Raia's right began to breathe heavily, as if he is out of air. The other two fell to the ground, unmoving.
Raia panicked. He rushed over, terrified that he had accidentally killed them. He wasn't ready to take a life.
He checked their eyes and faces and was surprised to find them still conscious and able to speak. They just couldn't move.
Raia sighed in relief, realizing he had only paralyzed them. Still, he was in disbelief. "What just happened?" he thought, confused and amazed.
'I know you're wondering. What I did earlier was like controlling your body, but it's not exactly that. I can send signals to your brain to help you read your opponents' moves like instinct. But what you did was… different. You adapted to what I did. Instead of me just controlling you, your body learned and mimicked the technique. It's quite… incredible,' Inner Self explained, clearly surprised as well.
Raia could still feel and remember every move. It was like he had become a martial arts master.
In the middle of his thoughts, a male voice spoke behind him. He turned and saw the General, smiling and clapping.
"CONGRATULATIONS! I saw the whole fight. That was… amazing," he said in a creepy tone.
"Release my parents," Raia reminded him.
"Of course, of course. But let me just say... you are incredible. I never thought you'd defeat three Origin Eaters despite your age and experience. You're very strong indeed. I'm applauded," he added with a mischievous grin.
Raia gave him a wary look.
"Come on, don't be like that. You should be happy. This proves you're stronger than most Origin Eaters already," he said as he walked closer, stopping face to face with Raia.
"Because of that, I will release your parents," he said, casually offering a handshake.
Raia looked at the hand. He saw nothing strange. One of Raia's core traits was being respectful but it would prove to be his downfall.
Raia reached out for the handshake, but Inner Self immediately warned him, 'Don't shake his hand!'
Raia stopped mid-way, but the General suddenly grabbed his hand firmly. Raia froze. He knew something bad was coming.
Moments later, his vision blurred. The General's image became distorted. Raia's mind clouded, his legs turned weak. He felt paralyzed... or poisoned.
"W-what d-did you do t-to me…" His speech slurred. Rage flared inside him, but he couldn't act. His body was spent, and now he couldn't even fight the anomaly taking over him.
One thought flashed in his mind. "F*ck! I messed up! He has a True Origin too."
"Don't worry, little one. You'll be fine. I just injected a paralyzing toxin. I had to... your talent is too valuable to waste. You're perfect for the military. Plus… I really, really want to know what you're hiding." As he spoke, more uniformed men appeared.
They lifted Raia's paralyzed body onto a stretcher and began carrying him away. The General walked beside them, leaning in to whisper.
"The only thing I can tell you is that it's good to be with us. That way, your family's lives will be much safer. True Haven will definitely welcome you."
Raia's consciousness was fading.
"Brother! Raia!" he heard a voice. He forced his eyes open. It was his brother, also being taken by the military. He was being dragged into a smaller version of the large aircraft where their parents were held.
Raia was being taken into another aircraft. Red lights blinked above, making his dizziness worse.
"Ready for takeoff."
That was the last thing he heard before everything went black.