CHAPTER 24

"C-can I rest for a while?" I asked breathlessly when I passed by Atlas.

He stood there, arms crossed, with no emotion and shook his head. My shoulders slumped, and I passed him to continue jogging. He said I needed it to strengthen my stamina.

I couldn't even count how many laps I've done, or maybe I didn't even exceed the ten laps Atlas wanted me to do! Because whenever I got tired, my jogging would turn into walking, and when I caught Atlas looking at me, I would start jogging again.

"It's been a while since my last jogging."

I turned to Oceanus while panting. He smiled at me and matched my pace. It was still a bit dark a while ago, but now the sun was freely in the sky and we were already sweating from the heat. Atlas, on the other hand, was sitting under a beach lounge with a large umbrella, watching both Oceanus and me as we did our thing.

He lowered his sunglasses because of the bright sun, but I knew he was still looking at us. The other people passing by didn't seem to care, so we continued what we were doing.

"I'm thirsty," I said weakly.

I heard Oceanus chuckle softly and looked at his digital wristwatch. "We're almost done."

"Huh?—"

I couldn't finish my sentence because I suddenly fell on the sand. The other tourists passing by were also looking at me, and I suddenly felt shy. My legs suddenly went weak as I gently patted them.

"I-I can't do this anymore," I said weakly. I raised my head and saw that Oceanus was also looking at me. "I feel like my thighs and calves are trembling."

"It's okay. Let me help you," Oceanus took my arm and quickly lifted me up. He just supported me, and we walked towards Atlas.

"That's enough jogging, and it's already 6:30 in the morning. I will give you a 10-minute break, and after that, Oceanus will teach you hand-to-hand combat," Atlas said suddenly when we approached him.

I nodded silently and looked at Oceanus. He just smiled thinly at me and gave me a thumbs up. Atlas didn't say anything else, and the three of us went back to his villa to rest for a while.

Oceanus was still supporting me because my legs were trembling. With every step I took, I felt like I was going to fall. It felt like I was going to lose consciousness, I think I was shocked.

I forgot to warm up.

-ˋˏ ༻❁༺ ˎˊ-

"Again," Atlas spoke firmly.

I raised my head to look at him. He was standing outside the boxing ring, which wasn't very high since it wasn't elevated. I tearfully got up from the interlocking mat we were standing on so that if I fell, it wouldn't hurt as much.

Oceanus and I had been here for a while, and I didn't know how long we had been here. My arm and my whole body ached from what we were doing. Before we could start the hand-to-hand combat training that Atlas mentioned, he had us warm up first.

"Sarah, stand up," Atlas said.

I stood up and adjusted my posture while facing Oceanus. His face was now very serious as he looked at me. What do I think of him? He's a man! And he's way stronger than I am.

"Fix your foot position, Sarah. Your body position looks stiff," Atlas added. "And always be alert to your surroundings."

I looked down at my feet. My feet had been in that position for a while. It was literally like I was just standing there facing Oceanus. When I looked up, my eyes widened when I saw Oceanus' fist, which I knew was going to land on my face. My feet trembled as I stepped back and lowered my hand that I was supposed to use to block.

"See? That's what will happen to you if you're not alert to your surroundings," Atlas commented. He entered the boxing ring and gently pushed me aside to take my place.

"Since you don't know yet how and where to position your hands and arms, I'll teach you the footwork first. Once you get it, we can combine them."

I watched him. His left hand was positioned at the bottom of his side, he pointed to it and looked at me.

"Always remember not to leave your side open because that's the first thing they will target. You should always defend your side using your forearm or you can block it."

He looked at Oceanus and gestured to him. Oceanus understood what he meant, so he suddenly swung his hand towards Atlas. His body moved sideways, and he tried to punch Atlas in the side, but he couldn't because Atlas blocked it immediately.

"Did you see it?" Atlas asked.

I nodded. "Yes."

"Good. Now that Oceanus' right side is open because he's attempting to punch me. There's a high chance that you can punch him immediately if he doesn't defend it quickly."

My eyes widened when Atlas suddenly punched Oceanus in the side. He stepped back while holding his side, grimacing as he looked at us.

"You're just doing a tutorial, Atlas. That's hurt," Oceanus complained while rubbing his side.

I was immediately filled with worry because the punch Atlas threw wasn't a joke.

"You're overreacting. That's punch is not even in my 100%."

I was suddenly scared because of what they were doing. It seemed like Oceanus didn't mind Atlas punching him after a few seconds. Oceanus moved his head, and I could hear the faint sound of his bones cracking. He raised both his hands and was ready to punch Atlas.

"There's three types of punches, Sarah. First is a jab."

He just showed me the jab he was talking about. Oceanus' forearm was ready to defend against what Atlas was going to do. The punch he gave him was light, but it still felt heavy.

"A jab is a quick and straight punch using your lead hand," he explained. "Second is the cross, it's just a straight punch, just like a jab, but it needs to be a powerful punch."

He showed me the cross again, but not in front of Oceanus. He gestured for me to follow him as he stepped out of the boxing ring. We went to a large punching bag that was also displayed on the side of his boxing ring.

Oceanus didn't follow us because, when I looked back at him, he was shadow boxing in the boxing ring. I was amazed at what he was doing because his punches were so fast. The strikes came one after another, and he was even dodging as if he had an opponent.

"Muay Thai will be the best for you, I think. Small people like you are better at hand-to-hand combat because your bodies are light and fast," Atlas said to me.

I didn't know if I should be offended by what he said about me being small. He's a big guy, so probably everyone around him is small. I just rubbed my arm when I felt it hurt while watching Atlas.

"For now, I'll teach you the basic punches before Oceanus trains you in Muay Thai."

I just nodded and listened to what he said. Because I'm still a slow learner in these things, Atlas just taught me how to punch.

"Third is the hook, it's like a curved punch at your enemy's jaw or body," he said. I flinched when I heard the loud sound when he punched the punching bag in front of me. The sound was crisp, and I could see his fist leave a mark on the punching bag.

"Last one is Uppercut," he pointed to the part of the punching bag that was opposite his face before looking at me. "Imagine that this is your enemy's face. An uppercut is like a rising punch that you need to aim at your enemy's chin."

He showed me the uppercut he was talking about. He wasn't satisfied because he demonstrated from the jab to the uppercut so that I could understand and memorize it quickly.

And today, instead of Oceanus training me, it was Atlas who took over it. He taught me the basic punches all day until I got a little bit of the hang of it. He said that at least I would learn something since Muay Thai isn't just about punching but also kicking, kneeing, and elbowing your opponent.

Even though it wasn't Oceanus who taught me today, he was still with us in Atlas' gym basement. He just worked out after shadowboxing and doing other things. Atlas had a complete set of workout machines here, so we could do a lot of things.

"I think that's all for today. Take a rest and we will do this again tomorrow. Don't forget that every day your training is getting harder and harder."

I collapsed on the mat, looking up at Atlas. I was still catching my breath, my arms were sore, and I could feel them trembling. I could hardly lift them properly because of the pain. It felt like they were swelling. We did warm up earlier, but my body was still hurting, and I guess it's normal.

"A-again?" I asked, tired and stuttering.

He looked at me seriously. "Of course. You're here to train, Sarah. Don't expect us to go sightseeing here."

I just watched him walk away as he turned his back on me. He left the gym basement and went upstairs using the stairs. I had no more energy to protest what he wanted to do, so I just let it be.

I chose this, so I have to stick with it.

-ˋˏ ༻❁༺ ˎˊ-

10 months later...

"Again!" Atlas shouted.

I got up from lying on the mat and attacked Oceanus again. My fist swung quickly in front of him. I threw heavy punches at him, and he defended himself against. With each punch I landed on him, he kept backing up until he was cornered at the end of the boxing ring. He couldn't immediately move or retaliate because of what I did. His arm was blocking his face as a defense.

I gasped softly when Oceanus lowered his arm and swung his fist to punch me. I quickly stepped back, dodging and blocking his punches.

I could feel the pain in my hands and arms because I was using them to block his punches. Now it was my turn to back away, I didn't know what to do anymore because Oceanus' punches were also very fast.

I dodged and quickly moved my body to the side. When I got behind him, I jumped on him and locked my arm around his neck. I felt his hand on my arm, but he didn't succeed when I caught it and twisted it. I removed my arm from his neck and trapped his arm between my thighs. I twisted my body in the air and put all my weight on Oceanus' arm, which was trapped between my thighs. Then I fell to the mat with Oceanus.

I heard his groan in pain because of what I did. I stood up, and so did he.

"Cheating! You're going to do Muay Thai, not wrestling!" Oceanus complained.

He was standing there holding his back. I ignored him and attacked him again. I threw kicks, elbows, and punches at him, but it was like I was sparring with a wall. His body was so hard.

When I saw his side was open, I punched him hard. He stepped back, and before he could recover, I kicked him hard in the chest, jumped up, and kneed him in the stomach, and he fell.

I jumped on him and punched him. I think I landed about three punches on his face before he could cover his face with his arm. I didn't stop until I was tired, my heart was beating so fast I could almost go deaf from the sound. My fists were numb, and I couldn't feel any pain, so I just kept going.

"Sarah, stop it," Atlas said.

It's been a few months, but I've only made a little improvement. I need to learn quickly while I still can. I don't want to be a burden to them, so I want to learn as much as I can from what he's teaching me.

"Sarah," I heard Atlas call out to me.

I was still on top of Oceanus. My chest was rising and falling as I continued to punch him. I don't know what got into my head when I forcefully removed the arm blocking Oceanus' face and was about to elbow his face when someone grabbed my waist to pull me away.

"That's enough. You're losing control of yourself," Atlas said coldly, his hand on my waist as if I were just a teddy bear on his side.

"H-huh?" I stuttered, asking him.

When I looked at Oceanus, he was already standing, holding his nose, which was now bleeding. I immediately went to him to check it.

"Oh no, I'm sorry, Oceanus. I didn't know my punch was that strong," I said nervously.

He just smiled at me and gave me a thumbs up. "It's okay. Our sparring was good, Sarah. I enjoyed it. You're improving."

I couldn't help but smile at him because of what he said. I'm improving? That means our training has improved in ten months! Even though my body aches, I still managed to have fun in the boxing ring.

"Go treat your bleeding nose, Oceanus. Let's call it for today, you can take a rest as well. I still need to meet Ismael downtown."

We both nodded and went our separate ways. Oceanus went out first because his nose was still bleeding. I went straight to my room to take a bath, and then I'll rest on the balcony where I can see the beautiful ocean.

-ˋˏ ༻❁༺ ˎˊ-

3 years later...

Three years have passed, and within that year, I was able to master Muay Thai. It's not just that was the focus of my training here in Mexico, because aside from that, Atlas also taught me how to use a gun. I didn't complain because I also wanted to learn how to use it.

Atlas was also able to fix my training schedule, and I follow that. Even the food I eat, he's strict about it. My skinny body is now gaining weight, and let's just say I also gained muscle.

I'm now facing a full-length mirror in my room wearing my black bra and seamless underwear. My body is full of bruises from the training I do, but it's okay. It's all worth it. I raised my arm in the air and flexed the muscle on my biceps.

It's noticeable when shown, it's just right and not too big. My body became more toned, unlike before when I was just skinny. I can't believe I even have four-pack abs because of my training.

Along with the healthy diet and the core exercise that Atlas makes me do, this is the reward.

"Sarah?"

I quickly turned to the closed door when I heard Atlas' voice. I grabbed the black robe that was on my bed and put it on. Then I opened the door.

"Atlas?"

My eyes went down when I saw him carrying a long, black box.

"Since you've been doing well in your training for almost 3 years, I want to give this to you," he said and handed me the black box.

I took it immediately. "Why?"

"It's been almost a decade that I've kept it hidden, and I don't want it to just get ruined by being kept away. I think it would be better if you used it, especially since you've already mastered using stiletto knives. Just take good care of it."

I still looked at him with furrowed brows. I opened the box, and a golden stiletto-type weapon greeted me. It was still shining, obviously cared for. I took it and marveled at the handle. It looked like the design was carved. I inspected what Atlas gave me and looked at a name engraved on the side of the handle.

Sienna.

"Sienna?" I asked and looked at him. "Who is Sienna, Atlas?"

"Don't ask me some question and just take it," he replied quickly and turned his back on me.

Before he could enter his room at the end of this hallway, he turned to me while holding the doorknob of his room.

"I forgot to tell you that we're going back to the Philippines. Pack your things, and our flight tomorrow is morning. I want you to be ready exactly 6 in the morning."

I didn't move immediately because I was surprised by what he said. I just stood outside the door and kept looking back and forth at the golden stiletto-type weapon he gave me and at the door of his room, which was now closed.

SHANGPU