…

“Empath, you shouldn’t be here.”

“!?”

It was fast. Zia felt the impact of his palm hitting her throat.

Zia can hardly breathe, she exhaled hard as he punches her in her solar plexus. She is in for a beating, a one-sided brutality ought to implode at this very moment.

Alfir slithered into her rear, and before Zia knows it, she was already grabbed by her neck.

A blink in the eye is all it took. Alfir held Zia by her neck in a chokehold, his arm wrapped around her neck. Alfir is contemplating if he should kill her now. His speed is not phenomenal, Zia should have seen him, a precog empath would have dodged that, there are so many excuses in her mind that the audiences also share. The bright sun with its cheery shine has become gloomier because of the spectacle they are witnessing.

Who is this nobody? The crowd thought the events of this particular fight is too irregular.

Despite all of this confusion, Armin Kelon showed an understanding look. 'I knew it, there is something wrong with that kid.'

Alfir is creating simulations in his mind as to how to deal with this. He has two options ahead of him: to kill or not to kill.

“T-tell me, who are you? Where is the other guy?”

“You don’t need to know, you’ll die anyway.”

“Hi-uck!! Good luck with that, before that even happens, I’ll make sure the other you become aware of your presence.”

Zia has a limited understanding, but she can connect the dots.

“Do it. It won’t change anything. The moment he wakes up, he’ll see these memories as his own. Your blood will stain his hand, and your death, one of his favorite character’s death shall be his own guilt to burden.” This Alfir’s voice is deep and ominous. Zia thought hard, of how she can escape from this.

She can hardly scream for help. The arms wrapped into her neck are stopping her from doing just that. At this rate, she’ll die at the cheering of the crowd, under the eyes of people she deemed inferior.

Playing the villain really does suit her, she strongly believes that. But now? She’s just a damsel in distress. Oh, if only heroes are real, she mockingly thought to herself.

“You know Zia… I don’t love you… I neither disliked… I desire you,” The confession came all too of a sudden. The voice was no longer deep and ominous. It has that playful tone.

“That’s what he would’ve said, but he restrained himself.” And as if it was all a lie, the playful tone was no more. “What am I? You asked.” He added, it was rhetorical, but he answered anyway.

“I am the real him. The god which this world can’t see. I can be anything I want to be… A hero, a villain… I am the contradiction, of which this world cannot defy… Honestly, your death would be detrimental to my plans. I am still on the fence about whether to kill you or not… Little girl, what do you say, we make a deal?”

It was all meaningless ramblings to Zia’s ears, but the message still managed to reach her.

“I won’t kill you, except… I’ll just make you beg for it...” Alfir dangerously whispered to Zia’s ears.

...

The phrase 'In the box,' is too ominous... Aaargh... Alfir felt a sudden migraine in his head.

"What is in the box again?" Confusion momentarily invaded his mind, but he persisted. Never mind, he thought.

His hold on Zia remained steady, she is choking, and Alfir didn’t even deign to think that he might be killing her.

How!? Zia asked herself. How did it come to this? She feels powerless. She didn't see Alfir coming. The grace and finesse she exhibited in the group battle can't be seen. The truth is she doesn’t want to agree with the deal.

The current Alfir's mind is very murky, like the depths of a muddy swamp.

“Y-you, why can’t I get a read on you… Even my precognitive powers can’t see through you…” Zia asked in pretend befuddlement, but only she knew the truth. Acting her part in the play, she loosened her grip on her whip.

Alfir’s chokehold is getting tighter by the second. The only reason Zia is still awake and kicking despite the lack of oxygen is because of her empathic powers providing her uncanny adaptability to being choked.

"You must be asking yourself how? Many think ‘speed’ is the only counter to precognition, but I dare disagree. You just need a little creativity." Alfir smugly explained to Zia.

The sight of Alfir’s boast fixed the principal's attention on this particular arena. He saw it all. A hundred possibilities within a single thought. It was impressive. Zia didn't see it because of her lack of experience, but Armin did. Precognitive abilities are simply math on a superhuman scale using telepathic reading as a medium.

The principal can think and assume all he wants, but he got it all wrong.

Zia’s script is not all a lie. It’s true that she can’t see Alfir two (2) seconds into the future.

But empaths are different, their precog stems from their interpretation of emotions, behavioral cues, and brain waves. They read ‘thoughts’ in a manner only unique to their class.

So, Zia knows, just how much of a pitiable ‘character’ Alfir is… He is like a puppet to a play meant for an empty audience—

"Honestly, I simply overwhelmed you with the speed of my thoughts. So I guess, it is speed until the end." It sounds so easy. Yet, easier said than done, but Alfir pulled it off.

Zia struggled. Her legs flailed while her lips slowly turn purple. She tried to scratch Alfir, but to no avail, he held Zia's neck firm. Alfir didn’t mind the scratches, as he just puts more pressure on Zia’s neck. White froth started bubbling from Zia’s mouth…. She is on the precipice of death…

Alfir saw the referee in his peripheral vision about to act, so he released Zia at once. Seeing this, the referee restrained himself.

She slumped there inhaling the air with greed. Alfir made some distance from Zia as he watches her suffer.

Alfir's physique is not inferior to Deron's, Alfir can even surpass some of Deron's attributes if he wants to, but it's damn tiring. Half of his stamina is already a goner because of the burst of speed and strength he exerted.

"Hu— huuu— uck!"

Zia's breathing is ragged. She can't believe that she was humiliated to this degree.

Zia has a whip by her hand, it's a very unpredictable weapon fitting for an empath precog. She held it, providing her a sense of comfort.

If Alfir remembers it correctly, Zia's attributes focus on dexterity and flexibility. She also possesses relative strength given that every mutant does with or without mutant specialization.

She waved her whip in a mad fury. The sound of air swooshing is menacing, and the concrete ground cannot escape these devastating strikes. The whip slithered with chaotic unpredictability, but Alfir have no plans to dodge it anyway.

Alfir caught the whip with his left arm, undaunted. Zia's rage was icily cooled at his fearlessness. He yanked it together with its wielder, then grabbed her by the throat like a vice grip.

Zia is suffocating, slowly, slowly, slowly. Alfir lifted her. She can feel her toes leaving the ground. Then Alfir choke-slammed her.

The concrete floor cracked from the impact. Once more, Zia felt that excruciating sensation of being choked to death. She can feel Alfir's weight over her and his cold eyes gazing with hidden rage.

“Tell me, Zia. Do you like being choked? Does it turn you on? From what I hear, your father tends to choke you when he’s irritated.”

…