deia sighed because Nico looked more nervous after hearing her statent. He struggled to keep his composure and his hands still trembling as they gripped the bow.
"Alright, co here." deia’s voice softened a bit. "If you want to survive, you have to stop doubting yourself. Monsters aren’t going to wait for you to get stronger. You either adapt or you’ll be their next al."
deia stood behind him, helping Nico to adjust his stance. She placed her hands on his shoulders, guiding him into a more stable position.
She said, "Focus, Nico. Your hands should be steady, your body should be firm. If you can’t trust your strength, then how do you expect the bow to listen to you?"
Nico didn’t fully understand the concept of the bow listening to him, but he was determined to try.
He took a deep breath, trying to steady his shaking hands. His arms were sore, but he focused on deia’s words. The bow felt heavy in his hands, but he didn’t let it distract him.
"Shoot," ordered deia.
Nico pulled the string back, then released the arrow. It didn’t hit the bullseye, but it was better than before.
"Now, that’s what you call a shot." deia patted his head twice. "Keep practicing. It’ll get easier with ti."
deia didn’t wait for his answer before walking over to another student, Tilly, who surprisingly was learning quickly. "You need to practice shooting with precision," she said, narrowing her eyes as she watched the arrow nearly hit the target. "But your form is already pretty good. Good job."
Tilly lowered her bow and suddenly said, "I want to learn to use a rifle."
deia raised an eyebrow after hearing his blunt words. "Rifle? How absurd. You can’t even aim at the bullseye yet, and you’re already thinking about using a rifle?"
"If I can hit it now, will you move to Mr. Zhang’s class right away?"
"Which Zhang? There are two Zhangs here."
Tilly let out a heavy sigh. "Tian Zhang." She continued, "I don’t even understand why I’m in your class instead of his. I told Mr. Lucian a few days ago that I wanted to learn how to use a gun."
"Tilly, I know you’re an ambitious person," deia said, patting her shoulder before moving her face closer to her ear. "But unfortunately, we’re quite selective when it cos to choosing people to use firearms."
Guns were dangerous weapons. With a single pull, they could kill soone in an instant. Besides that, they were also easy to hide, making it more dangerous for the people around.
That was why deia and Lucian agreed to select people before putting them into that class.
They also didn’t allow people who didn’t have good temperant to hold a gun, and one of them was Tilly.
Even though she hadn’t done anything wrong from the start, deia could see that she was quite stubborn and quick to explode.
That kind of person would be a nightmare if they were allowed to handle a gun.
"So silly. You want us to be stronger, but you won’t let us use strong weapons whenever we want," scoffed Tilly.
"Well, if you think firearms are the only strong weapons, then you’re wrong, Tilly." deia grabbed her bow and grabbed a new arrow. "Every weapon is strong, but it depends on the user."
deia placed an arrow on the bowstring and pulled it back effortlessly. After aiming at the target, she released the arrow, watching it fly through the air and hit the bullseye.
There was nothing special about the bow or arrow she used, but she was able to make the arrow pierce right through the board, making a hole in it.
"If you can use this properly, you can kill soone more effectively than a bullet," deia said. "It’s even better if you can make a hole right through their head."
Tilly and the others were taken aback by that scene. Until then, deia had only given verbal guidance and hadn’t demonstrated the weapon herself.
They had assud that she might not be able to use the weapon properly either, but they quickly dismissed that thought after witnessing her skill.
deia, in fact, was not only capable of using the weapon but was also highly proficient with it.
"Are you using your mutant ability?" Tilly asked suspiciously.
"Mutant ability?" deia chuckled. "Oh, dear. I could kill soone with just a tiny dagger. So no, I’m not using my mutant ability."
"Impossible," Tilly muttered under her breath. "How could that be possible?"
"Everything is possible," deia said, tossing back the bow to Tilly. "The only thing you need to do is keep learning. A dangerous person isn’t soone who holds a gun, but soone who can properly use any weapon."
Tilly fell silent, then raised the bow again to practice more.
"C-Could I do that too if I train harder?" Nico asked hesitantly.
deia looked down at the boy and gave him a light smack on the back. "First, fix your posture, or I’ll ask Lucian to crack your bones."
• • •
The classes were dismissed before sunset, but deia hadn’t seen Lucian yet.
Each teacher was free to pick their training location, as long as it was safe for both them and their students.
Most instructors stuck to places within or around the base, including deia. But Lucian? He was different. He took his students on a ride in a pick up truck, heading to a spot much farther from the base.
"There, I think your boyfriend is just coming back," Naomi said, pointing at the truck that was driving toward the base. "But why is he alone?"
When deia tilted her head, she saw Morty and nine other students running behind the truck.
All of them were drenched in sweat, their skin red from sunburn.
If deia weren’t recognizing their faces, she would have thought they were undead.
"Monster ..." Morty was the first to arrive at the base. He dropped to his knees and lifted his head, his breath coming in ragged gasps, as though he could collapse at any mont. "That man is a monster."
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