Young Varian had been fighting since he could remember. He trained his body, ate the most nutritious food he could afford and never missed a day.
After Sia awakened, he only increased his training.
He studied the fighting styles of masters across the federation and was slowly forming one of his own.
"Roar!" The Raging lion looked at the two humans and growled.
It was in an artificial field spanning a few dozen miles.
Every day, bots would feed it and conduct a check up on its health.
However, the raging lion didn't like its life at all.
It was living as a show piece. The whole field was monitored by a security system. If the lion tried to cross the field, it would be electrocuted. It had tried too many times to escape and bitterly learnt the lesson.
Since the visitors were mainly children, they only watched in from afar. No one ventured inside. Even if they did, they were under the supervision of an awakener.
On the other hand, after awakening, no one would visit a level 0 creature.
Thus, the Raging Lion's itch for a hunt was never satisfied.
Instead of dying out, the hunger for a fight only increased.
"Roa-?" As it was about to roar once again, Young Varian already entered the field followed by Sia.
The security system allowed him to enter after seeing the passes. Of course, the main reason Varian was given the pass was because of Sia.
For the park, unawakened children had to be accompanied by awakeners.
'This is so sad.' Varian looked at his children pass and sighed.
"Do your best." Sia said and stopped.
Varian put away the negative thoughts and nodded sharply.
Today, he was going to hunt this goddamn thing.
The Raging Lion sensed Sia's aura and did not approach them.
Even though Level 1 Mind Awakeners were not physically strong, they could drive an unawakened insane and braindead.
Varian kicked the ground and dashed at the lion. He had the gauntlets on.
"Roar!"
The lion's desire to hunt erupted and it lunged at him.
The distance between them was closed in seconds and they met in mid air.
Varian twisted his body and spun, pulling himself to the left of the lion and punching at its side.
Boom!
The punch connected and with a muffled sound, the lion's body shook and it crashed onto the ground.
Varian landed on the ground and shook his numb arm.
"Roar!"
With blood dripping from its side, the lion's eyes turned bloodshot.
Putting strength into its hind legs, it jumped at Varian with breakneck speed.
Varian hurriedly sidestepped and barely avoided the lion's paw.
Boom!
As the lion's paw landed on the location he previously stood at, dust rose and a small crack appeared on the ground.
But as its attack failed, the lion lost its momentum.
Using the opportunity, Varian punched at its underbelly, forcing a whimper from the animal.
The lion rolled and tried to bite him.
Dodging the expected attack, Varian started inflicting damage on the injured parts.
As time passed, the injuries on the lion increased and it was clear that it would die at any moment.
Varian did not notice, but color was draining out of Sia's face with every passing moment.
She fidgeted and tried to calm herself. But no matter what she tried, the feeling inside her was slowly becoming unbearable.
It always existed inside her. She couldn't tell what it was, but it was troubling her since she could remember.
She was able to suppress it till now, thanks to her own will and…Varian's help.
Then came the most crucial moment of the fight. Sia's heart hung in her throat as she watched the dying lion.
Before it died, it would exert its strongest attack.
As a mind awakener, she could stop the attack before it started and not after.
Stopping it before would disturb Varian's fight, but what if Varian was in danger after the attack?
"Roar!" The raging lion's muscles expanded and its bones crackled.
As it bled all over, the lion gave its final roar.
With a single push, it appeared in front of Varian and slapped him with its paw.
Sia's heart nearly stopped at that moment as she prayed. 'Go slow! Go slow! Let him escape! Let him escape!'
The unspeakable feeling from inside further increased and seemed to have crossed a threshold, nearly causing her to faint.
But Sia held on and watched with hopeful eyes as Varian faced the lion's paw.
He fell to the ground and rolled away, dodging the attack in time.
Boom!
Gravel shot out in all directions and a small pit was formed showing the lion's prowess.
-Thud!
As the creature fell, Varian rose.
Waving towards her, he pumped his fist into the air. "Yay!"
"Your favorite dishes tonight!" Sia announced subconsciously before clenching her fist.
The feeling…it was increasing.
"Huh? Sia, why are you so pale?" Varian asked as he approached her.
"I-I was just worried. You're going to fight level 1 creatures after this. I'm not in a capacity to help right now." Sia said with a concerned face.
It was not the reason she was pale, but she was indeed worried.
Varian paused for a moment and looked at her biting her lip.
He ruffled her hair and said. "No worries. I'll wait till we can do it safely. Besides, I can still train a lot before that."
Sia nodded and forced a smile.
Soon, they exited the Red Rock park.
According to the rules, if a unawakened kills a creature in the park, they would not be fined.
Awakeners could not attack the creatures but could rescue the non-awakeners.
So, this park was basically built to hone the fighting experience of unawakened.
As they boarded the final bus to their home, Varian noticed Sia was trembling.
Her face was as pale as a sheet of paper and sweat rolled down her forehead as she closed her eyes.
He hurriedly held her hand and gently rubbed her back.. Looking at her with pity, he asked. "That again?"