Chapter 11: Push

*Six months later*

Ven has been exercising with Nyx every day for six months. Nyx has made him do exactly what he told him he was going to do. Run for hours, chase strange animals to work on his reflexes, lift rocks and boulders to build muscle and etc. Ven’s slim body has now turned into one with muscle. Enishi and Kia have been monitoring his progress, and Ezreal has been keeping a close eye as well. During this time, Ven is often shunned by the other inhabitants at The Tower of The Republic. Due to him being a Tenari, many are afraid of him so they tend to stay away from him. Ven feels alone at times but he tries to ignore his feelings of loneliness and focuses on his trainings. There is one student in particular, Lox, a Water Madokai prodigy, that tends to taunt Ven to try and get him to react violently, in order to get him kicked out of the Tower. The Tower has a strict no violence policy against others and if one were to cause any harm to anyone, they will be banned, permanently. After training relentlessly with Nyx, he has earned Nyx's blessing and is now able to move on to training with Kia to improve his hand to hand combat skills and his strategic thinking.

*Kia and Ven*

“You ready for this?” Kia asks Ven, smirking.

She has her hands on her hips as she eyes Ven up and down. Kia and Ven are outside the Tower’s walls and are in the Meridian forest where Kia has made a small square training arena out of the dirt and rocks in the area.

“I heard you can be quite tough but after six months of living with you, I don’t think so. You are actually the biggest softie,” Ven teases Kia.

She chuckles and cracks her knuckles. “Let’s see what you got. Come at me.” She beckons.

Ven twists his face. “Like, you want me to hit you? Seriously? I can’t hit you, you’re a girl.” 

“I’m not a girl. I’m a grown ass woman and you will respect me as such AND as your trainer, I am telling you to come at me. Try to punch me. Do it,” she orders. 

“Fine.”

Ven walks up to Kia and punches her in the face lightly; Kia doesn’t even flinch.

“You have GOT to be kidding me!” she exclaims. “What the hell was that?”

“I’m not going to hit you!”

Kia growls and then punches the hell out of Ven, causing him to fall on his ass.

“What the hell?!” Ven shouts in pain, and rubs his now bruised cheek. “That HURT!”

“You think because I am a woman that means I can’t be a threat?!”

“No! It’s just that..”

Kia snarls and gets into Ven’s face. “Let me tell you something. I was not respected here because I AM a woman. I earned my keep by putting people like YOU in their places. I know Nyx and Enishi have told you what I am capable of. DO NOT underestimate me, boy. Do not see me as weak because of my gender. I am more than capable of handling my own. There is a reason as to why I am training you. Do you understand me?”

Ven nods his head. “Yes ma'am.”

“Now when I say to do something, do not question me. You just DO it and I want you to put everything you’ve got into it. Got it?”

“Yes ma’am!” 

“Good!” She says sternly. She combs her hair with her fingers. “Now that’s out of the way… you have TERRIBLE form. So, what we are going to do is work our way up from learning the proper stance to learning how to throw your weight into a punch and etc. You were bullied in your home world, weren’t you?”

Ven grits his teeth. “Yes.”

“I would’ve bullied you too!” Ven gives her a shocked look and she shrugs. “Just being honest! You’re so weak.”

“Well thanks!” he says sarcastically.

“Don’t worry. I’ll teach you everything you are going to need to survive. So, on your feet. We have A LOT of work to do.”

Ven gets to his feet and Kia stands next to him.

“We are going to work on your stance. So, copy me. Bend your legs like this. Make sure that your feet are PLANTED to the ground. Hold your hands up like this. One hand protecting your core. The other protecting your face," Kia instructs.

 “Oh! So like a Karate pose.”

“A what?” Kia questions, tilting her head.

“It’s a form of martial arts. Probably the most popular form.”

“I see. We don’t call it that but each wielder has their own form and they all call it something different. Fire Madokais use Moto Form. Water? Maji form. Earth? Dunia form and wind, Hewa Form. Fire Madokais are more aggressive. They use fast and powerful movements and they focus more on sweeps, and kicks. The more skilled fire Madokais use all parts of their body to manipulate fire. Earth. Powerful and hard hitting. They utilize their bodies to enact force. Wind. Swift and graceful. Hewa form is a form in which you mostly fight with your hands. Wind madokais are tactical fighters and they are VERY light on their feet. If you think you have the upper hand, you don’t. Maji form? In my opinion is the deadliest. It copies the movements of water. It can be calm and unexpectedly, fierce. It can take any shape and it is the most powerful element. But not a lot of people truly know how to master it. What I will be showing you is the basics and a bit of each form so come on.”

Ven copies Kia’s stance. She examines him and then nods her head in approval.

“Good. Now stay there and hold that pose for two hours.”

Ven’s eyes widen. “TWO HOURS?!”

Kia raises her eyebrow, challenging Ven. “Something wrong with that?”

“No ma’am!” Ven answers quickly. 

“Good.”

“Are you going to stand there and watch me, stand?”

“No,” Kia walks over to a boulder, climbs on top of it and sits on it, crossing her legs. “I’m going to SIT and watch YOU stand.”

“I’m going to pretend like that’s not creepy.”

She shrugs.

*One hour later*

Ven is still in the same pose, holding his form. Kia is still sitting on the rock with her eyes closed and Ven can't tell if she is sleeping or not since her body is so still. A rare sight to see.

“Kia,” Ven whispers.

She opens her eyes and looks at Ven. “Yes," she replies.

“Six months we have lived together, and I still feel as if I know nothing about you.”

Kia raises her brows. “What do you want to know Ven?”

“Everything. Where are you from? How did you grow up? Do you have a family?”

Kia sighs. “I was born in the Kingdom of Rain.”

Ven gives her a blank stare.

“Ok ok,” she says, and then bites her lip. “I was born in the Kingdom of Rain…. I was kidnapped at the age of two. I do not remember my real parents nor my real name. The person that kidnapped me was a war criminal that escaped the prisons of the Water Kingdom. Why she took me? I do not know but… she was like a mother to me.” She looks up to the sky. “She taught me everything I know. How to fight, how to control water, hunt… kill. She molded me into a true strategist and killer. We were together for three years.”

“Two?! How do you even remember that you were even kidnapped?”

Kia shrugs. “You always remember things that are traumatic.”

“How old were you when you…”

“First killed someone?” She ponders his question for a bit and then replies, “I was five.”

“Kia,” Ven says with a look of concern on his face.

She shakes her head. “Life wasn’t easy. We were always on the run. She gave me the tools I needed to survive by any means Ven. I had to grow up quickly. Without her, I would be dead.”

“What happened to her?”

Kia gets quiet for a moment, and uncrosses her legs. She then responds, “She was hit by an arrow. Straight through the heart. She jumped in the way of the arrow, to protect me… I watched her die. We were being chased by the Water Kingdom’s elite soldiers. They cornered us by the edge of a cliff. One of the soldiers was trigger happy, and accidentally let off an arrow... it was going to hit me, but she jumped in the way. We tumbled off the cliff together. She died immediately. The soldiers never came to look for me. I guess because of the height of the cliff they concluded that I would be dead from the fall. But that worked to my advantage. I ended up hunting them down, caught them by surprise and slaughtered them all.” She takes a strand of her long hair and twirls it around her finger. “Afterwards, I wandered around for days and ended up at the Tower. I’ve been here ever since.”

“I see. So that’s why Enishi and Nyx respect you so much.”

Kia nods. “They might be stronger than me, physically. But my skills? My mindset? They cannot keep up with me. The mind of a killer doesn’t just disappear, it lingers forever. You cannot erase it from your being. You can only tame the beast…. for so long.” She gives Ven a piercing look  and he gulps. “Plus, as a water Madokai, there are things that I can do that they cannot.”

“What do you mean?” Ven questions.

“What is your body mostly made of? What gives life? Water is everywhere. I can control the water in your own body and drown you. I can also control your blood and its flow. If I want, I can send all the blood in your body to your brain and cause it to explode.”

Ven shudders. “Nyx wasn’t lying….you are scary!”

Kia laughs. “Don’t worry. I have no intention of ever doing such a thing. Again.” She gives Ven a menacing look.

Ven coughs. “If you are much more powerful than Nyx and Enishi, then why does it seem as if Enishi is the leader?”

“I’m a woman, remember. Ezreal would never allow that. Oh how the "mighty" man trembles in the presence of a powerful woman. Enishi however, would never make a decision on anything without consulting me first.”

“Stupid.”

“Indeed.”

“Would you ever return to the Water kingdom?”

Kia sighs. “I don’t know. I’m afraid of what I would find.”

Ven opens his mouth to speak but Kia cuts him off and tells him that he needs to refocus on his stance. He has one more hour to go.

*One hour later*

Ven has completed his task for the day and the two of them are walking back to the Tower. It’s nighttime and the moon is out, shining brighter than a diamond.

“I have noticed that you seem to be having issues with the others here. Why is that?” Kia asks.

“You have noticed?”

Kia nods. “Want to tell me what’s been going on?”

Ven sighs. “Isn’t it obvious?”

“That they are afraid of you? Of course. No other reason as to why they avoid you at all costs.”

“Gee, thanks.” Ven responds sarcastically.

“I know what that feels like.”

Ven looks at Kia and sees the sadness in her eyes.

“People were afraid of me at first as well. Heck, probably still are,” she chuckles. “I cannot control how people perceive me. All I can control is myself. It took some time, but I did manage to find a new family in Nyx and Enishi. Just because you are different, doesn’t mean that you are a monster. Whatever your ancestors have done, is not on you. If people do not wish to give you a chance, then you know what?”

“What?”

Kia stops walking and gets into Ven’s face. “FUCK THEM!”

Ven laughs.

“We have your back Ven. Even Nyx, even though he doesn’t like to admit it. He’s the biggest softie out of all of us.” She rubs Ven’s shoulder. “Enishi as well.”

“Enishi….he doesn’t speak to me… at all.”

“Enishi… can be a weird one but trust me, he has nothing but good intentions for you. When you train with him, he’ll warm up. He just… has a lot on his plate at the moment, plus the masters have been sending him out on a lot of recons recently,” she says, softening her voice.

 He then pulls her in for a hug. “Thanks Kia.”

She pats him on the back and replies, “Anytime.”

They part from their hug and continue walking.

“One more thing.”

Kia turns to Ven.

“You and Enishi… do you two have something going on because you two seem to have this flirty energy and I remember when we first met, Nyx said something and you hit him with wat-”

*SPLASH*

Ven is then suddenly drenched in water.

“MIND YOUR DAMN BUSINESS BOY!” Kia yells and storms off, leaving Ven laughing behind.