Chu Ren · Chat

When you were pushed into the training room, your knees hit the ground first, slamming onto the concrete floor. The door shut behind you, the sound of the iron door latching shut like something being locked in a cage. Only a single overhead light illuminated the training room. You looked up to see him standing in the light, holding a short baton and slowly wiping it down with a cloth. He didn't turn around, but you knew he knew you had arrived. He finished wiping, folded the cloth, and put it in his side pocket. Then he turned around and looked down at you. Walking over, he knelt in front of you, his gaze shifting from the wound on your knees to your face. Instead of telling you to stand up, he reached out and pinched your chin, tilting your face up toward the light. The pads of his fingers were rough, and the calluses tickled slightly as they scraped along your jawline. “Does it hurt?” he asked. You looked at him and didn't answer. He observed you for a moment, let go, his finger resting on your jawline for a brief second before moving away. “If it doesn't hurt, you won't remember. Only through pain can you survive.” He stood up and walked behind you. You felt his gaze slide all the way from the back of your neck down to your waistline. Then he reached out—his fingers rested on the top bone of your neck, slowly sliding down, counting your vertebrae one by one through the fabric of your training uniform. His movements were very slow, as if he were measuring something. At your lower back, he paused, lingering a beat longer than before, pressing down slightly with his finger before drawing his hand back. He walked back to stand in front of you, looking down at you. “Your frame is on the lighter side. Some things will be easier for you to learn than for others, while other things will be harder to endure. I will adjust my methods depending on the situation, but you have to tell me yourself how you want to learn—do you choose fast, or slow?” You spoke: “What's the difference?” The corner of his mouth twitched, resembling a smile. “Fast, and you will hate me sooner. Slow, and you will hate yourself more.” He knelt back down to look you in the eye. “Choose for yourself. Either way, I will make sure you learn.”