Flawless [Neteyam x Ao'nung ]

Chapter 14: Scream Like You're Dying

"Close your eyes and try to imagine yourself and all the qualities that makes you who you are."

Noble.

Warrior.

Loyal.

Perfect son.

Obedient.

Moralistic.

Leader.

"Now, try to imagine your triggers and traumas that you hold as a different person. A different side of you. What are the characteristics of that person?"

Scared.

Angry.

Frozen.

Anxious.

Mute.

Feral.

Impulsive.

Killer.

"I want you to become that person for a moment. All those things that make them alive, feel it in your body and surface it instead of pushing it back. Now, looking through your triggers and traumas, I want you to live the day this person was born."

Neteyam hesitated, peaking his eye open to Ao'nung, "I'm afraid if I do that.... I won't control it."

Ao'nung assured him with a nod, twitching a smile, "Trust me, that's the point.

Well then.

Reluctantly, Neteyam closed his eyes, taking a deep breath while he remains sitting  as though he's meditating and imagined everything Ao'nung just said. He imagined his traumas and triggers as not part of himself, but as a different person, slowly molding into it. He pushed all those things that made him who he was, and for a moment accepted those fragile parts of himself.

The ones he never wanted to reveal to anyone.

It nerved him thinking of getting into that vulnerable part of himself, but he has to do it - it's a must, especially after today.

Today was the first day of the second month here, so their official bootcamp.

And it was nothing compared to what any of them were expecting.

From the blink of morning, they were brutally awakened by a horn and were demanded to go into the water. There they had to swim only underwater to the reef, without rising up once for air, and return with a skimwing. If anyone got up to the surface for air, they would have to start all over again.

Lo'ak learned that lesson after the first try.

Thankfully all the Sully siblings managed to master the skimwing before the end of the first month, so riding back wasn't an issue. However, they had to repeat this exercise at least seven times - no matter if you're a man or woman, you had to do it equally. It was a race so to say, more so focused on the timing. 

Not like anything would happen if you're slow, but it won't look good for everyone else.

That took up most of the morning before they went to eat, which was rushed, leading to them having to work on weightlifting. The Omaticaya were more about endurance and stamina, the Metkayina are about physical strength and perseverance - and no matter how difficult it was, they had to keep going with the flow.

That's where the Sully siblings truly saw the competitive atmosphere from such lenses - those warriors challenging one another or picking on those who couldn't do a single push up - which thankfully wasn't any of them.