Taming: Path To Be The Strongest

Jolly's legs were shaking as Kana stepped off her head, and she landed softly on the ground. The pressure was heavy, cornering its prey. Jolly looked back at her two companions, and she saw them lying on the ground, unconscious but still breathing. This told her that Kana was not here to kill them, at least not yet.

"W-What do you want?"

Jolly was stammering, and she took a shaky step backward. Her hands balled into fists, but she had lost all of her earlier confidence.

Kana just tilted her head a little, and her lips curled up into a smile that was not a smile. "What do I want? I want some honesty from you. Tell me what happened between you and Vell. And do not try to give me any bullshit, or you will regret it."

Jolly's mind raced as she tried to think of an excuse, or any way to get out of this. "Vell? I—I don't know what you're talking about-" A punch sent her flying through the air, but she managed to land on her feet. She touched her cheek, which was now in pain, and she glared at Kana without saying a word.

"I gave you a warning, didn't I? I told you not to bullshit me. I know you met him, so you should start talking, or I am going to ruin that pretty face of yours." Kana's expression was serious now, and she meant every word. Jolly could tell.

"Right, Vell. I remember him now. He was the stu- I mean, the guy who was being chased by the association. I don't know him very well. We met, we talked for a bit, and then we went our separate ways."

Kana's face twitched with anger, and though her voice was calm, there was a threat hidden in it. "That is the wrong answer."

Before Jolly could even react, Kana closed the distance between them in a blur. She grabbed Jolly by the collar and pulled her forward, so their faces were only inches apart. Jolly could feel the heat coming from Kana's body, and she could feel the power pulsing from her.

"Do you think I don't know?" Kana's voice was a low growl. "You left him to die. You sold her out for some quick money, and then you ran off with your little boy band here." She waved her hand at the two men on the ground, her disgust clear.

Jolly tried to laugh, but it just came out as a nervous sound. "L-Look, it is not what you think. He—he was trying to manipulate us. He was claiming things about corrupted mana and some bullshit about the association being sketchy. How could I believe something so absurd?"

Kana's grip on her collar tightened, and Jolly winced. Her breath hitched as Kana's nails dug into her skin. Kana was slowly losing her temper.

"You did not believe him?" Kana's voice dropped to a whisper, low and menacing. "Or did you not 'want' to believe him? Because it was easier for you to run away, easier to turn your back on him than to face the truth. Did you even look into anything he told you?"

Jolly squirmed, but she could not break free. "You don't understand! He was not making any sense! He was talking about conspiracies, and how he is special because his body rejected the so-called corrupted mana. He sounded insane! And even if he was telling the truth, what was I supposed to do? Fight against the association? Get myself killed? I did not sign up for that! All I want to do is make money and have some fun."

Kana's expression got darker. "So, you chose yourself. You chose to save your own skin and throw him to the wolves. That is typical."

Jolly's defiance flared up for a moment. "As if you would not have done the same thing if you were in my position!"

Kana's laugh was sharp and had no humor in it. She stopped laughing, and her grip got even tighter. "Do you think you know me? Do you think I would abandon someone who trusted me, just because things got a little hard?" Her voice got a little louder, and there was a dangerous edge to it. "No. You are nothing like me. You do not have the spine to stand up for anything, or for anyone."

Jolly clenched her fists, and her anger briefly overcame her fear. "Do not act so high and mighty! You were not there! You do not know what it was like! We were outnumbered, and we were outmatched. If I did not turn him in, I would be dead right now!"

Kana's eyes flashed with fury, but she did not strike. Instead, she let go of Jolly's collar, and Jolly stumbled backward and fell to the ground. She gasped for air, clutching at her throat, but her relief did not last long. Kana took a step forward, and she was towering over her.

"You survived, but should you have? You are alive, yes, but tell me, can you even look at yourself in the mirror anymore? Or do you see what I see? A coward who goes around sleeping with guys because she has nothing better to do with her life."

Jolly flinched as if Kana had hit her, and her breaths were shallow. She looked away because she could not meet Kana's gaze.

Kana crouched down, and her voice became a little softer. "If you want to justify what you did, then go ahead. But do not pretend that you did not have a choice. You did. You just chose the wrong one."

Jolly's lips trembled, and her confidence was completely gone. She looked up at Kana, and her eyes were shiny with tears that had not yet fallen. "I did not mean for things to go this far. I… I thought he would be fine, please-"

Kana's hand moved before Jolly could finish, and she slapped her across the face. The sound was a loud crack. Jolly crumpled to the ground, and she clutched her cheek in surprise and confusion. Kana's expression was colder than it had ever been.

'This bitch dares to lie to me... to me!?'

"Do not lie to me. I have seen cowards before, but you? You are something worse. You did not just abandon him, you enjoyed it, didn't you? You knew he would be caught. You knew you were safe."

Jolly shook her head frantically, and she tried to crawl backward, but Kana grabbed her by the ankle and pulled her back. "No! I did not, I swear, I did not—"

"Liar."

Kana slammed her fist into Jolly's stomach, and Jolly doubled over with a choked gasp. "You do not even feel guilty, do you? You are just scared because someone finally called you out on your bullshit."

Jolly coughed, and she wheezed as she tried to breathe, but Kana did not stop. She grabbed a handful of Jolly's hair and pulled her head up so their eyes would meet. "Admit it. Admit that you turned him in because you wanted to."

"I did not!" Jolly sobbed, but the panic in her voice was a clear sign she was lying. "I—I just thought—"

Kana slammed her into the ground, and the force of the impact made cracks spread through the concrete. Jolly screamed in pain, but Kana barely noticed. Her blood was boiling now, and her vision was turning red. She could hear Jolly's shallow breaths, and she could feel her body shaking, but it was not enough. She wanted to hear her confess. She wanted the truth.

"Say it!"

Jolly shrieked, and she threw her arms up in a weak attempt to protect herself. "Fine! Fine! I turned him in, okay?! I did it! I loved it!"

Her voice cracked, a mix of terror and a strange, deranged happiness. "You have no idea what it was like! Watching his dumb expression, thinking we believed him, thinking he was safe. It felt amazing! I hop-"

Kana's punch landed before Jolly could finish her sentence, and it silenced her with a sickening crunch. Blood sprayed from Jolly's nose, and her head snapped back as Kana's fist connected with it. She crumpled to the ground, groaning, but Kana was not finished. She got on top of her, and her fists flew in a brutal series of punches. Each blow landed with a sickening thud, and Jolly's cries faded into weak whimpers.

Kana's breath came in ragged gasps, and blood was splattering her hands, but she did not stop. She could not stop. The image of Vell's face, betrayed and broken, flashed in her mind, and it fueled her rage.

She was angry at Jolly, yes, but this was also about her. She blamed herself for what had happened to Vell, and this was the only way she thought she could make up for it, by getting revenge for him.

"Kana, that is enough!"

A hand grabbed her wrist, and it pulled her back in the middle of a swing. Kana's head snapped around, and her blood-streaked face was twisted in fury. Jay was standing behind her, and his eyes were wide with shock and alarm.

"Let go." Her voice was low and dangerous.

Jay did not flinch, and his grip was firm, even though he was clearly scared. "Kana, you have done enough. She is done. Let it go. I thought we came here to talk to them, not to kill them."

Kana's eyes narrowed, and her body was shaking with anger that had not been released. Her gaze moved back to Jolly's battered body, then to Jay.

"Hey Jay... have you seen Vell since he left the city months ago? Have you seen the condition he is in?"

He hesitated to answer, because there was no right answer to that question. "No..."

"I see."

Her eyes locked onto him, and they were glowing red with a desire to kill. Jay was scared, but he still held on tightly, hoping he could get through to her.

"This is your last chance. Let go," she said, and her voice was like ice.

Jay shook his head, and his expression hardened. "Not a chance. You are not killing her-"

Jay suddenly found himself flying through the air, and he crashed into a wall with a deafening thud. Dust and rubble crumbled around him as he slid to the ground, groaning in pain.