Chapter 26 JEREUM VICTORIOUS.

SAME DAY
I fought a mental battle to keep my Supreme abilities in check. The fear I felt in fighting Jereum was so much I seethed with it.
Jereum wore a broad grin and was eyeing my face carefully as if trying to determine where he was going to punch first.
Jhan gave the order for us to begin and I launched at Jereum, ready to land a punch. I thought that if I keep on the offence, he might be too busy dodging my attacks to attack back and the idea was worth so I kept him on the defensive to the best of my abilities.
Jereum titled his head to his right and then, so quick I never saw it coming, he landed a punch on my temple. The force of the punch was enough to kill a normal person. I fell to the ground but supported myself from getting knocked out with my elbows.
"Huh, so that's not enough to kill you..."
"What!?" I looked at his limbs carefully as I got back up.
Jereum wasted no time, he launched off the ground, twisting his body flexibly in the air and throwing a powerful kick towards my face. I threw out my arms in defence and the force of the kick sent me down to one knee.
I saw the look of surprise on his face. Even Jhan wore a surprised look. I was still stronger and faster than Jereum, I just didn't know how to use my speed and strength in a fight. Most vampires would be scared white of a Supreme and that would give me an advantage. But fighting my own squad—who knew very well how pathetic I am—was way different.
I got back to both feet and Jereum wore sceptic look. He launched at me with powerful blows and I barely dodged them. He was beginning to realize that he couldn't beat me this way. He to threw a punch at my face, I swayed to one side, avoiding it. He had left his face vulnerable with his arm outstretched and I decided to take the chance. I threw a punch at his face, Jereum had planned it all.
He dodged it with ease, pulled outstretched arm and grabbed me by the throat. Next he gripped my shoulder and threw me into the air. Once I was over his head he grabbed me by the jacket and threw my body back down to the ground.
I hit hard and Jereum stepped on my face, pushing my head deeper into the dirt.
"That's enough Jereum!" Jhan said boldly and he took boot off my face. With pain all over, I struggled back to my feet, but fell back down. I was disoriented and fuzzy.
I felt Tia hold up my head. She hit away the sand and dust and I staggered up again.
"Once my vision started to clear I walked towards the ring and jumped out of it. On landing, my knees buckled under me so I fell once more.
I just lay there, tired, weak and ashamed. Even Leya could beat me and she was impurified only some months ago.
Jhan walked to me. "I'm sorry Kaldar, Jereum has some brain damages—"
"Hey!" Jereum snapped.
"It's fine, it's fine. I just gotta catch my breath..." I said.
"We don't need to breath,' Jhan said flatly.
"Yeah, yeah. I knew that," I said. I hadn't even taken notice that I could hold my breath for hours with feeling even slight dizziness. And Leya slept in a bathtub full of water sometimes. We were not living, breathing was only a choice for those that had been humans for long and just couldn't help it.
"Okay Kaldar, now that you have passed the best down stage, I will teach you how to actually fight." Jhan said.
"What?" I asked in disbelief.
"That was a just meant for us to mock you and beat the snot out of you," Tia said cheerily.
"A mock stage?" I asked. But Jhan hadn't beaten me yet.
"But Jhan you haven't fought me yet..." I said as Jhan helped me to my feet.
"Oh, I know." And he sent his fist, square, to my chest.
Two hours passed on. The rest had gone back home, Leya to school, and Jhan was launching punch after punch at my face. Most of them I avoided but some, I wasn't fast enough and paid the price.
He taught me how feign attacks, how to use every action I do in a fight as the bases for another attack and how to even take some punches for the sake of delivering am even harder one to my opponent.
"You have to be light of your feet, keep you weight on your toes and your balance your self with you hips."
He had been saying this for the past hour, and every time I got wrong, he'd sweep me.
"If you were on your toes, you would have avoided that," He said, as I got back up from another sweep attack.
"Use one arm to attack and the other to block." He threw a punch again and this time, I blocked it by crossing my forearms over my face but the force of the attack still pushed me back a few steps.
"You are the predator, you are stronger and faster than most of the vampires you have faced, you are the Supreme." He said the last word with pride and it boosted my confidence. I launched my boot to his face but he caught it in his right palm. I knew what was coming next, he literally lifted my whole body off the ground by that one foot he held, and sent me to the ground at the other side.
I groaned in pain as I felt my dislocated shoulder snap back into place.
"Your attacks are too slow for a Supreme." He raised a boot into the air and sent it down towards my face, I rolled to the side quickly and his foot stumped hard on the ground.
I got to my feet and that's I felt the force of his boot to my chest. I went down without even a struggle. Hitting the back of my head on the ground, I felt warm liquid rush out of my nose.
Jhan walked towards me, I waited for him to get to kicking range. Once he was a few feet from my legs, I kicked at his shin. I got it and he fell to one knee, I got to my feet in no time and attempted the kick Jereum had thrown at me. Jumping into the air and twisting my body in the same manner, I threw out a foot towards Jhan head.
I was certain that this would be my only successful hit. But as my boot closed in on his head, Jhan merely pushed away my foot with his hand. I lost balance in the air and fell beside him.
"But... How I—I, I had you. I was certain I had you for that one," I whined.
"Your attack was well put together, the problem was in your speed. You haven't yet copulated your speed with your fighting techniques. At this point, even Leya is faster than you in throwing attacks." He got back to both feet.
"You have only managed to use your speed in running and avoiding attacks which are the most basic tasks you can handle," He said, and he lifted me by the jacket and dropped me to my feet.
I felt diminished, ashamed, disgraced but I still had the zeal to try harder.
"But nonetheless you still had one successful hit, your attack to my shin does count as a hit."
I looked at him with joy, I had actually got one hit. A smile creeped it's way to my face and I felt confident, happy and satisfied with myself.
"The sun's about to come up," Jhan said.
"We should return back home, and I need to get somethings done." He was already out of the ring.
"Jhan?" I called him.
He turned around and watched me as I leaned out of the ring.
"What is it Kaldar?" He answered. I was nervous but desperate to get answers.
"Where do you go most of the time, with Jereum?" I asked. Her furrowed his brows slightly and looked at me.
"We are part of the survey elites," He said.
"What are the survey elites?" I asked.
"We scout the town and nearby areas as directed by the higher table," He said.
"Like police?" I asked.
"Not really but yes. You see they send us to round up vampires who have broken the rules and need to be put in check," He said.
"Oh, is Tia among you guys?" I asked.
"Yes, but she has decided to stay home with you. You will join us once you complete your training," He said.
"Oh..." I tried calculating how long it would take to complete these vigorous exercises but gave up on remembering fights with Jereum.
"Is Leya also with you guys?" I asked.
Jhan looked at me sceptically; the he threw his head back and laughed loudly.
"Leya is only but a child Kaldar, she cannot fight against the kind of felons we restrain. Plus her fear of fighting makes her but just a little harmless child—"
"She's scared of fighting?" I asked him.
"Kaldar, the term Abnormal or living vampire doesn't only mean that they are show emotion and can tolerate human food, it also means that they can feel for people, feel pity, the zeal to help someone in need and the affinity to live a normal life like humans," He said.
"I kind of envy them," He added, and I looked at him in disbelief.
He caught sight of my expression. "Oh yes Kaldar, in fact many ordinary vampires envy Abnormals. We remember how it was before our impurification, how life had been so warm and cherry and we want that life back. No one knows for sure why Abnormals are so, but some day it is because they held on to the memory of someone they love as they were being impurified. They love they felt for that unknown person is said to be so strong, it kept them at a loving side," He said, and I remembered the image of the woman that had been flashing through my mind and giving me a strange zeal to live.
"But why they have a less affinity for blood and can tolerate human food is still a mystery to us," He added.
"Jhan? When will I recover my memories?" I asked.
He looked me in the eye with a warm smile on his face.
"Soon Kaldar, soon..."