Episode 6: The Hellish Training Begins
The dense forest stood silent, save for the ragged breathing of Surya. His wounds had begun healing, but his body still trembled from exhaustion. Aditya stood in front of him, his piercing eyes showing no sympathy.
"You want to live? Then fight!" Aditya's voice roared as he threw a sharp wooden staff towards Surya. It barely missed his face, cutting his cheek. Surya's fists clenched. "This world doesn't need weaklings," Aditya continued coldly. "You either become stronger or die forgotten."
Surya's training was merciless. He was forced to fight Aditya barehanded, each blow sending him tumbling to the ground. He learned to dodge, but hesitation earned him bruises. His body screamed for rest, but rest was a luxury he no longer had.
The forest became his battleground, the creatures his teachers. He chased down wild animals, learning agility and patience. He climbed trees with bleeding hands, strengthening his grip. He ran through thorn-covered paths, ignoring the pain. The boy who once trembled in fear was fading, replaced by something else.
"Three weeks," Aditya murmured, watching Surya push his body beyond limits. "Let's see if you survive till then."
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Episode 7: The Transformation
Days turned into nights, weeks passed. Surya no longer looked like the weak schoolboy who was left to die. His body had changed—lean but muscular, his reflexes sharper. The hunger, the cold, the pain... all became mere obstacles.
One night, during an intense sparring session, Aditya grinned for the first time. Surya had dodged his strike perfectly and countered with enough force to shake him. "Not bad," Aditya smirked. "You're no longer prey."
Surya wiped the sweat from his brow, his breath steady despite exhaustion. "I won't be weak again."
The final test came when Aditya led Surya to a beast—twice his size, muscles rippling under its fur. A lone predator, hunting in the night.
"Kill it," Aditya said simply.
Surya didn't hesitate. He lunged, dodging the beast's claws, striking at its weak spots. A battle of instinct and survival. Minutes later, the beast fell, lifeless.
Surya stood victorious, blood dripping from his fists.
Aditya chuckled. "Now, you're ready."
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Episode 8: The World Has Fallen
Surya had barely finished his training when they heard the news. The virus... the city... everything had changed. People were no longer just people.
"The world doesn't wait for you to be ready," Aditya said, his eyes dark. "It just keeps moving. If you want to see what's left of your home, we leave now."
When they arrived, the city was unrecognizable.
Buildings burned, streets were littered with bodies—some dead, some moving in unnatural jerks. The infected were everywhere, their eyes void of reason, their bodies twisted with hunger. The air was thick with screams, the scent of blood suffocating.
A woman cried for help as an infected lunged at her. Surya reacted instantly. His movements were precise, brutal—snapping bones, severing muscles. But the infected didn't stop.
Aditya pulled Surya back as the creature regenerated, standing again as if nothing had happened. "They heal..." Surya murmured. "How do we kill them?"
Then he saw it. One infected—its chest pierced, its body motionless.
"The heart..." Surya whispered. "It's their weakness."
The battle changed. Surya and Aditya fought like warriors, striking only when necessary, piercing hearts and watching the infected collapse for good. Blood coated Surya's clothes, but he didn't care.
At the end of it all, he stood atop a building, the ruined city stretching before him. He pulled his mask over his face, his long hair covering one eye.
"From today, I am a stranger to this world," he whispered. "A shadow that will protect them all."
Stranger X was born.