With a quick look behind his shoulder, he lost sight of her, miles darts right, then left trying to make as much distance as possible. However, knowing who was chasing him did not assure him he would get away, but he knew we wouldn't become a punching bag willingly.
Miles ran around one last corner before he saw a door to the science lab. He quietly and quickly sneaks inside, hoping that he got away.
Not a sound escaped him as he paused before looking for a better place to hide.
His breathing was turning back to its normal rhythm while he was behind a desk when he heard a low-pitch cough.
A big, ugly Viking-looking woman, who looked like she should have been in a story of old was standing right behind him.
At this point, it wasn't even a cough but more of a growl as she picked him up and punched him.
He got launched in the air from the punch that looked as effortless as walking.
A loud groan forcefully escaped his mouth as he flew through the air, finding purchase on the table 3 meters behind him.
"So, Miles, this is where you have been snuck off to, you brat." He heard her snicker as his stomach was doing everything in its power to inhale.
After all the beatings Elizabeth had given him, he was still dumbfounded by the strength she possessed, given she hadn't been granted her gift yet.
She walked straight up to Miles, looking him up and down before a perfectly executed roundhouse kick landed on his thigh.
He instantly found himself on the floor, knowing his body had nothing it could do apart from accepting his fate.
The pain caused by the kick was unimaginable as he was left rolling on the ground in pure agony as her sadist grin grew watching him.
"Until next time loser," she spat as she spun and made her way out the door.
"Arghhhhhhhhh" Miles repeated as he was left on the floor with pain that was never-ending.
He knew he hadn't broken anything, but his entire leg was pain and numbness combined.
He knew he had to get up, he would not miss the topic they were discussing today in class.
With a horrible limp and the notes for the class, he wobbled his way down the corridor.
"Eww, what a mess"
"Who just walks around like that"
"What an idiot, his gift will be worse than nothing"
He could hear the taunts of the people around him as got closer to his class.
This was a common occurrence for kids who had no background and were from a poor family.
People like Miles don't get trainers to set them up for life.
The pain worsened with every step, but he wanted to get to this class. He needed to get to this class.
"This Saturday morning, you will make your way–" The teacher stopped himself as Miles stumbled through the door with a thud, dragging his left leg on the ground.
"Not again, Miles." Mr Larne said disapprovingly.
"Quickly take a seat, we are discussing the gifting ceremony coming up"
With his left leg dragging and his notes in a big heap in front of him he made his way to the seat in the far-right corner of the room. He found himself next to Dean and Marta, his two and only friends in this school.
"Anyway, as I was saying, the gifting ceremony is happening this Saturday at 10 am. You will arrive at 8:30 here at school, allowing enough time to walk down to the town hall. We will then find our seats and proceed to the front as our names are called in alphabetical order. Once you come up the front, you will place your hands on the ball. The ball will attempt to activate the mana in your body. It should not be painful. It will shine after 10 to 15 seconds, and you will have received your gift."
Miles could feel his heart pumping at the thought of receiving his gift. He knew he needed to be granted an exceptional gift for himself and his family.
"Once you have received your gift, you will move to the right to test your gift. It can be anything from elemental abilities to a singular empowered slash with a sword. You may check your abilities for the next 1 minute and 15 seconds until the next person comes over. Remember, I gave you a sheet with the most popular abilities; however, your gift may be not on there even if it is a little chance."
Miles pulled out the sheet from his book and looked down upon it.
[Gift types]
[Enhancement – Increase 1 rarely 2 attributes such as strength or speed]
[Evolution – Evolve your body temporarily into a beast such as silver tongue lizard or minotaur]
[Elemental – Gain the ability to control 1 very rarely two elements such as fire or water]
[Weapon – Gain the ability to use mana with a weapon, such as sword techniques and staff infusions]
[Strikes – Gain the ability to perform a set strike with any fitting object, such as slash with a sword or block with a shield]
[Rejection – The mana awakening shock is rejected, and you receive no gift.]
After scanning the entire sheet for the hundredth time, he looks back up. He could tell that some gifts were much better than others.
He was so excited he wanted to ask the teacher many questions but knew they would be answered on the day.
He is constantly making calculations in his head as he decides what he wants the most.
'If I get an elemental, that would be amazing, but I know they are super rare. Hmm… Maybe an evolution would be good as you can improve to gain more powers of the beast or rarely multiple transformation options.'
After thinking more about this, he hears the teacher continue, "Once you are given your gift, you will continue down towards the seating on the right."
Miles did not hear the rest of the class as he was daydreaming about the gift he might gain. He didn't want to let down his family. He wanted to protect them, and he knew that to do that, he needed to be powerful.
He left school after that class and headed straight home.
His mum was waiting for him as usual and gave him a big hug.
After talking with his parents for 15 minutes, he headed up to his room. He pulled a brown wooden crate from under his bed and grabbed a well-used book from inside.
[Legendary feats of the heroes]
He looked down at the cover and smiled. He has loved the heroes since he heard about them as a kid. Knowing that he could be given a gift that has the potential to be even a fraction as strong and cool as these heroes excited him deeply.
He continued to flick through the pages for the whole night; never had he been this close to getting a gift.
Throughout his reading, the thoughts of tomorrow kept creeping into his mind. He found the pressure to be extensive, but he knew he wouldn't let anyone down.
He would prove himself and get a better gift than that horrible Elizabeth.
Finally, he would no longer be a boxing bag.