LOGINDAISYHe smiles at my challenge. “Gladly.”Without hesitation, he swings first, testing me with a quick jab towards my face. Already expecting that, I easily dodge the move by stepping inside his guard.His eyes widen slightly, surprised that I stepped into his covering instead of retreating. Quickly, he adjusts, throwing a cross that I duck under before I swiftly move back.“Not bad,” he says, circling me now. “You’ve got good reflexes.”“I’ve got more than that,” I reply, feinting left before sweeping his legs.He jumps over the sweep, but I am already moving, using his momentum against him. My fist strikes him in the chest, not hard enough to hurt him, but it's firm enough to knock him three steps back.“Okay,” he laughs, his hand rubbing his chest. “Play time is over. Let’s see what you’re really capable of.”As soon as the words leave him, he attacks me at full speed with various strikes coming at me one after the other: jabs, hooks, uppercuts. Each aim hits hard and fast, but I'
DAISYThe morning air bites at my lungs as we round the third lap of the massive training field, my legs already burning with the familiar ache of a good run. It's Saturday, the weekend, and this morning exercise is exactly what I need to help take my mind off disturbing things for a while.“How... are you... not dying…?” Suzy gasps beside me, her face flushed red.“My dad’s training lessons,” I reply with a smile. “He made me run with ankle weights since I was twelve. This is easy.”“Easy?! Did you just say easy?!” Ria blurts incredulously from my other side and turns to Suzy. “Daisy just said this is easy!"“You heard her bragging about running with ankle weights for years,” Suzy sighs tiredly and I laugh, picking up the pace just to hear them groan in protest. This morning is perfect for this, so cool enough for me to run without overheating, plus we have the entire training field to ourselves.“Well, well, well. Look who is actually awake before noon on a Saturday.”Dylan.I halt
DAISYThe question pulls me into thinking deeper, and to help process my thoughts, I pull out my drawer and bring out my notepad, leaning back in my chair while tracing through my mind for the answer.Quantum Solutions. Tech company. Digital entertainment. Those are broad categories, but I need something specific. I need something with real market potential in the werewolf world, something that solves a problem people don’t even realize they have.And right then, it hits me.Training. Combat training specifically.Every werewolf pack spends massive resources on combat training: hiring or training instructors (which typically takes longer), maintaining facilities and even organizing competitions. It is expensive, time-consuming, and also limited by geography because smaller packs can’t afford the same quality of training as larger, wealthier ones.But what if there was a way to democratize that training and make high-quality combat instruction accessible to anyone anywhere?What if it'
DAISYAfter finishing the last of my assignments, I save the document in my laptop system and stretch my muscles on the desk. Ria and Suzy are at their afternoon classes today. I don't have any afternoon lectures today, so I stayed back in our dorm and decided to use my free time to finish up my pending assignments.It’s been about ten days now since Professor Garris’s suspension. The old snake is suspended and out of the way for now. SUSPENDED.Not FIRED.Not ARRESTED.Just SUSPENDED and pending investigation, which means he is still out there, and he is still dangerous and capable of fighting back the moment he finds an opening.And then, there is Yvonne and Bryson for me to worry about.I haven’t seen those two since the emergency assembly that happened on the day of Professor Garris’s suspension. However, I know they loathe me, and they are probably up to something against me. People like them don’t just accept defeat. They regroup. They restrategize, and they wait for the perfect
GARRIS After my outburst, Clarissa is quiet for a long moment. She is probably scrutinizing the words inside her mind, trying to understand my perspective.And I strongly believe my perspective is right.“Garris,” she finally breaks the silence with a cold, sharp voice. “If you’re correct, if Daisy is truly the one behind this, then we have a much bigger problem than your suspension.”“That’s exactly what I was hoping you will understand,” I grit out, roughly running my fingers through my hair. “If the Bureau’s investigation digs deeper, they will find our connection. They will discover that you helped me get this position and that I’ve been feeding you confidential information about students for years, including half the ‘donations’ I received that came through the shell companies you control.”“That’s why we can't let them find anything about you and me!” she snaps. “I didn’t survive this long by being careless, Garris. Our arrangement was always designed to be untraceable.”“But D
GARRISThe whiskey burns going down my throat, but I welcome the pain because it is nothing compared to the humiliation I have suffered through these past few days. I still can't believe I have been suspended as if I'm some incompetent first-year professor who can’t manage his classroom. The shame is deep, disgusting, and it is shredding everything I have built over so many years. My hand trembles as I pour myself another glass of whiskey, the amber liquid sloshing over the rim. My home office that usually feels like my pride now feels like a tomb to me. Every award on the wall and other symbols of accolades now seem worthless, all because of that damned blog, Conscientia Institutum.What a pretentious, self-righteous name.I throw back the second glass of whiskey, welcoming the burn once again and the numbness that has started to seep through my thoughts. I want to drown out the voice of that vile woman who implemented my suspension. I want to erase the memory of the way those stude