The Last to Break

The Pupil

Tam could never understand why Jay was so useless.

He never went out. He had never shown any interest in any girl. To Jay, it was just The Annex: learning, fighting, strategising. His room looked like a library and training hall combined.

They were the top three students. The fact that they were still in The Annex, even after the age of eighteen, meant The Warden had a use for them. They lived a decent life, wanting for nothing. There were plenty of girls, and they were allowed to go out when they weren't on missions.

Why couldn't Jay be happy with it?

Jay asked, “Azea, care to train?”

“Sure.”

“What about me? Who must I train with?”

“You can both come at me,” Jay said. He had faced many more than two in the fighter rings.

Tam started laughing out loud. “You sure have a high opinion of yourself. Now we'll teach you a lesson.”

Azea started to circle Jay while Tam faced him. They both closed in.

Jay predicted their every move.

When Azea charged from behind and Tam from the front, Jay bent low, dodging Tam's attack. At the same time, he kicked backwards, aiming for Azea's shin.

She landed in a sitting position on the mat.

Tam, missing his target, fell flat on his stomach—for the second time that morning—landing next to Azea.

Jay turned to Azea, who was still holding her shin, and struck her in the jaw with his fist.

She fell backwards.

When the two of them simply stayed down, Jay turned and walked away.

Tam shouted, “How could you hit Azea? She's in pain.”

Jay didn't even so much as glance back at them. He carried on walking.

Once outside, he jogged to the training grounds and started teaching some of the younger boys. Some of them had great potential to become excellent fighters. Jay wasn't sure whether he was happy or sad knowing what their lives would be like.

When training was done, he took the mountain route, jogging and then sprinting all the way to the top. He exercised for thirty minutes, then sat down on a rock and looked down.

Then he heard something.

He got up and silently crawled down for ten metres before turning left. He rose, hiding behind a tree.

When a head appeared, Jay jumped out and struck the person in the jaw.

Luca, one of the boys with great fighting potential, landed on his back.

“Master, it is me, Luca.”

Jay bent down and pulled the boy up by his collar.

“Who is your Master? Why did you follow me?”

Luca showed no fear. He looked Jay straight in the eyes.

“You are my Master, and I am your pupil. Where you go, I will follow.”

Jay tossed Luca aside.

“I am not your Master. You are not my pupil. Didn't you know that a Master decides who will be his pupil, not the other way around?”

Luca wasn't put off. Instead, he got up and bowed low.

“Master, please accept me as your pupil.”

Jay knew exactly why he was doing this. He had seen a lot of himself in Luca.

Luca had been in The Annex for almost two years. He had been taken from an Old Value Elite Martial Arts School. He was the strongest fighter in The Annex at present, and his intelligence was above average.

While looking at Luca, a plan started to form.

Clasping his left hand over his right fist, Jay said, “Luca, I will accept you as my pupil. My conditions: You will not question me. You will not talk about any discussions we have. I will show you no mercy because there is no mercy in The Annex. Do you accept my terms?”

Luca also clasped his left hand over his right fist.

“Yes, Master. I do.”

“Tell me about your life before The Annex.”

Luca started by telling Jay where he was from. He had been introduced to martial arts and studying before he could even walk properly. His family was wealthy but valued the old traditions.

“Would you go back if you had a chance?”

“Yes, Master. I would not hesitate. I miss my parents and sister.”

“So, if we are on a mission and you have a chance to escape, will you?”

Luca was deep in thought for a minute.

“No, Master. My honour is to complete the mission. Then I will find a way to escape.”

“There is a very dangerous mission coming up in twelve days. I can use you. Do you want in?”

Luca looked at Jay with honesty in his eyes.

“Master, I already said, where you go, I follow.”

Jay messed up Luca's hair.

“Enough of this. You're getting lax. Down to the training grounds.”

Luca laughed and sprinted away.

Jay followed a few metres behind.

Jay knew Luca would be beaten when he returned to the training grounds. He had to learn that following Jay was not a privilege.

He walked to his room, took out the laptop, and typed in a few security passwords. There were several encrypted emails.

One of the emails was from an unknown address.

Jay smiled.

Many had tried to catch him this way.

He typed in a few codes, then opened the email.

He started reading.

Then frowned.

I know everything about you. If you want to talk, meet me at the Auction in twelve days. An hour before starting time. I will be holding the Lion's cane. Even if you don't respond, I will be there.

Jay smiled.

This person had been clever enough to find the right encrypted email address. That took skill. Leaving a subtle clue for Jay to find them only proved they had no idea who they were dealing with. Even a twelve-year-old wouldn't fall for that trap.

Of course, Jay would be there an hour before the appointed time.

Actually, he would be there long before that.

Jay called for Luca.

When Luca entered, he bowed.

“Master, you called for me.”

“Sit, Luca. I will give you a scenario, and I want your feedback.”

Jay relayed the exact scenario from the email to Luca.

“Give me your thoughts on that.”

Luca thought for a moment, then smiled.

“Master, they have no idea who I am. The man specifically mentioned the Lion's cane in the hope that I will expose myself. That is how he will know who I am.”

Jay laughed heartily. It was rare for anyone to hear him laugh like that.

He messed up Luca's hair.

“You are quite the clever one, huh?”

The praise made Luca smile widely.

“How good are you with technology?”

“Master, I am the best in the class. I also teach myself outside of class. Computers have been my main interest for as long as I can remember.”

Jay pulled out another laptop and handed it to Luca.

“Do you know anything about the Dark Web?”

“What is it that you want to know, Master?”

“The Auction is in twelve days. There is a certain object The Warden is interested in. We are not allowed to know what it is until he decides. How would you establish what the object might be?”

Luca sat for a long time.

Then he followed the same route Jay had taken.

He started with a list of the main articles from the past month, reading through them. His fingers moved rapidly over the keyboard.

After three hours, a knock on the door ended the search.

Jay got up and collected the delivery.

“I know you love sushi and seafood.”

Jay opened the bag and placed the food on the countertop.

“Help yourself.”

Jay left the room.

Luca dished up some food and started typing codes and algorithms.

When Jay returned two hours later, Luca excitedly said, “Master, I got it.”