The next two weeks passed like blurred tree passing from the window of moving car.
Soren woke at 05:30AM every morning. Trained until his legs gave out. Ate. Trained more. Fell into bed too tired to dream.
Instructor Vale pushed him harder each day. The treadmill speeds increased. Reaction drills got faster. She added obstacle courses with holographic targets that moved unpredictably.
"You're at ten percent," she'd say while he gasped for air while holding his chest. "That means you're barely enhanced. Act like it."
He did. Every morning he showed up sore. Every night he went back more sore. He didn't have time to think about anything else besides training, eating, and sleeping or more like, he couldn't do it anything else while this tired.
But something was changing.
His body adapted. His body started to change and he too felt it. What felt impossible week one became difficult week two. The world's slowness started feeling normal. His muscles began catching up to what his brain demanded.
**[You're improving faster than expected.]**
*Is that a compliment?*
**[Don't let it go to your head. You're still weak compared to what's coming.]**
*Thanks for keeping me humble.*
**[Someone has to.]**
Jake trained just as hard in the artificial heart wing. They'd compare bruises over dinner, too exhausted for real long conversation like that usual they used to do.
"Three weeks time ends tomorrow," Jake said one night, pushing food around his tray.
"I know."
"You ready?"
Soren looked at his hands. They didn't shake anymore when he pushed them. "Getting there."
"That's not a yes."
"It's the best I've got."
The combat assessment loomed over campus like a storm. Students talked about it constantly. Who'd place top ten. Who'd fail spectacularly. Betting pools formed.
Lyra seemed confident. Soren saw her sometimes during open training hours, moving through combat forms with liquid precision. Black panther DNA suited her. She could flow between strikes without wasting movement, disappear into shadows when the lights dimmed. He was confident that Lyra is going to be placed in high ranking without facing any difficulty.
Zara trained in the tech wing mostly, but he caught glimpses. Her dual hearts gave her stamina nobody else matched. She could run full speed for minutes without slowing. The artificial heart powered her while her natural heart recovered, then they'd switch. Endless endurance. Her speed and technique are unmatched. He can't remember if he has seen anyone else with this refined skills .
" Why these monsters are in same class as us, i can't even hit or catch them even if I try my best."
*[Sometimes you have to create monsters or become one to fight against monsters]*
And Soren?
He was just fast. Fast nothing else.
Not physically. His body couldn't move faster than other ten-percenters yet. But his mind processed everything in slow motion. He saw attacks coming before they landed. Gaps in defense opened up clear as windows. But his body was not able to move as fast as he was capable for now.
If his body could match what his brain saw, he'd be dangerous.
But it's "if" a very big "if".
Three days before the assessment, Vale called him over after training.
"You've improved," she said. She Didn't sound happy and impressed about it. "But you're still fighting against someone for first time. You have Insect DNA so everyone knows very little about it's combat abilities so use it against others wisely.
"What do you mean?"
She pulled up a hologram showing a tiger beetle hunting. The insect moved in bursts—completely still, then explosive speed, then still again.
"Tiger beetles don't move constantly like mammals do. They don't chase their prey. They wait , calculate the next possible moves of prey, pause, then strike faster than prey can react." She zoomed in on the beetle's eyes. "Their vision processes in frames, not continuous flow. Each pause lets them update visual data."
Soren watched the beetle hunt. It looked jerky, unnatural. Until the moment it struck, and then it moved too fast for the video to properly capture.
"You're trying to move like a human with better reflexes," Vale continued. "That's wrong. You need to move like a beetle with a human brain. Fast , accurate and decisive."
"How?"
"Stop trying to be fast all the time. Be still. Use your enhanced perception to read everything during stillness. Then move in bursts when you see the opening." She shut off the hologram. "Tiger beetles are ambush predators. Start acting like one. They don't attack again and again to hunt they only attack when the prey can't escape."
That changed everything. The way Soren used to think.
Next training session, Soren stopped trying to maintain constant speed and burning his stamina uselessly. He'd stand perfectly still, enhanced vision tracking everything. His brain slowed the world down. He'd see the patterns, the gaps, the moment to move.
Then he moved with burst.
Three steps at full speed. Strike. Stop.
It felt wrong. Unnatural to human standards . But it worked.
"Better," Vale said, and she almost smiled. "Keep training that training like that."
The night before assessment, Soren couldn't sleep.
He lay in bed staring at the ceiling while Jake snored across the room. His mind ran through scenarios. Combat trials. Obstacle courses. Whatever they'd throw at first-years.
Jake snored peacefully across the room. Lucky bastard.
Soren's AR terminal pinged. Message notification at 02:17.
He almost ignored it. Then curiosity won. And he opened his massages.
**Lyra: Hey**
Soren blinked at the screen. After a small pause he replied.
**Soren: Yeah. Can't sleep either?**
Three dots appeared. Disappeared. Appeared again.
**Lyra: Not even close.**
**Lyra: Assessment tomorrow and I'm just sitting here analyzing every possible scenario**
**Soren: Same. Except I'm thinking about all the ways I'm going to embarrass myself and going to lose to others **
**Lyra: Beetle boy have brain to think? Didn't think you have one when you chose Beetle DNA**
**Soren: How long are you going to stretch this?**
A pause. The three dots appeared again.
**Lyra: Grab coffee from the dispenser and meet me on the roof it's too freezing here?**
Soren looked at his ceiling one more time. Company sounded infinitely better than his own spiraling thoughts.
**Soren: Give me five**
**Lyra: Don't take forever. I'm serious about the freezing part**
**Soren: Then why'd you go to the roof?**
**Lyra: Seemed like a better option than my roommate's snoring**
**Soren: Fair enough**
He grabbed his jacket and slipped out quietly. Jake didn't even stir.
Lyra sat near the edge, legs dangling over from the edge. Her black hair caught the ambient light.
"Brought coffee." Soren walked over carefully. Heights didn't bother him but the edge still felt scary.
"My hero." She took one of the cups. Sipped it. Made a face. "Black really?"
"Didn't know what you wanted."
"Ummm." She drank it anyway. "Thanks."
Soren sat down a few feet away. Not too close.
"You nervous?" Lyra asked.
"Terrified. Yes."
"At least you are not an idiot ." She stared at the skyline. "I'm supposed to say I'm not worried. Combat family, training from young age, all that."
"But?"
"But I'm competing against other enhanced humans tomorrow. Some of them are talented. Some are trained. Some are both." She took another sip. "And everyone expects me to dominate because of my family."
"Pressure."
"Massive pressure." Lyra's amber eyes reflected the city lights. Predator eyes that probably saw better in the dark than his did. "What about you? Insect DNA user. Everyone's watching to see if you struggle to survive or make others to struggle for their survival."
"I don't know i am nervous myself but will do my best."
She laughed. Short, genuine. "We're a pair of same disasters."
"Yep."
They sat in silence for a minute. Not awkward silence. Just two people who couldn't sleep sharing space.
"Can I ask something?" Lyra finally said.
"Sure."
"Why insect DNA?" She turned to look at him. "Everyone knows it's dangerous. High failure rate. Most people who survive stay at low percentages forever. Why risk it?"
Soren thought about how to answer. The truth involved his previous life. Dying in a fire. Being obsessed with beetles across two lifetimes.
He went with the simpler version.
"I like beetles. Always have. When integration was an option, it felt right." He shrugged. "Maybe stupid. But right."
"Not stupid." Lyra kicked her feet slightly. "Instinct matters. Predators follow instinct. Sounds like you did too."
"And nearly died during integration."
"But you didn't. That counts for something."
"Does it?"
"Yeah." She looked back at the city. "Most people who choose safe options never do anything interesting. You chose the dangerous path. Still here. That's impressive."
"Or lucky."
"Maybe both."
Another silence. More comfortable this time.
"You're going to do fine tomorrow," Lyra said.. Saw you in training drills.
"But I don't know how to fight."
"Neither do most first-years. You've got two weeks of prep. They've got two weeks of prep. Equal ground." She finished her coffee. "Plus insect DNA is rare. Nobody knows how to counter it. That's an advantage."
"If I don't freeze up."
"You won't. Beetles are hunters. Instinct kicks in." She stood up, stretched. "Come on. We should try to sleep. Few hours at least."
Soren stood too. "Thanks for the company."
"Thanks for the terrible coffee."
"You drank it."
"Because I'm exhausted and needed caffeine. Not because it was good." She smiled "See you tomorrow, beetle boy. Try not to die."
"Same to you, predator girl."
Lyra headed for the door. Paused halfway. "Soren?"
"Yeah?"
"We're going to be okay tomorrow. Both of us." Her amber eyes caught the light again. "Just trust your instincts."
"I'll try."
She left.
Soren stood on the roof for another minute. The city hummed below. Tomorrow would come whether he was ready or not.
[That was nice of her.]
*Yeah.*
[You going to actually sleep now?]
*Maybe. For a few hours.*
[Good. Because tomorrow you need to not embarrass us both.]
He headed back inside. The dorm was still quiet. Jake still snoring.
Soren collapsed on his bed.
Tomorrow was assessment day.
Time to find out if insect DNA was genius or suicide.