"Miko. You aren't doing it correctly. You need to twist your arms up when you slice. You may be working out, but that's not helping your weapon strength. You can't just punch all the Pathogens." Moraco said. Miko was standing there, his fists balled up, his eyes had tears lightly in them.
"I get it! I just need more time!" The young Miko yelled.
"Yeah. A lot more too." Moraco said, a smile crossing his face. He approached Miko slowly, placing his hand onto his shoulder and pulling him closer.
"You just need patience and confidence Miko." He stated, pushing Miko away softly. "You'll do just fine if you just try your hardest, no matter what injuries you get, you always fight."
Miko looked up at Moraco, knowing he wouldn't need to for much longer, as his growth spurts had begun once again.
"Teacher... thank you," Miko said quietly, one of the first times he ever spoke quietly. Miko left and headed home for the day, while Moraco headed to the town hall. He sat at his desk and watched Imode, who slept peacefully on her papers.
Moraco stood up, approached Imode, and moved the papers away, slipping one of her couch cushions under her head. "Nighty Night." He said, gently brushing her hair before walking back to his seat. He sat down. Bad thoughts began in his head. Thirst for power, for being the president.
"No. I can't go through with that... I must... stop this..." he told himself, trying his hardest to keep his other side down and out. He couldn't let it take control now... not now especially. "You don't control me." He said, pushing the thoughts out of his head. If it took control once more... he could never go back to how he was ever again.
A knocking noise at the door. Moraco shot up, rushed to the door and twisted the handle, pulling the door open and peering outside the room, his eyes wide and bloodshot.
"Teach. I need the keys to the storage... room." A female student said, holding a volleyball. Moraco jolted forward, pulling her into the dark room.
***
"She's missing."
"No way, she has to be dead."
"Where did she even go?"
"She didn't tell me..."
Rumors. It's all Miko heard the next morning. A girl was missing, and Moraco had not contacted Miko yet about his training lesson later that day. Miko grew increasingly afraid of what might have happened to the girl, and why his Teacher was avoiding everyone.
"He probably killed her." A voice echoed down the school's halls. Miko turned around and could see two girls gossiping while pointing to a picture of the Vice-President.
"Without Imode finding out? I don't know..." The other girl whispered back, turning to look at Miko, she waved her friend to follow her, and they left to continue somewhere more private. Miko felt sick to his stomach. His teacher showed some signs of excessive aggression toward people at random, he was hoping the whole thing wasn't true.
***
"Sir!" Miko yelled, knocking on the door to the President and Vice President's room.
The door creaked open slowly, a head peeks out, and Moraco simply steps out, smiling, looking completely normal. Miko walked away with Moraco, telling him about what the girls had said about him, and Moraco denied the claims, yet Miko couldn't understand why there was a bloody volleyball on the floor of the room in the dark... maybe... deep inside, he knew the truth.