Aric felt a sharp pain on his cheek. It burned hot as it turned red from the slap and turned Aric's head to the side. He was not surprised; he was already expecting some kind of physical punishment as soon as he arrived here.
He looked at the ground, trembling and humiliated by his powerlessness to disobey his own father.
"Your voice cracked. What did I tell you about weaknesses?"
Aric did not answer and just looked at the wooden flooring beneath him. He already knew that Maverick was posing a rhetorical question. He would have been punished for insubordination if he answered.
"We crush them until it disappears."
Maverick raised his hand as he spoke. He closed it in one big swoop as he finished his sentence, creating a shockwave just from that small action.
Aric flinched as he felt the shockwave coming towards him. It had been a while since he had been in the presence of his own father, and he had forgotten how strong he was.
It looked like his father had gotten even stronger these past few years, which made Aric fear him more.
*SLAP*
Aric was slapped again by Maverick. This time, the force was too powerful and made Aric tumble away with a cut on his cheek.
Maverick looked down at his own son with a cold glint. His chin was high up in the air as he spoke with a superior voice.
"We do not cower around here. We do not flinch in the face of power. I had taught you that when you were a kid, it seemed that it was not enough."
Aric held his cheek, and fury filled his face. Even though he could not do anything against his father, he could not let himself be tossed around like this. Aric gathered the courage in his heart and looked at Maverick with a fierce stare.
Aric's hair started to burst aflame, and the temperature around him rose until steam was produced in the air. His fury was displayed in his reddish fire.
Maverick looked down at Aric and flashed an imperceptible smile. His thoughts were mysterious, but strangely, there was a flash of joy on his face.
"You dare fight me, boy?!"
Aric still had his fierce eyes directed at Maverick. It was unwavering as the pressure around him multiplied until his head was forced down.
Aric tried his hardest to break the pressure, but it was too overbearing for him. The pressure continued to rise until his body was forced to the ground, and his flame dwindled in the windless room.
His wild fiery flame became a mere ember in the face of real power. Maverick just stood there as he looked down on Aric with a cold glint.
Aric panted as the pressure lessened his oxygen intake. His sweat was pouring down the floor, making it too slippery for him to try and stand up.
This was the kind of power that Aric wanted. He wanted the power that would force others down with just a mere look. He craved for this power, and he would pay for it at any cost, even if he had to learn it from his own father.
Maverick turned around and walked towards his desk. The pressure around Aric did not lessen one bit as Maverick walked away. Maverick sat on his black leather chair and sat on it with a carefree demeanor.
He spoke towards Aric, who was still struggling in the ground as he tried to break out of the pressure.
"Why now? Why do you suddenly want to learn from me?"
Aric heard the question and was prepared to answer. He tried to lift his head up, but the pressure was too intense. He tried to speak, but the pressure prevented him from accessing his vocal cords.
Maverick saw Aric struggling, but he did not lessen the pressure on him. Instead, he continued to amp up the tension. It was as if he was deliberately making things hard for Aric just to see him struggle.
Aric's whole body was shaking as he gathered all of his strength to open his mouth. He was able to open it, but no voice came out.
As Aric was struggling to speak, Maverick was looking at the holographic signs on his desk. He configured some of its settings, and he saw the information he wanted to know.
His eyebrows furrowed as he read the news on his desk. The frown turned into full-on anger as he figured out why Aric came to him.
Maverick read the pamphlet that Veer had spread throughout the school. It was presumably given by one of his spies inside the school, and it also depicted the events in The Prestige Club.
Maverick gripped his armchair tight until it burst into splinters. His anger was then transferred onto the pressure that Aric was enduring.
Aric had been progressing little by little, but once Maverick got angry, his whole face was shoved back into the ground.
It felt like his head was being squished until it would pop, and his body was starting to lose its blood flow. This was when Aric knew that Maverick was angry.
"What is this?"
Maverick spoke with a cold voice. It sent chills down Aric's spine as he figured out instantly what his father was talking about. He did not think that Maverick would find it so quickly.
Aric could not answer because his whole body was being pressed down to the floor. Maverick did not care about it as he continued to question Aric.
"You...you lost?"
Aric was now in a critical emergency. He knew that his father's wrath was nothing to scoff about. With his adrenaline pumping, he was able to open his mouth and speak.
"...I...he..."
Maverick did not seem to listen to Aric's excuses as he reread the contents of the pamphlet. It made him angrier and angrier as he looked at it.
"You what?! There is no excuse for losing!"
Maverick disappeared from his desk and reappeared right next to Aric. His leg was raised, and in a second, he kicked Aric's head down.
*crack*
Multiple bones in Aric's head broke and gave him injuries. He could feel the pressure of Maverick's foot digging into his skull with the attempt to break it.
Aric could do nothing as he tried hard to endure the pain in his head. He could not last for more than a second until he lost consciousness.
Maverick noticed this and pushed his leg further towards Aric's head. Aric was jolted awake from the pain, and he was forced to feel all the sensation of pain in his head.
His brain would shut down, and Maverick would force it to boot back up. This cycle continued until Aric was close to suffering permanent brain injuries.
Aric did not suffer permanent brain damage, but he suffered psychological trauma from this encounter. He had already expected this to happen because this had happened before when he was a kid.
Maverick would always give him corporal punishment until he learned his lesson. It forced him to work on his body and his techniques at a very young age. As Maverick would explain, 'it's for your own good."
Losing is not an option. This kind of thinking was engraved onto his brain until it became his nature. He hated Maverick for that, but it did give him the power that he always wanted.
As Aric got older, he started to rebel against his father and reject his teachings. It was too brutal, and Aric despised his father.
Aric did not know that Maverick's teachings would influence all of his actions. He did not know when, but he started to hate all those people who are weak. They just deserved to die for their weakness.
No one was weaker in Aric's eyes than Hugh. Hugh would always eat in the classroom and neglect his own physical hygiene.
Aric was forced to work out at a very early age, so when he saw Hugh taking it easy, it sparked a hatred in him. All Hugh did was eat and study, which would be useless in the real world; the thing most important in the world is power.
Without power, you would be less than garbage. That was what Maverick had taught him.
Now, the person that was lazing around and eating all day was stronger than him. He could never let that down. It should have been him who got the power.
Maverick looked down and saw Aric's hateful eyes. He knew that Aric hated the guy who had defeated him. He smiled, content to know that his son still had the will to crush his opponents.
Maverick reached down towards Aric's neck and twisted it with his own hands.
*CRACK*