At the time every single gaze was directed towards one person and one person only, the voice sharp enough to send shivers down one's spine. There was quite some distance between Chase and him, but he knew that even in his current best state he wouldn't be able to defeat him, hell not even the combined power of each and everyone in this arena wouldn't come close to his level of power and there were 5 others on his side, whose power was unknown. Struck with fear, no one in the arena was able to move, it was as if they had already accepted their fate.
"Is this the end? Is this all my dream was worth? I can't accept it, it's not just about my life alone, I carry the weight of the millions of orphans around the world, even the ones I haven't met, the ones I'll never meet, the innocents being slain in the name of war and nationalism. I wanted to be a light of hope for them, someone who would free them of this never-ending war. Was it a stupid dream to begin with? No! It wasn't, Greg believed in me and so did Alice. I have to get out of here somehow, I cannot allow myself to die here." he decided as he moved bit by bit toward the ring's door.
"Oh, we've got a lively one here!" said Lucas
Vines emerged from the ground and captured Chase, lifting him and cuffing both of his hands, as Lucas walked towards him.
"By what I've seen here, you- kid, can manipulate pure Urja by itself, really terrible at doing it but really good for your age though. This level of control over a life-threatening technique and your reckless way of fighting tells me that you have a healer and a mentor or maybe two in one. Come out Lt. Greg I know you're there, to think that a once great lieutenant now works for a kid who's an underground fighter, don't tell me that you're a fixer as well. Boy, am I disappointed in you!" yelled Lucas.
Greg walked into the ring, he had nothing to say, almost as if he'd accepted his fate as well, a lieutenant was two posts under a battalion commander and it seemed that Greg knew the early middle-aged man.
"I knew that you retired here, however, I had no idea that a guy I once stood up to would stoop so low," he said.
For the next few minutes all Lucas did was stare at the state of Chase's body, "You did this to him you know, you're the one at fault." said Lucas directing his sentence towards Greg. "Your powers, they will never let this boy grow completely, this kid as smart as he seems to be, probably noticed it as well. Now then as much as I'd hate to kill both of you, it is my final job, I can't let this be a stain in my pitch-perfect record as an agent, although it won't matter much when I take up my role as a battalion commander," he said slowly lowering the vines that cuffed Chase.
Leaning towards his ear he whispered, "Do you want to live?"
Chase who was baffled by the question didn't know how to answer, of course, he wanted to live, but there was close to no chance that Lucas would grant that, going down as a prideful man instead of begging for his life would indeed look better but those are all pointless tales, the only thing that pride does is destroy opportunities and relations. The facility was way more valuable than his worthless pride, so he decided to beg.
"Please don't kill me," he said, pleading for mercy.
"Then I'll offer you a deal, accept it and I'll spare your life."
"I will accept it," replied Chase.
"Just like that? What if I asked you to kill Greg? What if I asked you to kill your loved ones?" he asked
"Then I'll gladly kill myself."
Interrupting their conversion, dashed in another man removing his cloak, the man who Lucas referred to as Gabriel, "Sorry for stepping in mid-conversion, but what the hell are you thinking Sir Vulcan?!" he yelled.
"Oh Gabriel, you done capturing all the rats?"
"Stop changing the topic at hand Sir!" he said.
"Didn't think anyone could hear us from there, that's our Gabriel all right, always sharp when on duty."
"I don't know what deal you're talking about, but if you refuse to execute this boy then I will." he proclaimed, as he swung his sword towards Chase's neck only to be stopped by a wooden pillar emerging from the ground.
Now Gabriel too was cuffed by the vines,
"You're always ready to go aren't you, calm down, this is a personal matter, the bureau owes me this much for all the years I've served them," said Lucas.
"Let me go, Lucas you piece of shit, I will not hesitate to destroy this arena along with you!"
"There it is, the true form of my stern, polite underling. Don't worry, I will make sure all of the credit for this raid will go to you and after I'm posted in the military, I'll also make sure to reward you the promotion you deserve, the first to take the seat of the Superintendent Chief of the ECB at the age of 25. The Lincoln family will be overjoyed don't you think?" asked Lucas, offering him a blatant bribe.
"Really?"
"Really."
"Swear on your family's crest."
"I do, I swear on the Vulcan family's crest."
"Alright fine, let me go, I won't hurt the kid," he said
"Oi, old man! Come closer god damn it, how the fuck will you heal the kid from there?!" yelled Lucas.
Chase felt the pain slowly fade away as his body started to recover back to its normal state. As soon as Greg was done, Lucas grabbed Chase and walked towards the exit.
"Lucas! What do you want from the kid?" asked Greg.
"Like I told Gabriel, this is a personal matter. Something just between, me and the kid, also it would be better if the kid stays away from you, even you know that," he replied.
Somewhere in the forest near Chase's town,
"Your Shakti, I don't know if I can call it a Shakti but the power you wield is something far unique than anything I've seen in my entire life, and trust me, being in the bureau I have seen my fair share of powers. I watched your entire match, the way you fight, you probably have a very high battle IQ, higher than many nobles, the way your eyes register things, you're gifted with a strong body as well but not strong enough to sustain the power inside of you. You do not know how to tap into your true potential, I can help you with that." said Lucas.
Although the body and eye comments creeped Chase out a bit but someone as strong as Lucas was about to not only save his life but teach him how to get stronger.
"Do you know of the Vulcan family, Chase?" asked Lucas.
"One of the 6 great noble families of the country," he answered.
"I am Lucas Vulcan, the head of one of the branched families of the house, I don't have a wife, no kids either, for hundreds of years the Vulcan branched families have been considered weaker than the main family, whose head would inherit the bloodline skill, I want to change that, but someone like me could never, no one in the branched families or even in the country could, but you, with your potential, can defeat the chosen heir. That battle brain of yours, and the power you hold are perfect for it, your path lies in the weapons forged by the Vulcan family. I have the fortune and the power to grant anything you want, as of this moment I announce you as my only heir, I bestow upon you the name Vulcan."
"Wait WHAT? Aren't we moving way too fast here?"
"What do you mean by "what"? I could have killed you back then you know, your life is now mine, if you refuse I will not hesitate to cut you down," said Lucas, pressuring him with his bare aura.
"I know that but I can't just leave with you on a whim, I have a family of my own here, children and my mother who cannot survive without me, I also have dues to pay."
"An orphan, huh? No wonder a kid his age was down with the rats fighting to protect his shelter." Lucas thought to himself.
"Didn't you hear what I just said right now? I have the fortune to grant you anything you want, if funding the orphanage is what you want, I will grant it," said Lucas.
"You'd do that? Even though you don't really owe me anything?" asked Chase with a smile on his face.
"I will, the carrot does work better than the stick after all. You'd better show me the results because as sweet the carrot is, the stick is ten times bitter," said Lucas also with a smile on his face but one far more disturbing.