Braxis's vision abruptly plunged into darkness, and with a blink, the scene transformed into an ethereal white expanse. Bewildered, he glanced around.
"What the hell is happening?" he muttered.
Gradually, the blank canvas came to life, conjuring up a vivid scene. Braxis now found himself inside a house, gazing upon a younger version of himself, no older than eight.
A distraught young Harrison dashed past the boyish Braxis, tears streaming down his face. The sight of Harrison crying filled the older Braxis with mixed emotions.
A jeering gang of children chased Harrison, flinging pebbles at him and hurling cruel taunts.
One of the tormentors yelled, "Cry baby! I bet your dad bawled even more than you when your mom kicked the bucket!"
"You're nothing but a broke, pathetic loser now!"
A larger child with fatty muscles added with a sinister grin, "Quit running from us like you flee from your own damn problems, Harry!"
As the rabble of children neared young Braxis, he extended his arm, blocking their path.
"What, you gonna stand up for him?" a lanky boy, towering over his peers, sneered.
"Aw, is he your boyfriend?" another kid with a jagged scar jeered.
Young Braxis regarded the scarred child with a sigh of exasperation. "I can't believe you lowlifes are squabbling over who's more trash. Keep this up, and I'll make sure my father kicks you and your families to the curb."
"Oh yeah? You won't be so tough when your mom croaks like Harrison's!" The scarred kid spat in young Braxis's face.
Fury ignited within the young Braxis as he wiped the spittle away. "Guess I'll have to off your mom first instead to teach you a lesson," he growled, launching a barrage of punches and pummeling the group of bullies.
From his corner vantage point, Harrison watched the unfolding scene with a mixture of awe and disbelief. 'He's actually standing up for me! Maybe Braxis isn't as terrible as I thought,' he mused, his mind drifting back to a past encounter where Braxis had assaulted him over a misunderstanding.
In that incident, Braxis had wrongly believed that Harrison had stolen a treasured spellbook from him. The truth was far more mundane—Harrison had simply borrowed it without permission, intending to return it after a quick study. Despite his protests, Braxis had been relentless in his attack, fueled by a misplaced sense of injustice.
Now, as Harrison witnessed Braxis defending him, he felt a flicker of hope that perhaps there was more to Braxis than the cruelty and ruthlessness that had defined their previous interactions.
The young Braxis easily dominated the fight, beating the children and forcing them to beg for mercy. However, something suddenly halted the brawl.
The children's eyes widened in terror as they levitated off the ground, their bodies twisting as they struggled to break free.
"What's happening? Somebody help me! Waaahhh!" one of the kids wailed.
A thunderous voice reverberated through the air, "Which one of you brats dares threaten my wife?" followed by the ominous sound of heavy footsteps.
Gravis materialized before the petrified children, his fury discernable as he arrived to collect Braxis at the end of the school day.
"Speak up, or I'll make sure you never utter a word again," Gravis threatened, his voice cold and merciless.
Young Braxis, expressionless, pointed at the offending child.
"Braxis, you should know better. You speak when spoken to! You'll pay dearly for this unwarranted outburst," Gravis scolded as his eyes turned purple and he lifted Braxis by the head with one hand and hurled him against the wall.
Braxis let out a pained groan as he slid down the rough brick wall, leaving a trail of blood in his wake. The other children stared in horror at the gruesome scene before them.
'If he does that to his own son, what's he going to do to me?' the child who had insulted his family panicked.
"You, tell me your full name, brat," Gravis demanded, using his gravitational powers to yank the child before him.
"I-I'm Benjamin Thorne, sir! P-please forgive me!" Benjamin stuttered, quivering in fear and wetting himself.
Gravis grimaced at the sight. "Disgusting. Reminds me of when the Thorne family patriarch did the same thing in my presence. For the sake of nostalgia, I'll go easy on you."
"R-really?" Benjamin's fear began to ebb, and he even ventured a small, hopeful smile.
"Indeed. I'll only require one of your arms, not both," Gravis said, his twisted grin belying his gentle touch as he brushed Benjamin's head.
"NO!" Benjamin wailed, his face contorted with despair as he writhed like a cornered beast, fighting for his life.
Gravis extended his arm, channeling his gravitational magic, and slowly began to pull Benjamin's arm away. "Savor this moment, or I'll have to take the other one," he whispered menacingly into Benjamin's ear.
Harrison looked on in terror, clutching his hand over his mouth to stifle any sound that might drag him into the unfolding nightmare.
Suddenly, another adult bursted into the room.
"What the fuck are you doing to my son?!" The man's voice thundered with rage, his emotions raw and unchecked as he charged his most powerful spell. The air crackled with energy, as if the very atmosphere were being split asunder by his fury.
"Ah, Thomas Thorne. Perfect timing. Here's a gift," Gravis sneered as he intensified his magic with a flick of his wrist.
With a sickening, guttural sound, Benjamin's arm was wrenched from its socket like a tree limb ripped apart in the ferocious grip of a hurricane. The severed appendage spun through the air, a twisted and grotesque ballet of blood and torn sinew, tracing a crimson arc against the backdrop of horrified faces. Time seemed to crawl, as if even the seconds were repulsed by the grisly spectacle.
Thomas hesitated, the rage draining from him as he realized the futility of his actions. He lowered his arm, his hands shaking like leaves in a tempest of fear and disbelief as he caught the dismembered arm with a fleshy thud. The weight of his son's mutilation bore down on him like a mountain, a grotesque trophy of the monstrous power Gravis wielded—a chilling reminder of the cost of crossing paths with a force as merciless and unstoppable as a tidal wave of destruction.
Thomas Thorne clutched the severed arm tightly, tears streaming down his face. His child lay before him, writhing in agony with blood spurting from the stump where their right arm used to be. This was no ordinary limb lost; it was the very essence of a swordsman, the vital force that gave life and power to their craft. Thomas couldn't bear to witness the pain inflicted upon his beloved offspring.
The terror etched on everyone's faces was beyond description, except for one. Young Braxis, no stranger to such brutality, looked on with awe. "My dad is the embodiment of power," he whispered, unable to contain his excitement. "The way he controls gravity—it's like he can bend the very fabric of reality to his will. He's unstoppable!"
The fearsome power Gravis wielded was legendary, a force that could crush mountains and reshape landscapes as easily as a child molding clay. His mastery over gravity was unparalleled, allowing him to manipulate it as if it were an extension of his own body. With a mere flick of his wrist, he could send a foe hurtling through the air or create a gravitational pull so powerful that it could tear a man limb from limb. His enemies quaked in fear, and his allies watched in awe, all knowing that Gravis was not a man to be trifled with.
In that moment, young Braxis's admiration for his father was clear, his eyes shining with the fervor of a devoted acolyte. He saw not the cruelty and malice in his father's actions, but the raw, unbridled might that Gravis commanded—a power that he, too, yearned to possess.
Present-day Braxis, however, felt bile rising in his throat as he watched the scene unfold. 'No wonder he had such a terrible reputation... he was seriously messed up back then.'
The parents and teachers in the room bore witness to the gruesome spectacle, their faces contorted with horror. Yet, none dared to intervene. In the presence of the colossal power and status the Gravis family commanded, they were as insignificant as ants before an overlord whose might rivaled the most formidable kingdom known to man.
Paralyzed by fear and the looming threat of Gravis's wrath, they could only tremble and avert their eyes, their hearts pounding with the fervent hope that they might somehow escape the vicious tempest of his fury. The air in the room grew thick with tension, a suffocating miasma of dread that held them captive, forcing them to bear witness to the terrible price of crossing a man as merciless and unyielding as Gravis.
In the blink of an eye, Braxis was thrust back into the present, where the adult Harrison stood before him.