"Well, what did you expect when you tried to confront that brat?" Lucas muttered to himself in the dimly lit prison cell, the echo of his voice bouncing off the damp stone walls.
His words hung heavy in the musty air, mingling with the scent of decay and neglect that permeated the cramped space.
"Damn it, I just keep forgetting that I'm trapped in this feeble human body." Lucas grumbled, frustration evident in his tone.
He punched the mattress in anger, sending a small puff of dust into the air.
The mattress was worn and stained with years of use. Its surface was coated with a layer of dust and grime, making it quite uncomfortable to sit on.
Lucas ran his hand over it, feeling the rough fabric scratch against his skin.
The room itself was scarcely larger than a closet, measuring no more than 30 square feet in total.
Its rectangular shape only accentuated the feeling of confinement, the low ceiling pressing down oppressively on Lucas's shoulders.
The walls, constructed of rough-hewn stone, were damp to the touch, their surfaces coated with a layer of moss and mildew.
Water dripped steadily from a leak in the corner, forming a small puddle on the uneven floor below.
A solitary torch flickered weakly in its sconce, casting long, dancing shadows across the dank cell.
Its feeble light offered little comfort to Lucas, serving only to accentuate the gloom that enveloped him.
"How do I get out of here? Is it even possible to escape with this body?" Lucas doubted himself.
With a resigned sigh, Lucas leaned back against the cold stone wall, his mind awash with uncertainty and frustration.
Just when he was about to continue his thoughts, the steel door creaked open, breaking the silence of the dreary cell.
He looked up to see a woman with fiery yellow hair enter, flanked by four guards clad in rusted armor.
It was Martha Landon, the very woman who had orchestrated his arrest.
"Ugh, what does she want now?" Lucas grumbled inwardly, his expression carefully neutral as he regarded her.
Martha's lips curled into a mocking smirk as she surveyed Lucas's cramped surroundings, her eyes gleaming with malice.
"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" she purred, her voice dripping with sarcasm as she sauntered into the cell.
"It looks like you're quite enjoying your accommodations, fatty." she taunted, her tone laced with venom as she took in the sight of Lucas sitting on the dingy mattress.
Lucas felt a surge of anger bubble up inside him at her ridicule. His fists clenched involuntarily at his sides, nails digging into his palms, leaving crescent-shaped marks.
"You think this is funny? Do you think you can do anything you want just because you feel like it?" he retorted, his voice tinged with barely restrained fury.
"I'll have you know that I don't plan on staying in this miserable excuse for a prison cell a moment longer than necessary."
Martha's smirk widened at his defiance, a cruel glint in her eye as she took a step closer to him.
"Oh, I'm sure you don't, Kid." she replied, her tone dripping with condescension.
"But you see, it's not up to you anymore. You're at my mercy now, and I plan on making sure you suffer here miserably." Martha said, her voice dripping with condescension.
Lucas's jaw clenched as he fought to keep his temper in check, his nails digging into the palms of his hands as he struggled to contain his rage.
"I'll give you one more chance." Lucas began, his voice a low, menacing growl that seemed to echo off the cold stone walls of the cell.
Each word dripped with a chilling intensity.
Stepping forward, Lucas's bulk filled the small space, his presence looming over Martha like a dark shadow.
With each step he took his belly fat jiggled vigorously.
He locked his eyes with Martha, his gaze piercing and unrelenting.
There was a palpable sense of danger looming in the air.
"Trust me." Lucas continued, his voice low and dangerous.
"I will do whatever I can to get the hell out of here." His words hung in the air, heavy with the weight of his determination.
"And when I do." he growled, his voice dropping to a menacing whisper.
"No one is going to save you from me." he said, his tone filled with chilling confidence.
Martha felt a chill run down her spine as she met Lucas's unwavering gaze.
There was something in his eyes, something primal and untamed, that sent a shiver of fear coursing through her veins.
Those eyes were not those of a nine-year-old.
"If you want a chance to live." Lucas continued, his voice dripping with menace.
"you better get rid of me now before I make you..."
His words hung in the air, a silent threat that lingered long after he had spoken.
As Lucas stood before her, his eyes were blazing with an intensity that seemed to pierce straight through her soul.
Martha's facade of confidence wavered for a moment as she stepped backward, her eyes flickering with uncertainty.
But she quickly regained her composure, her voice laced with a mocking tone as she responded,
"What can you do? You're just a snotty fat brat who only talks big and doesn't even know what to say."
A smirk played across her lips as she continued.
"Don't worry, I won't kill you now. Initially, I was just planning to let you die due to hunger, but now I've changed my mind. That's way too lenient for you."
Her words dripped with malice as she took a step closer to Lucas, her eyes glinting with sadistic delight.
"I will now torture you every day so badly that you will beg me to kill you." she declared, her laughter echoing off the damp stone walls of the cell.
Lucas's jaw tightened, a vein pulsing visibly in his temple as he struggled to maintain his composure.
The guards behind her shivered involuntarily at the mention of torture, their expressions revealed a mix of fear and disgust.
Martha's gaze locked onto Lucas, her eyes burning with a cold, merciless intensity.
"Let's see how many days can you even survive." she sneered, her voice filled with cruel satisfaction.
The guards exchanged uneasy glances, silently conveying their sympathy for Lucas's plight. But they remained silent, knowing better than to defy the will of their cruel mistress.
She turned on her heel and strode out of the cell, the guards following close behind.
As the door slammed shut behind them, Lucas slumped back against the wall, his chest heaving with exertion as he struggled to calm the storm of emotions raging inside him.
"This crazy bitch..." Lucas said in a low voice.
"Everything went wrong from the moment I arrived on this planet. Choosing a human body with no elemental affinity and then encountering that mentally unstable woman who imprisoned me just because I bumped into her..." Lucas gritted his teeth, the memories of the past few days stirring up a whirlwind of emotions within him.
"Even though I shouldn't be letting this anger get the best of me, I am just now able to keep up with this.."
"I cannot even recollect the number of times I thought of destroying this place..."
Lucas closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
'How long has it been since someone has ever treated me like that.'
'If it was before, I wouldn't hesitate to erase this whole galaxy out of existence.' Lucas muttered to himself.
"Should I just use a tiny bit of my power to get out of here? But no... the consequences could be catastrophic."
"No... this body is way too fragile."
"If I were to release even a fraction of my power in this body, it would be destroyed instantly, not to mention the catastrophic aftermath it would cause... perhaps even obliterating this entire planet and that is the case which i want to avoid at all cost."
"Then the only thing I can do is improve the physique of this body and then slowly try to supply a tiny power of my former body which will be more than enough for me to survive in this world."
"Alright then, Let me find a suitable technique." Lucas muttered, closing his eyes and starting to search for suitable physical training manuals.
"Celestial Strength Codex... nah, the requirements are quite harsh... Astral Alignment Art... the constitution is not up to par..."
"This are all way too high technique for this body, let me look for some more low level ones.. and the ones which can handle my body."
Lucas started searching for the manual befitting of his constitution.
"hmm Sage's Stone Strength... its going to take a long time... Phoenix Rising Rejuvenation.. its pretty good but I don't have the suitable environment for it.."
After a while, Lucas finally found he suitable training manual.
"Tome of Unyielding Fortitude... What a cringe name... but this is the only manual that suits me considering I don't have much time left." Lucas sighed.
"I really didn't want to resort to this technique as this is basically for the masochist... "
This training manual is designed to enhance the body's endurance and bone structure through enduring pain and stress.
This training is especially effective for young individuals, as their growing bodies can adapt more readily to the intense conditioning.
The time required to progress through the manual is unknown and mostly depends on the individual's ability to endure pain and survive the training.
"There are eight levels in this manual and seems pretty decent."
"I really can't imagine how I will be training on this.." Lucas thought.
But then a wild, determined look flashed in his eyes.
"OHH YESSS!!!" he yelled, clenching his fists.
"Give me more pain!"
he imagined himself saying while getting hit by a staff madly, his body toughening with each strike.
Suddenly, reality crashed back in, and Lucas shivered just thinking about it.
"Nope, not in a million years." he said, shaking his head vigorously.
"Let's drop this idea.."
"I don't even know if I will be able to leave this place before I enter the preliminary stage of the technique.. What if she just decides to kill me the next day?" Lucas hesitated.
The physical strain seemed insurmountable, especially in his current predicament.
"I can use my soul power to escape." Lucas mused, the idea taking root in his mind.
"HEHEHEHE! Why couldn't I think of that before? If I thought of it before, I wouldn't have wasted my time talking with that kid and just finished her off" Lucas laughed maniacally while talking to himself.
Lucas closed his eyes, focusing inward to find the core of his true power. The cold, damp cell seemed to fade as he reached deep within himself, drawing on the wellspring of energy that had always been his.
He could feel the familiar, strong pulse of his soul power, the energy that defined his true essence. His breathing slowed, becoming deep and measured as he harnessed the energy within him.
He imagined the steel door of the cell bending and breaking under the force of his soul power.
The steel door was the first barrier he needed to overcome.
Lucas took a deep breath and summoned his mental energy.
He felt the power surge through him like a current of electricity.
The air around him crackled with intensity.
Outside the cell, the guards watched in shock as a strange glow began to emanate from Lucas.
The very air seemed to vibrate with his power. Lucas focused all his will on the door, visualizing it bending and breaking under the force of his mind.
Lucas opened his eyes, and they glowed with yellow hue, the sheer intensity of his power manifesting visibly.
He raised his hands, palms facing the steel door, and made a pushing gesture. As he did, a faint, shimmering aura surrounded his fingers, the air crackling with invisible force.
"Break." he commanded, his voice resonating with authority.
The door began to tremble and groan, the steel protesting under the invisible force.
Lucas's hands moved slowly forward, the gesture guiding his mental power to press against the door. The energy around him intensified, and the air crackled with raw power.
The door twisted and bent, metal screeching as it gave way to the relentless force.
Lucas's eyes glowed brighter, and with one final, powerful push, the door crumpled and shattered, the sound echoing through the corridor like a thunderclap.
BOOOOMMM!
The steel buckled and broke, pieces scattering across the floor.
He stood amidst the remnants of the shattered door, casting eerie shadows on the cell walls.
As he stepped out, his presence seemed to fill the corridor, an aura of raw, untamed power radiating from his small, human form.
The guards sprang into action, weapons drawn, their faces a mix of fear and determination.
They moved to block Lucas's path, but their resolve wavered as they took in the sight before them.
"Stop right there!" one of the guards barked, his voice trembling despite his attempt at authority.
Lucas's eyes locked onto the guard, and he raised a hand, fingers curling slightly. The air around him thickened, a palpable force pressing down on the guards, making it hard for them to breathe.
"You really don't want to do this." Lucas said, his voice calm but carrying an otherworldly resonance that sent chills down their spines.
"Stand down."
The guards hesitated, the weight of Lucas's words and the power behind them causing their resolve to crumble.
One by one, their weapons faltered and lowered.
The air grew colder, and the force of Lucas's presence was almost suffocating.
Lucas took a slow, deliberate step forward, his gaze never leaving the guards, each movement exuding an air of unyielding dominance.
Each step he took seemed to echo with power, the ground beneath him trembling slightly. The guards, unable to withstand the overwhelming pressure, stumbled back, their eyes wide with fear.
"What a bunch of weaklings."
With a final, contemptuous glance, Lucas walked past the guards, his steps unhurried and confident.
His aura was so intense that it left a trail of oppressive energy in his wake.
The guards could only watch in awe and terror, unable to comprehend the sheer force that had just walked through them.
"Remember this.." Lucas said without turning back, his voice a low growl that reverberated through the corridor.
"The next time you cross me, there will be no mercy."
The guards shuddered, their minds reeling from the encounter.