— Combat Arena 9: 30 am —
Captain Darius stood in the arena, his hands folded on his chest as he glared viciously. Even in silence, he was like a beast ready to pounce. Everyone made sure to maintain a distance of a hundred meters from the man.
Why was he mad?
The reason walked through the entrance, oblivious to the chaos he had caused. Professor Lysandra, Captain Darius, and the rest couldn't help but wear shocked expressions.
Kael walked in, his brown hair dyed black and the sides faded. He wore a sleeveless black shirt and trousers, his hands tied with black bandages.
"What has gotten into him?" Liora mumbled, a frown stretching across her face.
Kael walked up the stage and bowed to Captain Darius.
"I apologize; my haircut took longer than expected." Kael apologized, his voice low but firm.
It wasn't as shaky and feeble as it used to be. Captain Darius was taken aback, unsure of how to react to these changes. In just 24 hours, he had seen this coward go through psychological transformations.
As an enforcer, he felt the urge to take this opportunity to belittle Kael, but as an instructor who has trained numerous enforcers, he felt the urge to invest his time into this kid.
Captain Darius's face underwent a series of emotions before settling in a calm, cold gaze.
"Arriving late to my classes will not be tolerated no matter the reason. Ten laps around the tracks, go!" Darius barked.
"Yes sir!" Kael saluted, running into tracks without hesitation. Darius could only give an approving nod to Kael's behavior, a small smile playing on his lips.
After his loss, he expected Kael to be a bit arrogant but he was wrong.
"He knows his victory was a fluke and is willing to learn. Damn it, I can't find a reason to hate this kid." He mumbled.
—
Kael's hair whipped against the wind, beads of sweat dripping down his jaws as his thundering footsteps drowned his throbbing loud heartbeats.
From the corner of his eyes, Kael observed Eric unleashing his power under Captain Darius's surveillance.
"Ka'torr Vey'lah!"
The words rolled off Eric's lips like thunder as his body turned an emerald shade. Faint golden veins snaked around his greenish skin, pulsating with life.
His eyes turned reptilian as his black hair gained green stripes.
Hisssssssss!
Unlike Kael's domineering presence, Eric's presence was nearly non-existent.
Aaah!
Eric suddenly gasped, the green shade fading and the transformation undoing itself. He fell on his knees gasping for air like a man who just finished a marathon race.
"Why?" Kael muttered.
{The strain of active demi-beast genes placed on the human body can be crippling. Not many can withstand it.} Ra explained.
"But we fought and won with this power," Kael argued.
{Human, how long do you think that battle lasted?} Ra asked.
Kael's eyes narrowed as he thought hard. A few seconds later his eyes dilated in shock as he remembered Ra's words during the fight.
"Eight seconds, that's all I needed to make you transform… Pathetic." Kael repeated those words, his words barely a whisper.
{And that knocked you out for the entire day.} Ra reminded him.
Kael ran in silence, digesting Ra's words while stealing glances at Eric's kneeling figure.
"Your powers are amazing, but let's not be realistic; eight seconds won't do shit for me or anyone. There must be a way to increase the time limit, right?" He asked.
{Of course. Body tempering and soul nurturing} Ra gave a simple response.
"Is that the best you can do? To the tracks, give me ten laps!" Captain Darius barked like a convulsing dog, startling everyone.
In this condition?
How could he expect Eric to run in this condition?
"Did I stutter? " Captain Darius grabbed Eric's collar and pulled him up to his feet. "To the tracks!"
Buzz!
The entire combat training grounds went silent; everyone was shocked to the core. Eric was deep red, panting, and visibly weak, yet.
Kael stopped running, his eyebrows knitting. Their gaze shifted to Professor Lysandra, who simply stood silently. Since she wasn't interfering, it meant this was part of the training.
"Isn't this a bit too extreme?" Liora asked, her confidence fading as soon as Darius shifted his attention to her.
He let go of Eric, allowing him to fall to the ground, and approached Liora in slow but steady strides. Ten meters away, Mark stepped in, shielding Liora's figure with his body while Darius stopped.
"What do you think we fight beyond the empire walls, bunnies?" Darius snarled disdainfully, startling everyone.
"Professor Lysandra, what percentage of demi-beast remains was used for the mystic resonance for each student?" Darius shifted his attention to her.
"Ren and Liora, twenty percent… Mark and Eric ten percent … finally Kael, two percent." Professor Lysandra read off her tablet, it felt like she was prepared for this question.
Her answer startled Darius, who shifted his fearful gaze towards Kael.
'This kid only has 2% of Ra's strength?' Captain Darius shuddered at the thought.
He quickly regained his composure and continued his speech.
"Do you know how terrifying a demi-beast is at a hundred percent?... Do you know how many of us it takes to take down one God damn beast? … Do you know how many losses we endure just to gain a minor victory?" Captain Darius asked, his furious voice carrying a tinge of sadness.
"The sooner you understand that death is the only sure reward in this career path, the higher your chances of making it to 30," he added, his tone lowering as the fire in his eyes dimmed.
Thud!
Eric's struggles attracted everyone's attention. They watched him rise back to his feet, jogging down the arena to join Kael in the tracks.