Immediately, Xeris's opponent charged forward, attacking.
Xeris's eyes did not react as the fist in front of his face approached. Instead, he stepped lightly to the side, causing his opponent to miss.
His opponent turned, a wild look in his eyes as he continued to attack fiercely. For the first part of the battle, he did nothing but dodge and lightly defend.
Xeris only used the minimal amount of movement to combat his opponent's attacks.
Fenric's expression was that of slight confusion, while the instructor in the corner had a look of interest.
"Stop running and fight me already!" his opponent shouted, swinging another punch at Xeris.
This time, Xeris didn't dodge. He caught the punch and pulled his opponent forward in one swift motion. As the boy stumbled in, Xeris stepped forward, sweeping his leg lightly against his opponent's feet.
It all happened in an instant.
Before Bren could react, his balance vanished, and he was falling backward. Surprise flashed through him – confusion sweeping his limbs – right before the hard thud of the ground wiped everything away, leaving only pain in its place.
Looking up, he saw Xeris standing over him, looking down at him.
Anger, injustice, and resentment. All of these emotions swelled inside of Bren's heart. He stood, getting to his feet quickly.
He sneered at Xeris.
"Letting me get up was your biggest mistake. I will make sure you regret it."
Xeris smiled lightly.
Useful. Your threat will let me display just enough skill to satisfy the instructor.
Bren was slightly dazed at Xeris's smile before he was hit square in the chest.
Pain! A strong sense of pain shot through Bren's body as he involuntarily gripped the place he was hit.
Xeris wasn't trying to harm him; it's just easy to forget how much pain a simple blow can deliver.
Xeris continued to strike the student, only using basic moves; however, they were clean and concise. It was clear that Xeris had experience with fighting.
During this, his opponent did not retaliate; he only defended.
The situation had reversed entirely from earlier.
Finally, after doing his last attack, Xeris stopped. He first glanced at his opponent, who was staring at him, still covering his head from defending the earlier attacks.
Xeris turned, looking at the instructor in the corner; she had an evident expression of interest in her gaze.
"This is more than enough," Xeris spoke.
Glancing up, toward Fenric, Xeris laughed inwardly.
Fenric's expression was one of complete bemusement.
He could clearly tell how much Xeris had held back in that exchange. If Xeris had used his full strength, his opponent could have been seriously injured. And yet, knowing Xeris as he did, Fenric had expected him to approach the match with complete seriousness.
Instead, Xeris had relied only on level-one techniques – basic attacks and basic defenses. Fenric was the sort of instructor who always wanted his students to give everything they had. Of course, he understood why Xeris held back, but understanding didn't stop the sting of disappointment.
Reason alone never fully changes how a person feels.
Fenric snapped out of his daze.
"The match is over." He spoke. The energy was temporarily gone from his voice.
Xeris continued walking back towards the wall.
Bren sat watching Xeris walk away, embarrassment and indignation flooding throughout his body.
He glared at Xeris before getting up, limping off towards his seat.
The matches continued; however, nothing remarkable occurred throughout them.
Glancing one last time at Xeris, Fenric announced that this test was over, and they were dismissed.
Xeris did not move, staying seated. His eyes were closed, and his head was relaxed back against the wall behind him.
Students stared at him as they left. He left an impression on everyone today with his performance in his match.
Both instructors glanced at him as they walked from the room. Fenric's gaze, one of subtle resignation, the female instructor's, one of interest and satisfaction.
They watched the same match, yet left with entirely different feelings – shaped by their differing perspectives, and by the female instructor's lack of awareness.
She felt she had watched a promising student use basic movements in a way that was controlled and precise. This was true.
Fenric felt he had watched his student toy with his opponent, not demonstrating any of the things he knew Xeris was capable of. This was also true.
Xeris felt amusement when thinking of this.
Why reveal more than necessary?
This was the only control Xeris possessed. Compared to any cultivator, he was weak, so all he could do was shape the perceptions of those around him.
The room was silent for a moment before he heard a noise in front of him.
Xeris opened his eyes just in time to see a foot hurtling toward his face.
His attacker had tears spilling down from both eyes, and his hair was disheveled. This person, of course, was Bren, the student whom Xeris had just defeated.
Xeris's eyes opened wide for a moment before reacting quickly.
Blocking only did so much; Xeris couldn't entirely redirect the kick, and it connected on his right cheek.
A thin line of warmth traced his cheek, cutting through the numbness the kick had left behind.
Xeris rolled to the side, getting to his feet.
Bren was not going to let Xeris off; he charged forward, continuing his attacks.
Xeris's face was emotionless, as he did the bare minimum to defend.
Bren's face was full of tears; he was crying profusely and cursing Xeris as he continued to attack.
The exchange dragged on until Bren finally collapsed to his knees, hand pressed tight to his chest.
No strike had caused it. Something within him had shifted.
Bren stared down at himself, eyes wide, but still wet. Realization swept through him as he discovered that, inside him, there was now a complete and fully formed Aris.
His mind was involuntarily sucked into his Aris as he watched the basin before him fill with white, cloudy Nyxa.
A moment later, he snapped back to reality.
Xeris watched with narrowed eyes as a white aura surrounded Bren.
Bren kept his gaze fixed on his trembling hands, tears spilling freely, yet the urge to attack Xeris had drained away.
He spoke in a shaky voice, "Hey… I… I am so sorry!" Bren began to sob, placing his hands on the ground before him.
"I am so sorry for kicking you! You didn't deserve that! I… I was just so upset–"
The apology ended there. Xeris's kick struck his side, tearing the air from Bren's lungs.
Bren curled into himself, eyes wide, gripping his stomach.
Kicking a man while he was down? Didn't Xeris feel any shame? Why would he? Wasn't this the same boy who had struck him while his eyes were closed?
Xeris did not stop here; he walked over to where Bren lay and smashed down with his heel.
Bren screamed, staring with horror at his hand beneath Xeris's foot.
"Get up," Xeris spoke, lifting his heel.
Bren pulled his hand back quickly. Struggling to get to his feet. The anger that was previously in his eyes was now gone, replaced with terror.
Xeris attacked, kicking Bren backwards into a wall.
His head was light, and he was struggling to keep his eyes open. The world felt like it was spinning, his entire body hurt, and he was exhausted. He looked up, a figure with dark black hair and eyes like an abyss stood before him.
Fear. Fear was the only thing Bren could feel when looking at this person. He no longer wanted revenge for the earlier embarrassment. All he wanted was to escape.
Xeris stared down at him before speaking, "I want something that you have."
A ray of hope appeared before Bren. This was, of course, intentional. Xeris had not attacked Bren because of something as foolish as anger or revenge. From the start, Xeris stayed seated because he hoped for the situation now before him.
"What! What do you want?! I can give it to you if you stop attacking me!" Bren shouted.
Xeris kicked again at Bren's injured hand. "Are you sure? I haven't even told you what I want."
The kick landed, and pain shot through Bren's body again.
Bren cried out again, "Yes! I will give you anything! Please stop!"
Xeris squatted down, whispering something in Bren's ear. Bren's eyes went wide for a moment, but he quickly agreed.
Xeris helped him get to his feet and started walking him towards the door. However, before he could leave, someone stepped into the room.
That person's excitement froze. The bag they held fell from their hands as they stared at the two students standing before them.
They looked at Bren, then at Xeris again.
"Bren, are you okay?" Their eyes flicked back to Xeris, anger clearly visible in their gaze.
Bren did not respond, only shaking his head slightly.
"You piece of shit! I am going to make you pay." The student shouted.
"Why draw conclusions before you understand anything?" Xeris spoke.
The student before them paused, hesitation evident as they glanced again at Bren.
"Were you not the one who attacked Bren?"
A quiet stillness momentarily engulfed the room.
"I was," Xeris spoke with a subtle grin on his lips.
"Then I was right, you bastard!" he shouted. "You never should've touched my friends. I'll make you regret it!"
Xeris stood for a moment, not saying anything. The silence was loud. Xeris moved his hand away from Bren, who collapsed without the support.
Xeris spoke.
"So you're loud and slow. How unfortunate."
The student before him kicked his bag out of the way, charging forward. He swung and missed, leaving himself exposed. Xeris took the opportunity to deliver a firm slap across the student's face.
The student's shocked expression quickly blurred as tears involuntarily welled in his eyes from the slap. Xeris wasted no time, attacking repeatedly. Soon, this student was forced into the same position as Bren. Xeris had erased all feelings of anger, replacing them with fear and the desire to escape.
Xeris was about to speak when he sensed eyes on him.
He turned, looking towards the door.
In the doorway stood Salea Vayne. She had a serious expression, her eyes narrowing when they met Xeris's gaze.
Her attention was quickly attracted to something else in the hall. She glanced one final time at Xeris before nodding slightly. She turned to leave.
Xeris paused for a moment before he laughed inwardly.
His gaze focused back on the student in front of him. His indifference was horrifying. This student quickly agreed to Xeris's request.
The two students left together, both limping and leaning on one another for support.
So this was Saela's way of agreeing to my request. Well, it seems I made gains quicker than I anticipated.
A smile formed on Xeris's lips.