Wrath's Virtue

Erik, along with every other child who had witnessed the exchange, stared at Aurelion in stunned silence.

After a moment, the shock on Erik's face curdled into a mix of pride and raw anger.

"You? You're challenging me?" he sputtered. "On your first day? Have you lost your mind?"

Aurelion first glanced over at his old friends then he turned his gaze back to Erik. "Why aren't you answering, Erik of the Ursine clan?"

Just then, the guard who had escorted him arrived at the scene.

Aurelion pointed a thumb at the guard.

"Look, our referee is ready. I've prepared everything for you," he said with a condescending smile.

The guard looked from Aurelion to Erik, then, instead of intervening, he simply crossed his arms and stared at Erik, waiting for an answer.

Aurelion's smirk widened as he, too, watched Erik.

Drawn by the commotion, a few other students began to approach, their interest piqued.

An older boy with silver hair stepped forward from the growing crowd.

"Hey, Erik, everyone's waiting for your answer," the older boy called out with a grin.

"Why don't you show us the strength of the Ursine clan and put this newcomer in his place?"

Aurelion looked at the silver haired boy. "He seems certain that this Erik can't beat me," he thought,

His eyes narrowed slightly. "He must just want to see my skills for himself."

Erik spun around. "Mind your own business, Fendrel!" he yelled.

Before turning back to Aurelion, his face was red with anger. "The Ursine clan does not run from a fight! I accept your challenge, Elf!"

Aurelion's smile grew wider.

"Good. Let's begin then, Erik of the Ursine clan," he said, opening his arms in a gesture of invitation.

"Here? Now?" Erik asked, taken aback.

"What about the rules?"

Aurelion's gaze swept over the other children who were watching intently.

He looked back at Erik. "The audience is ready. As for the rules, I don't care. How do you want to fight, Erik?"

Erik scanned Aurelion and his eyes settling on the spear strapped to the elf's back. A flicker of understanding crossed his face as he remembered the rumors of Aurelion's fight with Instructor Arne.

"Unarmed," he declared. "Real men let their fists do the talking."

Aurelion was surprised to hear this and then he couldn't help but laugh. "Real men aren't afraid of getting hurt too, you pig." he thought.

"Fine by me," he said.

Aurelion then turned to the guard. "We're ready."

He looked back at Erik, a challenging glint in his eye. "Aren't we, Erik?"

Erik slammed a fist against his chest. "Yes!" he growled.

The guard let out a sigh. "Don't overdo it, and you stop when I say stop."

Aurelion gave a slow nod. Erik, however, grinned. "Of course, referee. Don't worry."

"Begin!" the guard yelled.

"Bear's Strength!" Erik roared, charging toward Aurelion.

As he ran, the veins on his arms bulged and his skin flushed red with effort.

Aurelion calmly assessed the incoming charge. "He's a snail compared to Arne," he thought.

"There's no need to enhance my physical vision for this." With a single, fluid motion, he used a Kinetic Step to appear at Erik's side and hooked his foot around the boy's ankle, sending him stumbling.

Erik caught his balance quickly and, with another roar, charged again.

"Bear's Claw!" he shouted.

This time, a sharp, dark brown energy erupted from his fingers, forming vicious looking claws.

The sight slightly intrigued Aurelion.

Erik closed the distance and began swiping wildly with his energy claws.

Aurelion dodged with short, precise steps, leaning his body away from the attacks.

One of his hand seals began to glow faintly. "He's using his energy actively, fighting like a feral animal," Aurelion analyzed.

"I can afford to shift the scales to my energy vision."

As another claw swipe came for his face, Aurelion ducked under it. While passing by Erik's right side, he reached out and touched the boy under his arm with his open palm.

It was an application of his "Touching the Flow" technique, a subtle and targeted strike.

Erik stopped and slowly turned around. "What's the problem, elf? Come on and fight me like a man!"

Aurelion's seal pulsed again as he enhanced his physical vision.

He smirked.

He used his Kinetic Flow Steps, vanishing from his spot and reappearing instantly at Erik's side. With the momentum, he lashed out with his left foot, aiming a powerful kick at Erik's head.

Erik grinned. "Got him! The elf is dumber than he looks. A little provocation and he attacks directly,"

He raised his right arm to block the kick. But... his arm wouldn't move. A sharp pain shot through it.

"What?"

BAM!

The kick connected side of Erik's head, and he crashed to the ground.

Aurelion looked down at the fallen boy with a faint smile. "A sudden movement with Kinetic Steps and a powerful blow with the Kinetic Chain technique makes for a good combo," he thought.

Using his arms for support, Erik slowly pushed himself up.

The world was still spinning as he raised his head and when he look up, he was met with the sight of Aurelion leaning over him and smirking down at him.

"Erik of the Ursine clan. Get up. Let's fight like men, come on."

Erik scrambled backward, getting into a defensive stance, and only then did he realize he could only raise his left arm. His right arm was trembling uncontrollably at his side.

He stared at it in shock before looking back at Aurelion. "What did you do to me?"

"What did I do?" Aurelion feigned innocence.

"Did you see me do anything strange, Erik of the Ursine clan? Stop whining and come on. Everyone is watching you. The honor of your clan is on your back."

Hearing those words, the hairs on Erik's arms stood on end.

He grit his teeth and began to force his right arm up. He grunted with pain as the same dark brown energy from before enveloped the trembling limb, finally allowing him to raise it into a proper guard.

He stood there, waiting defensively.

Aurelion watched the serious boy with amusement. "There's no one who can't be smartened up by a beating," he thought.

"He's not charging blindly anymore."

"Since you won't come to me, then I'll come to you, Erik of the Ursine clan," Aurelion said. His voice was carrying across the courtyard.

"Prepare yourself. I'm going to break your nose now."

"My nose? He just said where he's going to attack. But why? Is it a distraction, or? -" Erik's worried thoughts were cut short as Aurelion shot forward.

Instinctively, Erik brought both arms up to cover his face.

Aurelion with his physical vision enhanced by his seal, watched every expression, every tensing muscle.

As he reached Erik, he grabbed one of the boy's raised arms. Using the momentum of his own charge, he twisted his body, pulling Erik's arm with him and throwing the larger boy over his back.

Erik slammed onto the ground, the air forced from his lungs. He scrambled to sit up, and as he did, he saw a foot coming straight for his face.

CRUNCH—

The sound of breaking bone was sickeningly loud.

Erik cried out in agony, rolling on the ground and clutching his face.

Aurelion looked down at him with a surprised expression. "Hey, Erik, are you okay? What's the problem? Weren't you supposed to show me the strength of the Ursine clan? Why are you whimpering on the ground like a little girl, Erik? Why don't you get up? Fight me."

The guard finally stepped in. "That's enough, kid. You win."

In the crowd, Kael looked at Lyra with a smile and Lyra avoided his gaze, her face was already pale. But Elara, despite the bloody scene before her, was smiling as she watched Aurelion.

This time, Aurelion looked at the guard in a confusion. "I won? Was it that easy?"

He turned his gaze to the stunned onlookers. "But weren't they all watching me for this? Didn't they all want to challenge me at the right moment and take me down? Weren't they supposed to show me the strength of their clans?"

He looked back at the whimpering Erik as if confused. "I thought Erik of the Ursine clan was the strongest among them. That's why I challenged him. Or... are there those among you who watched this fight who are even stronger than Erik?"

He turned to the crowd of children, his eyes focusing on those with clan emblems.

He took a step toward them, stopping in front of a boy from the Frozen-Axe clan. "Maybe there are a few men with balls here who can show me the power of their clans. Do you have balls?"

"What-what are you saying, elf?" the boy stammered.

"Do you have balls?" Aurelion repeated.

The boy just stared in shock.

"Guess not," Aurelion said, turning to another boy.

"How about you? You don't either? And you? No?"

He pointed to several others. "Or you? Or you? Do none of you have balls?"

A savage smile began to spread across Aurelion's face as he spoke, his voice was rising. "Is there not one stupid son of a bitch among you who won't whimper on the ground like a little girl, who can withstand my blows, who can fight in a way befitting the honor of their clan, who is stupid enough to have the absurd thought that they can actually defeat me?"

Aurelion looked from face to face and his gaze finally landing on Fendrel. "What about you, Fendrel?"

The silver haired boy, his previous grin was completely gone, stared back at Aurelion.

"I have no quarrel with you," he said.

"Oh, you don't?" Aurelion replied.

"So if I were to challenge you right here, you would refuse because you have no quarrel with me? Or more importantly," Aurelion added, his voice was dropping slightly.

"Could you look your clan leader in the face if you refused my challenge?"

Fendrel's brow started furrow.

However, Aurelion's smile was predatory. "Tell me, Fendrel. You were very happy when I challenged Erik. Would you be as happy if I challenged you now?"