Wrath's Virtue

Aurelion and Ylva continued their breakfast in silence.

As he ate, Aurelion occasionally studied Ylva from across the table.

"She's been tasked by Viggo to challenge and defeat me, and it's highly likely Ulrich intentionally arranged for our rooms to be opposite each other. Yesterday, Fendrel deliberately tried to inflame my challenge with Erik for information. They're trying to recruit me into their clan, and they're making moves to do so. Ylva is a naive girl. Keeping her close and making her trust me will be useful. I can use her against the other clans as well."

With these thoughts, he placed his spoon on his plate.

At that moment, the other children were also starting to finish their breakfast, and the woman who had shown Aurelion his room yesterday entered the hall, a list in her hand.

The woman clapped her hands, and all attention turned to her.

"Alright children, you will now have your first lesson. Everyone gather outside."

When everyone had gathered in the courtyard in front of the building, a Northerner came before them.

This was a man dressed in black, comfortable clothes, with black hair and a weary look in his eyes. He simply stood there with an exhausted indifference.

The man approached the woman. "Frida, are they all here?"

"Yes, they're all here. Their bellies are full, and they're ready for training."

The man gave a slight nod and turned to the children, his eyes were scanning them.

Meanwhile, the children were whispering among themselves. "Who is this?, A new instructor?"

The man began to speak before the whispers died down. His voice was also tired, but it was clear enough for everyone to hear.

"My name is Sten. I am your basic endurance and energy manipulation instructor. After you reach a certain level in my class, you will attend specialized lessons in specific fields."

The man then seemed too lazy to speak further and turned his back. "Follow me, and remember the place we're going to your minds. You'll be coming on your own tomorrow."

The man started walking, and the children followed.

From the back of the group, Aurelion studied the man. "This man is like Faelan, but in reverse," he thought.

"This weariness isn't normal."

The man led them to one of the semi open training buildings that Ylva had shown Aurelion that morning. As they neared the building, the man stopped and turned to the children.

He pointed with his hand to the stone paved path surrounding the building.

"Your first lesson will be a warm up. You will run until I say stop. Those who fall behind or give up will continue to run while the others rest. Understood?"

As the children opened their mouths to answer, "Under—"

Sten cut them off. "Whatever. Begin."

After a moment's hesitation, the children started to run. Some, especially the Northerners, sprinted to the front, trying to show off their strength.

Ylva was among them, maintaining a determined pace in the front ranks.

Aurelion, however, ran in the middle of the pack at a calm, measured pace.

He had only one goal in his mind. To use his energy with maximum efficiency, to control every step and every breath. He was using the kinetic chain technique to use his energy in the most efficient way, and with what he knew of the law of conservation of energy, he was converting some of that energy back.

After about half an hour, the first to tire began to fall behind. Sten watched them without the slightest hint of emotion.

"Faster," he said suddenly.

His voice was still weary, but there was a piece of steel within it. The ones who had fallen behind pushed themselves, fearing the punishment of extra laps.

Aurelion slightly increased his pace. He glanced at Ylva as he passed her. Beads of sweat had formed on her forehead, but she continued to run with determination.

An hour passed. By now, half of the children were gasping for breath, and a few had given up and moved to the side.

Sten just pointed to them and said, "Keep going," signaling their punishment laps.

Just then, Sten spoke to the remaining runners again. "Now, maintain this pace. No faster, no slower. I will give a special lesson to the first five who change their speed."

This new rule instantly turned the race into a test of control. Those running at the front struggled to slow down, while those who had been lagging fought to catch up to the new tempo.

A faint smile appeared on Aurelion's face. This was his domain. The group's running pace had become his running pace. He continued to move his body like a machine.

Ylva, however, was struggling. The pace of the last hour had pushed her to run faster, but Sten's command was now forcing her to hold back. In a moment of carelessness, she sped up.

"The girl with the silver hair," Sten's tired voice called out.

"You're one of the five."

Ylva grit her teeth and corrected her pace. Soon after, four other children made the same mistake.

After another half hour, Sten finally said, "Stop."

Those still standing collapsed where they were, while Aurelion merely regulated his breathing.

He had barely broken a sweat.

Sten walked over to the five children who had been penalized. "You five," he said.

"You will run ten more laps while the others rest. Backwards."

The children groaned and tried to protest, but Sten's empty gaze told them it was not a negotiation. Ylva, without a word, began to run backwards.

Sten turned to the rest of the group. His eyes scanned the crowd and stopped on Aurelion.

"You," he said.

"What's your name?"

"Aurelion."

"Aren't you tired, Aurelion?"

"No."

Sten looked at him for a moment, a spark of interest appearing in his weary eyes for the first time.

"Good. Then you will run with them. You will set their pace. If they can't keep up with your pace, they will start over."

The children looked at Sten in shock. Then their gazes turned to the elf boy. This strange elf was clearly not tired, and they had to keep up with his pace.

Aurelion just shrugged. "Fine," he said. and started jogging toward Ylva's group.

Ylva glanced at Aurelion as he ran past her. "Run as you wish. We're behind you."

One of the Northern boys behind her gasped, "No! If you run fast, we can't keep up. We'll have to run 10 laps all over again."

Aurelion just smiled as he looked ahead. "I'll let you rest with a slow pace, but then I'll have to speed up. Instructor Sten is watching us, after all."

Tired smiles appeared on the faces of the exhausted children. "Let's finish these 10 laps in one go."

Aurelion slowed the group's pace, and they began their first lap together.

For five full laps, he maintained the gentle rhythm, a slow, steady jog that allowed the others to recover their breath and find their footing.

The initial tension in the small group began to dissolve, replaced by a shared sense of purpose.

One of the Northern boys, running beside him, managed a grateful grunt. "Thanks, Elf. We owe you one."

Aurelion just nodded, his face a mask of neutrality.

This silent acceptance was more effective than any words. It allowed the children to believe in his act of kindness.

Even Ylva, though her expression remained wary, found the pace manageable.

Aurelion was planting a seed of hope, letting her believe that perhaps, just perhaps, he wasn't as monstrous as he seemed.

At the beginning of the sixth lap, he muttered just loud enough for them to hear.

"The break is over."

He then began to gradually increase the pace. It wasn't a sudden sprint, but a slow, methodical tightening of a screw.

With each lap, the speed increased just enough to be noticeable, just enough to burn their lungs a little more.

The change shocked the others. The Northern boy who had thanked him was the first to falter, his steps was growing heavy.

"I can't... slow down!" he yelled, his voice was cracking with exhaustion.

Aurelion didn't stop.

He glanced back, his voice devoid of any of the earlier camaraderie.

"Then we all start over. Because of you."

The words were cold, clinical. The other children immediately turned their glares on the struggling boy, their shared hope now curdling into shared resentment.

He had become the weak link. Spurred on by the pressure from his peers, the boy grit his teeth and forced his legs to move, stumbling to keep up.

By the end of the ninth lap, they were all at their breaking point.

Their lungs screamed, their muscles ached, but the finish line was in sight. Just one more lap.

A desperate relief washed over them. "We did it... almost," one of them whispered.

Their hope was at its peak.

At the start of the tenth lap, as they all prepared for one last agonizing push, Aurelion spoke.

"For nine laps, I ran at a pace that suited you. If you want to finish this ten lap run, you'll have to run this lap at my pace."

Everyone stared at him, their exhaustion momentarily forgotten and replaced by confusion.

Ylva's eyes narrowed. "You don't mean...?"

Aurelion turned to face them fully. The faint, neutral expression he had maintained was gone, replaced by a look of pure, chilling contempt.

"I gave you hope that you could succeed," he said as small sparks began to fly from his feet.

"Because hope is the thing that hurts most when it's broken."