Aric didn’t want to wait after the class but out of curiosity he gave in. He followed Ishaan after everyone left to the class of big brother. Beside him, Ishaan walked with an air of nervous energy, glancing occasionally at Aric, whose face remained stoic and unreadable. Aric found his behavior to be odd and this upped his curiosity more.
"Co on, Aric," Ishaan said, attempting a casual tone . "My brother just wants to talk. It’s not a big deal."
As they reached the end of the hall, they turned a corner and entered an empty classroom. Ishaan’s brother, Dev, stood by the window with his arms crossed, flanked by his two friends, Vikram and Raj. They were older, taller, and carried themselves with the overconfidence of those who had never been challenged. Seeing Dev again after so many years felt a bit surreal. In his previous life he went on to beco a political leader and from last he heard before his death, he was stood up for a local party of the state. Indian politics had always been wild and it was known to be festered with corruption, killings and every bad things known to n.
"So, this is the genius who’s been making my little brother look bad," Dev said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Thirteen years old and already a pain in the ass."
Those words were enough to make Aric understand what was Ishaan jealous about all this ti. Indian families could be overwhelming, so it was probably because Ishaan’s parents made a mockery of him at school since Aric had aced in class. This must have gotten to Ishaan pretty badly and thus this whole drama had started. Aric said nothing, his eyes darting around the room, assessing exits and distances. He had a feeling of what was about to co.
"You know, Aric," Dev continued, stepping forward. "You’ve been hurting Ishaan’s feelings with your grades. Making him look bad in front of everyone. That’s not cool."
Ishaan stood by the door, his face a mix of guilt and apprehension. He avoided Aric’s eyes.
"And now," Dev said, his voice hardening, "you’re going to pay for it. Just like that other kid who thought he was better than us."
Raj and Vikram stepped closer, their expressions nacing. The room seed to shrink as Aric’s senses heightened. Dev reached out, intending to grab Aric by the collar, but Aric moved. Faster than any of them could see, he sidestepped and grabbed Dev’s wrist, twisting it behind his back in one fluid motion. Dev cried out in surprise and pain.
"What the—" Raj started, but he didn’t finish. Aric spun, using Dev as a shield, and kicked Raj’s legs out from under him. Vikram lunged, but Aric t him with a precise punch to the stomach, doubling him over.
Ishaan’s eyes widened in horror as he watched his brother and friends being taken down effortlessly. He turned to run, but Aric was quicker. In a blur, he crossed the room and slamd Ishaan against the wall, his forearm pressing against Ishaan’s throat.
"You think you can threaten and get away with it?"
Ishaan struggled, his hands clawing at Aric’s arm, but it was like trying to move a steel beam. Tears of fear and frustration welled up in his eyes.
"We used to be friends, Ishaan," Aric continued, his voice tinged with a hint of sadness. Though Ishaan had betrayed in the future he held hope that his friend wouldn’t go down the sa path. But it seed his path derailed faster and nastier.
"I am sorry.. Please don’t hurt .. I will never annoy you again...Cough.."
He released Ishaan, who slid to the floor, gasping for breath. Aric turned to Dev, who was still cradling his twisted wrist and glaring daggers at him.
"This is your only warning," Aric said, his eyes boring into Dev’s. "Leave alone, or next ti, it’ll be worse."
He walked out of the classroom, his heart pounding, but his mind clear. The hallways were empty as he made his way to the exit. The confrontation had been inevitable, but now, a line had been drawn. Mira was with him all this ti and she directed Aric of how much force to use and what were the vulnerabilities.
If he had used the full power of the nano power coupled with his magic power, those boys would have been splat before their bodies could hit the ground. The controlled strength allowed him to do minimum damage but maximum pain. Aric in his previous life experienced bullying in later stages. And that was in university.
He was beaten a couple of tis but he didn’t hold any anger towards them because he was a bit of asshole and had massive ego at that ti. That bullying gave a check of reality for Aric. But it didn’t an he was okay with this culture, especially on sothing that wasn’t even his fault to begin with.
Aric didn’t bother any more and went ho. He didn’t even think about it and he was sure that he wouldn’t be in trouble because these people had too much ego to admit that he KOed their band alone. It would be a huge sha for Dev and his friends.
Aric didn’t feel a sense of accomplishnt by doing this. This wasn’t even a challenge. Earth was never a challenge for him at this point. The challenge was the other two worlds and he was determined to win in both of these places.
"You look a bit flustered?" Avni said as he saw Aric coming through the door.
"Do I? I walked to ho today, maybe the cold made all red." Aric said. Though Aric hated a admit it but the confrontation did help him release all the bad blood he had against Ishaan from his previous life. His anger had all ca back for a very small mont of ti and thus he had lashed out the way he did.
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