Chapter 17: Confirmation
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CRACK
A sickening crunch echoed in the dark room as Adrian snapped Theon’s fingers in one smooth motion.
Adrian’s grin slowly widened, but that only lasted a second. His face slowly formed a frown as he watched Theon glare at him with an expression so cold, it almost felt like he would freeze.
A surge of killing intent erupted from Theon’s body as his eyes began to glow brighter.
’No! Not now. Be patient Theon.’
Theon said mentally, then a second later, the killing intent disappeared like it never existed.
But that didn’t erase the fact that he had shown killing intent.
Adrian stared at Theon with a petrified expression, beads of sweat already forming on his head.
Even Brook and Reacher appeared shaken. In fact, they had already fallen to their knees and were desperately gasping for air— the same thing with the female student.
She lifted her gaze and sneaked a terrified glance at Theon. His entire vibe was completely different from how she remembered.
Theon always avoided eye contact with her whenever she looked his way.
So why was it different this time?
He wasn’t avoiding her gaze. No. He looked her directly in the eye with the same cold expression as before. She shivered slightly then lowered her gaze once more.
’What was that? I have felt killing intent before, but nothing like that.’ Adrian gulped. ’It was so potent I thought I had already died.’
He looked at Theon once more, then placed his hand on his forehead.
’What the fuck am I even saying?’
Adrian chuckled, then began laughing darkly. Both Reacher and Brook lifted their heads after catching their breaths. Even the female student had finally recovered and was staring at Adrian with a terrified expression.
Watching him laugh maniacally sent shivers down their spines.
’This is Theon for fuck’s sake. The weakest student in this academy. And I was terrified of this worm. How dare he.’ Adrian’s eyes glowed dangerously.
Turning his gaze to Theon, he exhaled slowly, then in a swift motion his fist snapped forward before slamming into Theon’s face.
The chair fell backwards, but before it could land on the ground Adrian grabbed Theon by his hair and pulled him closer.
"You disgusting worm—" He said before slamming his fist into Theon’s face once more.
Blood spewed from Theon’s nose. His head snapped backwards, but the chair didn’t fall as it was being held up by Adrian who still held his hair tightly.
"You don’t even have the right to breathe the same fucking air as me—" Adrian’s fist slammed into his face again. And again. And again.
"How dare you glare at me with killing intent!!" Adrian exclaimed, his fist not breaking stride as they continuously pummeled Theon’s face.
"You deserve death!!" His voice grew dangerously low. His fist engulfed in a reddish flame, before they slammed into Theon’s face once more.
Adrian let go of his hair, allowing the chair to fall backwards.
Theon fell, his face a bloody mess. His breathing became muffled and wet as he gurgled on his own blood.
"Disgusting—" Adrian spat. "You got your filthy blood all over me."
He said, then pulled out a napkin and began wiping the crimson blood that stained his fist.
"Brook!" He called out.
"Yes sir!" Brook answered, rushing over to Adrian’s side.
"Lift the chair!"
"Yes sir!" Brook answered coldly once more. With relative ease, he picked the chair with a single hand and brought back into a standing position.
Although his face was unrecognizable, Theon still kept the same cold glare as before. If anything, his eyes seemed to have grown colder, glinting dangerously in the dark room
"Tch!" Adrian hissed. "Maya!" He called out and the female student flinched.
"Y-yes—"
"How good is your healing ability again." Adrian asked calmly.
"I-It’s good enough to heal his current injuries." She answered shakily.
"I know— I’ve seen you heal him countless times, and at a fast rate too, but you don’t understand my question—" A wide dangerous grin formed on Adrian’s face. "When I asked how good your healing ability is, I mean can you heal someone that has lost a limb."
Maya flinched. Even Brook and Reacher, who were already used to Adrian’s brutality squinted their eyes at the question.
"I-I..." She began shaking.
"Come on, speak! Can you do it!?"
"Y-yes, I guess I can. But it would take time—"
"Good," Adrian cut her off. "That’s all I needed to hear."
A wave of essence suddenly erupted in the room. The temperature began to rise quickly.
The room instantly became a literal oven in a matter of seconds.
"Meaning you can heal something of this caliber," He grinned then pointed his palm directly at Theon. "Let me see if you can keep that disgusting glare after you burn."
The next moment, a wave of flames erupted from Adrian’s palm, engulfing Theon completely.
’It’s hot, but—’ Theon gritted his teeth hard enough that blood began to seep from them while the reddish flame scorched him.
He could feel his skin peeling and turning into a crisp.
’Compared to that lightning in the realm of succession, this— is nothing.’ His glare intensified.
Adrian gritted his teeth. "You’re still staring at me with that same look. Fine. Burn to death, it won’t matter. Worms like you don’t matter in a world such as this anyway."
The flames suddenly intensified, burning hotter than ever.
Theon gritted his teeth, resisting the urge to outright burst the ropes holding him and tearing Adrian apart.
"That’s enough, sir!" Brook suddenly grabbed Adrian’s hand.
Adrian gaze shifted to Brook. "What do you think your doing. Do you want to die as well."
He said coldly, the heat around him intensifying the more.
"The Patriarch called for you." Brook said calmly, as if the heat didn’t affect him in the slightest.
He pulled out a small rectangular device from his pocket, that resembled a phone.
Adrian squinted his eyes, then the heat in the room finally reduced. The flames erupting from his hand completely stopped.
He grabbed the device and glared at Brook coldly.
"Fine—" He smiled. "I guess that’s enough fun for today anyway."
His gaze shifted back to Theon who was already looking like he was half dead. His hair had been burnt completely, and his jaw hung loosely on his face, only held by a few tendons.
His body was an even greater mess, with blood seeping everywhere around his cracked body.
"You should’ve just stayed dead Theon," Adrian grinned. "This is just the beginning. Things are only going to get worse, but let’s end things here. I don’t want to give you spoilers on the future plans I have for you."
"Reacher, finish up here!" Adrian ordered. "Make sure he is healed completely before sending him back to the dorms."
Reacher nodded quietly.
"Come on Brook, let’s go and see daddy." Adrian smiled as he walked away with Brook following closely behind.
Theon looked at their retreating figures as Reacher brought Maya closer to him.
Her eyes looked apologetic as she stretched both her hands out. They both glowed with a bright green light that encased Theon’s body.
The light was warm and soothing, he could already feel some torn ligaments being re-attached, but none of that mattered.
His mind was still stuck on Adrian’s final words.
A small smile formed on his burnt face. ’Good! I’ve gotten what I’ve needed. Be prepared Adrian— your death is near.’
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