21 The Short Old Man and His Fat Grand Nephew
[ Prince Chronos Astral's Study Room ]
The metallic door to Prince Chronos Astral's study room slid open with a hiss, and he stepped inside…
Suddenly, a small projectile came hurtling towards him without warning.
*Vroooosh*
Without hesitation, Chronos sprang into action.
He summoned his Dimensium blade, which shot up from its resting place by his boots and deflected the incoming projectile with precision.
Chronos's heart raced as he scanned the room for any further threats, his eyes darting from corner to corner.
That's when he noticed an old researcher levitating in front of his desk, his white hair pulled back into a messy bun.
Despite the man's quirky appearance, an aura of authority exuded from him.
Beside him stood a chubby kid, stuffing his face with buns while three more hovered above him.
Chronos's eyes glowed a regal white momentarily as they locked onto the kid.
A bright glow was emanating from him.
Without hesitation, Chronos focused all his attention on the three buns hovering above the chubby kid.
In his mind, he formed a simulation of the objects' size, shape, estimated mass, and most direct path, as intricate mathematical formulas flooded his consciousness.
With a small smile of excitement playing at the corner of his lips, he worked out the highest probability trajectory of the buns and prepared for action.
*Vrooosh*
As expected, the chubby kid launched the buns forward, but Chronos was ready.
He shot his Dimensium blade forward…
It curved a distance ahead of him and skewered two of the buns in a single piercing motion.
With lightning reflexes, he conjured a small dimensional barrier, blocking the last bun almost exactly in its path.
It bounced off the purple energy barrier...
Chronos burst forward and caught it in his hand as it fell toward the ground.
He took a bite of the still steaming bun, savoring the taste, and then snickered at the chubby kid.
"Is that all you got fatty???"
By this time, his Dimensium blade had already returned, levitating obediently by his side, two pork buns still skewered on it.
The air crackled with tension as the plump kid glared at Chronos.
The chubby kid's face turned red with anger as he tossed the bag of buns onto the floor.
He clenched his fists at his sides, trembling with rage.
"I'M NOT FAT! I'M JUST GROWING!! "
He roared, struggling to contain the raw power within him.
Chronos smirked, excited at the opportunity to test his three years of training with a real-life opponent.
His provocation was but a façade, he relished the idea of facing his first opponent.
"What are you going to do about it, fatty? Can you bear to give me more of your pork buns?"
The words were like a match to gasoline, and the chubby kid's rage exploded into action.
He drew on the strength of his psychokinetic abilities, channeling an unfamiliar power into the trident.
The three prongs began to glow, emitting an eerie blue light
*VROOOSHHH*
With a flick of his wrist, the trident flew forward, crackling with power as it hurtled towards Chronos in a blur of metal and light.
Chronos's eyes widened as he analyzed the trident's trajectory.
It was moving at an astonishing speed, several times faster than his dimensium blade.
However, he didn't panic.
Years of combat experience had honed his reflexes to razor-sharp precision.
With half a pork bun still hanging out of his mouth, Chronos's two hands crackled with purple dimensional energy.
He moved with grace and precision, his movements fluid and deliberate as he deftly redirected the trident within the dimensional energy emanating from his hands.
Chronos continued to gracefully spin his body…
His body and mind worked in perfect harmony as he channeled the energy of the attacker and propelled the trident back at him as an even more powerful counterattack.
Just as the trident, now propelled by the combined forces of the kid and Chronos's dimensional energy, was about to strike the chubby 5-year old looking boy, a thick book darted in its path and stopped it in its tracks.
The book's pages fluttered in the wind as it absorbed the impact of the trident.
Chronos turned to see the old professor, who had been silently observing the entire time, with a smile of approval on his face.
" HAHAHA! As expected from the treasured prince of Astral! That was quite an impressive display of dimensional energy manipulation. "
A hoarse voice echoed from the old professor.
Chronos nodded respectfully, a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.
"Thank you, Senior Researcher Dolus. I owe it all to Sophia's teachings."
Dolus chuckled.
"Ah yes, Sophia. She's been telling me all about your progress. You've come a long way in just three years."
Chronos felt a swell of pride at the praise from the esteemed researcher.
Sophia had always spoken highly of Dolus, and it was an honor to have him acknowledge his growth.
However, his moment of triumph was short-lived.
The chubby boy, who had been his opponent just moments ago, spoke up.
" Hmph! Don't be so proud of yourself for beating a 3-year old!"
The chubby boy chided, arms crossed, his annoyance etched on his face.
Chronos stood there calmly, finishing off the pork bun that had been in his mouth this whole time.
Wiping his mouth, Chronos first turned to the old man and said,
"Greetings Senior Researcher Dolus..."
He then turned to the chubby kid and cheekily retorted,
"I'm three-years old too fatty..."
"STOP CALLING ME THAT!"
He yelled.
"My name is TaoTie from the honorable family of Erinyes"
The chubby kid pointed a finger and barked angrily.
'Erinyes? Honorable? Aren't they one of the biggest triad organizations on Tertius?'
Chronos thought.
He had immediately picked up on that name, in the past three years, getting to know the social intricacies and networks within the Aion and the rest of Tertius was an important part of Sophia's tutelage.
Having spent a lifetime in the slums during his PBS, Chronos actually felt a sense of closeness more than prejudice towards TaoTie's underworld origins.
In fact, Chronos's eyes brightened as he knew that the Erinyes would play an integral role in his upcoming plans…
