Killing Intent

Aaron sat with quiet intensity at his desk, his hand clenched into a tight fist as his eyes stared blankly ahead. His thoughts were consumed with a dangerous idea that seemed to repeat itself endlessly in his mind. "I'm going to kill him," he murmured under his breath, his voice laced with bitterness and anger.

As he spoke those words, a faint purple glow began to emanate from his eyes, causing his teacher to flinch involuntarily. Aaron had been struggling with this dark and violent urge all morning since Adrian's little taunt, unable to shake it from his mind.

Desperate for a solution, he had turned to the Training Time option, spamming it every hour in the hopes of gaining some measure of control over his emotions as he watches himself growing stronger, hoping it might calm him down. Every hour that passed brought him closer to his goal.

A technique has 10 Realms, which after perfecting might have a breakthrough, enlightening the martial artist to creating a new, more powerful technique, and right now Aaron's Feline Steps have reached the 3rd Realm.

But even as he trained, Aaron could not escape the bitter thought that plagued him. He knew that his rival had recently awakened and, with the support of his family, had likely accumulated enough Spirit Crystals to achieve a breakthrough to the 2nd Realm. The very idea filled Aaron with a sense of burning rage and a deep desire for revenge.

Despite the danger and risk, Aaron knew that he could not simply run away from his problems. He was determined to fight, no matter the cost or the opponent. With each passing moment, his resolve grew stronger.

***

Aaron was determined to improve his skills in Feline Steps, but he realized that it would take more than a few hours of training to achieve his next breakthrough. With only two hours left before the end of the school day, he decided to switch his focus to exploration instead. "Let's try it," he muttered to himself, his eyes drawn to the "Exploration Time" option.

As he selected the option, a list appeared in front of him asking him to select his weapon of choice, and he quickly chose the sword as his weapon. It was a decision he had made long ago, and he felt confident in his abilities with it since the sword is one of the easiest weapons to learn but the hardest to master.

With a mental command, Aaron opened the portal to "Toran's Forest" this was a place the exploration time option named. In his mind's eye, he saw a figure standing at the edge of a dense forest, the hilt of his sword at his hip. He stepped forward, feeling the soft grass give way under his feet as he made his way deeper into the woods.

The trees grew taller and denser, blocking out the sunlight and casting everything in a greenish hue. As the scenes continued to speed up, Aaron watched as the figure encountered strange creatures with dark red eyes and muscular back legs. He could see the creatures leaping through the air, their sharp claws glinting in the sunlight. The figure moved with a grace and precision that left Aaron in awe 'Feline Steps!' he thought. He could see every movement, every swing of the sword, as if he were right there in the forest with the figure.

Without hesitation, the figure engaged the creatures in combat. The scenes in his mind's eye were a blur as it fought with all its might, his sword slicing through the air with deadly accuracy.

Despite the ferocity of the creatures, the figure emerged victorious, but not uninjured. His right leg, chest and left arm bled as gnarly gashes were opened by the monsters.

Aaron's eyes lit up with excitement as he watched the scenes unfold before him. He felt a rush of adrenaline as he imagined himself in the figure's shoes, walking through the dense forest with his sword at his side. He could almost feel the weight of the weapon in his hand, the cool metal against his palm.

The figure continued with its exploration, fighting and running away. This kept going a few more times before he was bitten in the neck as blood gushed out, ending his life.

As the scenes slowed down, Aaron took a deep breath and closed his eyes, letting the memories of the experience wash over him. He lived every second the figure did inside that forest. He could feel his muscles twitching, his mind replaying the moves and techniques of the figure in his head. But this experience was too sudden, as Aaron did not only experience its victories but he also expereinced the moment it lost, when the figures neck was penetrated by a creature's sharp fangs. This made Aaron jolt, grabbing his neck as he indured the pain as it slowly faded away.

"I guess there are consequence" He muttered, sweating slightly.

"Again!" He muttered as he started the timer again. He was excited, especially after figuring out that anything the figure experiences inside the forest he did too, as if he had been there in his place. This did not only add to his expereince in fighting creatures, but also his killing intent, which was nearly non-existant in his human form.

As time passed and a couple of runs later, Aaron opened his eyes and looked at the time. The two hours had flown by in what felt like a mere few minutes, but he knew that he had made progress. As he closed the portal to "Toran's Forest," he felt a sense of satisfaction wash over him. He had taken a step forward in his training.

The bell rang and everyone started packing their things, ready to head home.

"Come to the roof or you're dead!" Adrian whispered again into Aaron's ear.

Adrian's heart raced as he whispered the words into Aaron's ear. He couldn't help the thrill of excitement that coursed through him as he saw the anger flicker across Aaron's face. But as he looked closer, he saw something that made him uneasy.

The intensity in Aaron's eyes was palpable, and Adrian could feel the hairs on the back of his neck standing up. He took a small step back, trying to distance himself from the dangerous energy emanating from the other boy.

Adrian had felt his father's Killing Intent many times, and he knew that this was nothing compared to it. But still, the sheer force of Aaron's emotion was enough to give him pause. How could this "trash," as Adrian had always thought of him, be capable of releasing killing intent?

As Adrian watched, Aaron's expression hardened even further, and Adrian felt a chill run down his spine. He knew that he had hit a nerve, that he had pushed Aaron too far. But even in the face of that danger, Adrian couldn't help feeling a thrill of excitement.

He had always loved pushing people's buttons, seeing just how far he could go before they broke. And now, with Aaron standing before him, he felt like he had found a new challenge. A dangerous one, but one that he couldn't resist.

Adrian swallowed nervously, taking another step back as Aaron's gaze bore into him. He knew that he had to be careful, that he couldn't push Aaron too far. But he couldn't help wondering what it would feel like to be on the receiving end of that intense Killing Intent.