Lion Prodigy

A young boy sat on his bed with his legs crossed and his eyes closed. His tattered clothes and multiple wounds indicated he had been through a great struggle, yet his calm face and peaceful demeanour said otherwise.

After a while, one could see the wounds on the boy slowly closing and healing at rapid speeds. Soon, they were almost fully healed. The boy reopened his eyes as he sighed and laid on his bed.

"What a crazy night." He said as his exhaustion was notable from his tone.

Isaac had snuck in through his window after running around Ravenwood for a little bit, making sure he wasn't being followed. His heart currently had a mixture of emotions bubbling up while his mind spiralled out of control with questions.

One of them being how his Grandpa knew Qi. He was right, Qi did exist in this world. But he didn't think it would be right before him all this time. Who taught his Grandpa Qi? Who else that he knew could use it? And more importantly, why did his Grandpa hide this from him all his life? Surely with Qi, Isaac would have a much better life without suffering from the MacGregor's Syndrome.

While Isaac contemplated these thoughts, a few others also haunted the back of his mind. Such as, how his Grandpa was fighting the same way he was. The same way the Monkey King fought. Isaac only saw it a few times. However, the few kicks and punches he had picked up were being imitated by the old man. Although this was the case, Isaac did notice the movements seemed a bit off. As if they had been modified.

Nevertheless, one thing Isaac did learn from this experience was that he was weak. The only reason he had lasted for so long was because of his eyes. Without it, Isaac wouldn't have been able to match the old man's strength, speed and combat skill. The strength and speed could be increased, therefore he didn't see it as a top priority. However, his combat skill was lacking. It took a skilled opponent for him to realise that. Before today, he had been fighting thugs and gangsters who didn't know their right from their left.

His Grandpa did teach him a few self-defence techniques and he did learn a few kicks and punches from his time in the other world, however, that was it. His martial art didn't stretch further than a few powerful kicks and punches. Which was grossly exploited during his battle with his Grandpa.

Isaac stood up, removed his tattered and bloodied clothes and stuffed them in a dark corner of his room. He walked to the bathroom and into the shower as he flinched at the sudden cold water touching his skin. The blood and filth washed from his body as he stood silently without moving.

Isaac started to think about Qi again. He hadn't gotten closer to uncovering the role that Qi plays in this world. His lead with the Blackwoods had led him to a brick wall. Public knowledge of them was scarce, he doubted he would find anything about them using a secret ability that lays dormant in every living being.

Not to mention he couldn't find anything on VitaFlow either. Every book he read just kept repeating the same thing. How the products are made with rare and precious herbs gathered from around the world. His investigation was leading him nowhere, yet the very thing he was discovering just so happened to knee him straight in the gut.

However, although his grandpa was using Qi, he couldn't help but notice it was different to his. For Isaac, he would use his Serenity Breathing to breathe in pure Qi that would eventually end up in his dantian. He would then exhale impurities and whatnot.

But for his Grandpa it was different. Instead of guiding the Qi around his meridians and into the dantian he would instead breathe in immense amounts of Qi and guide it to wherever he wants to be strengthened. Giving himself a temporary boost in his stats for a few seconds. To Isaac, it seemed quite extraordinary.

Isaac turned off the water as he wrapped a towel around himself. He slipped into a shirt and proceeded to leave the bathroom.

"I just hope I didn't hurt Grandpa…" As he thought this, Isaac noticed the TV switched on as a familiar news reporter spoke about Ravenwood. Opposite the TV sat an old wrinkled man who, due to his bulky frame, filled out the couch he sat on.

"Grandpa?" Asked Isaac, unwilling to believe the unharmed man before him without a scratch was the same man he engaged in a furious battle with.

"Oh, Isaac. How was your date? I went to run an errand and just came back. I trust you gave that lady… I mean girl, a night she'll remember." Said Derek, carefully watching his words and correcting his mistake.

Isaac looked at him for a few seconds with slightly widened eyes before he smiled slightly. He was glad his Grandpa wasn't harmed, however, there was a recurring question trapped in his mind, torturing his brain and it just so happened to break free.

"Grandpa, what do you know about Qi?"

"..."

Isaac's face slowly turned from one to realisation then to shock as he almost spat blood, knowing he had just screwed up.

"Isaac…" Started his Grandfather as he stood up.

"Crap!" Isaac yelled internally as his heart started beating rapidly and he started to panic.

His grandfather walked towards him and raised his hand, placing it on his forehead.

"Qi? What are you talking about, son? Are you feeling alright? You've been acting weird." Said the man as he lowered his head to Isaac.

Isaac stared at him for a few seconds in confusion before sighing in relief and laughing slightly.

"Yeah. I'm fine, Grandpa." Said Isaac with a smile.

"Alright. Make sure you drink enough water." Said the man as he walked back to his couch.

"That was close. Does he know it by another name?" Thought Isaac before turning around. As he walked, he came to a stop before turning around and speaking.

"Grandpa. Can you teach me how to fight?" Asked Isaac. In his mind, if he was careful not to reveal too much, he'd be able to learn and potentially master that altered version of the Monkey King's martial art.

"Fight? I already do. I teach you self-defence to protect yourself. Anything more and your heart won't be able to take it." Said the old man with a raised eyebrow. Isaac smiled as he saw an opportunity. A question he's been waiting for.

"Don't worry about that. Ever since you gave me that VitaFlow capsule, my heart has been feeling better." After saying this, his Grandpa looked at him with wide eyes as he jumped up and yelled.

"What?! Why didn't you tell me?! HAHA, this is bloody amazing!" Laughed the old man as he picked up Isaac and swung him around as if he weighed nothing.

"But are you sure you can handle more lessons in self-defence?" Asked Derek as he put the boy down.

"No. Not self-defence. I wanna learn how to punch, kick and defend. I wanna learn how to rip someone's eyeballs out with my bare hands." He said enthusiastically.

His Grandpa's expression slowly started to change as he soon went silent for a few seconds and stared at him with a blank face before turning back to the TV screen and taking a seat.

"No."

"..."

Isaac blinked a few times as his previous smile stuck to his face.

"What?" Said Isaac, unsure if he had heard the old man right.

"I said no. If you want self-defence lessons, I'll be glad to teach you some more. But I won't teach you anything more." Said the old man in a peculiar demeanour Isaac had never seen before.

"But Grandpa…" Before Isaac could contest, Derek cut him off.

"I've given you my answer Isaac. My decision is final."

***

"Have we changed our usual spot from the disgusting alley to this nice roof?" Said an old man with a thick British accent as the winds slightly muffled his voice.

"For now. We are meeting too often these days. We can't keep meeting in the same spot." Said a man with slick blond hair and blue eyes. He lit a cigarette which proved to be difficult due to the winds.

Derek and Colt currently stood on an empty and dark roof of a random skyscraper they found.

"Allow me to catch you up…" Said Derek, however, before he could finish, an ear-piercing BANG was heard that would make anyone jump in shock.

Colt held a gun in his hand, pointing it straight at his uncle as smoke escaped from it. He held his cigarette in his mouth after failing to light it.

Meanwhile, Derek stood with his two fingers before his face, between them a small piece of metal.

"I see you haven't gotten rusty." Said Colt as he put away his gun.

"You really ought to warn someone before you try to shoot them in the face." Said Derek with a smile as he dropped the bullet.

"Oh, please. You could dodge that in your sleep. Which is why I was surprised to see you get smashed to bits by that nobody. You could've easily dodged that punch." Said Colt, referring to the battle between Derek and the Monkey Man.

"Wow, the army really does know everything. I didn't even get a chance to tell you. " Said Derek with a laugh.

"The lad was using Vitalis. Not to mention he was fighting like all you trained assholes." Colt widened his eyes as he darted his head to him.

"How?! I haven't heard of anyone being sent to Ravenwood." Said Colt, slightly frustrated.

"Well if they aren't telling you, it could mean they're onto you. Be careful from now on, Colt." Colt gave a nod before calming down.

"Don't worry. I have trusted individuals from my branch who are loyal. I'll find out who was sent to Ravenwood." Derek stared at him with a face full of doubt.

"Are you sure they can be trusted?" He asked.

"Yes, don't worry. What more can you tell me of this person?"

"Well, combat ability isn't the best. He uses you people's techniques but he's an amateur at them. I'd say he's just a beginner. He's easy to read but can be unpredictable at times. There's something wrong with his eyes. It's as if he sees everything in slow motion. He's able to dodge attacks before I can even throw them." As Derek continued, he prepared to make his main point before Colt cut him off.

"You really ought to stop referring to us as 'You people'. You used to be one of us too." Interrupted Colt.

"Yeah, well I'm not anymore. As I was saying, the most notable thing about him is how he uses his Vitalis. It's like nothing I've ever seen. He uses it completely differently from us. It's quite fascinating." Admired Derek and ignoring Colt's comment.

"So why did you go easy on him? You could have used your Aspect to put him down instantly." Asked Colt, still struggling to light his cigarette.

"Oh no, I didn't want to annihilate him and the damn building we were in too." Colt stared at Derek before he cleared his throat and spoke.

"I'm not sure to be honest. After I first hit him, it's like there was this mental barrier placed on my mind. It scared the shit out of me when I found a way to kill him during our battle." He said as he looked down.

"Haha, I must be getting soft. The old age is starting to get to me." He laughed. Colt, still struggling to light his cigarette, stared at him before asking.

"Is there something else bothering you?" He asked. Derek stared at him for a few seconds before smiling.

"Oh, what the hell. Isaac recently asked me to teach him how to fight. For a brief moment, I thought of teaching him Tempest but it gave me a bad feeling. I don't want him to be mixed up in this chaos." Colt stared at him for a few seconds before going back to light his cigarette.

"When Dad died, I was left with nothing but regret, guilt and self-blame. I realised that I spent too little time with him. I was left with my thoughts for years thinking of what I could have changed and what I could've done differently. It's funny how it works. You don't realise how precious something is until you lose it." Just as he said this, his lighter lit up as it started to light his cigarette.

"I don't think I need to tell that to you of all people." He said after exhaling a ball of smoke.

"The kid is already mixed in this. He's your grandson. The best you can do is teach him to be prepared if this life ever fully catches up with him."

Derek stared at him with a blank expression before looking back at the city below. After a few seconds, he spoke.

"Haha, since when were you good at giving advice?" Laughed Derek after smacking Colt on the back.

"Well, I'm off. Ah, I almost forgot. I'm going to need a bunch of VitaFlow Capsules. I'm talking a whole basket." Said Derek as he walked away and waved.

"Hey, those things aren't cheap you know! It'll take some time!" Yelled Colt in an annoyed voice as Derek waved at him.

Colt stared at the old man as he puffed a ball of smoke. He fixed his suit and straightened himself up while running his hand through his hair and putting out his cigarette.

"Uncle Magnus. A man who has seen misery. A man who's experienced hell. A man who knows pain, yet feels love and compassion. A peerless man who stands above all others like the king of the jungle. Magnus, The Lion Prodigy."

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POWER OF THE STONES

I NEED THEM

GIVE ME MY STONESSSSS

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