A Kind Soul or Giving Mercy or A Tragic Child

1235-Strategies & basic combat - SBC101 - A few weeks later

"Listen up brats, today we'll be teaching you something other than throwing punches. Today you'll be practicing your kicking! Octavian! Come here and be my test dummy...dummy! Mawahahaha!" Kalen's laughter rang throughout the classroom arena.

Drawing all the children's attention towards Caesar, he looked upon their eyes. But said nothing before hopping into the massive octagon.

In the beginning, Kalen only wanted Caesar to display his psionic power...after all, a promotion was in store. But after a week of failing, his frustration turned to anger, his anger to hatred.

His fist from taps to stings and from stings to blows. Every day was a bruise to rival the last, and yet every day Caesar said nothing. Not whisper, a whimper, or even a pulse, the boy had control. And everyone knew it, they began to fear it...they began to fear him.

They thought him to be a freak, devoid of passion, kindness, or even a voice. Their fears pilled as Kalen's kicks crashed down upon his body.

"He's not flinching again."

Murmured a fearful boy, he thought himself to be quiet. However, his voice echoed throughout the room. In the beginning, the staff used every means to break and remold the kids. But now, most of them just used him, and three others.

The second was young Clark, whose treatment within the academy had devolved into one unsurpassed, except by one. And yet for all the punishments they created, just for Clark he would not bend, nor would he break.

His eyes shined bright, and his will stayed firm. Were the recruits feared Caesar, they grew to adore him...most of them at least.

"That was your live demonstration, now for today's class, you'll be practicing those kicks on our brand new practice dummy! If any of you break this dummy, you get an extra free period. Rishul, your up first."

The third, Rishul. He represented what the academy could be like. He and his crew received the best food, the best treatment, and the most important...the most leniency.

He stepped into an arena with a bruised-up Caesar and a downed Clark. Clark's right eye had been swollen shut, but Kalen did not care. The medics could fix it.

The boys watched as Kalen snapped his fingers, causing a chained-up blond man to rise up from within the center of the octagon.

When Clark laid eyes upon the man's broken jaw, pieces of burnt flesh, slightly copped skin, missing eyeball, bleeding eyebrows, and plucked off nails. He wailed "DADDY! DADDY! DADDY!" at the top of his lungs.

The recruits watched as Clark hobbled towards his father with tears-stained eyes and one bad leg. They looked to his right, where Kalen smiled strolling towards him.

"Rishul begin the demonstration." Laughed Kalen, kicking Clark to the ground. He raised his head to stare into his father's eye but when he saw their dull lifeless glow, Clark shuttered, inching closer towards Kalen.

"What's wrong, Rishul?" Kalen's grin stretched from ear to ear, seeing Rishul stand there frozen in a shaken daze. "Awe, is the tiny soldier traumatized? Then I guess the boys did good, you know. They spent a month on him."

"Daddy?" Said Clark, reaching out. "Uraoogh" grown Jonathan, his eyes trained on Kalen. One thought, 'Kill me.' Repeated over and over again.

Kalen raised his finger, pointing it towards a small red-haired girl "Sarah Kerrigan, I order you to kick him to death."

Kerrigan strolled into the arena with major hitches in her step, the kids looked upon with a mix of intense hatred and absolute pity. They watched as Sarah's eyes shifted between a sparking baby blue to a dull lifeless blue.

The kid's fear grew by the second, slowly killing what little hope they held within them. Clark stretched to Sarah, whose eyes continued to flash between the contrasting blues. "No, please no! Fight it, please fight."

Kalen smirked watching Sarah's eyes flash between the contrasting blues. He watched as Clark's hope grew, inspiring the kids. Before repeating his command. "Sarah Kerrigan, I order you to kick him to death."

Her body spasmed, killing whatever control she could muster. A tear streamed down her eye as she moved closer towards Jonathan kent.

Clark and many other kids joined in, crying while they watched her finally step past Clark and Kalen alike.

Kalen's laughter rang throughout the gym as raised Clark's head and forced him to watch Sarah. "Recruit Kerrigan, I order you to do slow--." Kalen stopped, Sarah's eyes returned to their regularly sparkling blue color.

He turned his head back to see Jonathan laying there lifeless, his neck broken, twisted into the shape of a pretzel, his spinal cord shattered with bits of it protruding into the nerves. Kalen growled at Caesar who walked past him saying nothing.

"Why!? WHY!?" Yelled Clark, his trained on Caesar's back.

"SAY SOMETHING YOU MUTE!!!" Clark's roar echoed throughout the classroom. He stood up, limping towards Caesar with haste.

"Enough, we're continuing with class." Said Kalen. His eyes remained trained upon Caesar's back, his fist clenched, his veins...bulging.

"Where are you going Octavian? You've got more dummies to go through." Said Kalen, his words caused the recruits to shutter and pray that their parents wouldn't be next.

Their eyes fell on Caesar, who returned to Kalen's side as if he did nothing wrong. Kalen released Clark, who scrambled towards Caesar with tear-stained eyes. His arm stretched out, reaching towards Caesar's neck. But as his hand came within inches of his neck. A knee rose up, crashing into his chest.

*Thud* Clark hit the floor, writhing in pain. His eyes lay on Caesar, who turned to Kalen, eyeing him with the same uncaring face.

"Clean." Said Kalen, hiding his anger. "Eggheads, bring up the next dummy." His eyes fell on Clark, who glanced back, crying as his dad's body sank into the area. His psionic energy picked up, swirling around the group before dispersing into the crowd above. His every thought echoed amongst the crowd.

Kalen cracked a smile, raising his eyes towards the scientist observing from up above. They nodded observing the data, which spilled into their datapads.

Clark's tears turned to confusion, seeing a thin middle-aged, short black-haired man arise from the center of the arena. Like his father, the man was chained then tortured.

His nails, missing. His shriveled skin, charred, with bits of salt and barbeque sauce, slathered all over it.

Sarah's eyes widened, her hands shook with intensity, and tears poured down her face as she stepped towards the man, whose skin glistened under the light. A rich and sweet aroma permeated the room.

The kid's mouths hung open, completely shocked at what lay before them. Sarah reached up and began to pry the man's eyelids open. To her shock, his eyes had been slow-cooked then glazed in a honey-like substance. His eyes shifted, trying to make out the shadowy figures surrounding him.

"Daddy?" Said Sarah. Despair engulfed her mind, threatening to break it within moments.

"K-i--l-l m-e." Said the man, his inaudible voice was captioned 3d monitor for all to see. Sarah fell to her knees, crying at her feet. "K-i--l-l m-e." her father repeated, prompting Caesar to step forward and lower his body onto his knees.

'If you don't make it quick, they'll make it slower...much slower.' Thought Caesar, his words rang throughout the arena, audible completely to a select few...the academy elites.

Having heard his thoughts, Sarah cried even louder as she gripped his head then flooded it with psionic energy. Killing him in moments.

"What a great way to start class, am I right kids!"