Understanding the Difference

A deep laughter could be heard as it echoed its way throughout the vast house. Every servant inside was left in awe. In all the years they had been working for the High General, they had never ever heard a light chuckle come from the man.

The most astonished was the head butler Gregory. He had worked for the previous High General and watched the current grow into the man he is today. In forty years of knowing the man, he had not once heard him laugh.

"Boy, you have balls! A bit arrogant to make that claim about yourself though."

Joe simply shrugged off the doubt before reaching his hand towards Clara. Taking her hand, a large, loving smile filled his face.

"I need you to understand one thing and only one thing, High General James. I came here today with a single purpose. I was not going to ask you for your blessing nor was I going to lick your boots in the hopes of riding your influence to power.

I came here to inform you that after we both complete our stay within the Academy, I will be marrying your daughter. I would have already, but the Academy forbids a married couple from attending at the same time."

The laughter ceased as if it had never existed in the first place. Irritation clouded the eyes of the High General as he attempted to instill fear into this arrogant boy's soul. Seeing that the intimidation was having no effect, a shred of respect began to grow with the mind of the seasoned battle maniac.

"You claim that you will become the strongest we have ever had. That would imply that you are currently equal in strength to me. I have seen your records kid; you are nowhere near my level of strength or skill."

"Surely, if you have seen the reports from the exam then you would know that the initial data readings on my power level are...outdated."

Again, the High General slipped into silence as his mind began racking itself over all the information about this arrogant boy. When he entered Ziaga Academy, his strength was barely higher than one hundred points.

Yet, he was able to gain the upper hand and defeat that crazy girl on his first day. Aside from that, his performance with the war games showed he was also strong enough to take on an entire squad of individuals equal to or stronger than him.

Then there was that incident. An event that nearly ripped his only child from him was handled by this man single handedly. What strength has he been hiding that he has accomplished all of this within the first semester and can now be unaffected by me?

Seeing that the old man was unable to comprehend everything, Joe reached into his pocket and removed the Armorite cube he always carried with him. Before he could do anything, Clara grabbed his arm.

"Are you sure you're ready to show that?"

Concern was written all over her face as she realized what Joe was planning on doing. However, her action ripped the High General from his thought and made him focus on the boy once again.

"Clara, you should know how much I care for you by now. Why do you think I am willing to do this now when only two total people know the truth?"

Hearing his question, Clara was again lost for words. She sat back down and drooped her head as she tried to figure out the answer. Not wanting to see her struggle so much, Joe stood up and walked to the side of her. Squatting down beside her chair, Joe gently turned her head to look at him.

"I'm willing to do this so your father understands that no matter what he tries to say or do, he will never be able to get in the way of you and me being together."

Seeing the words sinking into the mind of her, Joe stood tall and brought the cube nearly arm's length from him. After releasing his full strength into it, the flat faces began to show rapidly climbing numbers.

When the numbers rolled past one hundred, the High General questioned the point of this display. When they reached two hundred his eyes began to narrow.

'Six months and this boy had double his strength.'

To a man like him who had done everything in his power to raise his strength to the maximum, this fact was impossible.

After a few moments, a fourth number appeared on every face. The count had rolled over one thousand and was still climbing. Utter disbelief was plastered on both the mother and father. From their perspective, this was no boy standing before them. It was a monster beyond any sane person's comprehension.

After a little more time, the numbers began to slow themselves. Finally, they stopped. On all six sides of the cube was the number one thousand seven hundred fifty-two. A level of power that was believed to be impossible for mankind was standing right there in the High General's dining room.