Chapter 23: Reaction

"Holy shit! Bro! I did not know you could fight like that!" Renz exclaimed with surprise in his voice.

"Yeah, man! Since when did you know how to fight like that? It was unbelievable," Rey said in astonishment.

"Bro! You need to teach us how to fight like that," Renz said to Reese, hoping he would teach them.

Rey stared at Renze incredulously. "Why? So that you can show off to girls?"

Renz responded without shame. "You know me so well, Rey. You are truly my best friend," Renz replied, laughing.

"That wasn't a compliment, you idiot," Rey said in defeat.

As Reese, Rey, and Renz were talking, they noticed their classmates were coming to them. Their expressions mirrored the same mixture of shock and awe that Rey and Renz had displayed earlier. They couldn't contain their amazement at Reese's swift and skillful takedown of the thugs.

"Reese, that was incredible!" Ben exclaimed, his eyes wide with admiration.

"You caught us by surprise with your fighting skills!"

Another chimed in, "Yeah, seriously, where did you learn those moves? You were like something out of a martial arts movie!"

Lian stepped forward, her concern evident in her eyes as she reached out to gently touch Reese's arm. "Are you okay, Reese?" she asked, her voice soft with worry. "That looked pretty dangerous."

Reese flashed her a reassuring smile. "I'm fine; don't worry about it," he assured her.

Then Reese remembered there was another thug left. He then looked at Miguel in the distance, looking at his friend's unconscious state on the pavement. Miguel was a mixture of emotions. At first, he was utterly shocked, followed by disbelief, fear, anger, and then calm.

Reese was surprised at how this guy could change his emotions like it was nothing at all. Reese was baffled by Miguel's reaction, but Reese was not concerned at all. 

"Take your friends and leave," Reese said in a commanding voice.

Miguel just looked at him with a very calm face, then nodded. 

Seeing Miguel agree to his command, Reese was satisfied, lowered his guard, and turned around, not expecting any further trouble. However, in a sudden and unexpected turn of events, Miguel seized the opportunity and lunged at Reese with a knife in his hand, aiming for his back. 

"Look out!" Someone shouted in alarm.

Sensing Miguel's movements through his spiritual sense, Reese just smirked, turned back around, and caught the blade with his right fingers.

Seeing Reese casually catch the knife with his fingers, Miguel watched as Reese effortlessly disarmed him, holding the weapon between his fingers as if it were a mere toy. 

But what truly terrified Miguel was the sensation that followed. As Reese's soul power surged, an invisible force seemed to wrap around Miguel, squeezing him with an intensity that made it hard to breathe. It was as if the very air around him had turned heavy and suffocating, crushing him under its weight. 

'Wha..what is this? Why can't I move? What kind of monster did we offend?' Miguel thought as he saw Reese's terrifying eyes that were emitting a purple hue in his brown light eyes.

Unable to move, Miguel felt a primal fear grip his heart, sending shivers down his spine. The sheer power emanating from Reese was overwhelming, instilling a sense of dread unlike anything he had ever experienced. It was as though he stood before a force of nature, an unstoppable juggernaut that could crush him without a second thought. In that moment, all of Miguel's bravado melted away, replaced by a raw, primal terror. He realized with chilling certainty that he was completely at Reese's mercy, his fate hanging by a thread as he faced the consequences of his treacherous actions. 

"Please... please let me go," Miguel stammered, his voice quivering with fear. "I... I didn't mean to... I'm sorry." 

His words were choked with emotion, his entire body shaking with fear as he pleaded with Reese to spare him. The once menacing aura that surrounded Miguel had evaporated, leaving behind a pitiful figure consumed by fear and desperation.

'Wow! Soul power is really amazing,' Reese thought in amazement. With this, he can use it to intimidate whoever tries to trouble him. Though he was still not used to using soul power, it held immense potential. It was a sobering reminder of the responsibility that came with such abilities, as well as the need for careful control and restraint. 

"Go," Reese commanded, his voice firm but measured. "But remember this: if you or your friends ever cross my path again, the consequences will be far worse than what you've experienced today." Reese could only warn him, hoping they would not do it again. 

Miguel, still visibly shaken and trembling, nodded frantically, his eyes wide with fear. Without another word, he scrambled to his feet, dragged his friends away, and stumbled away, disappearing into the crowd without looking back. 

'Wow, fear can really make you kind of superhuman, or is it adrenaline?' Reese thought in bewilderment as he watched Miguel drag four of his friends by his small stature.

As Reese watched Miguel retreat, he realized that it was so quiet that even the music stopped playing. Buffled, Reese looked around him and noticed everyone was looking at him like he was a monster. They never thought they could witness such a feat in real life.

Then onlookers around Reese erupted with disbelief, their voices rising in a cacophony of shock and awe. It was a scene even more unbelievable than the fight that had preceded it, leaving many in the crowd speechless and wide-eyed.

"Did you see that? He caught the knife like it was nothing!"

"Unbelievable! Who is this guy?"

"He took down four thugs without breaking a sweat, and now this?"

"Did you see that? He didn't even flinch!" 

The murmurs rippled through the crowd like waves, each voice adding to the chorus of astonishment. Some gasped audibly, while others simply stood frozen in place, their eyes fixed on Reese in a mixture of fear and admiration.

"He's like something out of a movie! Hell, it was even better than a movie."

"I've never seen anything like it. Is he some kind of kung fu master?"

"Whatever he is, I wouldn't want to mess with him."

Even Reese's classmates, including Rey, Renz, Ben, and Lian, were among those rendered speechless by the display of power before them. They exchanged bewildered glances, struggling to comprehend the seemingly impossible feats they had just witnessed.

"He's... he's not human," Rey stammered, his voice barely above a whisper. 

Renz nodded in silent agreement, his expression a mixture of awe and disbelief. "I don't know what's going on, but I'm glad he's our best friend." Then he laughed hysterically.

As Reese listened to the incredulous comments swirling around him, a sense of embarrassment washed over him. He had only tapped into a fraction of his true power, yet the reactions of those around him were already overwhelming. Thoughts raced through his mind as he contemplated what might happen if he were to unleash his full power. 

Reese could only shake his head and smile embarassingly as he tried to get away with his friends and classmates from the frying eye of the crowd around him. After walking for about 15 minutes, out of sight of the people in Pantalan, Reese finally heaved a sigh of relief. Then they said goodbye to Lian and his classmates, leaving Reese, Rey, and Renz.

As they walked away from Pantalan. Reese, Rey, and Renz found themselves in a quieter part of the city; the cool evening air was a welcome contrast to the chaos Reese had just left behind. 

Renz, ever curious, couldn't resist asking about Reese's interaction with Lian. "So, how was it?"

"How was what?" Reese was confused.

"Come on, dude, don't play dumb with me. About the talk, you know, you and Lian," Renz clarified to Reese.

"Oh, that. Uhm. We just talk about the summer and college," Reese answered truthfully.

"That's it? You did not tell her about your feelings for her in the last 4 years?" Rey interjected.

"Uhm. I chickened out. I'm really not good at confessing feelings," Reese said dejectedly.

"Man, you are hopeless," Renz said as he pushed Reese lightly.

Then Reese clapped Renz and Rey on the shoulders, a grateful smile on his face. "Well, that was quite the adventure, huh? Thanks for having my back, guys," Reese said, changing the subject. 

Rey stared at Reese, baffled as to why he was thanking them. "What are you talking about? We didn't do anything earlier." 

"Yeah, man, we just stood by your side," Renz agreed with Rey.

"Exactly, you guys did not leave my side; a simple action like that is what counts," Reese said as he smiled at them.

Renz chuckled, shaking his head in amazement. "Seriously, man, you were like something out of a movie back there. I'm going to have to start calling you 'Reese the Unstoppable' from now on."

Reese laughed, feeling a weight lift off his shoulders at his friends' words. Despite the chaos of the night, he was grateful for their support. "Alright, 'Reese the Unstoppable' it is. But let's hope you don't run into any more thugs anytime soon."

With a final round of laughter and farewells, they parted ways, each heading off into the night with memories of their epic adventure in Pantalan still fresh in their minds.