The One-Legged Tyrant.

Alex had been strapped onto a bed, with an IV attached to him. His eyes were open, and he was experiencing constant pain all over his body.

Lucius was by his bedside, keeping a close eye on his vitals. Clara was busy talking to someone, presumably about his current state.

"Tell me everything about this problem of yours. If you leave a single detail, I will make sure to scrap this entire process."

Lucius threatened Alex. He was really worried for him and wanted a good explanation for this mess.

"Nightmares. I have been having a nightmare regarding a previous incident which I don't wish to discuss. That's the only explanation that I can give you."

Alex gave him the only explanation he could afford to give. Lying wasn't going to help as Lucius would be able to instantly figure him out because his expressions were easy to read in this state.

Lucius sighed. Does he have to be this stubborn?

"Fine. But is the pain necessary?"

Alex himself knew that until and unless he doesn't completely calm down, the skill Hyena's heart will continue to amplify his flight or fight response and his constant state of fear and hatred. The pain was only extending the inevitable, therefore he decided to answer with all the caution that he could muster up.

"My mental state is a mess. I am only able to stay sane like this, and pain is important to keep me stable. Just don't let the blockers stop, my body will recover and get acclimated to the state really quickly."

He was grinding his teeth. Losing control of his own body was not a pleasant feeling.

"Ok. But we have a guest incoming. He is better accustomed to dealing with shit like this, so make sure to cooperate with him as much as possible."

Alex nodded. His body was shivering, and there was a deep wound on his arm given to him by Lucius. It was necessary because his stomach had already been healed.

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5 hours later...

"Is he going to be alright?"

Clara asked her husband with a worried look on her face. She was genuinely worried about Alex, and that was a steep change in her personality.

"He is going to be fine. What worries me though, is that he looks used to this kind of torture and pain. What have the Curran family done to a kid like him?"

Lucius was extremely angry. Alex had finally overcome one of his problems, which could also be connected to that cursed family. What else did they make this child go through?

"As much as I hate to admit it, that woman can't be the cause for this problem of his. She might be a vicious person, but if she was the one who took the step to separate him from the family, she must have a pretty good reason to do so."

Clara started to suspect that this matter was the fault of Ronald. She had previously met the man only a few times at some gatherings, and considering his shady nature, she wouldn't be surprised if he was using his power to train the kids of his family using torture.

"I will have to go through his records. They are hiding something from the collective. I will..."

The sound of footsteps interrupted Lucius. The footsteps were irregular, and Lucius had already figured out who it was. Wei Peng had finally arrived.

"How are you, stranger?"

His voice carried a slight accent, hinting that he wasn't used to speaking in English. With a stick in one of his hands, Wei walked with a limp, a really wicked smile plastered over his face.

"Where is that Bullet?"

He was straight to the point. Seeing that Lucius took so much time to respond, he didn't want to waste any more time.

"Inside of that room. Be careful though. He has gone through a lot."

"Pfft, really? Is that kid this weak? He won't even survive a day living our lives if this is the case."

He barged into the room and saw Alex strapped to the bed. Alex, who was surprised by his appearance, looked straight in his eyes, and the smile sent shivers down his spine.

He approached Alex and undid his restraints. Alex was afraid that he would kill this man, so he signaled him to stop, But Wei kept going.

But after he undid his restraints, Wei picked him up by his hair and dragged him out of his bed.

"You want to experience real pain?"

Broken English, but the ruthlessness in his words were immediately conveyed to everyone. Lucius and Clara were shellshocked, and Clara decided to intervene, but Lucius stopped her. He trusted him.

He continued to drag him. From the second floor to the training ground, all the time giving little to no consideration to Alex. He had many titles, including the man who came back from the dead, but his favorite one was The One-Legged Tyrant.

After reaching the training ground, Alex was thrown on the ground. He had been unable to get out of his grasp all the way. Wei was almost as strong as Lucius, If not stronger.

"I think that you are as worthless as they come. What do you have to prove me wrong?"

He kicked Alex, right on his face. It was his fake leg, so it probably hurt more than it should.

Bloodied face, torn up clothes, Disheveled hair, Alex was in a really rough state.

He mustered up some power to get up. He was done with this guy. Forgetting all his previous problems, all he wanted to do was kill the man in front of him.

"I like the look in your eyes, but I doubt that you can do anything to me. So stop staring, and show me what's so special about you that you get to be such a drama queen!"

Alex attacked him, screaming at the top of his lungs.

"I can block this unrefined attack with my eyes closed."

He closed his eyes, and used his stick to block him, and countered him with his fist, effectively blowing him away.

"Anything else?"

Alex got up. The punch hurt. It was mind-numbing, and the only thing keeping him going was adrenaline.

He finally lost control. All the fear and anger were exchanged for his last-ditch move, and he unconsciously activated his skill, A Fatal flaw.

"My eyes are still closed."

He raised his stick to defend again, but His senses betrayed his predictions. His hair stood up, and he made a last moment block that stopped both the predicted move and the move that his senses warned him of. The Block was successful, and he hit him again, this time with his fake leg, locking him out.

"Not bad. Guess you are worthy enough to be trained after all."

He looked at the collapsed and beaten up kid lying on the ground. Whatever this meant for Alex, Wei was feeling quite refreshed.