Ric smirked mischievously, fully aware of what was about to unfold. “Young Master,” he began, feigning politeness, “perhaps you should remove your outer clothes? It’d be a shame if they got torn.”

  Halberd scoffed, his arrogance flaring. “Hmph! Do you think a rat like you could damage my exquisite clothes? Don’t waste my time—just get on with your little test.”

  Ric nodded his head slightly. “As you wish, Young Master,” he replied, his voice steady though his patience was wearing thin. Internally, he steadied himself. "Be calm, Ric. Control yourself. He’s part of the Trevor family. I can’t afford to be reckless. Just enough to teach him a lesson… just enough to ensure he doesn’t mess with us again. I’ll show a hint of my power, nothing more."

  Halberd scoffed again, cutting into Ric’s thoughts. “Pfft! What kind of sorry excuse for clothes are those, anyway?”

  Ric’s polite facade slipped for just a second, but he quickly recovered, laughing dryly. “Haha, Young Master, should we start?”

  Halberd wasn’t done. “Start? Not before I point out how pathetic you look. What sewer did you crawl out of to show up in those rags?”

  Ric’s jaw tightened, but he forced himself to keep his tone light. “These got torn during our journey here, that’s all.”

  Halberd burst into laughter. “Journey, huh? More like you’ve been hiding how poor you are! Look at this pest, trying to save face!”

  Ric exhaled slowly, tamping down his irritation. “We should start the test,” he said firmly, brushing off Halberd’s taunts.

  “Yes, we should~” Halberd sneered, his grin growing wider. “But… I truly wonder~ what kind of incompetent, illiterate parents someone needs to have to raise them to be like you! Haha!”

  Halberd’s laughter echoed, loud and grating.

  Yota’s face darkened. He couldn’t stay quiet after hearing such an insult. “Hey! Why are you bringing parents into—”

  “You.”

  Ric’s voice cut through the air like a blade. It was low, cold, and carried an edge that made Yota freeze mid-sentence.

  “Who do you think you are to insult my parents?” Ric’s tone was calm, yet laced with fury. But as he spoke, the atmosphere around him began to shift. His anger boiled over, unleashing an overwhelming aura of menace. The air grew heavier, and a suffocating bloodlust swept through the crowd like an unseen storm.

  Yota’s eyes widened. “W-what is this?! This… pressure!” His thoughts raced. “I’ve never seen Ric like this before!”

  Halberd stumbled a step back, his smirk vanishing as a chill ran down his spine. His heart pounded in his chest, and his palms grew clammy. “W-what is this feeling?!” he thought, panic creeping into his mind. The aura felt familiar, uncomfortably so. His thoughts spiralled as his memories brought up a single, haunting comparison.

  “This… this is just like when I met Father…” Halberd’s chest tightened, his arrogance crumbling under the weight of Ric’s presence. “No! It can’t be! There’s no way a pest like him could exude the same pressure as Father! This is—”

  This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  Ric’s voice sliced through the air with a bone-chilling edge. “A spoon-fed piece of trash like you has no right to speak of my parents,” he said, each word deliberate and razor-sharp.

  He began to move, his steps slow and purposeful, his gaze locked onto Halberd. The bloodthirsty glint in Ric’s eyes sent a shiver through the crowd.

  Halberd froze, his breath hitching as he stared into Ric’s eyes. “T-those eyes…” he stammered, his voice barely a whisper. “They’re not human!”

  His knees buckled, and he stumbled backwards, collapsing to the ground in a clumsy heap. “N-No! Stay away from me! Get away!”

  Frantic, Halberd reached for the ground, grabbing stones and hurling them at Ric. His aim was wild, desperation taking over as his mind spiraled into chaos.

  Fear wrapped around him like a vice, squeezing his thoughts into incoherence. The world around him seemed to blur, the weight of Ric’s presence painting his vision in shades of red. “M-Monster!” he screamed, his voice cracking.

  He tried to get up, his hands and knees shaking uncontrollably, but his body betrayed him. His limbs felt like lead, trembling under the crushing weight of his terror.

  “Speed!” Ric muttered, his voice sharp and commanding. Barriers formed beneath his feet, launching him forward in an instant. Before anyone could react, he was in front of Halberd, his hand gripping the boy’s throat with unrelenting force.

  Halberd’s eyes widened in sheer terror. “H-Help me!” he choked out, his voice breaking into desperate gasps. “P-please! I beg you, spare me!” Tears streamed down his face as his hands clawed weakly at Ric’s iron grip, trying to free himself.

  “P-pl...ea...se...I...ca...n’t...bre...ath...” Halberd’s voice faded as his strength ebbed away, his face contorted in panic and pain.

  But Ric didn’t see him anymore—not as a person. His vision was clouded, consumed by a singular, overpowering thought:

  "Kill!, How dare you say that!, I will kill you!!, Die!, Die!, Die!"

  The words echoed endlessly in his mind, fueling the unrelenting rage coursing through his veins. His grip tightened further, his mind blank except for the need for vengeance. The aura around him grew darker, suffocating, an embodiment of pure rage.

  Then, in the swirling chaos of his thoughts, a vision emerged.

  A bearded man, his face weathered but kind, his eyes steady. His voice was firm, cutting through the maelstrom:

  “Don’t become someone you’re not, Ric.”

  The words hit Ric like a blow to the chest. His breath caught, the red haze over his mind beginning to lift.

  “Huh?” Ric whispered, his grip faltering. The words echoed again, softer this time but no less powerful. “Don’t become someone you’re not.”

  The darkness receded. Reality came rushing back. Ric blinked, his gaze clearing as he looked at Halberd’s tear-streaked, terrified face.

  “Ric! Release him! He will die!” Yota’s voice cut through the suffocating tension, sharp and urgent.

  The words jolted Ric, his grip faltering. He let go of Halberd, who collapsed to the ground, coughing violently as he clutched his throat. “Huff! Huff!” Halberd gasped, each breath ragged and desperate.

  Yota rushed forward, his face etched with worry. “Are you okay, Ric?” he asked, his voice trembling.

  Ric stood still, his chest heaving as he fought to steady himself. “Yeah,” he said finally, his voice quiet but firm. “Don’t worry. I’m fine... at least for now.”

  His gaze shifted to Halberd, who was hunched over, trembling. “You...” Ric began, his voice cold and commanding.

  Halberd flinched at the sound, tears streaming down his face as he broke into a desperate plea. “I-I’m sorry! Please don’t hurt me! I shouldn’t have said that! I’m sorry, please—please!” His sobs grew louder, his words tumbling out incoherently as he cowered before Ric.

  Ric took a step forward, his expression unreadable. “Stand up,” he commanded, his tone resolute.

  “Y-yes?” Halberd stammered, glancing up in confusion.

  “Are you deaf?” Ric snapped, his voice sharp as steel. He motioned with his finger. “I said stand up.”

  Halberd scrambled to his feet, his legs unsteady as though they might give out beneath him. He kept his gaze fixed on the ground, unable to meet Ric’s piercing eyes.

  “Hey... look here.” Ric’s voice was low and menacing as he grabbed Halberd by the hair, forcing him to look up. “Look me in the eyes,” he commanded, his tone cutting through the thick silence.

  Halberd’s entire body trembled, but he didn’t dare resist. His wide, tear-filled eyes met Ric’s, which burned with an intensity that seemed to pierce straight through him.

  “From now on,” Ric said slowly, each word dripping with menace, “if I see you bullying anyone... it won’t end like it did today.” His voice carried a weight that sent shivers down Halberd’s spine, freezing him in place.

  Suddenly, a firm voice broke through the standoff. “What’s the commotion here?”

  All heads turned as a man in a pristine white uniform stepped through the crowd with an air of authority. His sharp glasses reflected the light, and his charismatic presence seemed to command attention effortlessly.

  Ric’s grip on Halberd loosened, and he turned to face the newcomer. The badge on the man’s chest gleamed in the sunlight, marking him as a member of the student council.