Knox rose to his feet, his breath ragged. His muscles trembled with the residual energy coursing through his veins, his body still thrumming with the raw power of his final strike against Master. But in his exhaustion, he misjudged his newfound strength and propelled himself upward with a force he hadn't intended. As he soared through the air, Knox's mind raced with the realisation that he needed to master this newfound strength quickly. Without control, he would struggle even to move, let alone fight. The realisation hit him harder as he ascended higher, nearing the edge of the atmosphere. Knox marveled at how a single, unintended push had sent him soaring into the vastness of space, his struggle with this power becoming more evident with each passing moment.
As his upward momentum waned, Knox felt the pull of gravity intensifying, dragging him back towards the earth. With a sudden jolt, he initiated a rapid descent, hurtling towards the ground below. The impact was thunderous, a symphony of earth-shaking noise echoing through the air as he crashed down. The force of his landing carved out a crater in the ground, leaving behind a gaping cavity comparable in size to a small house.
‘Let’s try to take a small step.’
Knox attempted to take a cautious step but instead found himself hurtling forward with astonishing velocity, his movement mirroring the speed of light itself. He soared through the air, traversing vast distances in mere moments, until finally coming to an abrupt halt several kilometres away from his starting point. Trying to calm himself down, he made a conscious decision to avoid using any magic for fear of it going terribly wrong, his fear and caution guiding his actions.
*** *** ***
At the edge of a level 5 zone stood a camp, its perimeter encased by a sturdy wooden fence. Within its confines, a man slumped in a chair, addressing the gathered soldiers. 'There's a peril lurking deeper inland, somewhere between the level 6-8 zone. I urge you all: do not venture there. It's a force far beyond our capabilities. It nearly dispatched me effortlessly.' The soldiers, their disbelief palpable, exchanged glances, their brows furrowing in concern.
Confusion rippled among the soldiers, one of whom said, "But how could such a formidable creature evade our detection for so long?" The sentiment resonated with the others, who nodded in agreement.
"That, I cannot explain," the man replied with a troubled furrow of his brow. Jake gestured to a man beside him, silently instructing him to escort him to one of the prison cells. He approached one of the cells, where two individuals were huddled on the floor in distress.
Upon catching sight of him, the woman let out a piercing scream, her tears flowing even more freely.
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"Who are you?!" she demanded, her voice trembling with fear.
Jake responded with a sinister smile, his eyes glinting with malice, before turning his gaze to the boy who remained silent, his expression vacant as he stared at the ground.
The child looked up at him, his expression devoid of emotion.
"What?" he uttered quietly, his voice barely audible above the din of the prison.
Jake ignored the boy's question and redirected his attention to the woman, his gaze piercing.
"So, are you finally going to admit that you know who Knox is, or do we have to continue extracting the truth from you?" His voice was firm, laced with a hint of impatience.
The woman's desperation was evident as she pleaded, her voice quivering with fear. "No, please... I'll do anything," she whimpered her attempt to appeal to Jake's senses evident as she provocatively adjusted her clothing to reveal a hint of cleavage.
Jake's expression remained stoic, unaffected by her gesture. "Your attempts at manipulation won't work," he replied tersely, his tone cold and unwavering. He turned away from her, signaling to the guard with a flick of his hand. "Take them both to solitary. Maybe a night alone in the dark will encourage them to speak the truth," he commanded, his authority unquestionable.
The three guards stationed in front of the cell swiftly moved in, their presence imposing as they seized both individuals. Despite their resistance, the guards remained resolute, firmly dragging them away. Throughout the ordeal, the woman continued to protest her innocence, vehemently denying any knowledge of Knox's identity. Her repeated assertions echoed through the corridor but fell on deaf ears as the guards proceeded with their duty, their expressions unwavering.
*** *** ***
Knox has been trying to learn how to control his movements for three days since getting his new power. Right now, he can successfully move his body without flinging himself in any direction, but he still struggles to control his strength. As Knox went about his day, he suddenly realized that he hadn’t seen or heard from Ethos since the demise of Master. Concerned, Knox decided to try reaching out to him.
"Hi, Ethos, long time no see, huh? Where are you? You can come out now," Knox called out, his voice echoing through the silent surroundings.
After a few moments, a silhouette emerged before him. But to Knox's surprise, Ethos looked at him with utter horror.
"Uhm, Ethos, what's with the look?" Knox inquired, noting the unease on Ethos's face.
Ethos shook his head before forcing a nervous smile. “Uh, nothing, sir. What do you need my assistance for?”
‘Sir? He’s never called me sir before.’ Knox furrowed his brow, sensing something amiss.
Ethos remained silent for a moment, his demeanor growing increasingly tense.
“Hello? Can you answer me?” Knox prompted, growing concerned by Ethos's unusual behavior.
“But sir, you didn’t say anything,” Ethos replied nervously, his voice tinged with a hint of fear.
‘He can’t read my mind anymore?’ Knox finally realized after thinking it over for a moment. ‘It’s probably because of my high mind stat.’ He concluded.
“Why can’t you read my mind anymore?”
“Well, Sir, it’s because you’ve grown too powerful.”
Knox nodded, “Ok, that makes sense, but why did you look so horrified when I first called you?”
“You haven’t realized, Sir?
“Uhh, No?”
Ethos gave him another look of horror before saying, “It seems… Your new power… Is eating away at your sanity.”