Revenge for the Past

I slept great, the moment my head hit the pillow I was out. Before I knew it the sun was shining brightly in my room. A loud knock made me jolt up to see Heng standing at the doorway to my room.

"Come with me, it's time to teach you a new skill." He said before turning around and walking briskly away.

I rubbed the sleep from my eyes and quickly got dressed. Heng was waiting for me in the backyard. The sun seemingly shone on him as he stroked his beard.

"I am ready to learn Master," I said bowing.

"Very good Jason, now in about a month there will be a competition between disciples. I want you to compete. To give you an edge I decided that I want to teach you the dragon's fury kick." Heng said, his eyes studying my reaction.

"I will do my best!" I replied with a large smile.

For the next few hours, he taught me stretches to help me perform the skill as it should be. Then he went through the motions of each step of the skill, slowly teaching me each step to make sure I had the fundamentals down. After he was sure I had that down, he showed me the full skill in all its glory. The dragon's fury kick certainly lived up to its name. A quick succession of kicks aimed at a person's head and midsection. If performed correctly it was fatal. During the next few days, I trained that skill during the day and cultivated it at night. I could feel my body growing stronger and stronger each day. About a week into my trading Heng approached me to watch my progress. My body had become used to the daily rigorous exercise and stretching. After watching me perform the skill a few times Heng began applauding me.

"Jason you are truly a gifted genius. This skill takes most people years to learn, let alone perform correctly. I have high hopes for you. Yi Meng has asked me about whether or not we should have you continue your schooling. I think we should leave that up to you." Heng said looking at me.

"Well to further my education would be like cultivating my mind, so yea I think I should return to school. However, can it not be my old school?" I asked quietly.

"Jason cultivators rarely go to a normal school. Where I will send you will also teach you cultivation and further your education at the same time." Heng replied.

"Then of course I would love to go!" I replied with excitement.

Heng nodded and motioned for me to follow him. We walked through the mansion towards Yi Meng's room. Heng knocked a few times before Yi opened it. Having been woken up, she seemed grumpy.

"Morning Master Heng, I take it you talked to him about school?" She groggily asked.

"Yes, and he has agreed to go. Kindly make the arrangements at the academy. Jason Yi Meng is an instructor at the academy for Cultivating youth. She will make sure everything is set up so you can have an enjoyable time." Heng said smiling at me.

I nodded. Seems like this was his plan all along, not that I was complaining. I was excited for the next step in my adventure. Heng had kept every promise to me, and I trusted him completely. He sent me back to my room to discuss a few things with Yi Meng. I started towards my room when a violently loud knocking rang out through the mansion.

"Jason get your scrawny ass out here!! I am your stepfather! How dare you run away from me!! The police are with me, you must come home now!" Scott's voice rang out behind the front door.

I sighed; I had hoped I would never have to hear his annoying voice ever again. I walked to the door slowly, my anger boiling over as I flung the door open. There stood Scott and a group of officers.

"You, shameless little prick, how dare you run to a rich man. What are you his boy toy??" Scott's mouth seemingly foamed.

"Look it's a rabid dog that I should have put down the last time he bared his teeth at me. Scott, go away you signed the emancipation paperwork. You have no power here and neither do the losers behind you. Get lost." I replied about to close the door.

Scott rammed his foot in the door to stop it from closing.

"I don't care what you say, boy! You will come home to me!!" Scott howled grabbing my hair.

I grabbed his wrist and squeezed. A loud pop and Scott's screams of pain echoed in the evening sky.

"I warned you last time, apparently you didn't receive the proper message huh?" I asked flinging Scott backward.

The officers drew their pistols on me, yelling a bunch of commands. A gust of wind blew past me, and all the officers were pinned down by Alexander, Heng, and Yi Meng. I turned back to Scott.

"That's ok Scott you know why?" I asked with a sickly-sweet voice.

"Why?" He stammered trying to crawl backward away from me.

"Now I no longer have to appease my mother." I laughed stepping towards him.

" I gave you a home! I gave you food! You had safety with me! I don't understand!" His fear was written all over his face.

I stopped for a second my anger got the best of me.

" SAFETY? Do you call the beatings safety?? Do you call being starved for days at a time safe? How about that prison you made me sleep in with no blankets or a decent bed? You call the unspeakable things you did to me in the dark safety?!!" My voice howled as I manically moved towards him.

Energy began cycling around me like a typhoon. The wind began cutting away at Scott's clothing as I got closer. He began begging and pleading for me to spare him.

"How often had I begged Scott? How often did I plead for mercy or death so I wouldn't have to face you? Just once you could have been decent towards me just one time." I howled as I punched at him.

I felt bones crack and break under the force of my punches. Shortly he fell silent. Blood dripped from my knuckles as I turned to the officers behind me.

"You saw nothing. Scott left town and went to Canada." I growled.

The officers quietly looked at each other, pale as ghosts they all nodded. Heng and the others allowed them to stand. Heng looked at Alexander. He disappeared and reappeared with a suitcase. He g handed it to the officers and looked at them angrily. They open the suitcase, and a lot of money stared back at them. They got into their car and left, kicking up rocks as they sped away. I fell to my knees and began crying. My vengeance on Scott was complete. Relief flooded over my body. I screamed into the sky as I felt everything just slip away. Yi Meng came over to me and held me, stroking my hair and whispering how everything would be ok. We sat there like that for a while. My mind blanks from everything that had happened. I felt Yi Meng and Heng lift me by my arms and help me walk into the mansion. I felt numb, completely overwhelmed. Scott was the first person I killed, the weight of which I was unsure of at this moment. They laid me in my bed and walked away. They stopped outside my door, and I heard Yi Meng ask Heng

"Did you have any idea of what he suffered at that man's hands?"

"No, I knew he had it rough but never had any idea of the extent," Heng replied quietly.

They walked away without further conversation. My mind was blank, everything was shutting down. I passed out after what seemed to be forever. The next morning, I woke up in a dark room. It seems Heng had allowed me to sleep in. I groggily got up and walked out of my room and into the living area. Heng and Yi Meng we're sitting on a large couch watching the tv. I sat down next to them without saying a single word. They looked at me with sad eyes for a while, before Heng spoke up.

"Jason I'm extremely sorry for what you have had to survive as a child. As a father who lost his young one too early, I can't even begin to imagine how someone could treat a child in such a despicable way. If you ever need a moment to talk about it we are here for you." He said gently placing his hand on my shoulder.

I looked at them and for the first moment in my life, I felt safe. Yi Meng looked as if she was about to cry so I decided to put a tough front up.

"Thank you both for everything you have done for me I appreciate it greatly. I will spend a few days cultivating in solitude as long as it's ok with you two." I said quietly bowing my head.

They looked at each other then back at me.

"We can give you two days before we take you to the academy. Will that work?" Heng asked.

I could tell they were trying to be considerate of my feelings. I nodded and walked back to my room to cultivate. I sat in the middle of my bed and began. The energy filled the room faster than before, I could feel it being siphoned into my body at an extreme rate. The next day and a half flew by like lightning. Towards the two days mark, I could feel an expansion of energy as I made a breakthrough. I opened my eyes and stood up. I had reached the peak of foundation establishment. The strength flowing through my body was strangely addicting. I wanted more, as much strength as I could gather. I walked out of my room to see Heng and Yi Meng waiting on me.

"Are you ready to go?" Heng asked.

" Yes, I'm excited about this. I can't wait to get even stronger. " I replied with a large smile.

"Good you had me worried there for a minute you brat. Now Heng won't be going with us, it's just me and you. So, pack a suit case and we will head out." Yi Meng said laughing.

I nodded and went to pack, before I knew it we were driving away from Heng's mansion.

I looked back as my first place of safety disappeared on the horizon. I sighed and focused on the path ahead of me.

"You'll get to come back you know? Heng likes you, he sees a lot of potential in you. He isn't doing this to run you off. Everything will be ok Jason. You have us, we are your family now." Yi Meng said as if she could sense my heartache.

"Sister Yi, Do you think I will do well here? I've never really had friends or anything like that before. Scott made sure that I was completely alone in this world for so long I feel like I won't know how to get along with my peers." I explained the doubts in my mind.

Yi Meng looked at me and smiled.

"You're going to do great things kiddo. Don't worry you do well with Alexander and I don't you? So just be yourself, you get to discover who you are and who you want to be." She explained.

I nodded, comforted by what she had said my doubts had been silenced. We drove for hours, making stops every once in a while, for a bite to eat or to use the restroom. After about eight hours we arrived at a large walled property. Security guards were stationed at the front, an absurd amount of energy emitting off of them. Yi handed one a badge with her photo on it and he waved her through the large metal gate. The school's campus was massive with three apartment-like buildings on one side and another three on the other side. In the middle was a large box-like building. thousands of students scurried about rushing to class or some other activity. Yi Meng drove me to one of the large apartment-like buildings and guided me to a dorm mother. The tired-looking woman seemed to be beyond stressed. Her long golden yellow curls flung over her face.

"Hey Molly, I brought you a new student to look after." Yi Meng said cheerfully.

Molly brushed her hair out of her face with her hand, dark purple eyes glaring at the both of us.

"Yi Meng, I swear you live to make me miserable. Fine only because I have to. Follow me whatever your name is. There are rules here. First off, no females in the male dorms, and no need for unwanted heat from other sects and whatnot. Second, don't fight here, take it to the stadium ring. Third, don't bug me, I'm not doing this out of the kindness in my heart. That's about it for rules, for the most part, we expect you to be able to behave yourselves since most of you are close to being adults anyways." Molly began stating as she led us to an empty room.

She opened up the door and waved her arms to motion me in. The room was nice, big enough for a king-sized bed, a full bathroom, and a desk by a large window. YI Meng wrapped me in a hug and smiled at me.

"Good luck, you start classes tomorrow in the morning, in the meantime get used to the campus. Go explore a bit before curfew maybe gets some chow at the food hall." She said as she waved goodbye to me.

I set my stuff on the bed and walked out of the dorm. The sun's warmth was beginning to fade for the day, the beautiful light cast shadows across the campus. I decided to walk around and get familiar with everything. The campus was truly massive, even bigger than I originally thought. Behind the main building was a large garden area with cherry blossoms blowing gently in the wind. Several students were tending the garden when they noticed me. No one greeted me, just stared at me with leeriness. I simply smile and waved as I continue my walk. Past the garden was a large arena-like building reminiscent of a Roman gladiator arena. I could hear fighting going on beyond the walls. I was curious so I decided to take a look. The seats were mostly empty but for a handful of students who were invested in the action going on in the middle of the arena. Two students were squaring off with each other, and fists and kicks were sent between both parties. I noticed one was a large male, his arms the size of tree trunks. He was strong, but his energy seemed weak to me. The other student was a dainty female. Her speed was impressive, and her strength was shocking. I would figure that she was as strong as I was if not stronger. I noticed out the corner of my eye three male students acting strangely. I kept them in my sight as much as I could and watched the fight. Shortly after the winner was decided. The girl stood over her opponent, looking down on him.

"Dracus you asked for this, next time remember to be polite to a cute lady like me." She huffed loudly as she flipped her shoulder-length red hair.

As she began her way out of the arena the group of guys rushed to the boy named Dracus who was laying on the ground, staring up at the sky. The girl's eyes met mine and she stopped in her tracks. Suddenly the three males charged toward her. In seconds I was on the field by her side. The boys stopped sharply, skidding in the dirt as they tried to keep their footing.

"Boy doesn't play hero, walk away and you may live!" One dorky-looking boy quipped up.

My eyes focused on him; his face turned white as I stepped toward him.

"The last man who uttered those very words to me is now just a pile of hamburgers. Is that how you would like to end up child? Is vengeance worth being broken or killed by me?" I asked in the coldest voice I could muster.

The boys looked at each other and began whispering. They then turned back to me and began charging toward me.

"Death it is then." I chuckled.

The first boy tried to kick me, I was faster as I caught his leg and brought my elbow down right below his knee. The boy fell over howling in pain. The dorky-looking boy charged throwing wild punches. with one lucky strike, he hit me in my face. It felt like a feather tickling me, my eyes fixated on him.

"Let me show you something I just learned," I said as I got into the dragon's fury kick stance.

The boys looked at me like I was insane and ran away. The large guy is drug behind them. Their friend slowly gimping away behind him. I turned to walk out only to have the redhead girl's face inches from mine.

"Who are you?" She quipped.

I looked her up and down, the girl was probably sixteen or seventeen. Her red hair looked like a fire burning in the setting sun. Her pale skin seemingly glowed making her sea-blue eyes pop on her face. Her lips curled into a mischievous grin.

"I'm Jason Dewitt. I'm new here." I replied taking a step back from her.

She pushed forward getting closer than before.

"Jason I kind of figured you were new, no one would willingly stand up against Dracus and his little minions knowing who his dad is." She seemed to be getting closer with every word.

I backed up until my back was against a wall. She put her arms in the way to stop me from getting away. She smelled like strawberries.

"I do what's right without fear," I replied looking for a way to dodge her.

She firmly kept me in place using my uncomfortable status to control my movement.

"Miss I'm trying to be polite but you're making it extremely difficult could you kindly allow me some space?" I said slinking as far away as I could.

She giggled and stared me in the face.

"Look at you, you're a shy one huh?" Her eyes danced with excitement from teasing me.

I grabbed her by her waist and lifted her in the air and moved her to the side, I took off running in the opposite direction. Night had begun creeping its way into the sky, Path lights blinked on as I made my way back to the door. Standing at the door was Molly impatiently tapping her foot the moment she saw me. I bowed in apology as I rushed in.

"Don't let it happen again, Dewitt!" She hollered after me.

I ran to my room and slammed my door.

"What was wrong with her? She was weird." I said out loud as I sat with my back on the door.

I stood up with a sigh and decided to sit at the desk and process everything. The Night had become pitch black with only the streetlights and pathways lit up. To me, it was peaceful and beautiful. It wasn't the damp darkness that I had grown used to under Scott's thumb. It was fresh air with a light breeze, a slight chill that was comfortable. I smiled, most of my life I had to fight against someone who was supposed to protect me. I survived against every odd set-in front of me. Now my abuser was six feet under, I was free from my chains. Cultivation granted me my freedom. I clicked the light off and l laid on the bed, which swallowed me in softness. I passed out almost immediately.