Chapter 44: I am so sorry! I used too much strength! Are you okay!?

"Partner restraint drill."

The instructor announced, the trainees paired up.

"The goal is simple.

One person will attack with a controlled grab or shove, the other has to break the hold or redirect the force without injuring the partner."

The instructor explained, the trainees nodded, then, he looked specifically at Lucian for half a second and—

"Controlled."

He repeated.

"Understood."

Lucian nodded.

That was when Dorian stepped forward before anyone else could.

"I will partner with him."

Mira’s expression changed at those words, Rowan frowned as well, he looked at Dorian and—

"Are you sure?"

He asked.

Dorian looked at Lucian and smiled ’politely’.

"It would be educational."

"For who?"

Lucian asked curiously.

"For you, I hope."

Dorian answered.

Lucian smiled faintly, his violet eyes glowed.

"Then I’ll be under your care."

"Good."

Dorian grinned.

Rowan watched them carefully, he knew something might happen, but these were people who would be facing supernatural beings in the future, a little competition was good, for a lot of things.

"Cross. Ashcroft. Center."

He commanded.

Lucian was about to move but—

"Don’t do something stupid."

Mira whispered.

"I will try."

"That is not comforting."

Lucian just smiled and walked forward, Dorian did the same, the two moved to the middle of the mat, the other trainees watched.

Dorian stood in front of Lucian in a relaxed posture.

"I will begin."

He smiled.

Rowan nodded.

"Controlled shove.

Cross will redirect without injury."

Lucian nodded and got into a stance.

"Ready?"

Rowan asked.

"Yes."

Lucian nodded, his eyes remained on Dorian and the Ashcroft moved—

Much faster than Lucian was expecting, but still, he wasn’t fast enough to escape his eyes, he let Dorian place one hand against his chest and push.

The force behind it wasn’t weak, Dorian was surprisingly strong for his build, but even then, Lucian knew he could resist it easily, the drill, however, was not about resisting.

It was about redirecting and control.

So Lucian moved accordingly, he caught Dorian’s wrist, turned slightly, and guided the force aside.

He wasn’t trained for this, he had never been trained for combat or anything like it, he was moving out of pure instinct, and for a second, it worked.

But then—

Dorian leaned close enough for only Lucian to hear.

"Careful, contamination case.

Try not to drool on the mat."

He grinned at Lucian but the moment he saw Lucian’s face, he froze.

Because Lucian was grinning back at him.

And his purple eyes were shining brightly.

All of a sudden, Dorian felt something change, Lucian’s grip tightened, his pull became stronger and—

Dorian’s balance broke instantly, his feet left the ground, his polished expression vanished and—

Lucian twisted and drove him down onto the mat.

THUD

The sound echoed through the hall.

"Ughhh..."

Dorian groaned in pain as he hit the floor.

Lucian immediately released his wrist and stepped back with a ’concerned’ look on his face.

"I am so sorry! I used too much strength! Are you okay!?"

He spoke as he crouched next to Dorian.

Dorian looked into his eyes and saw that glint, the glint that instantly disappeared when Rowan walked towards them.

"I-I am sorry..."

Lucian apologized as he turned towards Rowan.

"Are you sure that wasn’t intentional?"

Rowan questioned as he narrowed his eyes.

"Of course not."

Lucian shook his head, then he looked at Dorian and—

"We may not have had the best first interaction one would hope for, but that is no reason to throw someone on the ground as if he’s a bag of trash."

A few trainees laughed at those words.

Rowan narrowed his eyes.

Lucian wasn’t even hiding it.

Dorian could see it as well, he glared at Lucian from below, Lucian simply ignored him.

Rowan stared at Lucian for a long second, then he looked at Dorian.

He wasn’t injured, not to mention he was the one who volunteered, Rowan had seen him whisper something, he had seen how Dorian had been targeting Lucian from the very beginning, so...

Dorian wasn’t exactly innocent.

"Control means control even when provoked."

Rowan spoke as he looked at Lucian.

"I will work on it."

Lucian answered respectfully.

"You better."

Rowan nodded.

"Return."

He commanded the two.

"He—"

Dorian tried to say something but—

"You volunteered, Ashcroft."

Rowan turned towards him with a strict look on his face.

"And you lost balance during a beginner drill."

The hall turned silent. Dorian lowered his head and clenched his fists in anger, frustration and... humiliation.

Lucian walked back with his head hung low, hiding the small smile that almost appeared.

"That was petty."

Mira leaned closer as he returned to the line.

"It was an accident."

Lucian used the same excuse.

"No, it was petty."

Mira wasn’t having it.

"Accidentally petty."

"That is not a thing."

Lucian just shrugged, not saying anything. Mira looked at him for a second, then she couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

"You are going to make a lot of enemies."

"I only have one enemy."

Lucian answered in a far different tone than his usual one. Mira looked at him and narrowed her eyes. She could tell there was a story behind all that hatred she was sensing but she felt like it wasn’t her place to ask, so she didn’t.

But she did say one thing—

"You should be more careful of the Old Families."

At those words, Lucian’s eyes glowed more dangerously.

"Why? Do they bleed differently?"

Mira blinked at those words, Lucian shook his head as well, coming out of his reverie—

"That sounded worse than I meant."

"..."

Mira didn’t say anything.

The assessment continued, but the atmosphere had changed.

People still looked down on him but now, some of them were wary and were looking at him differently.

But—

It wasn’t just the trainees or Instructor Rowan who was watching him, someone else watched him as well, someone even Lucian did not know about, someone standing above the hall, behind a wall of dark glass.

"That’s him.

Lucian Cross."

An examiner standing beside her introduced him.