Lunar Legacy: Rise Of The Beastlord

The morning air carried a crisp chill, but Jayden didn't feel it. His body had long adapted to temperature shifts, his skin almost humming with warmth despite the cool breeze.

He got out of bed, had his bathe, ate breakfast and began to leave the house. Without even bothering to greet anyone or explain his reasons for wanting to trek to school. He just left

The sun barely peeked through the metallic skyscrapers of Ruby City, casting long, shimmering shadows on the street. It had been seven years since he last walked these streets freely, but it all felt foreign to him now.

Tasha and Jessica stood frozen in their spots as Jayden casually strode away from them, hands in his pockets. Their school blazers billowed slightly in the wind as they watched his back fade into the city streets.

"Did he just... walk off?" Tasha murmured.

Jessica scoffed. "That... that little! Who the hell does he think he is? Just walking off like that?" She clenched her fists. "Arrogant bastard, as usual."

Tasha was still staring at Jayden's retreating figure. There was something mesmerizing about his presence, the way he carried himself... Calm, yet dangerous. Their time together the previous day still lingered in her mind.

Jessica clicked her tongue. "You're thinking about him again, aren't you?" she teased.

Tasha rolled her eyes. "He's different now, Jessica. I'm telling you," she defended Jayden

Jessica scoffed, crossing her arms. "He's not different, he's just... cold. Like a machine," she muttered, the incident of the previous day still fresh in her mind; the things he said, the way he defended her.

She knew Jayden had changed but just decided to continue with the act of hating him, hoping it would diminish whatever feelings Carl claimed she still had.

Tasha smirked. "You sure you're not just hating on him for no reason?"

Jessica scowled. "No reason! How can you even say that? That jerk..."

Before she could finish, Jacob called out to them

"Tasha! Jessica! Come on girls, you don't want to be late,"

"Coming," they both replied and quickly headed out of the house to meet Jacob.

Jacob raised an eyebrow when he saw only the girls approaching. "Where's Jayden," he asked

Tasha and Jessica stared each other before turning back to face Jacob

"He left," Jessica said

Jacob was confused. "Left? How? And why?" he asked again

The girls shrugged and entered the car, Jacob sighed and got in as well. He was worried about Jayden but something told him that the kid would be fine. So he started the engines and flew off.

Jayden, on the other hand was jogging through the streets of the city. He had decided to begin jogging to school every morning. That way, he would get the first task done easily.

And this begs the question of why Jayden was even heading to school in the first instance, given the fact that he could now skip school whenever he wanted.

It was because that day, the martial arts lecture would be happening. And he was obliged to attend.

After a series of nonstop jogging, he finally arrived at the school, even earlier than he had anticipated.

*Daily Quest (1/3):

[Run a total of 7km] (Complete)

Today, the distance required to complete the task was lesser than the previous day, which meant Luna was right.

And Jayden also noticed that he was faster, faster than yesterday. It only took him a couple of minutes before reaching his destination, and that made him wonder if it was due to the stat points he added to speed or because the distance was less.

But either way, he had arrived. And right on time at that. The bell ringed to announce the commencement of lectures just as he walked into the school premises.

Jayden wanted to run some more into the building, but he couldn't. He was tired

"Huff! Huff! Damn it, I knew I forgot something yesterday," he panted, walking slowly and tiredly towards the seniors building.

Jayden had gotten faster and probably stronger, and it only took him fewer minutes to arrive at the school. But the faster he ran, the faster he got tired.

And the reason was due to the fact that his stamina was low, which meant his energy would deplete faster and he would get tired easily.

Jayden dragged himself into the building and swore inwardly to increase his stamina as soon as he received the stat points for the day's quest.

He went directly to the bathroom, to freshen up and also change his attire to suit the day's lecture, before finally heading to the training hall.

Jayden entered the training hall, a massive, futuristic space with digital holographic screens displaying different combat techniques. The walls shimmered with embedded adaptive gravity panels, which could alter the weight and resistance of the environment for training purposes.

Students lined up in formation, dressed in flex-fiber combat uniforms, designed to handle high-impact training. Jayden, however, just wore his school sports attire; A simple track suit, he didn't need anything else.

Then after a few minutes, their martial arts instructor walked in.

The instructor, Master Jin, was a middle-aged warrior with graying hair and a scar over his left eye. He wore a black combat gi, his stance exuding the aura of a seasoned fighter.

He wasted no time, and began the lecture immediately

"Today, we'll be focusing on raw combat ability," Master Jin announced, his voice sharp. "No abilities. No enhancements. No weapons. Just pure martial arts. This is where true warriors are forged,"

Then he demonstrated the 'Rising Fang' technique, a powerful upward elbow strike, followed by a spinning kick meant to break an opponent's guard. His movements were flawless, sharp, and efficient.

The class murmured in admiration.

-"Whoa, Master Jin is insane."

-"That technique could crush bones!"

-"I bet Carl can pull it off."

Master Jin turned to the students. "Pair up. Start practicing the movements."

Jayden remained still, watching the other students mimic the moves. His eyes instinctively broke down each movement... the way their weight shifted, the tension in their muscles, the flaws in their stance.

A smirk tugged at his lips. "They're all sloppy," he stated inwardly. Martial art was basically his thing, he had been learning all kinds since he was just a child. And his mother made sure he was good at practicing all of them. At the moment, he was a black belt in fifteen different martial arts.

This was child's play to him

Jessica, still watching him, felt an uneasy curiosity creep into her thoughts. "What is with him?"

Tasha, practicing with another student, glanced at Jayden. His stance was perfect, his body moving with an effortless grace no one had expected.

All the students were no longer practicing with each other, they were staring at Jayden. Watching as he practiced with a god-like movement, this was perfection at its peak.

Even master Jin was impressed, he watched Jayden carefully, wondering if he could actually be a martial arts prodigy.

Carl, standing across the hall, sneered. "Tch. He thinks he's something now? I'll show him,"

After more hours of practice, the students scurried out the hall for recess. Most stayed behind to practice some more, and Tasha was one of them. While others headed to the cafeteria for lunch, Jayden included. He needed to replenish his energy.

The cafeteria was a grand, high-tech mess hall, filled with students chatting, eating, and laughing. Chefs prepared meals in transparent cooking stations, while floating trays zipped through the air, delivering food to those who paid with credits.

Jayden grabbed his meal; a simple protein-heavy plate, and made his way toward an empty table.

But Carl was already waiting.

As Jayden passed by, one of Carl's lackeys 'accidentally' bumped into him, sending his tray crashing to the floor.

The cafeteria went silent.

"Oh no," one of the onlookers whispered. "This is bad..."

Carl stepped forward, feigning concern. "Oops, my bad, Beast Boy. Maybe if you had some abilities, you could've dodged that," he said mockingly, holding on to his own tray of food.

Laughter rippled through the cafeteria. Jessica, sitting nearby with the other females, rolled her eyes.

Jayden slowly turned his head, his amber eyes meeting Carl's. Silence wrapped the room like a suffocating fog.

Carl smirked. "Oh? Not gonna lash out this time? What's wrong? Is therapy actually working?" He leaned in, lowering his voice. "Or did they just beat the beast out of you?"

Jayden's nails dug into his palm. He wanted to rip Carl apart. He needed to shut this brat up.

But then, he inhaled.

"Tenebris Luna... Tenebris Luna...

His mother's voice echoed in his mind. The anger faded just enough. The hunger for violence remained, but it was controlled.

"This isn't the time yet," he muttered to himself. Remembering what Luna had told him about his heart rate.

Jayden let out a slow breath and stared coldly at Carl. Then, in one fluid motion, he grabbed a napkin from a hovering tray beside him and knelt down to clean up the mess.

Everyone watching gasped.

Carl smirked wider. "Oh? The Beast Boy has really changed. He's a little puppy now..."

Without warning, Jayden stood up fast.

The way he moved was unnatural, eerily precise, as if he had calculated Carl's every breath. In a blink, he was inches from Carl's face.

Carl flinched, his entire body tensing at the sheer presence pressing down on him. It was different from before, something primal. He didn't know why, but he felt something run down his spine. He was scared.

Jayden's amber eyes bore into his soul. "You're still weak," he said coldly.

A flick of his wrist. The napkin in his hands snapped like a blade of steel, striking Carl's hand so sharply that he flinched. The tray slipped from his grasp, and the clattering sound filled the silent cafeteria.

Carl recoiled, looking down at his trembling fingers. A thin, red mark had appeared where Jayden hit him.

The students murmured in shock.

Jessica's eyes widened. "Did he just… hurt Carl? Without the help of powers?"

Carl clenched his fist. That wasn't normal... It wasn't normal at all. But he couldn't act now, if he did. He might risk losing his adoring fans, and not to mention the insane confidence Jayden was carrying.

"What if he actually had something up his sleeve? Maybe he already discovered his ability? He must have, why else would he dare hurt me!" Carl pondered inwardly

Jayden, unfazed, stood up. With a smirk, he casually flicked the napkin onto Carl's chest and walked past him, whispering:

"Watch yourself, Carl."

As Jayden walked away, leaving the cafeteria in stunned silence, his thoughts raced.

"I just moved faster than a normal, and even though my speed was increased, this is... Too much," he pondered, clenching his fist. "And I didn't think that napkin would hurt him. What is happening to me?"

Jayden walked out of the cafeteria, he didn't feel like eating anymore. He had more important things to think about, but the system suddenly interrupted this thoughts with a notification.

[Congratulations, you have taken the first step to becoming a Beastlord: Show dominance and make your enemies cower at your presence]

[You have received the Beastlord Aura]