New Experience

A man with slick blond hair and sharp blue eyes walked through a mansion corridor accompanied by two other people wearing green camouflage army uniforms.

The blond-haired man wore a dark blue jacket with gold shoulder boards displaying the Colonel rank insignia, a white shirt, a black bowtie, and dark blue trousers with a gold stripe.

"Master Maverick will see you now." Said a female dressed as a maid. The man with the slick blond hair nodded at her as he turned back to his subordinates.

"Wait out here." He said as they stood guard and didn't say a word. The maid opened a large door for the blond-haired man revealing a suited old gentleman.

"Colonel Colt, welcome. It's been a while. The last time I saw you was when you were just a Captain." Said the old man with a laugh. He had a grey goatee, styled black hair and he wore a monocle.

"Greetings, Sir Maverick. It has indeed been a long time." He said, taking a seat.

"How has life in the army been?" 

"The usual. Aliens invading Earth while we sit back, powerless while the whole world praises the Justice League for their heroism." After Colt said this, Mr Maverick's demeanour changed.

"Ugh, the Justice League. The army really ought to put those criminals in their place." Knowing the man had a biased opinion based on a past tragedy, Colt decided to choose his words carefully.

"Yes well, at the end of the day, they are super-powered individuals. If we act rashly they might decide to use their powers on innocent lives." The old man nodded in agreement as Colt continued.

"Anyway, I've come today with a request. It's come to my attention that your son, Arlo, has been causing a few problems for some associates of mine." The old man scrunched his eyebrows before speaking.

"Arlo? And why would he do that?" Asked the man as he stood up and leaned on his desk.

"It seems Arlo had a dispute with one of his classmates and in an attempt at revenge, he's using his reputation and power as your son to destroy their lives." The old man didn't seem too bothered by this. He didn't give the slightest about a student who had a dispute with his son.

"And who is this student to you?" He asked, prompting Colt to stay silent for a few seconds.

"Just know that he is under my protection. I will consider any harmful acts towards him an insult to our trust and friendship." The man scorned as he heard this. Colt was being formal with his words but Maverick knew what it meant. The army's assistance in his billion-dollar oil extraction company, Earthcore Energy, was half the reason he was able to get this far. They were a valuable asset he couldn't lose.

The man turned around as he pressed a button on his desk.

"Sophia, call in Arlo." He said. After a few minutes, a handsome boy with black hair in a ponytail entered the room. He stood with both arms by his side while facing the ground.

"Yes, father?" Colt watched the boy as he noticed his unusual body language. He stood in front of Mr Maverick as if he was sent to the principal's office.

"Arlo, Colonel Colt tells me you've been causing trouble for a classmate of yours. Is this true?" Arlo widened his eyes not at the fact that his father found out about his acts, but at the fact that his father cared about what he was up to.

'Classmate? He can't be talking about him. There's no way he has connections to the military.' He thought.

"No father. I can't say I know…" 

"Don't lie to me, boy!" Yelled the man, as Arlo jumped a little.

"I mean, there was one student who caused a ruckus on his first day. I just thought I'd teach him a lesson." After saying this, the man nodded slightly and walked over to the boy, towering over him.

Arlo started to slowly sweat as he knew what was coming and clenched his teeth. His father scorned him, disgust filling his face. 

The man raised his hand as he struck it across Arlo's face. Arlo dropped to the ground as he held his face, slight blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. Colt looked at this with a straight face, not willing to interfere.

"From today onwards, if you so much as look at that boy, I will disown you. Do you understand?"

"Y…yes father."

"Walking around like you own that school calling yourself that ridiculous name. You should be embarrassed. I know I am." The man scoffed as he turned around.

"As you can see I have my home under control. From one friend to another, I can guarantee you will not get any more problems from this one." Reassured the man. Colt was silent for a few seconds before replying.

"Thank you, Mr Maverick. I will remember this favour." Said Colt as he stood to leave. 

"Of course. After all, what're friends for?" 

***

"Isaac, aren't you going to school?" Asked a grey-haired man after entering Isaac's room.

"It's Saturday." Said Isaac with a slight chuckle.

"Ah, alright then. I'm off to work. Will you be alright for a few hours?" He asked with a chuckle as Isaac gave a nod. 

"Didn't you have a slight problem at your work?" Asked Isaac.

"Oh, that? It was just a misunderstanding. They've called me to come back in." 

"What about that eviction notice?" Asked Isaac, prompting the old man to stare at him for a few seconds, not knowing how he knew this.

"Again, it seems they made a mistake. They called me this morning and we cleared things out. We aren't going anywhere." Said the man with a smile as he prepared to leave, waving at Isaac.

Isaac was confused by the situation, however, he trusted his grandfather if he said everything was fine.

Isaac waited for him to leave the apartment, and as he did, he quickly dropped to the ground in a lotus position.

He concentrated and in a few minutes, Isaac saw himself in a vast dark abyss. His heart raced a little as the thought that he died again ran through his head. However, he calmed down after his mind cleared. 

He couldn't see inside the abyss, however, he knew where to go. He felt a slight calling, something drawing him in. He followed this feeling and after a few minutes, he saw a slight glow in the distance, lighting the area around it.

He smiled as he quickly rushed to the light. In a few seconds, he stood in front of the glow. It was a white glow that was the size of his fist. It vibrated with energy as he caressed the warmth that exuded from the glow.

This was Qi. It was currently the amount that resided in Isaac's body.

"If I remember correctly, this place is called the Dantian." He said as he looked around. The amount of Qi in his body was quite small, nowhere near the amount he needed to cure himself. Nevertheless, he was still excited to test it.

As he began to breathe, he started to circulate and control the Qi around his body. This was the only amount he could work with before he figured out the breathing technique problem. He pushed the Qi throughout his body, through his meridians. From his fingertips to his toes, Isaac welcomed the sensation he longed for.

Despite his body being riddled with impurities and blockade that would usually be washed away with the breathing technique, making his Qi circulation harder, he still managed to complete a cycle and bring the Qi to his heart. Now the hard part had started.

Isaac slowly released small amounts of Qi into his heart. The corner of his mouth started to drip with blood as he sweated profusely. He inserted small amounts of Qi into his heart slowly and after there was a sufficient amount, Isaac infused the Qi into his heart. 

The Qi became imbued into the muscles of the heart, strengthening it. This was the body-strengthening technique of the initiation stage of Qi cultivation. One would infuse their Qi into the bones and muscles to strengthen and increase the natural stats of the body. Although it was temporary and was dependent on the amount of Qi in one's dantian, it was still a useful ability.

Isaac opened his eyes as he stood up. He widened his eyes as he took a deep breath. It was gone. The stabbing pain when he inhaled deeply was significantly reduced. Isaac stood still in disbelief. He tested his new achievement by jumping a few times. He felt nothing. He didn't even feel out of breath.

Isaac smiled and the smile soon became laughter. He jumped in the air as he yelled in joy. Before he knew it, he had slipped on his shoes and left the apartment.

Isaac walked down the streets as he took a deep breath of fresh air. He walked and tested his stamina. Walking turned into jogging. He still didn't feel anything. Jogging turned into sprinting as Isaac zoomed through the empty street, laughing and yelling as he went.

He sprinted through the street, not wanting to slow down. He didn't want this experience to end. He longed for the wind slapping him across his face, sending his hair in an uncontrollable frenzy as he struggled to breathe due to the strong air resistance. His heartbeat quickened as adrenaline pumped through his veins. 

After thirty minutes of sprinting, Isaac laid on the ground in front of an abandoned warehouse in the middle of a grassy plain. Without even knowing, he had left the neighbourhood and arrived at an abandoned location. But he didn't care. He smiled and laughed at the experience he just had as he breathed heavily. Despite his heart being infused with Qi, he still had limitations and after sprinting for 30 minutes, those limitations were clear. 

However, the tightness in his chest he was feeling wasn't the same as the one he had been experiencing his whole life. The MacGregor's Syndrome made it feel as if his heart was continuously being stabbed by a burning metal rod, threatening to stop working and any moment. However, this one wasn't the same. This felt like an achievement more than it did pain.

Isaac sat up in a lotus position and closed his eyes. He quickly arrived in the dark abyss again and the fist-sized glow had shrunk to about half of its original size. 

"My Qi lasts for about an hour when using the body strengthening. That's only when strengthening my heart. If used on more than one body part the costs would be much greater."

Isaac exited his Dantian and started to focus his Qi elsewhere. While keeping his heart strengthened, Isaac guided his Qi to his legs. After a few minutes, Isaac felt the change in his body. He felt his bones becoming denser, his muscles becoming more refined and stronger.

Because his Qi was spread throughout both his legs, from the thighs to the feet, the effects of the Qi weren't as good since they were being spread thin. He could use the Qi to strengthen just his feet, however, when running, the whole leg needed to be engaged to make one faster. The feet weren't the only factor in running.

After he had done this, Isaac stood up and started to feel the major difference in his legs. Without thinking, he bolted through the secluded and grassy plain.

As soon as he started running, Isaac almost stumbled at the unexpected speed he was travelling at. Isaac's heartbeat quickened as he yelled in excitement. He zoomed around the secluded area, his speed reaching an inhuman rate. He was as fast as a cheetah if not faster. 

"Faster, faster, FASTER!" Isaac's yells echoed through the air as he pushed his legs to reach new speeds. Without watching where he was going, Isaac started to quickly approach an 8-foot-high fence. There was a prominent sign that hung from the fence warning others that it was electrified.

However, Isaac didn't back down. He saw this and quickened his speed, running head-first into the fence. Before he made contact with it, Isaac placed both feet on the ground, he mustered all the strength he could as he felt his muscles bulge at the intensity of his movements.

With a powerful push, Isaac launched himself off the ground with a surge of raw energy as he flew through the air. Time seemed to stretch as he soared through the air, transcending the boundaries of gravity. In that suspended moment, he felt weightless, like a bird taking flight.

His body arched gracefully, limbs outstretched, defying the limitations of his physical form. The world around him became a blur as he focused solely on the goal, his excitement fueling each and every sinew.

And then, with a breathtaking display of athleticism, he cleared the fence. A rush of triumph surged through his veins as he landed on the other side, victorious.

With a triumphant smile, he looked back at the fence as he stood to his feet. The overwhelming emotions started to overflow as he let out a howling yell of victory.