The Ring of Power

1: Max Rising: A New Force Awakens

The ring shone brightly again, its light had gone out as soon as the magical being had made its presence before Max, and now that it disappeared again, the intense glow reemerged from Max's ring. He felt how a current of energy began to run through each end of his body, repairing the damage that had been very noticeable to his physical and mental health, and filling him with an unknown and unrecognizable strength.

The previously debilitating pain disappeared completely as if by magic, leaving in its place an incredible feeling of power and mental clarity that he had never had the opportunity to experience before.

Max stood up, surprised by how quickly his body responded to his commands. He looked at his hands, expecting to see the scars from his wounds, however, they have disappeared, as well as the pool of blood that formed under his body on the ground.

From the last fight, there has been no evidence left, it is as if everything had been lived in a dream, not even his clothes have been destroyed or dirty, they were completely clean, just as he had left the house.

The murmurs and mocking laughter of the bullies could still be heard in the hallway. They seemed to be approaching their meeting with Max again, since each time, they became much closer. And the laughter has been combined with the laughter and murmurs of the other students who, finally, have reached high school.

For now, Max walked with determination towards the corner, where he knew very well that Justin and his henchmen always remained. The three were bothering another boy from another classroom, the boy is just as defenseless as Max, but this one, at least, had the guts of a man to try to defend himself and recover the glasses that Joe's bully took from him to play with them.

The three bullies were distracted from what they were doing to watch Max approach them. The three were momentarily surprised when they realized that Max was more alive than ever, because they thought that with the severe beating they gave the boy in the hallway, it had been more than enough for him to have left high school for the hospital while he was still alive badly injured, or even dead.

Surprise quickly turned to mockery as Max finished approaching them. The bullies let the poor boy they were bothering go, and in that hallway, only Max and the three bullies were left.

“Wow, wow. Look who we have here. Max, the loser, hey, to be honest, I swore Max was already dead,” Justin mocked, taking a step towards Max. His henchmen laughed mockingly at his comment.

But this time, Max didn't flinch. Instead, he lifted his gaze and held it, looking into Justin's eyes, as if daring him to do what Justin did best; fight him A part of Max wanted to thank the magical being, however, he knew that this is his fight, and that one way or another, he had to get revenge on those bullies who have made his life miserable since his first day of school at that secondary

“Justin, Brad and Joe, this doesn't end here,” Max announced firmly. Then, a flash of light erupted from his ring, almost blinding the bullies who looked at him in surprise. Max felt a pleasant warmth take over his body. Suddenly, his movements became quick and precise.

Justin took the initiative, throwing the first blow at Max, hoping that this blow would knock him to the ground, but Max dodged it easily, almost as if his reflexes had been too good to help him predict it. Max counterattacked Justin with unexpected force, hitting him in the stomach very hard, just as Justin did minutes ago with Max.

In his defense, Brad and Joe launch an attack against Max, but Max moved nimbly between them as if he were a ghost, dodging the blows and returning each of them with great precision that surprised even himself.

It was a matter of minutes, the three thugs were lying on the ground, moaning in pain and unable to get up, just as Max was when they beat him. Max looked at them with a mixture of compassion and satisfaction. Finally, after a long time, he has managed to get revenge on those bullies who did not stop making his life miserable for as long as he could remember.

Finally, Max has won a fight, and not just the fight, but something much more important: control of his life.

“Well, guys, this is just the beginning,” Max murmured, feeling the presence of the magical being next to him even though he couldn't see it.

Unfortunately, just at that moment, a stern and authoritative voice was heard in the hallway.

“Max, to the management, right now!” said the principal, Mrs. Thompson, who approached at an accelerated pace, letting the heel of her shoes click loudly on the hallway floor.

Luckily, there was no one but them in the hallway, and no one realized what was happening, but Max became extremely nervous, because the principal of his high school is very severe, and strong in punishing, and many of the students scared him, and not only their punishments, but also their simple presence.

Max turned around, and, without having a chance to complain, he began walking towards the address, following the director's hurried steps. The few students around him looked at him with a mixture of surprise and admiration, murmuring among themselves about the unexpected encounter.

Upon arriving at the principal's office, Max entered and sat in the chair opposite the woman. She sat in her chair, too, and she looked at Max with such seriousness that it made him terrified to think about why she had forced him to go to her office.

“Max, I really can't believe you were able to hit your teammates like that. Tell me, what is your problem with them? "What have they done to you that you would have retaliated like this?" the director complained.

Max couldn't believe the rudeness of the director's words. Many times, he went to the office to complain about the mistreatment of bullies, including one time with his nose broken and bleeding, but the woman did not pay attention to him and ignored him as if that were not his problem. Better said, she did nothing to help him and put an end to the bullying she was suffering.

However, Max remained calm, and responded firmly: “Principal Thompson, I wasn't the one who started this fight. I only fought back after Justin, Brad, and Joe attacked me again. You know very well that for as long as I can remember, I have asked for your help to defend me against your attacks, but you have never done anything to stop them, and now that I want revenge, you defend them and blame me for what has happened? ”

The director frowned, she was clearly upset by Max's defense.

“Don't you dare blame me for your problems, Max. I have had constant complaints about your behavior. I have made a decision, it is time for you to take responsibility for your actions. I'm tired of your problems. You're a bad influence on the other kids at school, and I can't take it anymore. “You are expelled”

Max felt a lump form in his throat, but he did not want to let desperation because of the situation he found himself in dominate him.

"Expelled? For defending myself from bullies who have made my life miserable since I started studying at this school? This is not fair, director. They are the ones who have mistreated, beaten and insulted me relentlessly, and you are the one who always looked the other way when I wanted to ask for help. "I'm not a bad influence, they are, and you are the worst school principal I've ever met in my life," Max complained. He couldn't help but hide his fury anymore.

“Enough, Max! This decision is final! Pick up your things and get out of here. “I never want to see you again in this school!” the director shouted impatiently.

Seriously, Max looked directly into her eyes:

“You are wrong to protect those thugs, Ms. Thompson. But it doesn't matter, in the end, the one who loses this battle is you, not me. This is not the end of me, it's just the beginning of a new me."

With those words, Max turned around and left the office. As he passed through the hallways, he realized that many of his colleagues had been very attentive to what was happening at the office. There were no murmurs, only staring.

“And you see me? Don't you have anything better to do than pay attention to what happens to others? By the way, before I leave here, I just want you to remember my name: I am Max Denison, and soon I will be someone very important to this country,” Max shouted confidently to his companions, as he took each step down the hallway until leaving school.