by Daman
“Sorry, Avi! Just hang on for a while and I’ll let you down.”
Calron yelled with amusement, as he continued to rush towards a location.
The reason for his excitement was because of that feeling in his chest, or more specifically, the feeling his Blood Legacy gave him.
Another Blood Legacy Inheritor was nearby, and Calron knew exactly who he was.
It was his brother… Roran!
Chapter 12 – Reunited Brothers
*Huaaa*
A gentle breeze floated around the tranquil grassland, the bushes faintly dancing along with the direction of the wind.
“This sucks! Nothing but grass, trees, then grass again, and even more trees… I wonder where big brother is.”
A tall and muscular youth bitterly complained, as he trudged dispiritedly through the grass. Equipped with light leather armor and a pair of shiny metallic gauntlets, the youth exhibited an aura similar to that of a trained warrior.
It had been weeks since Roran first entered the outskirts of the Desolate Mountains, and he still had no clue on how to go about searching for Calron. He tried using the connection from the Blood Legacy to locate his brother, but since he was not the Prime Inheritor like Calron, he could not use its full power.
“Seems like a little pest has latched onto me.”
Roran mumbled, as he rubbed his steel gauntlets together and wiggled his fingers.
“GRRRRR!”
A throaty growl resounded behind Roran, as a large cat-like creature stealthily pounced at him.
“Guess, I know what I am having for lunch right now.”
Roran calmly stated, as his body burst into a cloud of crimson smoke and instantly reappeared behind the beast. This was his Blood Shadow step.
“Gruh?”
The large feline beast let out a confused grunt, before it felt a hammer-like collision against its chest and life slowly faded out from its eyes.
It thought that the human would be an easy target since he carried no weapons. However, the current Roran was a completely frightening individual.
In the past, he was bullied for being fat and weak as a cultivator; however, after he awakened as an elementalist and inherited the Blood Legacy, his mind and body underwent an astonishing change.
Within the years that Calron had disappeared, Roran had been painstakingly cultivating his elemental essence and the Blood Legacy to the point where the reached the first rank of the Vajra stage.
He did not ever want to feel that helplessness he felt when he couldn’t help Calron back then.
Excluding Calron, Roran could now be said to be one of the most talented youths among the human kingdom.
“I should have brought some spices from home. Constantly eating these tasteless meat for the past few weeks has been killing my appetite. But, tasteless meat is still better than no meat…”
Roran dejectedly stated, as a bright blue strand of essence coalesced on top of his palm and he began using it to skin the carcass.
*Thump*
*Thump Thump*
It was at that moment, that the legacy’s source pool within his body started to rumble, and his heartbeat started to thump madly.
“SCREEEEEEEE!”
An ear-piercing screech of a bird echoed in the sky above Roran, his eyes wide in shock at the sight of a bird so humongous and magnificent at the same time. Golden scales shimmering under the sunlight, and wings sharper than a steel sword, the golden bird soaring above was truly a scene to behold.
“Shit! I don’t think I can fight that. It’s just my luck… that monster is coming directly towards me”
Roran stood up from the ground, his fists clenching in tension while he continued to stare at the rapidly descending beast.
“Eh? Is that… a puppy?”
It was a bizarre sight, seeing a tiny pup within the clutch of a giant bird, as what kind of mighty predator would hunt a small pup who hardly had any meat. What was even more strange, was that the pup had an utterly bored look on its face, almost like it was used to flying and not even slightly afraid of the beast holding it.
Why do I feel like I know that golden bird?
Roran pondered, his source pool still raging inside, trying to tell him something.
How could he have known that the big brother he was looking for, was actually the quickly nearing golden bird!
Then, an incredible scene took place. Just as the massive golden bird was a few meters above ground, its body started to tremble and the golden metallic scales shrunk in size, while the wings withdrew back. Bit by bit, the body of the bird became smaller, until it resembled a young human teen.
Gracefully catching the dark-furred puppy mid-air, the human teen weightlessly landed on the ground.
“Heavens… you… you can’t be…”
Roran stuttered, failing to talk properly.
Although most might not recognize the human teen before him, but how could he not know the face of his brother? Dark obsidian-like hair, chiseled cheekbones which still contained a hint of youthfulness, and especially those eyes, bright azure eyes that exuded an aura of unrivaled strength.
“You’re still such a little wimp.”
Calron said softly, his voice full of warmth and affection as he saw the tears drip from Roran’s face. Avi leapt from Calron’s hold and landed on the ground.
“Hahah, sniff… I finally found big brother… sniff”
Roran sniveled, his voice choked with emotion.
“I missed you… brother.”
Calron swiftly appeared in front of Roran, and pulled him to a tight hug.
Calron did not even notice that his cheeks were already wet with tears.
……………………..
“So, why is a runt like you here in the Desolate Mountains?”
Calron teasingly asked, as he chewed on a grilled chunk of meat.
After the long hug, the two brothers finally settled down at the grassland, while Calron quickly cooked the dead beast with his lightning.
“Runt? Hmph, say that to me once you’ve grown as me!”
Roran retorted, then resumed to gnaw on the roasted hind leg. Although Calron was now as tall as an average adult human, Roran was still taller than him by several inches.
“You little…”
Calron dropped the chunk of meat, and grabbed Roran’s neck while rubbing his knuckles against his head.
“Oww ow! I gib ub, I gib ub!”
Roran quickly surrendered, his mouth still full of meat.
“This is bullying! Except for Master and you, no one dares to insult me like this…”
Roran grumbled in dissatisfaction.
“Wait… you mean… Master is not dead?”
Calron whispered, his face stunned in shock at the news.
Chapter 13 – The Truth About What Happened
“Wait… you mean… Master is not dead?”
Calron whispered, his face stunned in shock at the news.
“Eh? You didn’t know?”
Roran inquired in confusion.
This was not his fault, as he had not seen his Master use Titan’s Fury like Calron and only met him after the conflict was over. Meanwhile, Calron was with his Master until the end and had witnessed Elias’ meridians beginning to erode away the moment his Master triggered the Blood Legacy to save him.
“How is this possible? I still cannot sense his bridge within the source pool…”
Calron stated, as he once again sent his consciousness inside the source pool to confirm this fact.
“Master did survive, but… “
Roran sighed with melancholy, as put down the piece of meat and stared at the ground with profound sadness.
“What happened?”
A trace of coldness seeped into Calron’s voice. His Master was prepared to sacrifice his own life for his, so if any harm came to Elias, then Calron would make sure that the perpetrators would pay for their sin.
“Master actually wanted to come with me to
look for you when I ran away from home, but it is too dangerous for him right now. The reason is because… he is physically crippled and moreover, his meridians have been destroyed so he cannot practice Marital Arts or use the Blood Legacy.”
Roran spoke gently, brooding within his own thoughts that he did not notice the signs of bubbling anger on Calron’s face.
“What do you mean physically crippled?”
Calron took a deep breath before asking the question.
He already knew that his Master’s meridians would be destroyed after forcefully using Titan’s Fury. Elias was already an Element-less so he couldn’t cultivate essence, but now without his meridians, he couldn’t even use the Blood Legacy or any Martial Art.
Calron could not imagine how his Master was feeling right now. For a prince of a forgotten Kingdom and mighty general, this stroke of misfortune would be enough to make him take his own life.
“Master’s right arm… was cut off.”
Roran’s bloodshot eyes filled with grief bore into Calron.
Silence.
Even the wind and the fluttering leaves seemed to be frozen in time.
Blood violently rushed within Calron’s veins, his heart furiously pumping it into his body, almost like feeding it more anger and fury.
“Who?”
Calron closed his eyes slowly, but the bulging veins around his body and the red tint on his skin spoke of the extent to which he was restraining his wrath.
“It was the City Lord, Regis! I wanted to kill him right there, but I was stopped by my father’s shadow guards. Even my father wanted to massacre Regis and his family after he found out that Master was my teacher, but Regis is still a Noble of the Kingdom and my father can’t take any action without any reason. In front of the Nobles’ rules, it was simply Regis punishing a citizen of his city.”
Roran continued with sorrow, pulling his knees to his chest and burying his head within them.
“I trained everyday relentlessly, as I wanted to become stronger so I could take revenge for Master on my own. However, it was all useless… Regis pleaded the Royal court for protection in case my father decided to act, and they sent him the elites of the army. I thought I could still take them on, but those soldiers… were all at the Saint stage!”
Roran’s voice was miffed, as his head was still buried within his knees but the sound of tears hitting the soil could be heard under the silent night.
“I did not know why the Royal court would even send elites of that level for a useless City Lord like him, but they did. They suppressed my father until him and the Shadow guards were forced to leave the city and back to our home territory. We passed by the Desolate Mountains on our way, and I knew big brother was here so I sneaked away in the middle of the night to search for you. Master came with me until the edge but without any strength, he would die in the mountains, so I begged him to return with my father. He really wanted to see you, big brother… I think he was more worried about you than his own crippled state.”
Roran’s voice choked at the end, but he continued.
“I knew I couldn’t take revenge on my own. Even though I cannot take revenge with my pitiful strength, I just wanted to see you. You always gave me hope when I was hopeless. If I never met you, I would still be the same weak fatty that everyone liked to bully.”
Sounds of sobbing could be heard, as Roran shared with his brother all the painful memories that had occurred after their separation. For a young child to experience all of this at a tender age was too cruel.
During this whole period, Calron remained silent.
Avi silently crawled towards Roran and nudged her little furry head against the human’s side in comfort.
“woof woof!”
It was at this moment that Calron stood up, and walked next to the seated Roran who still had his head between his knees.
“I am truly sorry, brother… you had to go through all of that alone.”
Calron spoke gently, his hand warmly landed on Roran’s shoulder.
“Look up. Do you see those stars? Even when surrounded by darkness, they continue to shine brightly. You are that star, brother.”
Roran slowly raised his head and gazed at the starry sky above. His tears already dried up on his cheeks.
The reflection of the numerous stars was glowing within Roran’s eyes, as the teen was captivated by the celestial scenery above.
“The stars can never exist without the light. Never forget the light around the star, brother, for that light is me. I will be there with you until the very end.”
Calron promised solemnly, his azure eyes illuminated by the glow of the moon.
“Big brother!”
Roran smiled brightly, rubbing his eyes with his hands to wipe away any remaining tears.
I will also make this other promise today, Roran. I swear to kill anyone who hurts you or Master. Since Regis dared, his life is already… forfeited.
Calron made an oath inwardly, while staring into the glowing face of his brother.
Chapter 14 – Journey To Retrieve The Small Packages
“We will take revenge for Master, but now is not the correct time. We lack the strength to go against the Kingdom; however, that will change in the future.”
Calron stated with confidence, while squeezing Roran’s shoulder.
Although, he felt an immense fury at the treatment of his Master, he could not rashly charge into the Royal court and start wildly attacking. That was simply asking for death.
If the Royal court had the authority to randomly send a team of Saint stage experts for a little noble like Regis, then one could only imagine the number of powerhouse experts that the Royal family commanded.
In order to prevent the Royal court from intervening, Calron had to reach a stage where the Human Emperor himself would be afraid to offend him.
“B-but they are the Royal court! We cannot go against them!”
Roran protested. Even though he wanted to take revenge for his Master, he grew up within a Noble family so he knew exactly the extent of dominion that the Royal court had. Two kids wanting to take revenge against them was simply laughable.
“Hahaha, who says that we can’t go against them? They were once lowly cultivators just like us! If they can reach that stage, why can’t we? Remember Fatty, we are the inheritors of Master’s Blood Legacy… it is our destiny to conquer our enemies!”
Calron chuckled, his azure irises glimmering under the moonlight.
“Hey! Don’t call me Fatty anymore! Don’t you see all this muscle? Hehe, even big brother is smaller than me!”
Roran retorted, proudly flexing his arm muscles in front of Calron’s face.
“Mmm? What did you say? Do you want another beating right now?”
Calron glared down at his brother, as he proceeded to sit beside him.
“Eh? What beating? Of course big brother can call me whatever he wants, I was just joking… hehe…”
Roran hurriedly replied, beads of sweat already forming on his forehead.
After a few seconds, both teens laughed out loud in amusement. It felt like they were back to old times and with no worries in their minds. The two brothers comfortably laid back down on the grass, as they gazed up at the starry night.
A gentle breeze drifted past their bodies, enveloping them with the pleasant coolness of the night.
“Do you really think that we can become powerful enough to avenge Master?”
Roran asked softly, as he continued to stare at the dark sky above.
“I would never lie to you, Roran. As long as we are together, there will be no one that can stop us in the future.”
Calron slowly replied in an unwavering tone.
Taking a sideways glance Calron and seeing the confident shine within his eyes, a peaceful smile began to cover Roran’s face.
Big brother still has not changed in all these years.
Roran thought with a cheerful mood.
“You know; big sis has been worrie
d about you for all these years. She used to keep asking if I knew you were safe or not. I wish there was a way to send a message to Master so they could all know that you are fine.”
Roran mumbled, his eyelids slowly opening and closing with drowsiness.
“Felicia? As far as I remember, your big sister was too violent…”
Calron yawned, tiredness taking over him.
“Eh? Big sis is so kind and gentle…”
Roran muttered, as his eyes finally closed.
That was only in front of you, idiot.
Calron last thought, before finally succumbing to sleep.
………………………
*thud*
“Oomph!”
Calron abruptly gasped for breath, feeling a heavy weight on his chest. Quickly opening his eyes, Calron stared into a pair of big innocent purple irises.
The bright sunlight penetrated though his eyelids, pushing away all the drowsiness he was feeling.