"Kiro, I... h-how did you find that?"
He gave her a sad grin, embracing her as tight as he could. "I followed you into the forests after you left. Was that a real Saint, out there?"
"You weren't supposed to..."
"Well, I’m glad I did. You deserve better than this heavens-forsaken domain, Seira.” He found himself patting her back while he spoke, the movement ingrained into his body after hundreds of comforting hugs. “You’re… you’re too good to stay here. Even while you're thinking about escaping, you're still trying to make sure I'll be okay. It's more than I could ask for in a sister."
His voice caught again, and he forced himself to shut his mouth.
"No, Kiro…"
Seira pulled away, grabbing his arms.
"I — I promise I'm coming back for you! For all of you. Once Aer recovers, or once I get strong enough, I'm going to free this entire clan from the matriarch."
"And how long do you think that would take? For you to reach the matriarch’s level?"
"No! It won't be that long!" She pulled him in again, clinging onto his robes. “I promise…”
He chuckled, trying to peel her off of him. "It’s okay. As a Sun, I won't even live as long as everyone else here. If you're going to become an Immortal, what do fifty years even mean to you?
She sniffed, clinging onto his robes. “But…”
"I don't want you to leave, Seira, but you have so much potential. You can't just waste it all here! Plus, maybe one day I'll find my own way out. Somehow."
"I —"
He shushed her. "Seira, for as long as I remember you’ve been putting yourself at risk to protect me. Whether it was from mother or from the rest of the clan, you were always there. But now, I don’t need that anymore. Now you can go on to better things, to where your talent will truly be appreciated."
"Kiro…" She hugged him tighter, her mana-enhanced body nearly squeezing the air from his lungs. "What if I just took you with me?"
He smiled, tenderly removing himself from her embrace. "All I'd do is hold you back."
"But... "
"Seira, look at me.” He took a deep breath, turning her towards him. “You have a hundred thousand paths laid out in front of you, and I know that each and every one of them leads to greatness beyond our wildest dreams. But to freely walk any path, you need to leave some things behind."
* * *
Seira sighed, refusing to look him in the eye. "I still can't imagine leaving you forever."
"I know, I can't either. But it's —"
Something flashed in her spiritual sense, and she pushed him away.
"Kiro!" she hurriedly whispered, "Go, now! It's…"
Her door ripped from its place, and Hong Tang Leila stormed into the room.
"Mother…"
"Hong Tang Seira. What is he doing here?" The woman flared her nostrils, her aura wild with rage.
She dropped to the ground, knees trembling. "No-no. Mother, I…"
“What. Is. He. Doing. Here?”
In an instant, Leila crossed the room, and Kiro slammed into the wall. "I expected better of you. You know that this family needs face! Every ounce of honor I gain is marred by you consorting with the likes of him."
"No… please…" Seira pleaded, latching onto her mother's ankle.
Leila kicked her hand away, forcing her to let go. "I have told you a thousand times that the next time I see you associating with this scum, you would be punished until you obeyed. It seems that the previous times have been too lenient, and I would be lying under the heavens if I didn't rectify that."
She raised a glowing palm. "Now bow before your mother."
Terror shook Seira's muscles, but it was as if she were frozen in place. If she ran, the punishment would only be worse later.
"Bow."
Seira flinched, and their mother gave a cold snort. "You dare disobey your elders? Fine. Then you will face the consequences!"
She furiously yanked Seira's face towards her, exposing her cheek with one hand and funneling mana to the other. "Now let it be known that I never go back on my word. From now unto the rest of eternity, you will bow when I say."
The palm came to a rest on her cheek, and liquid fire clawed its way through her.
"N-no. Please!" Her pleading echoed through the walls of the house, dense, terrible panic clouding her mind. Agony raced through her veins, and she could feel every inch of her skin blistering as the technique turned her own mana against her.
She screamed, and the technique intensified, a raging flow of pure, unrelenting torment.
Then, suddenly, it was over. She toppled to the floor, looking up through hot, stinging tears to see that Kiro had shoved their mother out of the way.
It was finally over.
But a mystic would not be unsettled so easily. Leila looked down upon him, her face contorted in an indignant glare. "Boy. You dare disrupt me? It is clear that you have been left undisciplined for far too long.”
He gritted his teeth, and Seira desperately tried to pull herself off the ground.
“It is time I assume my responsibilities as your mother!
"No!" She screamed, reaching out to them with an arm shrouded in fire.
But it was too late.
Without any mana to defend himself, Kiro was even more vulnerable than she was. Leila reached for him, and he was too slow to react as the technique wrapped around his neck. In seconds, his skin seared, and he cried out.
"This will teach you to interfere with your betters, talentless scum."
The inflamed skin spread, and he convulsed in pain.
"Did you know that you were supposed to be a prodigy? You were supposed to be a Brave! To give Seira a rival, so that she could push herself to greatness! Instead, here you are, so incredibly unworthy that you cannot even cultivate a scrap of mana!"
She spat, finally removing her palm, and he collapsed.
"I regret the day I let you live."
Seira tried to stand, to run, to do anything, but she was frozen in place. Icy, deep-rooted fear gripped her like a vice, and even thoughts of escaping with Aer had fled her mind. She had disobeyed her mother, and now it was time to face her punishment.
Leila stalked towards her, the crimson glow around her hand intensifying by the second. "Now stay still, girl, and know that I do this only because I love you. To be a capable heir to the Tang family, your weakness and disobedience must be utterly destroyed."
This time, Seira didn't even flinch as the technique came into contact with her skin.
"Good girl."
