Chapter 42 – Separated again

 

…

In that night… no wind, no rain appeared. Only the rumbling of thunder reverberated. And on that monochromatic scene, a silhouette emerged under a flash of light. The scar in its face twitched, resembling a heart pulsation. Its eyes shone, the crooked whiskers trembled, and a low howl exited from its ferocious mouth.

Bang. A heavy air suffused everywhere. A deadly silence ensued. And within that stillness, a set of words broken freed everyone’s reverie.

“The monster is here.”

That nightmarish night. They would never dare to forget it.

Sarah reflected on the time it began. She and her teammates immediately came back to the village when they got a wind of those monster impersonators. They perceived a large puff of smoke coming from the villages.

A gigantic fog shrouded everything, however. Moreover, she felt the increased in temperature and frowned.

Sarah cursed. She could only pull whoever closer. And because of that, she didn’t see one of them remaining in his spot.

Sprinting passed the village entrance, they suddenly heard Karmen’s cry of shock.

“Oh, my god! What happened to you?” They could see a puddle of blood beside the girl’s body. The latter struggled to stand, but the feeling of powerlessness weighed down on her.

Karmen had many things to say. Yet every time she opened her mouth, the image of her father’s back quivering appeared. He had cried for who knows how many times. He was clearly struggling too, but he owned everything to himself. Soloing the debts she should pay.

Karmen could feel her consciousness being taken. Time continued to run out. After this, she might wake up in a brand-new surrounding. In that time, she wouldn’t be able to tell everything to Big Sister.

“Save… Tobirane.” Alas, she could only compromise. She prayed as she fell asleep. Please protect Big Sister and others.

A pair of shoes sounded. The owner shouted; his face filled with worry.

“It’s you!” Sarah and Ben exclaimed.

Ilocos slid beside the girl lying in her blood. “My daughter! How could this be?!” He flung his head to stare at Sarah. Red veins appeared in his usually weak eyes.

“This is because of you!”

Sarah got taken aback. There was so much hate in his eyes when staring at her. She didn’t expect someone would stare at her that way. Even then, Sarah didn’t rebuke him.

“Where is Turtle?” Ben shook his head when he heard this. He thought the former wouldn’t be rude to just leave them.

“Ben, you wait here.”

“Wait, why?”

“It is better if you be.” Sarah looked straight at him.

Ben immediately got it. He lowered his head. A gush of wind brushed the fog, clearing a small patch before him. He murmured.

“You still don’t trust me, aren’t you? If it was Brother Jed, you will not want to leave him. Also, he is now the only one you call with a nickname. As for me, it’s been long since you called my name. Only just now. Only just now.”

“There is no need to be sad, Ben.” The boy forced a smile from his crying face. “I have to prove my worth if I wanted to be trusted again.”

“Isn’t that right, Mister?” Ben gazed at the man before him. This time, the latter wore a stony expression. Although they devised a plan to use his daughter, he couldn’t expect that it would be this extreme.

But he couldn’t blame his partners. So, all his hatred poured on Ben.

Additionally, the demon called Grumpy appeared alongside with unknown faces.

The trio already expected this to happen. In Ben’s mind, if they worked as a team, they would be stronger.

But Sarah didn’t seem to think of that way.

Ben felt the trembling of his knees. He hadn’t changed one bit. But this also didn’t mean he didn’t want to change.

“I don’t want to be a loser anymore.”

…

On the other side…

Sarah didn’t go to look for Jed. She had an understanding of the always quiet guy by now. He wouldn’t be irresponsible to leave them without a sound.

Either someone ambushed him without letting a sound or he had something needed to do. And Sarah felt the latter was closer to the truth.

Thus, the girl continued deeper through the center of the village. She didn’t know where to go. But her instincts told her to go back in Ilocos’ secret hideout!

True enough, she arrived to witness villagers and demons lined up in the door.

“What a lively welcome we got here!” Sarah sneered as she stepped forward without stopping. Soon, the villagers welcomed her with their pitchforks.

Sarah didn’t neglect to put full power in every punch she gave. Most of them didn’t even train thus only becoming punching bags. But a few had reached Expert level, although they weren’t proficient in fighting.

“Is having a simple life that desirable?” The girl asked herself.

Almost all the people she met had this mindset. Ben, Von Ruler and others… they had idealistic views of the world.

Unlike them, she wanted to grow stronger. Day by day, the fear of not holding your own destiny chilled her heart. Thus, night after night, she finished her training until she couldn’t sweat anymore and her bones broken.

Her goal might be to reach the peak, but she only wanted to survive. Survive this land full of intentions towards her.

Hence, she didn’t waver knocking everyone charging at her. Old man, old lady, male, female - she didn’t differentiate any of them. In her understanding, they attacked her so it was just right to fight them.

She figured the enemies’ mind. They just wanted to exhaust her, just like what Manecoon did.

But it looked like the enemies’ data about her were quite lacking. Numbers could exhaust her, but against these lowest tier opponents, she became willing to sweat a few drops.

The onlooking demons flinched. They didn’t expect she would be uninjured facing all these villagers. Even though not all villagers joined their cause, the ones who took part were many.

Just looking at her aura, she should only be an Expert. And numbers would be enough to defeat her, theoretically.

“Pendragon.” The demons recalled her surname.

A name that closest to the Beasts. This name had been famous for having outstanding talents on top of many innate talents a human wished to have. Stamina was just one of them.

And in front of everybody else stood the most talented Pendragon of all time!

“Pendragon.” In the contrary, the already lying down villagers stood on their feet.

They struggled and pushed their hands against the ground. They should have been normal people whose role was to promote the economy and living of their territory.

Yet, here they were, standing up against someone above their own kind!

Sarah became flustered. She had broken a nose. Bashed a head inward. And even turned their legs into paste.

But they kept backing and backing up again!

“Why?” She couldn’t help but ask. Even though she had seen the embers in their eyes, she couldn’t understand them. Those weak embers. She should be able to extinguish them with ease. The girl patted herself that she was already being kind to them!

“Why you ask?” A granny wiped the blood from her mouth. “You should ask how! How much pain and suffering you cost us! Pendragons!!!”

Like rabid animals, everyone lunged, caring nothing.

Crack. The girl had no choice but to crack the man’s skull latching on her shoulder.

The villagers resembled waves coming in all directions.

“A Pendragon used my son as a toy! Something to practice with his so-called Combat Arts!”

“A Pendragon destroyed my business. It was my family’s lifeline, but it turned into nothing. I can only seek forgiveness from my family’s cold tombstone underneath who knows feet!”

“A Pendragon sold my daughter!”

“They destroyed me!”

“Despicable clan who put a righteous front!”

“We will not forgive you!”

Every word they said landed far stronger than their attacks. Each weak fist had been backed with indescribable power.

And to Sarah’s realization, it was impossible to sniff out their weak embers!

Sarah looked at each of them. Teeth had fallen. Limbs became limp. Heads got crushed.

It already painted the fog with blood.

None of them resembled a person anymore, too unrecognizable for a human. Just a physical entity brought by hate.

In her eyes, this could be another side of hell.

Sarah hadn’t felt this. Suffused by none other than their flesh and lives. The weight of their conviction… much, much stronger than her will to live!!!

She thought she had heard the loudest or scariest sound in the world. Venerables could do this.

But their words echoed like no other!

Also more piercing, skinning her heart layer by layer. Oh, how she wished she had heard none of it!

She kept becoming flustered. Continuing to step back… until she had nothing to step on anymore!

“Huff.” “Huff.” Her back glued to the corner.

She panted as the tears welled up in her eyes. She didn’t cry when Ben let them down. Nor when her grandfather and her clan betrayed her. The urged to be strong let herself steeled her heart.

Yet facing them, she understood she was lacking.

For all Sarah knew, her clan might not be a good clan. But they weren’t bad either. People recognized them as the proudest and arrogant clan.

For all intents, they looked down on underhanded tricks. They may become a bully, but not enough to be considered an evil. Only strength could make their proud head bow. They were born with great strength and lived using it. And the large reason most Pendragon became combatants.

But now, someone was telling her that the clan she grew up with… was evil.

Sarah felt disbelief. Her grandfather betrayed her, but she understood it was only for self-preservation. To part with a member to save the whole clan!

Also, nothing in her memories could prove their words. And yet, she believed these people in front of her. Their eyes, emotions and will had proven everything to her!

And then it clicked.

She suddenly recalled the time they entered a secret corridor. They went to the conference from it. And from there, she saw different apparatus. It had liquids with various colors and also fleshes…

Her grandfather said it was their specialty—the Body Refining Liquid.

“…”

Out of nowhere, the crying girl before them started laughing. Her laughter became creepier and creepier. It went on their nerves and they wanted nothing but ripped her mouth. Yet something told them not to touch the girl.

“But she is… Pendragon! A descendant of that hateful clan! And with you as the first, we will purge them out of this land!” They covered their fears with a shout.

All of them threw themselves, racing to get the price ahead! The price of vengeance!

“Faso.”

Suddenly, the first person she contacted became ash. Searing flames appeared, enveloping the girl within it. Though, they could still see the pair of eyes filled with killing intent!

Bang!

Every person she passed got burned in flames. This time, her steps didn’t falter! She continued killing anyone in her way without blinking!

“Murder? I know.”

“I even understand where all of your hatred came from.”

“But, I won’t become the payment that my clan had cost you.”

“You wanted to kill me. Then, it’s right to kill you!”

She had practiced the word Faso the longest. Not the sparring or the Foundation Arts. Yet, she barely used this because it had weak attack power.

From her understanding, she trained this word to comprehend the fire element. A method of laying down the foundation. In her mind, her punches and the tricks she learned from others were more efficient.

But this time, she understood something. She had been too naïve!

From within, her original six spell circles became five. And now, these spell circles brightened up like bulbs.

The word Faso she comprehended, branded itself like runes around each circle. Then, the World’s Energy she used for stamina, surged and became a blazing wave of fire!

“This could be the reason wizards can use spell? No. Maybe the combatants also have their own, but I only have an elementary understanding of it. That’s why I and everyone else primarily use World’s Energy as stamina battery.”

“Nevertheless, I haven’t trained a Spell Art. So this means, I’m in the path of Ancient Spell Arts!”

“I might overload if I continue using this. Interesting…”

Sarah checked the scorching landscape before her. The words Ben said before flashed in her mind once again. This time, her mind turned clearer.

And she became colder. Thus, she didn’t notice the sprout growing a few inches taller.

“Hey puppies! You made me angry.”

…

“Master Rollin.” A demon bowed to a figure seated in the hall.

Around them, sculptures erected in a straight line with the figure as the center. The demon shivered from the cold, but he endured it for fear of angering the man before him.

Rollin smiled as he listened to the report of his subordinate. They planned to separate each of these kids to kill them one by one. He already expected great outcome from Glem Moonsear. But for the chubby boy, they deliberated to use many tricks to bring him away from Sarah.

Yet, an unexpected occurred. That Sarah actually parted with him.

“Isn’t she too idiotic? Very well. Let’s not disappoint her. I won’t feel sorry even if you cry later.”

…

A creepy silence transpired between them.

On the contrary, their emotions showed in their face greatly differed.

Glem thought he was back again in the past.

The same face, aura and eyes. Nothing changed from thirty years ago. He rubbed his bald head as the guilt and excitement overcame himself.

“Young Master Jed!” He couldn’t help but shout his name.

Opposite to him, Jed only responded with a sharp look. Sharp to the point it could slice someone even from a distance.

“Young Master.” Glem repressed his emotional state. “I didn’t expect to see you once again.”

“Thirty years, for thirty years how I regret everything turned out to be. I thought you were dead. And with shameful conscience, I hoped to erase my mistakes to avenge you all.”

“I didn’t expect! I didn’t expect! Our meeting should have been sooner so that I could serve you once again, Young Master!”

Wind passed by to answer him. Glem turned awkward after hearing no response. He still wanted to try, though.

“I-I…”

“It’s enough.” The same soft voice registered in Glem’s mind.

Yet, the older man didn’t feel excited as he thought he would. Instead, a terrifying coldness seeped through his veins.

The older man’s face sank.

Although, it became darker as he listened to Jed’s next words.

“I’m sorry, Uncle Glem. I don’t want to pollute my ears so I didn’t listen to anything you said.”

“Anyway, I can still remember everything. From the day you took care of my poop, all the way to picking my clothes. You are remarkable indeed.”

“And since then, I’ve been calling you Uncle.”

“But we should analyze that our bloodline is too apart.”

“You came from the lowest. Scrubbing wood shavings in order to get food. Only because your son got a sufficient talent that you entered my house.”

“And that house was already burnt to ashes. Perhaps, I shouldn’t call you Uncle anymore.”

“Nor your previous title. What is it again?”

“Oh!”

“Caretaker Glem.” Jed’s attitude turned one hundred eighty degrees.

None of the calmness and goodness he had shown so far. He became flippant, like young masters commonly known.

“You are still as arrogant as ever, Young Master.” Glem put a fake smile.

Similarly, Jed put on a fake smile whilst fanning himself with an invisible fan. “Indeed. I’m too arrogant back then. I became like that for how much pampering I got from you and everybody.”

“How I wish to be like that once again!”

“I disagree. You won’t want to start like that again. A naïve kid who knows nothing about the darkness of this world.” Glem’s expression brightened.

“One bitten twice shy. Perhaps, if you still have backing like before.”

“Or are you betting on the Pendragons? From what I can see, you are only a fodder for her.”

“Possible. If she survived and I, somehow, survived too, they will honor me with riches! Pendragon can even grant me a lifetime of bliss.” Jed put on a satisfied face.

“Unfortunately, Pendragon cannot. They had to cut their tail, lest everyone grouped against them.”

“It looks like your boss this time is an idiot.” Jed chuckled.

Glem laughed foolishly. “He doesn’t seem keen on reading reports, so he is not up to date. If not, we can easily dispose you.”

“By the way, are you sure about this, Young Master? Your father may not be an idiot, he still fell on my hands in the end.”

“Where is your son?” Jed’s eyes glinted, but he suppressed the rage from erupting. His dagger and knife flashed on his sides, readying to claim a life at this instant!

“My son? Whom you and everyone else idolized? Whom give all of you warmth and care?” Glem exaggerated his gestures.

“Why should I tell you?”

“Instead, I wanted you to answer my questions…”

“Why are you still alive?!”

“And where is the Moonsear Eye?!!”

Jed closed his eyes. The burning inferno of his nightmares was still the clearest.

Tak. Those clear eyes. His father’s.

Why was it the only one turned blurry as time passed?! Only that memory became further and further from him!!!

He almost brought out the picture in his pocket. His family picture. So he could reminisced the old times.

The sense of oldness and oddness contradicted each other, however.

Old because everything occurred over thirty years ago. Odd, because he came back without ageing. And in that long span of time, many things became forgotten.  

“What did he say again?” The boy wore a complex face.

Glem saw his expression and also couldn’t help but recall the man who said to be the greatest Moonsear of all time.

The man who stood tall even against the period of four Supremes.

He then sighed. In his hand, one pair of short swords appeared.

Jed felt nostalgic seeing this pair of short swords. These had been the weapons of choice for a Moonsear. But because of his selfishness, Jed didn’t want to relive it again. Hence, the knife and dagger in his hands.

“I shall warn you first, Young Master. I’m not the same man thirty years ago because I am already close to Godly Assassin Status.”

“Like the bunch of Moonsears of yesteryears.”

“Don’t worry, Caretaker Glem. I’m also going to answer one of your questions… so you can die with a peace of mind.”

“Nine Lives Cat Movement Art, triple speed.”

“Nine Lives Cat Movement Art, quintuple speed.”

Pshk.

…

Ben vomited blood from being punched to the stomach. He barely had time to recover when they attacked in succession. They had ten people who took turns to beat him.

“Damn! How can a person have such body?!” The demons barked. They had beaten this guy for how long, yet the outcome was only a few mouthfuls of blood.

The boy put on a wry smile. He lacked in so many levels, and the only moves he knew was hugging and slamming an opponent in his back. There might be other moves in Pig Deity Combat Art, but his talent and time limited him. Hence, Sarah made him to only train one particular move from it.

True enough, that move easily integrated with their teamwork. All he had to do was to ram towards their foes, restrict and slam them to the ground.

It was only true in team fight, though. If he had been alone, then he won’t be able to do anything. Even his opponent cringed from his lousy punches and kicks.

“Urgh. This is worse than when I spar with the Pendragons. I can’t fight back at all.” Ben grimaced while flying in the air.

His opponents didn’t feel any better. Anger had sunk inside Grumpy’s head, making him oblivious to whoever pointed his claws. He tore through one of them before ripping it apart in halves. All of his subordinates became fearful and tried as much to steer away from him.

The boy chuckled. At least one died. He appreciated this blockhead’s help. And with that, he had gotten idea what he needed to do.

“Hey doggie! Chew on this!” Ben inserted his fist inside the oblivious demon’s mouth. It was the latter’s fault for posturing before him.

Although nothing happened, Grumpy turned insane.

“Ah.” The boy gulped. “I just hope I won’t die.”

…

Aurora turned restless, pacing around in circles. This gave Tonyo a lot of headache, so he hissed to interrupt her. She stopped, but this didn’t erase the worry in her face.

“What is happening? Why there are rebels? Auntie said that the county is in financial crisis.” Aurora anxiously exclaimed.

“People are badmouthing Father, even though he gave his everything for the county. What should I do?”

“As his daughter, I must do something.” She clenched her fist. Filled with fighting intent, she thought she must talk to her father. She already grown to an adult and believed she could share with her father’s job.

Unfortunately, she soon found out the difference of imagination from reality.

“Daughter, you are already in a marriageable age. In fact, you have many admirers. If they line up, our county won’t be able to accommodate them.” The old County Lord chuckled, and he maintained his kind appearance.

“I have a chance meeting with one of them. His name is Porcius. And I could say he is kind and respectable young man.”

Aurora knitted her brows. She thought she was imagining things, but it seemed her father didn’t hear her. Or maybe he refrained from listening.

Also, she hadn’t thought about romance at all. Her appearance might be mature, but her mind still geared to fun and play.

“Father! We, we…”

“My only worry now is you, My Dear.” Heavy words exited his mouth.

“I cannot protect you forever. Dying is a natural stage and I am too old now.”

“But before I pass away, I wanted to see you marry. I want you to settle, far away from this chaotic politics and debacles we see in the county.”

“A simple life, one you will be contented. Also, like the way you wanted–freedom. The only thing is you have a family to take care. But you have your future husband as your companion.”

“Moreover, I still wanted to see your mini versions!” At the end of his words, the County Lord laughter spread across the room.

A welling emotion appeared insider her chest. The girl didn’t know how to hide her feelings and chocked. For the first time, she reflected how unruly she was. She suddenly felt the graying of his father’s hair was related to her. Each strand represented a problem she had caused.

In addition, deep down in heart, she knew herself wouldn’t able to make a difference if she dabbled in her father’s job. She might only bring more problems.

Also, she asked herself, would she be willing to let her father down?

“I, I wanted to see him.” In the end, she compromised.

Behind a pillar, Tonyo bit its lips. Unwillingness appeared in its vertical pupils.

…