From before the sun, a man that looked similar to Haco, yet older, landed before them.
“Old Man.”
Haco’s father. A 4-skulled Gravekeeper. They hung around his neck in a short leather string.
For the first time, Esdeath saw Haco let out undisguised resentment since coming here. He might have disliked most of the people Esdeath killed so far, but this father of his was the 3rd person that had to be slain.
“I don’t have a traitor as a son.”
There were no feelings of happiness in seeing his son alive. Instead, his head was filled with jealousy. The images of how Haco had challenged Weneg to a duel and nearly won—that was something he couldn’t do then, or now.
For years, he has been chained in an ever-stagnant circle, not being able to become a 5-skulled. Being the strongest in the Bird Clan didn’t bring any satisfaction. Rather, it was a shame when each clan had to show their mastery of the Secret Art. All clans would know they lacked a powerhouse, an expert.
It meant the Bird Clan only had a 2nd-grade bloodline.
So all hope was placed on his brilliant son—Haco. The hope of the clan.
“Yea, I don’t have an incompetent father like you too."
Haco’s comment felt like a stab in the heart.
That hope was tarnished with impatience.
As a kid, Haco was told, “Followed by the strong, comes the inevitable stronger.” So he did. Haco befriended the older kids. The stronger. It was the Gravekeepers' way of life to seek strength. It meant anything. The natural progress went on and Haco matured with his strength improving with the years.
But it wasn’t enough, not fast enough. The progress will slow down as you get older, and Haco’s father knows that better than anyone.
So he began initiating conflicts behind the scenes in Haco’s groups of friends, to push him beyond.
As a Gravekeeper, conflicts are solved with strength.
It started countless fights against the older kids that Haco had no chance of winning. And if he did put up a good fight and win, another would just step in until Haco’s looked like a plucked chicken.
For Haco’s father;
Making Haco introverted—mattered not.
Haco being overly apprehensive and unfriendly—mattered not.
What did though, was Haco got strong enough to fight the adults—without losing.
Just a couple more years and the title of having 2nd-grade blood would be gone, meaning they would be part of the big clans.
Like the Bear Clan—
—the one’s head Esdeath had just kicked away in a block of ice.
That was the previous—now retired—chief of the Bear Clan. His expression was frozen as if he’d just discovered the secret to the world.
Judging the satisfaction wasn’t to his advantage, Haco’s father quickly took to the air, “Haco, move away from the woman!”
“Not happening. Currently, I work as her bodyguard.”
“You’re a disgrace. Then you die with her!”
Prompted by his death threat, the rest of the Bird Clan appeared in the sun as reinforcements. They were getting bigger on the horizon. Almost every person had unique colored feather coatings and different wingspans. Naturally, Haco’s father had the longest.
Esdeath frowned as she pushed Haco out the way. In her heart, she was disappointed at the lack of 5-skulled opponents and just wanted to end this farce and move on, but Haco’s hand landed on her shoulder.
“I will take this one.” Haco’s voice was insistent. And he didn’t remove his hand despite her psychotic eyes, gleaming in warning to remove it at this instant!
It was only when Esdeath ordered, “Remove it!” that he did. She went out of the way and sat down on the rest of the frozen bear’s body a distance away.
Seeing Haco listening to an outsider's orders displeased his father. He couldn’t help scuff, “Can you be more of a disgrace?”
“Just following your teaching. Followed by the strong, comes the inevitable stronger. Right?”
“That only counts among fellow Gravekeepers. We don’t mingle with the outside!“
With a proud stance, arms crossed. Haco stood up against his dear ol’ father’s ideals.
“Yea, no more. The next era for the Gravekeepers will be different—”
For the first time, Haco’s father saw the unimaginable. The impossible.
“How can that be!? What have you done?” Screamed Haco’s father after having seen Haco’s new form for the first time.
While the blue flames swirled behind his back, Haco spread his crossed arms. “—and there’s no place for old relics like you!”
With his words, flames gathered on his back and ran against the wind, up his shoulder. Then down his arms, until they were covered and formed into something reminiscent of wings. They were a little wider than his arms, but that changed when he leaped.
A wave was all it took to double the wingspan. With it, his flight speed increased. Haco ignored his shocked father and flew by. Then he proceeded to take down the reinforcements by flying around in a swift curve.
It was only when Haco stood still in the air and looked his father dead in the eye, that gathered his senses. “You evolved?"
“Yes."
Watching his father’s envious face did bring some joy. It marked the beginning of the end of the family strife.
Haco’s father quickly flapped his wings and attacked, in a hurry to be the first to gather moment. After doing a handful of flaps, it only took Haco one to reach a higher speed.
Going head-to-head, they were going straight at each other. Each refused to be the first to slow down.
The first to blow the gun—was Haco. When he pulled his talon to the front and let momentum to the rest. His speed dropped significantly at the end.
So did Haco’s father when he did the same.
**Clang!**
The two pairs of talons collided just for a second. Before metallic sound could follow the wind, it was dwarfed by another.
Haco’s father was shot down. His wings being unaligned forced the wind to scream. Until it ended when he crashed on his head into a pyramid with a—
**Bang!**
For centuries, this pyramid stood unscathed. Not anymore. Now the bricks had cracks that were getting filled with blood.
Staring at the blood running down near the top, Haco took a while to try and get a hang of his feelings.
He didn’t feel sad.
Neither particularly happy. Maybe because he can finally let go of the resentment for his father.
More like, this was how it was supposed to be. Content at having proved to have outdone nearly every Gravekeeper.
‘There are only two more people that deserve such a fitting ending…’
Getting rid of them would bring happiness.
