Not long after the name announcement, Joe returns to the hill. On his head is a disheveled bush. Joe quickly digs up a hole and puts the new bush in it. Then he buries the roots. “Snort moo hui.”

  “What do you mean you found my replacement? Does it look like it can talk and control energy?” John retorts.

  “Mor moo hugh,” Joe states while pushing John.

  “What do you mean a bush that can’t talk is better? And no matter how much you push me, I still can’t move!” John complains to his hill mate.

  “Moom moo.”

  “Don’t dig me up like the other bush! You did such a bad job that it will likely die now,” John explains while pointing at the bush with a branch.

  Joe looks insulted and saddened by the fact that the other bush will die, “MOOooo.”

  “I knew it. You just got a berry bush! You only think of your stomach,” John accuses while pointing at Joe’s huge gut.

  “Mom mo moo fuf,” Joe complains.

  John points at all the grass and responds, “What do you mean at least it tastes good? I make all you can eat grass every day. You’re just being selfish!”

  The demonic beast turns his head away with a snort.

  John shakes and says, “we’ll just have to agree to disagree on that.”

  Later in the day, John notices Franklin taking his new banner out into the training field. ‘That’s strange,’ he thinks. “What are you doing, boy?”

  Franklin pauses mid-step. His weight had already shifted, though, so he robotically falls onto his right foot. “I’m going to practice my Emerald family phrase.”

  “The one, your mom, uses is dangerous. A flag won’t help you.”

  “No, it’s one Laurel learned. Elanor had her tell me and gave us this flag,” Franklin explains while looking happily at his banner.

  “Oh yeah, I do remember Laurel mentioning that. I would recommend not practicing the phrase,” John says solemnly.

  Franklin looks perturb as he racks his brain. But no matter what, it didn’t make sense to him. “How am I supposed to be capable of using it well if I don’t practice?”

  “Luck and skill, I would guess. Using the Emerald family phrases is dangerous and often requires a sacrifice or a certain situation. For example, your’s being about using a banner may require a certain number of allies. If it fails, then you are hurt, and you gain nothing.”

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  Franklin puts the flagpole onto the ground and leans on it. “But doesn’t that make it more important to practice? Then I will know what I have to do.”

  “Indeed, that would be useful. However, the reason why most clans don’t use this technique is because it’s problematic. You must use some of your true blood. It’s something that takes a long time to build back up and overusing it can even kill you. Just wasting that is the best-case scenario. Even worse, you could end up like your mom.”

  “Then what should I do?” Franklin asks while looking at the flag.

  John contemplates for a bit and then advises, “It may still be a good idea to practice how to hold and move with the banner. It should help you when the time comes.”

  “Alright!” Franklin exclaims with excitement. He then begins marching around while trying different ways of holding the flag.

  The next morning, John’s mind once again travels to his new technique. He’d been trying for quite some time at this point with limited progress. ‘I guess my inability to cultivate has followed me into this life, too,’ John thinks while his leaves droop.

  As his leaves dip down, the dew that has gathered on them drips down to the ground. ‘Hm, water? If I put a thin layer of yin energy between the earth and sun energy, it may keep them apart long enough to work!’

  John takes the water he extracts from the ground and turns some of it into yin energy by compressing and freezing it. He then puts a thin layer between the two energies and flings the combination out. It pops after traveling for a short distance, creating a small explosion. “It worked! See, you thought I was wasting my time, but I did it!”

  Joe doesn’t even look up from the bush he’d brought up, chewing on the leaves. “Moo.”

  “Yeah, it’s small now. I didn’t want to blow up again. But with practice, I’ll be able to fire it out instead of my leaves!” John thinks for a bit, then continues, “I need to try different amounts of each energy type and measure the distance it flies so it can explode at the right moment.”

  “Munch munch.”

  John swings his branches in the air and says, “you won’t be able to ignore my technique for long!”

  Later in the day, John comes to a revelation, ‘I haven’t thought much about it. But I have the yang energy from the sun. But without the yin energy, life can never truly grow… I will need to mix in the water and transform it into yin energy. Perhaps this will help control my core just like it does for this new technique.’

  John then views Anna and Franklin moving to the training area. ‘She’s still fighting? She has to know by now.’ “What are you doing?” he sends into Anna’s head.

  Anna doesn’t even flinch and whispers, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  John retorts in exasperation, “Come now. There’s no way you haven’t noticed. You are already starting to show.”

  “If I’m careful, it's still not a problem,” she continues to chat quietly as Franklin and Anna begin to stretch.

  “I don’t understand you. After all that about the importance of having another child, now you’re going to risk them.”

  Anna shakes her head. “I’m sure if I cultivate and train while they are inside, it will give my baby a head start.”

  “That’s just ridiculous. Even if that’s true, sparring is going too far!”

  “I just wish I worked harder when I was a kid. I’m the only one who will give Franklin a good fight. He’s already too old,” She says but her heart wavers, and she looks at the ground. “I don’t want to lose any more time. I regret everything.”

  “Alright, but sparring is a no-go. Don’t make me reveal it to Franklin and Arron. You should explain them. In fact, I don’t know how they haven’t noticed!”

  “I’ve been avoiding intimacy,” Anna confides.

  “That’s going too far. You are going to tell him now, right?”

  “Yes.” Anna then looks at Franklin, “sorry, I need to go talk to Arron.”

  “What? Alright, mom,” Franklin says while looking at his mom in confusion.