Heavenly Continent: Mord Empire, Grayson Family Estate

            After hiking through the forest surrounding the Mord Empire for about three hours (with Gaige constantly pestering Deon to walk faster), the Grayson Family Estate loomed in front of Deon eyes. The main family house towered over the branch family houses. It was constructed purely from orichalcum, the strongest metal known to the Heavenly Continent. Each kilogram of orichalcum cost about fifteen thousand gold coins. Therefore, the total cost to build the huge mansion was more than ten billion gold coins! Such an astronomical amount displayed the enormous wealth of the Grayson family. Over the years after Caleb's death, the Grayson family benefited greatly from Caleb's contributions to the family. Not to mention Gaige, one of the Five Generals in the Mord Army, but the Grayson Family also possessed over one thousand members currently enlisted in the Demonic Beast Extermination Unit, an elite squad assigned to the arduous task of killing demonic beasts. Wealth and military power. These qualities demonstrated the widespread influence of the Grayson Family.

            As Deon and Gaige approached the main gates to the Grayson Estate, Gaige suddenly directed Deon away from the main gates toward a side entrance that only he possessed the key to. Gaige sneaked a look at the guards at the main gate and grunted.

            "Don't want other people realizing that you're the son of a magician. We'll first have to disguise your eyes somehow and turn your purple eye red. Don't worry I have an idea."

            Taking out a key, Gaige unlocked the door to the side of the estate and slipped in.

            "Deon, you stay out here and wait for a little bit. I'll get something that'll help you change your eye color."

            Deon nodded and slipped into the shadows of a tree on the side. But it seems he didn't hide himself well enough.

            Two members of the Grayson family were walking past the side entrance of the Grayson Estate. One of them was a young boy around Deon's age. He was dressed in expensive silk clothes like nobility. The crimson red eyes marked him as a berserker, and he was lithe and strong, like a tiger. At his waist, he carried a plain, one-handed sword. His eyes were relaxed and contented, seemingly reliant on the man next to him. At his side was a burly giant of a man with graying hair. His battle scarred arms marked him as a hardened veteran in the army, and he carried a double bladed battleaxe on his back. Suddenly, the man's eyes flickered to the side and focused on Deon. Calmly, he said, "You there, in the shadows. Come out or you'll be short a head."

            Left with no choice, Deon sighed and walked out of the shadows, hiding his face by looking down at the ground. The man unsheathed his enormous battleaxe.

            "Lift your head, or I'll be lifting it for you."

            Slowly, Deon raised his eyes, and a look of shock crept onto the man's face as his eyes shot up to stare at Deon's single purple eye. The shocked face was quickly replaced by anger and hostility. A choking killing intent was directed towards Deon, and he found it difficult to breath. The pressure of the man's aura forced Deon to his knees and drained him of his remaining strength. Raising his battleaxe, the man prepared to slice downwards toward Deon's neck. Deon closed his eyes and waited for his seemingly inevitable end.

            "Uncle Kael! Wait! Stop! Don't kill him!"

            As the instrument of death approached Deon's neck, a flash of light suddenly interrupted the stroke of the battleaxe. Gaige's broadsword  intercepted the battleaxe's path and saved Deon from certain death. Kael leapt backwards and brought his battleaxe up into a defensive stance. As Kael realized who had blocked his axe, he slowly brought it down and looked at Gaige with a burning gaze.

            "Gaige. Explain this. Why are you protecting a magician's son? Even though one of his eyes is red, his other eye is still purple, marking him as having the blood of a magician."

            "Uncle Kael. I can explain this. Father asked me to bring him here. He is to be a new addition to the family. Do you remember the person who saved Second's life? In the Grayson Family Records? This boy is his son. The purple eye is due to his mother, who was a magician."

           Kael slowly lowered his battleaxe and sheathed it on his back. He gave Deon a cold glance and stepped back, leaving the side entrance open. Suddenly, the boy who had been watching the scene with wide eyes interjected.

            "Wow! You're the son of Second! He was my great great great — Ah, I don't remember how many greats before "grandfather,"  but that means you're old! How come you still look like you're the same age as me?"

            Under Kael's hostile gaze, Gaige sighed and looked at Deon helplessly.

            "Kyan, he was sealed in a cavern for one hundred years. He has just awoken.

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            The boy named Kyan's mouth formed a perfect O-shape. His eyes widened, and he became speechless.

            "I'll play with you later, Kyan. Good day to you, Uncle."

            After nodding curtly to Kael, Gaige dragged Deon into the side entrance, under the speechless look of Kyan. Sighing, Gaige rubbed his temples.

            "Dang it! Now I'm in trouble! I'll be saying goodbye to dinner for at least a week..."

            Just then, Gaige seemed to remember something. He took out a small bottle of some kind of liquid.

            "Ah, we still have to disguise your eyes. Put one drop of this into your eye, and it'll change your eye color to red. I think my father bought this at the black market. They were saying something about how it was found on a magician spy..."

            Deon took the bottle and put one drop onto his purple eye. An odd sensation floated around his eye, like there was something swimming around the surface of his eyeball. After examining his eye, Gaige's eyes lit up, and he took out another bottle, placing it in Deon's palm.

            "Good! It worked. Just like the real eye! I was a little bit doubtful, as the dealer Father bought it from was a little shady... Well anyways, a drop from this bottle you're holding right now should change your eye color back to normal. Now, we have to go meet father. Come along, and be quick about it."

            Deon pulled on Gaige's sleeve to stop him.

            "Um, I'm really sorry for alerting Kael to my identity,  but it seems that your relationship with your uncle isn't so good. Is this fact true?"

            Gaige's face darkened as he thought about Kael again.

            "If it was any other person than Kael knowing about you, I would be fine with it, but my father and Kael are in a bit of a dispute right now regarding the successor to the Family Leader position. We really have to go meet Father now, or I'm in for the scolding of a lifetime."

            After walking up what seemed like more than ten staircases, Deon and Gaige arrived in front of a large wooden double door. Pushing the door open, Gaige stepped inside.

            "Father! I brought Deon here! I also made a slight mistake, so please don't punish me too severely..."

            A figure gazing out at the beautiful sunrise slowly turned around. Despite his stooped appearance, his eyes carried the feel of a leader, one who has led soldiers in many battles. Along with the aura of a leader, he also carried a hint of kindness as he looked at Deon with a smile.

            "I welcome you to the Grayson Family, Deon. As long as you live, and even in death, this place will be a home for you. This is the only way we can repay your father for his contributions to this family. Not to mention saving Second's life, he also gave us many valuable cultivating resources. Now, Gaige, I'm guessing that you let some people know about Deon's identity. Well, no more dinner for you for two weeks. Oh, and you better tell me who they were, later."

            Hesitating because of Gaige's downcast face, Deon slightly stumbled over his words as he went up to thank the Leader.

            "Um. Sir. Thank you very much for taking me in. This gesture of kindness is more than enough to repay my father's generosity."

            The Leader's smile grew even wider.

            "Just like I expected, you are a very polite boy. I approve. From now on, you can access any skill book you want in this Family. And no need to call me sir. Just call me Zeke. Now Gaige, escort Deon to his room."

            Bowing once more, Deon backed out of the room with the depressed Gaige next to him. The room returned to silence as Zeke turned back to look at the sunrise.

            "Hmmm. Strange. I sensed potential from him that I do not sense from even the greatest geniuses in the Mord Empire. I feel that he will cause the sun to rise on this dark Continent."