Mika inhaled deeply as he meditated, gaining the purest mana he could gather. Just like ki, his mana poured within a vessel, though the vessel only held a few drops. After he had finished meditating, he focused on cultivating, gaining the purest ki he could manage through his cultivation.

Once he was done with his morning training, he quickly bathed, joining his family for breakfast. There were at least a dozen dishes for him to choose from, though he ate only three or four of the dishes, preferring to keep his meals simple.

“You have to eat more,” Ami said, cutting her cheese in half before placing it into her brother’s plate.

“Yes, sister,” Mika replied, eating the cheese which she had offered. Mika had long decided against bothering about tasting food, though he pretended to enjoy his food every so often to feign gratitude. It wouldn’t do good for his father to dislike him any more than he already did.

“Mika, we will be going out together to eat lunch together,” Martha said, smiling towards her young son.

“Yes, mother,” Mika replied, excusing himself to go read.

“You’re taking him out?” Amon asked, raising his brow towards his wife.

“It will do no good for his body if he only remains within our estate.”

“He’s already crippled, what use is…” Amon decided against continuing his statement. ‘You will have to accept reality one day, Martha.’

Mika brushed his finger along the paper, feeling how soft it was against his finger tips. Though he ignored the taste of food, his senses had begun to heighten thanks to his morning training. ‘I have less than two years before my family is inevitable slaughtered before me and I need to start my path to revenge.’

“Young sir, the miss is calling you,” Lina called a short while before noon.

Mika finished up his notes, placing them to one side, before putting away the books too. He made his way to his mother.

‘The young sir is still so cute!’ Lina smiled, cleaning up the library quickly. ‘He’s even pretending to make notes.’ Lina noted how the scribbles the young sir wrote had some semblance of uniformity, though they were not in a script she recognised. ‘Is he making his own language? He must want to grow up to become a writer. Young sir, you’re too cute!’

The carriage was made of a black wood, a particular type of wood which came from the far east, and held the banners of the Black Hand family. Martha wiped Mika’s face with a wet cloth, making sure his face was clean, before she lifted him into the carriage, shutting the door behind her. As the carriage moved, two guards flanked the carriage. which held the banners of the Black Hand family.

“Are you excited to finally go into town?” Martha asked. The last time they had left the estate, the boy wasn’t a cripple. It had been a little over a year since that time, and she worried that he might tire quickly with his crippled body. ‘You need to go out and about sometimes, Mika. I believe in you.’

“Yes, mother,” Mika replied, obediently. ‘What a waste of time. I could be gathering more mana and ki, but I suppose I can’t deny you such a memory. You are a decent mother, so you should at least enjoy your last days with me.’

The carriage continued through the small town, which held a population of just over a million people. They arrived towards the gold district, named after the type of coin they accepted, gold coins and nothing less.

They arrived at a large, wooden building, which was three stories tall. The two guards would not seem out of place guarding a noble estate, from how powerful they seemed, to how they stood, to what they wore.

The inside was draped in plain, but expensive furnishings, from the fine carpet, to the paintings and calligraphy on the walls, to the wooden furniture which had been carved by a masters hand. Musicians in the corner played soft, relaxing music, as the pair made their way inside.

A servant appeared, dressed in fine clothing, wearing buttons of gold across their front. “It is wonderful to see you again, miss,” the servant said, bowing slightly.

“Have the ladies arrived?” Martha asked.

“Not yet,” the servant replied. “Is this the young sir?”

“That’s right,” Martha said.

“I am Mika Black Hand,” Mika greeted, placing his palm over his fist.

“What a respectable young sir,” the servant said, before leading them to a tea room in which they could drink tea peacefully while they waited.

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Mika dulled the various smells and sounds, sipping his tea slowly. He glanced around, noting the decorations within the small tea room. It was quite plain, but the silver and gold which nestled within the immediate are were of great quality.

The two ladies arrived at the restaurant, adorned within their outfits. Mika noted that, like Martha, one of them was quite pudgy. He recalled his mother being quite thin a year ago, but she had gained a small amount of weight. Noting the way the woman walked, it seemed that she, too, had recently gained the weight.

The mothers greeted one another in their typical fashion, holding one another’s hands, before they took their place.

“What a cute young man you are,” the chubby woman said.

“Mika, greet the good ladies,” Martha urged.

“I am Mika Black Hand,” Mika said, placing his palm over his fist once again. “I wish to thank you for helping me.”

“He has such good manners,” the chubby woman said. “I am Dalia Storm Fist.”

“Vilia Moon Moth,” the thin, pale skinned woman said. She stared down at the boy who held the same intelligence in his eyes as her son, and the same respectable manners.

The group finished their tea before they were escorted up, only for another servant to appear. “I’m sorry, ladies, but the moon terrace has been reserved.”

“Yes, we reserved it,” Vilia stated, her voice low and cool.

The servant smiled awkwardly. “Unfortunately, it appears that a mistake was made on our part.”

“A mistake?” Vilia glared down at the servant.

The other mothers could feel it too. There was only one reason why their reservation could have been ignored like this.

“Why is the pathway blocked?” a wicked voice called from behind. It was a beautiful woman, who wore a long coat, the fur collar around her neck sparkling as though it were made of liquid silver.

“Lady Wyrm Silver,” Vilia stated, coldly.

“Could I ask the ladies to step aside?” Wyrm Silver asked, smiling with feigned politeness.

There was a tense moment before the three stepped aside to allow the town lord’s wife through, the woman still smiling, though it had quickly grown to the vile kind of smile. “The moon terrace holds such good views, I would recommend the good ladies to try and enjoy it once.”

Mika stifled a sigh, understand what had occurred, and what the woman was trying to do.

The lady quickly disappeared, following a servant away. The other servant stood tall, though there was a tautness in their face as they waited with bated breath, but as the moment to admonish him passed, he quickly inhaled.

“Allow me to take the good ladies to the first star terrace.” As he spoke, another lady appeared, escorted by another servant. She wore a long outfit made of fine silk, with a long necklace with a small, purple gem, one which held energy within it which would typically be used to assist one’s cultivation.

‘That’s how you should show off too, mother,’ Mika thought.

The servant which appeared exchanged a look with the servant ahead of her.

‘Why didn’t you take the three ladies?’

‘I was just about to, damn it.’

“Lady Storm Fist, Moon Moth, Black Hand, greetings,” she said, with her voice almost musical. “Are you making your way to the first star terrace?”

“Yes,” Vilia replied. “Please enjoy yourself, lady Lunar Butterfly.”

“The moon terrace is such a wonderful place, you should try it sometime,” the beautiful woman said, before making her way to the moon terrace.

Seconds passed, before the servant motioned with an arm, leading the three ladies away. They arrived at the star terrace, which looked out towards the horizon from where they sat. It’s theme was red and gold, owing to the fact it was the second greatest terrace available in their restaurant.

The four sat down, with Mika sitting beside his mother. He glanced around, noting the small details, like the stars which were engraved in the tiny circles of gold which lines the wood, to the formation which filled the area with the perfect temperature, even protecting them from the weather.

A sweaty young man appeared, stepping into the terrace, bowing his head hurriedly. “I apologise to the three ladies for the mistake our restaurant made. I have punished the servant in question who made the mistake, and I will be gifting you this meal if it does not displease you. I hope you will forgive us.”

They knew there had been no mistake, and that the restaurant had given in to the town lord’s wife the moment she had asked for the terrace. It was never a good idea to displease the town lord, even if it meant offending the other families.

“We will accept your apology,” Vilia said, and the other mothers nodded.

“I thank the good ladies,” the manager said, before shooting the servant beside him a look. The servant nodded, and quickly retreated. “If I may, I will take your orders, good ladies.”

“Jorli chicken and a bottle of your plum blossom wine,” Martha said.

“Roasted duck, rice, and a bottle of your plum blossom wine,” Dalia said.

“I will take the special of the day,” Vilia said, intending to share the same bottle of wine as Dalia.

“As you wish, good ladies,” the manager said, before retreating. He was glad the ladies had shown mercy that day to him, though he would still bring them a bottle of one hundred year old wine to appease them further.

“Mother, what is the moon terrace like?” Mika asked, curious.

“It is a lovely place, even more lovely than the first star terrace,” she said. “It holds a beautiful sight, and calms one with its aura. It’s best to eat the chicken and drink wine there.”

“Then we must eat chicken and drink wine there next time,” Mika said.

Martha smiled, brushing his cheek. “How can you drink wine when you are so young?”

“I am big now, mother,” Mika said. “I am three.”

The mothers smiled, though Mika internally cringed. ‘I will make sure your day is not ruined, mother, for you were lucky to give birth to a filial son.’

“It is a shame we did not meet with the ladies of the Ox Fist and the Ram Horn families,” Vilia said, in a tone which implied that it was not a shame at all.

“What a wonderful time it would have been for all seven of us to meet,” Dalia stated, in the same tone.

Once the chicken was brought, Mika slowly ate his food, taking the time to enjoy himself with his mother. As the mother continued to talk, Mika figured out the situation.

‘So we make up the neutral faction between the two others,’ Mika thought. ‘How is it that the Lunar Butterfly and Moon Moth families end up on different sides?’ Mika recalled what he had read about the town, and how the two families were branch families of a different family which had lost its position in the greater cities. ‘What does it matter? Once my family is killed, I will not need to deal with it any longer. I should just enjoy myself for the next two years and deal with the situation when it arrives.’