“Alright. I should get going,” said Lakshman a few minutes later.
“Huh? Already?” Dominic asked, looking surprised as he broke free from the hug his aunt was giving him. “Stay a bit longer.”
“No. I have other things to do,” rejected his friend with a small smile, “and anyway, I’ve only come today to introduce our latest member into the pillars. I was going to official announce my return in a few days’ time, that is after having my battle with Lagron.”
Dominic blinked in surprise before he exclaimed, “You will what?! Battle with Lagron? How did things turn out that way?!”
At his demand, Lakshman explained how he and the Dragon Titan decided to settle the rivalry between them that had been stretched since the ancient times. Upon hearing this, Dominic could only groan and looked dejected at the thought that two of his allies would be fighting over something like that.
“The past is the past, Lucky. Whatever rivalry you might’ve had then is not the same today,” he said to his friend gently. “I mean, look at yourself. You’re now the strongest warrior in the world without a doubt. What else is there to prove in a battle between the two of you?”
To that, Lakshman shook his head and said, “That’s not how we work, Dom. We’re first warriors and rulers of our respective clans. Only then comes everything else. So, things changed but that part of us stayed the same. Well, it stayed the same for him, so I wish to quell that finally in this lifetime.”
The Sword Titan looked a little puzzled and asked, “Okay. I didn’t quite get what you meant, but I guess there’s no convincing you guys. But still, why does he feel so strongly towards you to fight even in this peaceful era?”
Lakshman appeared to think for a moment before he smiled wryly and replied, “I guess… it’s his inferiority complex that’s driving him to prove who the true strongest warrior is between us. There was a time when a certain evil entity threatened the safety of the world, and I had sacrificed my life back then to save him and the world. Unfortunately, his pride probably got injured as a result, and he’s been training hard each and every reincarnation so as to stand on top as the strongest warrior in the world.”
This made Dominic to droop his eyes dully in exasperation before saying, “We both know you’ll win.”
“We’ll see,” replied Lakshman with a smile. “Anyhow, I have to go. Come on, Valerian.”
“Ah. Coming, sir!” Valerian said, running with a start to come over to him.
There were a few seconds of silence as Valerian came to join them before Lakshman turned and just as he was about to leave, Dominic opened his mouth and called after him.
“Lucky.”
“Mmm?”
He turned and was amazed to find that his best friend was bowing deeply to him before saying, “Thank you very much for today! I sincerely appreciate you helping me out here.”
“Huh?” Lakshman reacted in surprise.
Following suit, Stella and Matthew bowed their heads while saying in unison, “We cannot thank you enough for allowing us to meet our nephew again! We’re truly grateful from the bottom of our hearts!”
Lakshman was a little taken aback by this action and looked towards Stella, who shrugged her shoulders and smiled serenely at him while mouthing the words, “Your achievement.”
He raised an eyebrow in amusement before he sighed and said to his friend and the couple, “Don’t mention it. Just make sure the past doesn’t repeat okay? Otherwise, I will be really angry.”
“We will make sure the past doesn’t get repeated!” They insisted together, and Lakshman smiled happily at them.
“Right. Bye,” he said and waved at them before walking away from the Rutherford property with Valerian in tow.
It took them several minutes to cross the capital and get outside the gate before they flew into the air and headed over to the Phoenix Titan’s residence. Once they landed, Lakshman headed towards his home but Valerian remained where he landed without following.
“Sir!” He called, and Lakshman turned to look a little surprised that he was not behind him. “I’m going to head back into the ocean.”
“You will? I mean, won’t you stay for dinner?” Lakshman asked curiously.
Valerian shook his head and replied, “Sorry, sir, but I am an ocean dwelling creature, and I rightfully belong there. It’s my home just as this place is your home.”
This made the Phoenix Titan nod in understanding and say, “Alright. You take care now.”
The newest Storm Titan nodded and smiled before heading quickly towards the beach and disappeared down the steep slope. Moments later, a gigantic monster with strong scaly body reared up and flew through the air before diving, head first, into the blue sea. It appeared to pop its head and body on the surface of the ocean several times before finally disappearing with only bubbles left in its wake.
Lakshman smiled as he understood that was Valerian’s way of bidding him farewell and turned around before heading into his home.
***
That evening, his sisters came home and the first thing they did was come upstairs to meet with their brother.
“Annayya!” Indira exclaimed.
“We’re home!” Priya announced.
The two of them called joyously upon entering his room.
Their brother, who was seated in front of a table writing down stuff, put his pen down and turned around to smile warmly at them.
“Welcome home, you two. How was your day?”
“It was great!” Indira said and began telling of how their classes were conducted and their success in performing well in the laboratory exercise.
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“It was a piece of cake!” Priya boasted proudly.
He smiled at their excitement and said, “I’m really happy to hear that.”
The twins were giggling happily from ear to ear, and as Lakshman looked fondly at them, he felt he could see the resemblance of his mother in them. In the past, he would check numerous times from different angles of whom he resembles though he could not tell much to his dismay. Asura would also scold him for stupidly trying to find the resemblances of his parents in his facial structure.
“You and I pretty much look the same, so does that make me your parent?!” Asura had demanded heatedly at one point in his mind. “Of course not. Some children just won’t look like their parents no matter how hard you stare at them! It’s actually childish to even entertain that thought to be honest.”
Lakshman did not have any argument to fire back with, but he still continued to check whenever he got a chance to stare look in the mirror. So, he felt very happy to see his sisters resembling their mother and a twinge of envy that he could not share the same.
“So, what else happened today?” He asked while trying to divert his mind with a new topic.
“Ah. We were given a new assignment to complete by next week.”
“Yes, and we’re also given the week off thanks to that. So, yay to that.”
“Really?” Lakshman asked, looking surprised. “What is the assignment about?”
“Our assignment is to study, analysis and write probable uses and misfires of at least four techniques.”
Lakshman blinked twice and reacted in surprise with, “Huh?”
“Yes. I know. I had the exact same reaction.”
“Not only that, but they’re also asking us to construct our own technique based on our findings.”
“That is odd. First to analyse and then create a new set of techniques based on your findings?”
“Right! See, Priya! I told you Annayya would have the same reaction as me!” Indira said to her twin.
“Oh geez,” reacted Priya, rolling her eyes to the ceiling exasperatedly. “Still, we’re not exactly sure where to begin our research.”
“Yeah. With a vague assignment like this, we’re not entirely sure where to start,” admitted Indira gloomily.
Their brother looked at their sad faces and chuckled as he thought, “Ah. They’re so cute. I want to help them.”
“You’ll seriously damage their growth if you lend a helping hand!” Asura complained. “They have to work those out themselves and grow up. That way they will be ready to face more and complicated problems the society will throw at them.”
“I know that, but they’ve made it this far on their own while I was busily training for the last two years. Since this will be their final year, as their older brother, I want to lend them a hand.”
“You’re such a pampering brother.”
“I don’t want to hear that from someone that pampered Chandra.”
Asura was taken by surprise by such an unexpected statement before he admitted, “Fine. You made your point.”
“So then, what’s the requirement?” Lakshman began probing the twins for information on their assignment. “What kind of techniques you’re supposed to analyse? Is it limited to one Force type or you can freely choose from all three?”
“Uh. Our lecturer said that we can choose four techniques from any of the force types,” stated Priya with a puzzled look on her face.
“Ah. That makes matter much easier to deal with then, doesn’t it?” He asked them energetically.
The twins blinked in surprise at his sudden enthusiasm before Priya asked hesitantly, “Are you… by any chance… planning to help us in your assignment?”
“Why, of course!” He declared with a bright smile.
There was a stunned look on both of the twins before they simultaneously exclaimed, “Really?!”
Their reaction startled him, and he asked curiously, “Yes. Why is that such a surprise?”
“Well, you know,” began Priya hesitantly with an awkward look on her face.
“We thought you’d go back to working at the castle and handle your duties now that you’ve returned,” said Indira, believing he would do exactly that.
For the first time since he starting to taking care of them, his feelings were hurt. Lakshman knew he was not the great brother that he had envisioned to become when they were born, but he was still pleased to do whatever he can for his sisters. However, now as the impact of her words hit him, he realised that having spent much of his time focusing only on training and his duties as king, his sisters had grown to believe that’s all that he cared about.
Once again, he was reminded of his failure in thinking that everything will be solved by training hard, defeating the enemy so that things go back to normal. Unfortunately, in this case, the normal belief in his sisters about him was a complete misunderstanding, and he hadn't realise it in the slightest.
“Stings, doesn’t it?” Asura asked coldly. “The exact same feeling I had when my wives died right before my eyes, only then did I realise how much they meant to me… how much time I wasted needlessly fighting battles.”
There was a moment of pause before Lakshman replied in a confident voice, “Well, that was you and this is me. Your failure will be my success!” He looked at his sisters and said, “True. That would’ve normally been the case when the world was in danger. Now, in this peaceful time, I can finally relax and spend more time with everyone.”
At his words, his sisters turned to glance at one another before turning back to look uncertainly at him.
“Are you okay with that?” They asked questioningly.
“Of course, I am! Stop doubting me!” He said firmly with a grin on his face. He briefly thought for a moment before he asked, “Just a question, but… can the two of you do the same thing and produce the exact same technique?”
They shook their head and replied, “No.”
“To each to their own, huh?” Lakshman sighed wearily. “Fine. In that case, I can get someone else to help out as well. Let’s see… how about… Dominic?”
The twins became excited at first before their excitement quickly died down and was replaced with concern.
“Are you sure? He’s just recently had a child born and is busy with his duties at different places,” asked Priya doubtfully.
“Right! He can’t really move so freely like you, annayya,” added Indira as if she just realised it.
“Mmm. You’re right,” said Lakshman quietly, folding his arms and thinking about other options. Then a thought struck him, and he asked, “How about Valerian?”
The twins blinked and asked simultaneously, “Who?”
“It’s the new Storm Titan that I recruited today. Ah! You haven’t met him yet, have you? Right! It was after dropping you off at the Astral Academy that I encountered him,” reflected Lakshman in realisation with a wry smile. “No matter. I’m sure he can offer you some of his knowledge since it dates back a long time ago.”
“Uh… He’s the new Storm Titan?” Priya asked curiously.
“Is he as powerful as you, annayya?” Indira asked curiously.
Indira’s question caused him to chortle with laughter before he extended his hand out to gently rub her head.
“Stop comparing the others to me, okay? I’m in a league of my own, and he’s in a league of his own. So, comparisons are no good,” he said with a serene smile. Noticing her looking a little bewildered, his smile widened as he admitted, “Well, if you must compare him and me, then I most certainly come out on top. But, don’t underestimate his capability! I’m sure he’ll surprise you all just as I was surprised when I met him before lunch.”
“Oh!” Indira said, her eyes sparkling with excitement.
“Well, that’s reassuring to hear with you vouching for him,” remarked Priya with a smile.
Lakshman smiled at them when he suddenly had a thought that made him feel very excited. He immediately broached it to them by asking them what the current date was.
“Sorry, but I didn’t bother to check what the day was since I just returned yesterday,” he admitted with a sheepish smile while scratching the back of his head in embarrassment. “So, what’s today’s day and date?”
“It’s the twenty-sixth day of Northus in the year 8111 Phoenix Calendar. We’re nearing the end of third week.”
“Wow. Northus already? It’s certainly been a while since I was gone, hasn’t it?” He asked more to himself than to anyone else in the room. “So, when’s the submission date?”
“It’s next week on the thirty-sixth.”
“Right. That gives us one-week time like you’ve said,” Lakshman wondered aloud as he appeared to be thinking of a plan. As an idea formed in his mind, he made a bright smile and said, “Okay. We can definitely do this in a week’s time, and you’ll both definitely be at the top!”
Both Indira and Priya became enthralled and excited at the prospect of achieving top marks for their assignment and to be receiving help from their brother. Still, they were curious about how he planned on going about it, and so Priya asked the important question.
“So, what’s the plan of action?”
“The plan of action…” began Lakshman slowly in a quiet voice and finished dramatically by saying, “is to go on a family vacation!”
The twins blinked at their older brother before becoming shocked by his statement and exclaiming, “What?!”