"Cale, why do you always go overboard?" Margaret mused as she looked at the duo. Del was completely soaked in the mud because of the earlier fight, and there was still a bit of blood that could be seen on his silk t-shirt as well.
"I went easy on him today. Right, Del?" Cale replied as he glanced towards Del, who nodded a few times in response. Although he accepted this fact, Del's whole body actually ached in pain.
That was normal considering the fact that it was Del's first time coming into contact with Qi.
"You're both hopeless," Margaret muttered, "Del, don't you dare go into the house like that, I don't want to clean up after you."
"Okay Mom, I'm going to go to the stream nearby and wash up," Del said as he turned around, beginning to run somewhere into the distance.
"Don't wander too far!" Margaret called out to the running boy before her gaze suddenly sharpened. She looked directly into Cale's eyes.
"I felt your Qi exploding...don't tell me you started teaching Del Qi control?" Margaret asked.
'This woman's nose is as sharp as ever..' Cale thought as he glanced to the side, "Of course I didn't"
"Cale, I know when you're lying. It's too early for Del to start his Qi training, he's only eight years old. What were you thinking?" said Margaret.
"It's not such a big of a deal. I started Qi training when I was seven." Cale replied as he locked gazes with Margaret.
"You're different, Cale. When are you going to realize that? Del is not someone who spent his childhood fighting and killing people. He lived in peace and in the warmth of his family," Margaret declared angrily.
"There's nothing wrong with practicing at a young age," Cale retorted nonchalantly.
"You know that's not true. Most warriors who began their Qi training at a young age became arrogant and obsessed with power."
"Margaret...Del has our genes. He's not some weakling who would be devoured by his own power."
"Ahh...you're hopeless, Cale. I still think otherwise, but...let's not discuss this matter until we leave this place," Margaret sighed as she turned, "Come in. Dinner is almost ready."
Cale didn't say anything else either as he entered the house. The house wasn't the biggest, so Cale had to tilt his head slightly to avoid hitting the ceiling.
"Sniff sniff...your cooking skills are great as always," Cale smiled broadly, sinking further into the fresh aroma that filled the house.
"Your flirting skills are undeniable too," Margaret chuckled as she tilted her head forward and joined her thin lips together, "Why are you standing there like an aloof. Kiss me," she added.
Cale's cheeks flushed slightly while he leaned down to kiss his wife. Their lips touched unitedly, causing the air to fill up with a romantic fragrance that overpowered even that of food.
Unfortunately, the moment of peace didn't last long. A faint smell of something burning assaulted their noses. Margaret immediately turned around.
"Oh no," Margaret muttered before running into the next room, leaving Cale all alone. Cale smiled slightly at her clumsiness. He then took off the dark robe that was covering his body. Underneath the clothing, a dark set of armor was revealed, with a few imperfections in the most vital spots.
On Cale's back was a huge sword that was wrapped in dark leather to keep it stable. The surface of the weapon was originally dark, but after decades of different battles, it turned brownish.
'I wonder if the meat is still edible.'
-
"It smelled amazing, I need to wash faster before that glutton eats everything," Del rushed through the myriad of woods. He deftly dodged every object that came into view. It wasn't such a hard feat for Del since he was guided by his father in similar training.
"I wonder when I'll be able to shoot balls out of my fingers," Del said excitedly as he increased his speed. After a few more moments of running, the sound of splashing water could already be heard.
Del hurriedly ran toward the short stream, passing through another ordeal of bare trees and settling on the brown rock. The water looked crystal clear, to the point that Del could see his own reflection in it.
Unfortunately, it was undrinkable, or Del would surely have gulped it down by now. Stirring from his useless thoughts and remembering the sweet smell of meat, Del quickly removed his clothes and began to clean them in the water.
Scrubbing them with his hand, the brownish color slowly dissolved and regained its natural appearance. Del tried to quicken his pace, as not only was it cold to be shirtless, but he was also worried if the food hadn't been devoured by Cale yet.
Crack! Crack!
Suddenly, an ominous sound rang in Del's ears as he tilted his head slightly. A figure stood on the other side of the stream, strangely approaching Del without being detected.
The person's appearance was hidden under white armor that was lightly saturated with crimson blood. Del's attention was mostly focused on the white sword at the person's waist.
"What are you doing here, boy?" a male voice sounded from beneath the helmet.
"Nothing..." Del slowly straightened up, his gaze glued to the person's hand, which was gradually moving towards the hilt of the sword. Del tossed the t-shirt onto the ground, no longer caring about the coldness as he took a step back.
His gluttonous father had always told him to run away at the sight of someone in white armor. Del wouldn't be stupid enough to defy his father's rules.
"Boy, if you want to live, then run along with the river and get out of here right now," the man suddenly said, his gaze wandering around the vicinity, "Quick!"
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'But my house is in a completely different way' Del blasphemed inwardly, as he turned around, debating with the stranger's words.
"Child, you'll only die if you go that wa-" the stranger stopped in mid-sentence, distracted by something Del could not perceive. The man's body began to tremble slightly as he tilted his head upwards.
"What do we have here?" a sinister voice suddenly sounded from above. Del immediately looked up. On the bare tree, just at the edge of a thin branch, a figure of a person could be seen.
To Del's surprise, the person wore no armor, but only a silken robe that spread from his toes to the neck. The figure had brown, long hair that prolonged until the waist, making him look somewhat girlish.
"Grandmaster Ron!" the man placed his hand over his heart, "I was just trying to help ..."
Thrust!
Before the man could finish the sentence properly, a sharp pain jostled into his abdomen. Looking down, the armored man noticed a black-blue sword sticking out of his own body. Crimson blood dripped from the edge of the weapon as the man's vision slowly blurred.
"You were going to help a potential future enemy to run away?" asked Ron calmly before gripping the sword's hilt tighter. Without waiting for the answer to his question, Ron spread the blade upwards, splitting the armored man's body in two.
Thud!
The body parts fell to the ground in sync, creating a soft thud. Crimson blood splashed around the proximity. The previously crystal clear water gradually turned red.
"Puff..Puff.." Del's breathing intensified at the sight of the spreading blood. From the beginning to the end of the fight, he couldn't even manage to follow the person's immeasurable speed. It was as if he had simply teleported.
"Boy," Ron held out the blade to Del, blood slowly dripping from its edge, "Your face reminds me of something unpleasant"
-
Two figures could be seen hurrying through the forest, passing countless amounts of trees and bushes.
"Faster! I sense Del's aura ahead!" shouted Margaret as she wiped the sweat from her brow.
"Damn it! How could such an army suddenly appear out of nowhere!" Cale cursed loudly.
A few minutes ago, the two of them sensed countless soldiers coming from the north with formidable Qi. They didn't even think for a second and charged towards the forest. Since the stream Del has decided to go to was exactly where the army emerged, Cale and Margaret couldn't help but worry.
"If anything happens to him!" deadly intent rose in Margaret's eyes.
"Don't worry, I can still sense Del's Qi and it doesn't seem to have subsided yet," a complicated expression appeared on Cale's face, "But there's another person right next to him and his aura is tremendous"
"Faster!" Margaret let Qi flow into her legs, causing her body to almost fly forward.
-
After a few minutes, they finally made it to the short river. Unfortunately, there wasn't even a soul to be discovered nearby. Only the constant sound of the river hitting the rocks and the chirping of the surrounding birds filled their ears.
"What the hell? I just sensed Del being here. How could he suddenly disappear?" Cale's heartbeat increased. Just the thought of losing his precious son made the blood in his body boil.
"Cale, look over there," Margaret grumbled, startled, as she looked toward the creek. Cale immediately glanced over, only to see a white-clad knight lying dead on a brown rock.
The entire area around the person was covered in crimson blood that seemed to have been intentionally spread.
"This armor...The Lulah Kingdom?" Cale's gaze suddenly sharpened as he shouted, "Margaret, don't go near him!"
Margaret, who was slowly advancing towards the blood, immediately stopped, "Wha..."
Thrust!
The blood formed into a sharp blade that rose from the ground and promptly attacked the terrified woman. The blood knife went straight through Margaret's stomach and reappeared on the other side.
"Margaret!!!" Cale rushed at full speed towards his paling wife. Immense anger rose from within his eyes, tensing the whole area.
Boom!
Cale sent a punch towards the ground, which shattered into many different pieces in seconds. The blood blade disappeared after being hit by a piece of dirt that rose from below.
"Hang on, Margaret!" Cale caught his wife, placing one of his hands on the injury. He tried to stop the bleeding, but after a few seconds of trying, he realized it was a lost cause.
"I'm sorry...Cale," Margaret mumbled with the last of her strength, her face slowly turning paler.
Cale quickly clutched her in his grasp and said, "What are you talking about? Your injury isn't that serious. You'll be fine tomorrow."
"Right?" added Cale, trying to reassure not only Margaret but himself as well.
Boom!
Suddenly, a huge red hand formed directly above the duo, lowering down on them and hitting Cale's broad back. However, Cale didn't even bother to dodge, proceeding to embrace Margaret.
A few tears could be seen forming in Cale's eyes while the bloody hand kept landing on his back.
"Margaret?" Cale's eyebrows drew apart after feeling the Qi disappear from Margaret's body. He rested his head on his wife's motionless body.
Yet, after a few seconds of intently listening, his hope was dashed.
The heartbeat stopped.
"MARGARET!!!" Cale shouted loudly, sending shockwaves throughout the place, to the point that even the trees were conveyed the opposite way.
"WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU!?? COME OUT!!!" Cale shouted, aiming his gaze at all possible places where the attacker could be hiding.
"Don't yell like that, you bastard," a sluggish voice sounded from above as Cale immediately looked up, "Long time no see, Cale, or should I call you...One of the Lulah Kingdoms Guardians?"
"Come down," Cale said in a low voice, his abysmal eyes unmoving from the target. A dark aura arose, encompassing Cale and flying upwards before dissipating into nothingness.
"Hohoho...how creepy," Ron chuckled lightly before adding, "Aren't you even going to greet your teacher? After all, it's been so long"
"Where's Del?!" Cale ambled towards the tree, more aura forming around him. His eyes didn't even blink, focusing on the man who was casually lying on the tree.
"Del?" Ron put a hand on his chin as a sudden realization struck his mind, "So that's why the boy was so familiar!"
Ron casually gestured to the side while smiling lightly, "Sorry Cale, if I had known he was your son I would have treated him better"
"?!"
The moment Cale saw what Ron was pointing at, his teeth joined together and made an unpleasant screeching sound. The body of a small boy floated free in the air, his throat wrapped in a thick brown rope connected to the branch of the tree.
Drip!
Drip!
Blood dripped from Del's shoes hitting the ground with an unpleasant sound as Ron muttered, "How unfortunate. He may have been quite strong in the future, but being born into a family of traitors brou--"
"AHHHH!!!" Cale appeared directly above Ron, his eyes filled with a murky liquid. With a loud roar, Cale swung the huge sword towards Ron, who smiled casually in response.
"It's still too early for you to fight me," Ron vanished from the spot and reappeared behind Cale. A thin layer of Qi formed on Ron's fist, colliding with Cale's spine.
Crack! Crack!
Boom!
The moment the fist touched Cale's body, he was sent flying hundreds of feet away and slammed into the ground.
"That must have hurt," Ron smiled before suddenly becoming serious, "According to the rules of the Kingdom of Lulah, those who tried to leave or flee from the Kingdom's forces must be executed."
"AHHHH!!!" Cale rose from the ground and charged forward, ignoring the constant throbbing in his spine.
'Wow..I made him quite angry. To still be able to walk despite a broken spine, deserving of my student' Ron thought as he sighed, 'He really could have been a powerhouse in our kingdom. Unfortunately, he couldn't handle the blood on his hands and ran away...how foolish'
"Show me your anger" Ron extended his hands in two different ways, causing all the blood to rise in the perimeter. Different types of spears formed from the blood, which were sent towards the incoming Cale, who didn't even bother to look away from Ron.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The spears flew, but Cale deftly dodged each attack, proceeding towards Ron. After a few moments, Cale was already a few feet away from the target and ready to swing, but all the struggle turned out to futile.
A huge wall of blood rose right in front of him, spikes covering every part of it. Cale wasn't fast enough to convey his body elsewhere and crashed into the wall.
"Rot in hell," Ron appeared behind Cale and quickly pierced into his heart. Cale didn't even manage to flinch before he noticed the blade sticking out of his body.
Thud!
The huge blade fell to the ground with a loud thud, sending a vibration into Cale's legs that faded away after a few seconds.
"I'm going to...kill you," Cale muttered with the last of his strength before falling to the ground with a soft plop. His vision blurred while sensation faded.
Thus, Cale died.