The youngest brother was next up to the plate. He was the second and final brother that was impartial in his dealings with Aejaz... Somewhat, anyway. Phlo was more of a supportive cultivator who aided others in their assassinations and that was reflected in his personality. The personality that, actually, he didn't even really have. If copying other people's personalities could be considered one of its own then maybe he actually did but, for the most part, he just did what everyone else did without question. If Scowl told him to work, he would work. If his uncle told him to go and train, he would go and train. If he was told to bark he would bark. It's not that he was obedient like Scowl or anything, he just didn't care enough or have any personal opinions on anything to say no. It was more like he did the things everyone else did to search for purpose and anything that interested him. Maybe if he copied enough people then one day he would find his own calling? To that end he was someone that just kinda went with the flow. He'd been told to insult Aejaz and that was precisely what he was going to do. He didn't hate doing it nor did he take any joy in it either, he just did what was demanded of him out of curiosity. "Yo bro, still clinging to that shit magic of yours? Found a use for it yet other than disappointing everyone with a forgettable parlour trick? Must suck being stuck with it for life. Might as well just kill yourself to get rid of it don't cha think?" Phlo was here to check if Aejaz had been consumed by hatred for his aspect, the thing that was at the root of all his problems.

Aejaz was really baffled by this one. He adored his aspect!... Then again, there was no reason for these people to know that though. They were still living in the past apparently. "My magic's incredible, thank you very much. It's improved by leaps and bounds in ways you peanut brains couldn't fathom. At least with my magic I get to be the star of the show but what about you exactly? When are you going to become your own person? I used to forget you even existed half the time. And no, I won't kill myself. I serve a purpose and there are people that would miss me. You, on the other hand, could vanish tomorrow and no one would care. It's not like you bring anything to the table that no one else does. You called my magic forgettable but yet you still remember it. Maybe you're just jealous I was the one person you could never copy."

"Go fuck yourself." Phlo spat before turning his head away and not bothering anymore. He was under strict orders not to overstep so he held his tongue from retorting any further. For the first time he really wished he could make his own mind up because ending the conversation like this was agitating. Deep down he knew Aejaz was right about at least some of what he'd said and not being able to at least pretend otherwise vocally was eating Phlo alive. He wanted to kick the floor, leave, argue, do anything other than be silent but, in the end, he said nothing.

Aejaz expected the oldest brother to go next, and it looked like he was about to, but Aejaz' horrid mother was getting impatient and butted in herself. It's not like the order really mattered anyway. If anything, the fact they were following some kind of pre-meditated script was actually really sad. How long had they planned this out for? Also, what was their planning really even based on? The Aejaz they once knew? He was long gone and the only thing that remained was a fraction of cowardice but Aejaz was more than capable of powering through it when he needed to. As for his mother, Yvonne, Aejaz already knew what manner of foul venom she was going to spit. She was going to see if it bothered Aejaz that he was unloved. She looked down at him with an evil glare and kissed her teeth at him.

"You are the only thing in this world I regret. If I had known what you would turn out to be I would have aborted you as soon as I could. To think I made the mistake of caring for you when you were a baby instead of throwing you into a river... It sickens me to think you have my blood in you. Don't ever call me your mother ever again, you hear me? I'll die of embarrassment if I find out you have." Although this woman felt confident, Aejaz was about to shatter that unfounded arrogance.

"Yeah, same goes to you. Don't go telling anyone you birthed me, please and thank you. If anything, you're seriously slacking. Where are the legal documents for disowning me properly? I know our clan has them to punish people. Why didn't you bring them? Are you stupid? Clearly you're more fond of me than you think you are if you couldn't even bring yourself to do that. On the other hand, I really want nothing more than to be rid of you, so here." Aejaz brought out some paperwork and threw it on the floor in front of his 'mother'. This was one of the rewards Hans had given him for completing some contracts a while back. It was essentially a copy of the Fleeting Glimpse' paperwork that allowed them to completely cut clan members out of the clan in every way. "Ah but you won't sign it, will you? The truth of it is that you're not sure what I'll turn out to be. For all the hatred you directed towards my magic you're aware that unique aspects tend to be really strong. You're thinking I might come back one day if things change but let me let you in on a little secret. I'm never coming back. By the end of this tournament you very well may consider begging me to return but I won't. Keep that in mind for later so you don't bother wasting your breath."

"You rude little animal! How dare you disrespect me like that?!"

"Why not? Have you already forgotten? You aren't my mother. Go die in a ditch, bitch."

Yvonne's bony fingers were curling as she resisted the urge to strangle Aejaz in frustration. Still, she had another plan and wasn't going to give up just yet. She looked down at Lacy, her only daughter and the youngest of all her children. She stared menacingly at her as Lacy cowered under her mother's gaze. "Say it."

Aejaz wasn't happy about this situation. Lacy was a pure hearted girl and Aejaz didn't just believe that because she had been nice to him. If it were up to her, she wouldn't hurt a fly. He could only imagine how many times these people had selfishly forced her to stain her small hands with blood. She wasn't the kind of person who would ever get used to it and her magic couldn't even help her. She was extremely good at hiding herself and others but was completely lacking offensive magic. This meant anytime she had to kill someone she would have to do the deed personally and Aejaz knew she was a bit squeamish around blood. He had encouraged Allie who was once in the same situation because he could tell Allie wanted to be strong and had it in her to do so. Lacy was not that kind of person. She never wanted any of this and Aejaz' biggest problem with his family was that they kept making unreasonable demands of his sister. Even now they were forcing her to berate her brother for no good reason and Aejaz could tell she was extremely reluctant. Even if he'd never come across his family again he still would have ended up going back at least once to get Lacy out. She didn't have the guts to leave on her own but she needed to be somewhere else for her own sake and Aejaz wouldn't abandon her like that. He had every intention of freeing her from his family at some point during the international and keeping her away from them for good. Tears were forming in her eyes because Yvonne was pressuring her and not just mentally. She was actually so cruel she was using pressure, the omnipresent weight, on her daughter and even hurting her a little. Aejaz wished Lacy would just say whatever they wanted her to. He wouldn't care or take it to heart because he knew her better than to be upset with her. If she would just say it this would all be over for her and that was what Aejaz thought was for the best.

Slap

Yvonne was getting fed up with Lacy's silence and brought her palm to her daughter's face. "Say it."

Lacy started crying and Aejaz wanted nothing more than to kill this despicable woman but he couldn't. His cultivation just wasn't high enough and starting a fight was exactly what they wanted. Lacy had no choice but to say it and Aejaz could only try to subtly encourage her by looking into her eyes reassuringly. Lacy looked back at him and, through the blubbering, managed to eek out her parent's words.

"I hate you."

Aejaz sighed. This was really just beyond ridiculous. Yvonne should have surely known this wouldn't make Aejaz budge, she was just being petty and spiteful with this one. Her only goal was to make Lacy say it to his face and nothing more. That was literally all the value Yvonne saw in Lacy and it showed. Instead of sassing back at Lacy, because that would be idiotic, he just looked at Yvonne and called her a 'bitch' again. In return, Yvonne looked at Trixie and demanded she also 'say it'. Trixie put her arms behind her head and shrugged.

"Nah, don't wanna."

"What?" Yvonne did a double take and the smugness on her face all but disappeared.

"Don't wanna." Trixie stuck her tongue out at Yvonne who was reeling in shock. In Yvonne's place, Aejaz' uncle stepped in with a frown.

"Do you understand what you're doing? Fleeting Glimpse is not so tolerant a clan that we'll ignore this misgiving."

"Yeah yeah, good for you old coot." Trixie hopped over and stood behind Aejaz, playfully leaning over his shoulder and grinning at the Glimpse family. "I quit by the way. This place and these people look way more fun to hang around. Catch you never, losers."

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

"Trixie. You have made a grave error if you think just leaving the clan will protect you. Your life is already forfeit after this. These walls will not save you forever and your time will come."

"A life under your clan ain't worth living anyway. Also, you better kill me for your sake, otherwise I'll hunt down every last one ya if I get the chance. Don't much fancy you lot, you're all cunts!"

…

…

…

The old man stared at Trixie and was about to open his mouth when, all of a sudden, the mood in the room shifted. This was the moment Ares had entered the room and drawn everyone's attention. Ares hadn't timed his entrance but he sure got everyone over on this side of the room out of one hell of an awkward silence. Aejaz' uncle, Sho, noticed the tension dissipate from Aejaz and he immediately understood the situation. This person was Aejaz' new 'brother', a person Sho was far more interested in than some family flunky. This was a good opportunity for Sho to segue into his verbal spar with Aejaz so he took it. "Ares, is it? Certainly more formidable than you, that's easy enough to tell at a glance. Shame. He's not long for this world, you know? I don't know what he did to offend the mayor or the leader of the Chen clan but he's made some enemies in high places. Normally I would delegate such a task to someone else but I think I'll do this job personally. As I twist the knife in his guts and torture him to death slowly, I'll make sure he knows at least half of the agony he suffers will be your fault."

Aejaz just tilted his head before laughing in Sho's face. "Look, I won't deny he's infinitely better as a cultivator than I am. That's undisputable., but I think you're seriously underestimating him. If you think I worry about Ares of all people then you're either sick in the head or horribly misinformed about who he is exactly. I don't need to worry about him so threatening me or warning me, whatever it is you think you're doing, is pointless. Now that I know you're after him, I almost pity you. You're the one that should be nervous about your task, not me."

"Don't be childish. Ares' cultivation is not high enough to fend me off. He will die as soon as I get my hands on him."

"Whatever helps you sleep at night Sho. Ares will kill you so I suggest you get your will in order. Fletch..." Aejaz turned to his father who'd been silent up until now and not spoken a single word. "... Congratulations. All the years you spent bending over backward to please Sho were in vain. You're gonna get the clan whether you want it or not! Hahaha. Enjoy it to your heart's content. You kicked me out for it and tolerated the abuse of your other children too so it must mean a lot to you, right? Enjoy owning an entire clan filled with lifeless, empty shells that do nothing but follow orders all day long. You've made such a massive family and yet no one here loves you and no one in the clan will respect you. What a real king you are! You gave up everything and stood for nothing. Ha, and to think I didn't even have to do anything! I'd been conjuring up all sorts of fun ways to take revenge on you all but now I don't even need to lift a finger because Sho is dead set on committing suicide! With you at the helm, Fletch, the clan will collapse in a matter of weeks. How could you possibly have what it takes to lead a clan when you couldn't even lead a family? Patriarch? You aren't even worth being called a father. Maybe next time start with the basics before having such grand designs for the future. If I were you, I'd keep an eye on Yvonne and your oldest son. They might try and take your position by force. What a wonderful family you've raised by bending over backwards your entire life."

Fletch didn't respond but someone else did. Ares oldest brother, and the one that hated him to his core, Job, felt the need to but in here. "INGRATE! How dare you speak to Fletch like that?!" Job was a sack of shit. Put simply, his unique magic summoned an incredibly powerful dagger and that was just about it. The dagger was special, he was not. The reason Job hated Aejaz is because he could take away his precious dagger and leave with him nothing, stripping away all his worth in seconds. The resentment Job held for Aejaz ever since the first time it happened, and Sho heavily berated him after, had never died and it never would. Aejaz was the bane of his very existence.

Aejaz literally spat at this atrocious human. "Don't you of all people call me an ingrate. The only reason you kiss Fletch's ass is because he's the one that got rid of me. You've never liked him so don't pretend otherwise. You've never liked anyone. You're a selfish person who would sooner stab his brothers in the back than be second fiddle. I give it a year until you try to kill someone in this room. Most likely Fletch himself so you can inherit the clan. Unfortunately for you, your weak as hell. I don't think I would even need magic to beat you anymore. Go curl up in a corner like the coward you are whenever you lose your magic and stop throwing a hissy fit in public over something you don't even really care about. Pretending to be some morally upstanding human doesn't work when everyone knows what a piece of shit you really are."

"Fuck you. What were you back in the clan without me? What could you ever do without stealing my magic over and over again? You just had to drag me down with you at every turn! Do you have any idea what losing to you did to my reputation? Any idea at all?!"

"I do, and I relished every insult I heard being thrown your way. I would have left you alone if you didn't keep pestering me. You deserved it. You were weak and only ever got by trying to bully me, the only person who was weaker than you. Even then you couldn't keep it up and started losing to me when you leaned on that crutch you call an art. You hated me from the start but you hated me even more when Sho got on your case. You got a taste and couldn't hack the punishment and you were jealous that I could. You hated me because you realised that I was outperforming you despite putting up with Sho breathing down my neck all my life. You were mad because you had everything and I had nothing, and yet you still couldn't leave a dent in me even though I was the weakest in the entire clan. Your still mad. But you know what? You get what you deserve. If you had shown me even a hint of compassion or even just ignored me I would have stopped making your life worse. What? Was I the only one not allowed to fight back? Did I just have to sit there and take everyone's abuse that was hurled at me without at least making one of you bastards miserable in return?! To hell with you all! I have my own life now and I've done better than all of you. My path to becoming an assassin had more obstacles than all of you have ever had in your life combined and yet I'll still become what all of you could only dream of. I have talent, an incredible aspect, and a family that loves me. None of you have any of that! Shunning me and throwing me to the streets was the best thing that ever happened to me! I was freed from you and managed to get my life on track after all the hassle you all gave me. If your life is ruined then I couldn't be happier hearing it."

"Then just as you ruined my life I'll damn well ruin yours." Job spat angrily as he looked behind Aejaz. "Yeah, I can't kill you. Never could and never will. But you know who I can kill? Anyone else! See if that little girl behind you, the one you came in with, lives to the end of the year. It was so cute how you held hands, really. I'll be sure to remember it when I hunt her down, play with her a bit, and kill her. Maybe I'll even bring her battered corpse back to the clan for the others. I'm sure some of them wouldn't mind the stench of death if it meant having a go at the infamous Aejaz' girl. I will take away everything important from you one by one, Aejaz, and I will... I will... I... What?"

Job had done it. He'd struck a nerve. If there was one thing Aejaz cared about more than anything else it was Allie and everything this bastard had said was completely unforgivable. Job was left looking like a vegetable as he teetered back and forth. Ares' siblings watched on in horror as Aejaz brandished a shadowy knife and slowly walked up to Job with a face filled with fury. Job was unmoving and just stood there as Aejaz advanced on him. What everyone was watching was incomprehensible. Why was Aejaz' magic capable of whatever this was exactly? He'd mentioned his magic had improved, but to this extent? Also, Aejaz was already too close to Job to be stopped by any of them. He'd already raised his hand and was preparing to stab Job in the throat. The siblings had been so distracted by the magic they hadn't even realised Aejaz was dead set on murdering Job. He wasn't going to stop himself, he wasn't just making a point, he wasn't showing off, he was unexpectedly assassinating his own brother in a fit of rage.

Aejaz' hand descended and the knife barrelled towards Job's neck as he stared dazedly into the distance, not bothering to defend himself in the slightest. Of course Aejaz was never going to be able to accomplish this as Sho's hand reached out and grasped Aejaz' wrist, slowly applying more and more force with his grip. He'd gotten his wish and seen Aejaz attack someone. Unfortunately, the plan had been for the person he attacked to fight back themselves but no one had expected Aejaz to be this strong so it backfired horribly. Now Sho had to step in and disgrace himself. Getting involved in a fight that didn't concern him and bullying a junior was seriously not a good look but things had deteriorated to the point that this was still his best option. If he was going to be looked down upon for this act then he might as well go all the way and just kill Aejaz here, it wouldn't make much of a difference in terms of how disastrous this was going ot be for their reputation anyway so he might as well just get rid of a potential future problem here and now. As Sho's grip tightened, and as he nearly snapped Aejaz' wrist, he was forced to let go and catch a body that came flying at him. He scooped the person out of mid air and dangled him in front of him, inspecting the person. For some reason, it was Rag that been tossed at him. Rag looked up at Sho with a panicked look and raised his arm while begging and pleading in desperation as his arm lit up with a golden glow. "Sho! Please! Get it out before..." Sho dropped Rag and jumped back...

BANGGGGGGGGGG

Rag's arm detonated and formed a dome that was both gold and blood red. His torn body was blasted out of the explosion and a puddle of blood formed underneath him when he stopped rolling after hitting a wall. His entire left side had been fully annihilated and he was barely breathing. If he received immediate care, and a lot of it at that, he might live... Maybe. As for Sho who'd jumped back, he could sense a presence within the golden dome and he knew precisely who was bothering him. Ares. How convenient! The man he needed to kill had just presented himself on a silver, or rather golden, platter. Surely killing him here would be easy, right?... Right?