Chapter 23

Cyrus 2.2

Looking at the now calm Blair, Cyrus sat down beside her and pat her back softly. "Now, why did you come all this way crying?" He asked because this new discovery made him mad with happiness. Now he has people who share the same powers as him, now he learned about another side of his powers he didn't know before. By no mean was that not worth it for celebrating.

Blair look at him and said in a low, mosquito like voice. "I, don't know. They, the way they ripped apart those kids and..." Cyrus pull his hands back from her back and ask, "Kids?" Faust, now tremble and his now dried eyes swell up with tears once again, "Kids, old, women and any of whom had blood running through their veins. They rip them apart like some Savage Beast." He look at Nancy that was beside a tree looking over with indifference. "They..." Faust paused and then bit down on his lips.

Lifting up his face he glare at Cyrus and he could see the change in the depths of his eyes. They were turning a shade of bright red but they weren't like Blair or Nancy who had a deep shade of blood red light glowing out in the darkness of the forest. Those eyes shared the; pain, denial and anger. "That's why Cyrus, please help us, no! Help me. I don't want to feast on children or the elderly like some craze beast. This is not a gift but a curse! One that only you should bear."

One that only I should bear? Cyrus took offence to that. For all he knows he was born like this and he didn't see it as a curse. Cyrus was just different from everyone else and maybe that was what left the Masters of Valleyfall fear him all these years, shaking his head Blair say beside him. "I, was just scared of how brutal they have become. It was as if they gave no qualms about life and only care about their own greed. And because of that I only thought of finding you." Cyrus nodded somewhat as if understanding them but in truth he didn't.

The Gift as Raymond likes to call it, is just a means of unleashing your most and inner primal instincts. Practitioners and Cultivators alike consume the flesh of Beasts to enhance their bodies and cultivate their physical might. They also collect the blood of some beasts and combined them with some Spiritual Herbs to cocktail some Elixir for better enhancement.

The Gift just gives you the same but in a more direct and carnal way. Maybe is because they couldn't control themselves and their primal instincts took dominance over their bodies but it isn't as if that didn't have any solution.

"You keep calling it a curse and even dare to say that only I should be the only one to bear this alone. Why? You see this as a curse but isn't it the same as how humans treat beasts and domestic animals like cows, horses, dogs, cats and the likes." Cyrus spoke to Faust. For him, what he does and how he was born into was natural. Consuming blood for one own advantage doesn't seem as bad as butchering another for their flesh, blood and bones. Worst of all, hunters even hunt for the fur and some specific body parts of Beast as a sports. Isn't that worst than just drinking blood to alleviate some pain or because of necessities?

Faust look up at Cyrus in disbelief as if not believing the words that came out of his mouth. "You, how can you compare that to human life! The life of a child and a young defenseless woman or the life of a disable elderly. I saw them both as they ripped off their arms, as they plunge their fangs on their necks and drank until the last drop of blood was on their living bodies." Faust tremble and Cyrus could feel a wave of anger hit his mind.

This feeling...? It was similar to the bond between him and his four Guardian Beasts. Discovering this made him slightly happier about all this development.

Cyrus hide the smirk that was about to spread across his lips and said, "so that means is alright to butcher cows for your own greed or is it alright to hunt baby Snow Fox for their soft, pure white fur just because of their beauty? All that is fine but feeding on a human is wrong, right?" Faust remain silent but Cyrus continue, "let me ask you this. Besides our outer appearance and the level of intelligence, what is so different between the humans and them? What gives the humans the right to hunt them for food and use their fur as accessories? Answer me that, also answer me if they don't breathe the same air as the humans or tell me if they don't have a heart that pump blood through their bodies? Isn't that what a Humans has?"

Faust remain silent but later spoke in anger, "what's that got to do with the fact that they feast on the weak and defenseless!" Cyrus stood up from the tree stump and clap his hands. "So that's it! The weak and defenseless. You yourself say it, if that's the case I will admit their mistake on their behalf and make a deal with you right here and now." Faust now was confused about the swing in the conversation.

Cyrus step forward and lean over his body. He was still kneeling while his palm grip the hard ground beneath him, creating two fist size holes. The closer Cyrus got the stronger the wave of emotion assault him; anger, madness, denial, fear and the highest of them all, pain. "Let's make an Oath now. We, the Firsts, we will not feast on the weak, we only feast on the strong, we only consume Cultivators and Practitioners and spread our Divine Gift only to those who deserve it and the ones who don't will be curse as mindless being roaming the earth for all eternity. Like mindless beasts trap in their own suffering. Also to those who break the Oath there will not be any curse from the Old Gods or the New Divines because they have no business of what's is mine. The Oath Breakers will be consume by me!" As Cyrus finish speaking dark clouds swirl high in the night sky, blurring out the twins light.

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Now only the red eyes of everyone presence glow in this absolute darkness. Cyrus diabolical glow shine the brightest out of everyone, he bit his forefinger and a stream of blood defy the laws of gravity as it flouted in front of him.

Before Cyrus started to write something in the air, Frozenfire step behind him and chuckle, "Young Lord instead of calling it Divine Gift isn't better to call it The Devil's Gift. Am sorry my Lord but there's nothing Divine about your powers." Frozenfire look up at the swirling clouds that react to Cyrus Oath and at the overwhelming Dark Aura that infected each and every one of them.

Cyrus look over his shoulder and stare at Frozenfire, he also let a chuckle and said, "ha-ha, so beat it." He started making a circle in mid air with his finger while his blood trail behind it. Closing up the circle he made another one inside and in between the space of the two circle he started to write some unknown language that only Beasts from the Ancient races like Frozenfire could understand.

The winds blew the trees and the rustling of the branches and leaves produce a horrific sounds that spread out visibly to the human eyes.

Cyrus learn about this from Belia when she was reading one of those books when they were little. It spoke about how Humans Knights and Cultivators practice these ceremonies when entering a Sect or a Brotherhood. They use the mysterious force inside every living creatures blood to speak with the heavens and cast down a bond that was stronger than family ties. When Belia read him this something deep inside his subconscious throb as if he knew how to do it. It was as if he has done it hundreds if not thousands of time before and now he has the excuse to do it. Ever since he heard those stories he always wanted to give it a try but he never had any reason or opportunity until now.

The Oath took an instant to spread into the dark humid air of the forest as the clouds above disperse like sand blow up by the wind. When the light of the twins shine down from the tree canopy above, Cyrus felt two incoming shadows rapidly approaching. Knowing who they were he smirk and look at Faust once more.

"Now I compromise on my part. Aren't you going to do your part." His spotless white cloth had two orbs of diabolical light shining out in the dark forest as he look down at the kneeling Faust. Cyrus tremble as he felt a rush of emotions hit his face like a hard wind. It was a weird sensation but he didn't dislike it. He felt a rush that made him smirk.

"No...I just, is human blood..." Faust feelings were of disgust, rejection, disbelief and the strongest of them all still...pain. It was then that two silhouette appear out of thin air and drop from the high tree branches. Cyrus stare at Nightshade as she was holding a young man in his twenties.

She drop him like a sack of potatoes and walk to a curling big root that was swimming on the hard ground and sat on top of it. Devour took a step forward and appear behind Cyrus and stood there like a statue. "There were a group of people following us but we managed to lose them in the forest. Young Lord, there were some in that group that could even combat against me for a couple of round and one elderly in particular that even I couldn't pin point the full extent of his prowess." Cyrus let a surprise yelp escape his mouth as he turn to look at Devour that had a stoic face.

"Really?" Devour nodded and Cyrus look at the man now crawling to a tree trunk nearby. He stare at his attire and another yelp escape his mouth, "No way! A Martial Cultivator?" At this Faust turn and look at the side to were the poor guy was barely making any progress. "Yes, a Martial Cultivator. We found him battling one of your brothers. The tough, dumb looking one." Say Nightshade as she was cleaning her nails. Cyrus turn to her and seeing her uninterested attitude he concentrated on the man who just reach the tree trunk and was using it for support.

With his back on the tree he stare at them with dread in his eyes. "Who, who are you all?" Cyrus could see with his vision and he saw what was under his robe. There was a metal like apparatus that look like a square with small holes in all of its faces, a ring that seem eerily special, a necklace that had something that looks like a diamond. The weird thing is that they were coated on Präná, something not found in the atmosphere anymore. Before he could bring out that weird, cube like apparatus Cyrus gave a simple command. "Nancy restrict him." The indifferent Nancy stiffed in a moment. Her leaning body rapidly sway without a second thought and grab the wrist that was inside his Robes. "Bring him to me." She comply again and brought him or better to say, drag him to him.

Looking down at him Cyrus didn't even dwell on that metal apparatus but squat down and ask, "what's your name?" The man face pale as he stares at Cyrus two diabolical glow that shine on his face. He felted, a sense of absolute oppression and power. Something that brought him fear from the depths of his heart. Answering Cyrus question he couldn't help but Stutter. "I, I, my, my, name, is... Ryan from, from the, the Martial House Berkeley." Cyrus let a 'oh' and turn to Faust who still had this incredulous look on his face.

"Now, Faust what were we at? Aren't you going to feed or do I need to force you myself?" Cyrus grab Ryan by the nape and force him to the front of Faust face. "Is your decision to turn him or to kill him. Now what will you do?" Cyrus lift up his index finger and the black nail glow black in the darkness of the forest. His nails grow longer and sharper just like that of a beast. At this moment Ryan felt that something was definitely going wrong but he couldn't get his Marital Force to listen to his command. It was as if a great force was pressuring down on his whole body.

Cyrus nail trail his neck and open a small thin line as blood tinkle down to his chest. He put his finger on his mouth and savor the taste. "Hmm, hot and spicy. Come, feed, his neither a child, nor elderly and definitely not weak. Food worthy for a Great Master as yourself."

He was battling the urge with all his might but Cyrus knew that he will end up giving up as the temptation of blood was just up his face and the pain will cloud his reasoning. The question is will he turn him or will he devour him? Cyrus just needed to push a little more.

"Aren't the Martial Houses and Noble Houses always in battle for resources and treasures? You can say that he is your enemy, so why resist Faust. Don't fight it, embraced and you will be released from this pain. Come, pierce him with your fangs and drink to your heart’s content."

It was that small, insignificant push that broke the Camel's back. Faust eyes turn blood red and glow in the darkness of this night. Cyrus felted as he took Ryan from his arm with a force strong enough to break the pour man bones. And right there he saw how the strong willed Great Master of Valleyfal succumb to temptation...