"When I grow up I want to be a powerful wielder! I will attend the Wielders Academy and become an S-Grade Wielder so I can protect Mom!" a little boy jumped up and down excitedly as he announced his grand ambitions. He had beautiful black eyes and gorgeous black hair. He looked to be only a few months away from his 6th birthday.
"And me too brother! And me! Protect me too!" a little girl who looked similar to the young boy shouted in protest. She puffed her cheeks in annoyance at being ignored.
"How many times have I told you that girls are strong enough to fend for themselves? You should also hope to become a strong wielder so you can protect your brother" a beautiful woman in red rebuked the little girl for her words. Just like the two children she also had long black hair and eyes as dark as the night sky.
"I will protect sister!" the little boy ignored his mother and proclaimed with determination that his ambitions didn't lie with only protecting his mother, but his sister as well.
*Smack*
"Oww" the little boy covered his head as he looked pleadingly at his mother.
"Don't ignore me next time" his mother berated. She sighed when she saw his teary eyes and rubbed his head lovingly. It was a good thing that the Wielders Academy had decided to give out scholarships. This initiative had begun only a year ago but was receiving many positive reviews. Previously it was impossible for her small family to have such grand and lofty goals. They only belonged to a small village on the outskirts of the Western Empire. But now her children could also dream of becoming wielders. As long as they passed the entrance examinations, they could enter the academy as probationers. And if they were able to awaken in their fourth year they would become true members of the academy. Her son looked silly, but he was an intelligent boy. He had already began studying for the entrance exam which was only 8 months away. She did help him every now and then, but he mostly did everything by himself. His sister was a year and a half younger than her brother, but she also shared in his intelligence. They took after their father.
"If only he didn't join the army" she sighed as she thought. Her husband had died about five years ago. She was pregnant with her girl at the time. He died rescuing some kids from the Dark Kingdom.
"What a lovely family you have here" suddenly a grating voice interrupted her thoughts. She turned sharply, alarmed that someone could get into her compound without her realization. The man who spoke wore a black robe and had deep red eyes. His eyes were cold and heartless. The murderous aura he was trying so hard to hide leaked out every now and then. He had the blood of many on his hands.
"Unfortunately we have to break you up. Your children have great aptitude. It would be wasted on such a small Empire" the red-eyed man coldly stated. Once his little statement was made, several more figures appeared on the compound. They all had red eyes, but their eyes weren't as crimson as the man who spoke.
"Mom who are they" the little girl hid behind her mother. She didn't like the cold feeling she got from the intruders. They weren't warm and radiant like the villagers. Their aura was cold and unfeeling; almost like they were corpses walking.
The little boy stood in front of his mother with a tree branch that had been shaped into a sword. Although he was scared he didn't step back.
"Go inside Sweetie. And take your sister with you" the woman lovingly caressed her son's head and instructed.
"I don't want to go. I must protect Mom" the little boy didn't agree with his mother. There were several bad men standing on his compound. How could he leave his mother to fend for herself?
"Admirable" although the leader of the group was praising the boy, his voice didn't sound complimentary at all.
"Listen to me and go now! Now! Protect your sister for me" the woman put his sister's hand in his and pushed her son towards the door. The little boy gritted his teeth and fought the anxiety in his stomach. He clenched his sister's hand and run towards the door. The leader didn't like the young boy's actions. He nodded his head slightly and one of his men dashed towards the boy.
*Boom*
The little boy didn't see what happened clearly. All he saw was that the man who was about to grab him had suddenly disappeared. That man was now embedded in the wall with a huge hole in his chest. Using the opportunity presented him, he dashed into the house and closed the door.
"What do we do brother?" the little girl held her brother's shirt tightly and began to sob.
"Don't cry. It's okay. Mom isn't weak. Did you see what happened to the man who tried to catch us?" the little boy was able to think a bit more clearly once he was safely inside the house. There were only two groups outside. His mother and the intruders. So the only person who would have any cause to protect them was their mother.
"That was Mom? She is so strong! But why didn't she tell us?" the little girl temporarily forgot about the imminent threat and started asking questions.
"Because it always reminds her of Dad" the little boy smiled sadly and stated. He was very young when his father died so he didn't remember anything about the man. If not for the fact that his father's picture was hung in their living room he doubted that he would even remember what the man looked like.
"We have to find Mom's weapon" the boy was intelligent indeed. He quickly realized what needed to be done.
"What about the room Mom never allows us to enter?" the little girl thought out loud.
"You're brilliant Mai!" the little boy exclaimed and kissed his sister on her cheek. The little girl giggled at the interaction.
"Let's go" the boy ordered and run towards the room at the end of the hall.
"No one from the Dark Kingdom is going to lay a hand on my children" the woman stated coldly as the aura of a peak mortal realm expert exploded from her tiny body. Her husband had been killed by the Dark Kingdom. She had given up on revenge because she reckoned that her children needed their mother alive. Plus she would be putting her children in trouble by pursuing her own desires. But now they were here at her doorstep. And even worse they wanted to take her children away from her! She would rather die than let that happen.
"Your resistance would change nothing" the leader coldly stated as the aura of a 1st stage above-mortal realm expert was revealed by his skinny frame. His men also unleashed their aura. The weakest of them had the aura of a 7th stage mortal realmer and the strongest had the aura of a peak stage mortal realmer.
The woman gritted her teeth in frustration as she felt the power of her opponents. There was no way she would be enough. But she had to try. She couldn't let them get to her kids. So she struck first.
*Boom*
The body of a 7th stage mortal realmer was sent flying as the woman's fist connected with his midsection. The others rushed towards the culprit to deal with her.
*Bam*
*Bam*
*Bam*
*Bam*
*Bam*
In just a minute several blows had been exchanged. The lady had a few bruises on her exposed skin and blood leaking out of her mouth. Yet her expression was resolute. Although she was injured she had taken half a dozen men down with her; and that list included a peak mortal realmer.
"Mom!" suddenly an innocent voice stole the attention of all those battling. They turned to see a little head peeking through a small opening in the doorway.
"Catch" the boy had a pretty impressive throw because he threw the axe accurately. And his strength was pretty good too, for the axe didn't look light. It was almost as tall as the boy himself. It was also a good thing that his mother was much closer to the door than anyone else. It wasn't luck. It was strategic. Since they wanted her kids she had to stand in their way. The little boy immediately closed the door once his job was done.
"Thank you Jugo" the lady smiled and caught the axe. Her countenance underwent a huge change once the axe was in her hands. All of a sudden the daggers her opponents held didn't look as menacing as they were before. She seemed like a huge mountain with unlimited potential.
Just when she was about to run rampant, the men before her began to squeal in pain and caught fire.
"Ahhhhh!" all of the men were on fire and their leader was no exception. Within a few seconds the only one left in the courtyard was the woman. She looked on dumbfounded, confused and trying to understand what had just happened. She raised her head and saw something that shook her to her core.
In the sky stood a person in a black cloak. This person's entire visage was hidden by the huge cloak he/she wore. It was difficult for her to even tell whether it was a man or a woman. This person stood in the air briefly before flying away at amazing speed.
"Whoa" Jugo looked on in awe. His sister was no exception. She was just as impressed as the rest of her family. The lady was so distracted by what was happening that she didn't even scold her children for coming out of the house without her permission.
"Who is that?" little Mai asked with a hint of adoration in her tone. Her mother put away her axe and spoke the only name that fit her benefactor's description
"That is Hidden Cloak"