Returning to his family's main house, Arthur let out a small sigh as he rested silently on his bed.
His mother and fellow siblings wanted to make sure that he had been alright, after getting attacked by two Rank 2 Fae Masters, but using the excuse of "being exhausted", he retreated back to his former room and laid down on the bed silently as he waited.
Eventually-.
"Arthur? Are you awake? It's me, Leon".
Arthur sat up instantly, whispering in a voice just loud enough to be heard.
"Come in".
Leon tried his best to suppress his footsteps, but carrying two dead bodies hindered his ability to both move quietly and efficiently.
He didn't want to be seen carrying these two bodies into the main house, as the servants would undoubtably inform the Clan Leader and their mother, so Leon had to be quiet as he moved towards Arthur's room.
The bodies of the two Fae Masters were Arthur's rewards for killing those who threatened the livelihood of the Kovacs Clan, so it wasn't unnatural for Arthur to be interested in the Fae that these two possessed.
What he didn't understand is, how his younger brother, one that was already halfway towards solid quartz origin essence, killed two Rank 2 Fae Masters with ruby vapour origin essence.
He did want to know how it was possible, but also why he kept it from everyone.
Just gazing at his younger brother eyes..... Those inky black pools seemed almost unfathomable, and their depths.... endless.
Leon sighed.
It seems he didn't really know this younger brother of his at all, he thought.
"I brought them both. None of their Fae have been touched".
Arthur nodded.
"Thank you Leon.... Is there anything else?".
Leon nodded.
He didn't mess around, and got straight to the heart of his distress.
"I want to know how you defeated these two. Your only a Rank 1 Fae Master, and you killed two Rank 2 Fae Masters. That's not just amazing Arthur its....".
"Monstrous?", Arthur finished his sentence.
Leon froze for a second before nodding slightly.
"I don't even know how you managed to exceed the speed of both Randolf and Andrea as a second-tier talent. I asked father and he said you had a Fae that could increase cultivation speed for Rank 1 Fae Masters. But that doesn't explain how you could kill someone whose cultivation is nearly an entire realm above your own".
Arthur's expression remained vacant as he stared at his older sibling.
Just like him, Leon possessed a second-tier talent, although one that was infinitely more close to a first-tier talent.
249% origin essence sea. Just 1% off a first-tier talent.
If he could bridge the gap between him and others with the same abilities that Arthur possessed, then-.
Arthur sighed after a few seconds before shaking his head.
"I killed one of them by using camouflage fae. Not every Fae Master can be ready to counter their opponents Fae. This is evidence of such a fact".
Leon nodded.
"The other one however, did several things wrong. The first being that he underestimated me. He didn't use his full strength due to my low cultivation. The second is that he didn't know what type of Fae I had, although I didn't know his either. I've fought against users of the same type of Fae he used, so his combat style was more refined, but similar to Zoya".
"Additionally, as fae as Fae Masters go, he was weak. Combat sense, as well as fae manipulation were both worse than yours and Dominic's. He didn't even realise I was trying to box him in as he shot off wind blades all around him. Countering his air presence fae with flash fae also worked him my favour".
"And that diary I found? The one with the hidden shadow fae recipe?".
Leon's eyebrows raised a fraction of an inch, but he nodded, this time with a curious look in his eyes.
Arthur sighed.
His mood suddenly changed, becoming slightly wistful.
His tone become quiet, as Arthur's breathing became smooth.
"The possessor of the book had cultivation far stronger than anyone in this Village. Within the entirety of Winter Rain Mountain. The moment I had comprehended everything in the book, it turned to dust in my hands. That included his martial arts and some information on fae and Fae Formula".
Arthur paused for a moment before turning to look towards the window, as if trying to gaze beyond the mountain.
It may be a façade, but the slight change in Arthur's demeanour was more than enough to fool his older brother.
"This world Leon.... is so much wider than I can possibly imagine".
The freezing cold glare that Leon could feel when he looked directly into Arthur's eyes turned slightly soft, as if remembering a distant memory.
A reminiscent, nostalgic aura rose up from within Arthur's mind, spilling out as his brother constantly eyed the change in his expressions.
"I can probably tell you what the main gate to the Doctrine Of The Mother looks like. The Nine Seas Theology in the Azure Envy Continent is the strongest force within this tiny little island of ours. The size of the Seven Seas eclipse all Seven Continents in both depth and size. The sheer amount of Water Attributed Fae, Dark Attributed Fae, Ice Attributed Fae..... it's enough to make a person go crazy Leon.....".
Arthur turned towards his older brother, his eyes regaining their cold glint.
"I.... know it sounds crazy Leon. But I know things that I shouldn't be able to know. Things about cultivation. Fae. Martial arts.... Laws. Bloodlines. Immortals. And even Physiques outside the Thirty-Three Sovereign Boundary Physiques....".
"The things I know Leon. Are unbelievably dangerous. And that diary is the cause".
Arthur let out a deep breath, as if being unburdened by a heavy weight.
The "Arthur" that Leon saw seemed troubled. Cold. Strong. And yet....
The Arthur sitting in front of him seemed..... lonely for some reason.
Leon's gaze turned slightly soft. He clenched his fist slightly before letting out a small sigh.
'I.... fuck..... This isn't what I expected to happen'.
The reveal of this "diary" possessing knowledge that exceeded the limits of the Azure Envy Continent was.... beyond what Leon thought was possible.
Originally Leon thought that he might be able to get Arthur to share the contents of this "mysterious diary", using its knowledge in order to propel his own study and cultivation of fae.
But hearing Arthur's words, Leon knew that this "mysterious diary" was much more complicated than what he initially anticipated.
He had heard his Father mention the Nine Seas Theology, which was the strongest Sect within their Azure Envy Continent, and whose members were treated like Kings and Sovereigns wherever they went.
He couldn't be sure that Arthur hadn't heard that term before from their Father, but just hearing some of the things that Arthur was saying, he couldn't help but feel a seed of belief form within his mind.
Leon didn't think his younger brother had a reason to lie.
It was possible he wanted to keep all the knowledge and secrets to himself in order to gain the most out of it, however.....
Part of him wanted to believe his younger sibling.
He was his own blood. He didn't want to think that Arthur was hiding something from him.
Arthur let out another sigh before pointing towards his head.
"If you want Leon, I can give you some of the Fae Formula that I have inside here. They're all Water Attributed Fae, so I'm sure you can benefit from using some of them?".
Arthur shrugged his shoulders before grabbing a piece of paper and a pen that has kept within one of his draws.
Before Leon could speak, Arthur had already written down the Fae Formula for a Rank 2 Water Attributed Fae.
Leon's face turned slightly flustered and he tried to wave off Arthur's attempt of handing over the method before glancing down at it, going wide eyed.
"Rank 2 Water Attributed Fae.... Serene Mirror Fae.... We have one of these in the Clan Reserves! I've been accumulating merits and wealth in order to exchange for it but....".
Leon cradled the Fae Formula in his hands and lifted his head to look at Arthur.
For a second there, it looked as though his figure was much taller than it normally was.
Leon blinked a couple times and Arthur's figure regained its normal cold exterior.
Arthur gave his brother a smile before patting him once on the back.
"I know I'm different. I act differently and I do try and keep a lot of my secrets Leon.... But at the end of the day.....".
Arthur smiled, in the same way he did when he was around Andrea.
It was bright, happy and seemed to light up the room with its presence.
"I still do care about my family".