Sullivan opened his door and was greeted by a giant in front of him.
He had spiky black hair that flowed down to the back of his neck, sharp green eyes planted on his terrifying face that could instill fear with one look and incredible muscles that could seemingly destroy rocks with a flex.
Towards such a 'beast', Sullivan does not flinch back in fear, instead he smiled brightly and gave the giant a hug. If anyone were to watch this scene, they would be stunned stupid at the sight of it. Their height difference was too large! The boy was only the size of his leg! Yet, that didn't stop him from rubbing his face all over the 'giant' like a white cat. Displaying love with the only way he knew how.
Suddenly, he felt someone grabbing his collar and lift him up from the ground. Before he can get his bearings, he was face to face with the giant high up in the air of the hallway. His piercing eyes stared at his soul, looking him up and down as if this 'monster' was about to eat a delicious meal.
However, this still doesn't frighten Sullivan, hanging there obediently with the same smile he had before. Then, as if he passed a test, he was placed down by the giant and gently rubbed on the head, messing up his smooth white hair. Making his already wide smile even wider than before.
"See? He is alright. Father's [Bestowal Arts] are one of the most powerful in the village!" Suddenly, a cute voice spoke up at the end of the hallway. Subconsciously, Sullivan turned his head toward the source to find Eva in her black training gear, standing there with a smile on her pretty face. "Don't worry too much Zeruvan, that boy's body is stronger than steel! He is quite energetic today too."
The giant 'monster' is their eldest brother, Zeruvan. Within the village, he is considered to be one of the strongest warriors around. Having the ferocity akin to the very beasts they hunt. There are even rumors that he is more powerful than the village chief, which the chieftain doesn't take too kindly.
Although his incredible stature and steel-like muscles made the village fear him, he is still a lovable son and brother to his family. That, and for some reason, he is very afraid of his parents. His mother even more so.
"Good that you are...fine..." An incredibly deep voice boomed through the corridor, slightly shaking it. Shocking the siblings to the ground while they covered their ears. After the shaking was gone, the twins looked up at Zeruvan to find him covering his mouth. As if he was afraid of something. However, after an uneventful while, they all sighed in relief and the twins began standing back up.
"Zeruvan! What did I say about inside voice?!?" Then, like a blast that exploded next to their ear, a sweet yet angry voice boomed right back, shockingly shaking the whole house in the process! This made the siblings, who were trying to stand back up, fall right back down on their butts. This time covering their whole head under their legs and arms as if an earthquake had occurred.
Even Zeruvan was afraid, separating his legs to keep himself from falling. His face paling in the process as he got into a running position, looking comical as he prepared his escape. But, after the shaking stoped and nothing had occurred, they all relaxed and breathed a sigh of relief once again.
"Sorry..." Zeruvan spoke, his voice much, much quieter than before. By then, the siblings had already stood up, looking at the giant intensely. They have seen it all, his face paling and his running position; their thoughts are unknown. For Zeruvan, however, those eyes were piercing.
Just as he was starting to get uncomfortable, the twins suddenly start to break down laughing as tears began to fall. Of course, Sullivan's voice wasn't being heard, but his expression and moving mouth would give anyone the image of a boy dying of laughter. Eva's voice, however, can be clearly heard. Her laughs were like pleasant tingling bells, resounding throughout the hallway. Zeruvan, seeing this scene, smiled and started to chuckle as well. So, there they stood, laughing early in the morning in the hallway, without a care in the world...
Which would've been pleasant if the scene wasn't so weird itself!
Anyone who could see this scene would be speechless. A very handsome boy mimicking laughter without a sound, a scary man chuckling evilly like a demon and a heroic girl roaring pleasantly. A very weird scene indeed...
As they started to calm down, they heard a creak at the end of the hallway. They all turned to find Durivan standing there with a small smile on his face.
"Done playing? Good. Time for classes, everything else would be normal for Eva and Zeruvan. Sullivan, however, we will be doing... something else. Alright?"
After saying his piece, he immediately turned around and went down stairs. Short, concise and gets straight to the point, that is their father, Durivan. After they got their instructions, they all nodded toward his back and began following him through the house. Walking out of the backdoor after sensing and making sure no one was watching.
Sullivan did not know but ever since that 'little' incident his family had to 'fight' off a lot of families and young ladies asking for Sullivan's hand in marriage in droves. Yes, he was weak, but his beauty alone can make almost the entire village with unmarried daughters come knocking on their doors. Most could only give up and others... Well that's what they have to watch out for.
After all, even Gods and Devils can't resist the temptation to possess something beautiful and novel.
Much less mere mortals!
The group quickly went through a hidden path within the forest and out of the village, breathing a sigh of relief after finding no one had followed them.
After walking for ten minutes, they finally left the snowy forest into a huge open white field filled with mounds of snow.
"This is where we will be training and learning today." Dullivan said while gazing at the siblings sternly. "I want all of you to be at your best shape like always, nothing would be easier than before. It will only get harder and harder, understand? Will your enemies give you a break if you asked nicely? No! Will they give you time to activate your abilities? No!"
The siblings all stood in front of Durivan in a line with their backs straight. Listening obediently like soldiers being talked down by their drill sergeants. Not saying or doing anything until he was finished.
"I want you to treat this like it is a real battlefield! Do not slack off! I will be able to tell if you do! Understand?!" He shouted.
"Yes sir!" Both Zeruvan and Eva respectfully shouted back. Understanding his instructions. Sullivan, however, was just constantly nodding vigorously.
"Alright, after finishing everything I needed to say..." He mumbled for a moment before his sharp eyes focused on his daughter. "Eva! The field is laid with traps at every corner, though they aren't fatal you can still get severely injured if you're not careful. I want you to try and sense these traps, their intent to do harm, their intent to kill. You will complete your training after I see you at the other side of the field before sun fall without a single scratch! Otherwise, no dinner for you!"
Eva's fearless face started to collapse as she staggered helplessly. Looking at the field in a loss.
"What are you waiting for?!" Durivan commanded.
Startled, she steeled her resolve and took off whilst she activated her [Empower Arts]. A green energy outlined her body and flowed out of her eyes at her call.
[Empower: Speed Burst]!
She seemingly 'vanished' out of sight to Sullivan, yet his eldest brother and his father were looking at the same direction. Giving an indication on where she went. Then, as Sullivan started to get impatient, he could suddenly hear a female voice shouting out in frustration in the distance as the springs of traps and various of other terrifying sounds echoed throughout the fields.
Suddenly, Durivan turned around and immediately looked straight into Zeruvan's eyes. The giant, noticing his fathers intentions, stared right back without a hint of hesitation or fear. This slightly frightened Sullivan as their actions seemingly came out of no where. He frantically looked back and before between them yet neither of them said nary a word. Making the poor lad nervous and afraid to disturb the scene.
Thus the staring contest began as they both looked at each other menacingly, whilst a pretty boy stood next then them frantically looking at both of them anxiously. After a while, Zeruvan mysteriously broke this loop with a slight nod, a hint of determination slightly appearing in his menacing eyes. He briefly looked at Sullivan for a moment, then, without any abilities, disappeared from the spot. Slightly confusing the boy since he did not know what that gaze meant.
Yet, this bit was only for a moment. Finally, it was his turn. Sullivan, like his other two siblings, turned to stare at his father's eyes without fear or hesitation, not backing down when Durivan glared right back. Something which slightly surprised his father as he was using some of his power to add pressure and fear into his aura. The other two used their own cultivation to resist this effect, but Sullivan didn't have any cultivation to begin with! This impressed and saddened Durivan greatly.
"Sullivan... Your physique doesn't allow you to do things your siblings can do. Your mouth does not allow you to use abilities like normal people can do. Hence, you are constantly bullied. Hence, you are targeted and beaten by the strong." Durivan spoke with a sad and self-blaming tone, surprising Sullivan. "Yet, I haven't given up. Not while one of my children cannot cultivate! Not while one my children has been so cruelly denied a path to be powerful! I have never given up on this! Never given up..."
"I thought I would one day break your chains and set you free. So that you can soar freely in the sky with your siblings and finally leave the nest. Making us, your parents, proud." He paused, looking at Sullivan with a deeper pain. The boy noticed that his attitude was completely different than before, depressed and complicated. He knew something was weighing heavily on his fathers mind. Something foreign to the boy.
To him, his father didn't look like the usual unbreakable pillar like he always was. Nay, but an old and deflated man who could collapse at any moment.
He struggled with his thoughts for a bit before continuing, "Your mother and I... talked after the incident a few days ago..."
"She and I started to have second thoughts in trying to put you on on the path of cultivation and power. We just have tried everywhere, consulted everyone. Yet, we cannot seem to find a solution to this problem. We also were starting to have fear. Fear of the potential harm you may go through. I'll be honest, I am slightly afraid."
"What would happen if we lost sight of you for a moment? What would happen if any of us wasn't there to save you?" Durivan's sighed in regret, losing himself in his thoughts right after. He wanted his son to understand their plight, their desperation, their regret. He wanted him to understand that they had tried. After a long pause, he turned to the boy who was still frozen in place, stunned. Then, finding his resolve once again, he decided to finally hit the final nail on the coffin.
"I know what will happen! You know what will happen! We all know what will happen..."
'"You will...!" He sighed and suddenly looked away from Sullivan in shame, feeling a sense of defeat. "...Listen to me, with all your heart, because I am speaking with mine. I do not want to go through that experience, I do not want to have to bury my youngest son... Understand? A father should never out live their children."
At this point, Durivan had calmed down significantly compared to the beginning of the talk, yet he still retained the depressing visage of a broken man. Such actions are within reason as he was basically telling the boy that he had finally given up on him, he couldn't fix him, couldn't help him nor save him from his fate. He was ashamed as a man and father who the child looks up to. Hence why turned away from him. He was scared to see the hate and blame within his child's eyes - terrified even. He believed that after the talk, the boy would storm off in a fit of rage, and so he waited for the inevitable...
And waited...
But nothing happened.
Confused, Durivan slowly turned his gaze toward his son, still expecting a betrayed and hate-filled expression. Yet, what greeted him would forever rock his world. He saw Sullivan looking at him with the same beaming smile as always, without hate or betrayal. Just pure happiness that drowned his monotone world with color. Then, without any warnings, the boy hugged him. Surprising Durivan greatly. "You're...not mad at me? For giving up on you? For disappointing you?"
He watched the boy, who had his face hidden on his clothes, look up. Yet, his expression did not change, still beaming with a wide smile plastered on his face. He shook his head vigorously without hesitation.
Seeing this incredibly cute action, Durivan was touched, melting his steel heart and making him blush a bit. He looked up towards the sky in embarrassment as he pat the boy lovingly on the head.
Eva and Zeruvan appeared in the distance, standing in the middle of the field whilst watching the father and son duo bond. They had been watching the scene in secret for a while. After all, they were all in one area, how could they not notice what was going on? After finding that everything was alright, they exchanged gazes and smile. Since nothing had happened, they have to finish their tasks ASAP or else they will be the ones who feel ashamed! In the next moment they disappeared. Leaving the two of them alone.
However, what they didn't realize is that they weren't the only ones who were watching. A figure appeared on the frozen mountaintop two hundred to three hundred miles away from the snowy field, seemingly unaffected by the cold and the lack of air. He donned a large dark cloak which covered his face and crooked body, preventing his features from being known. Though it was clear that this figure was really old. What stood out in particular, however, was a large orange circle that had been sewed in the middle of his chest and dark hood. Even though he was incredibly far from the family, his gaze was shockingly fixed in their direction, watching them in secret.
He stood there for a while, saying nary a word and seemingly in a daze. Then, without any prior warning, he broke in an uncontrollable fit of laughter. His voice was cold, hoarse and maniacal; chillier than the top of the mountain. And like so, he kept laughing for a long time, seemingly in great joy. Then, in a blink of an eye, the man dissipated into thin air. His laughs still ringing throughout the mountain. Leaving two chilling words which would still be heard for months to come.
"Foooouuund youuuu...."