"Oh my...we got a cutie here. Arion, who is your friend, and why were you hiding him inside?" Yuro asked as she got up and began to inspect Shun closely from all sides.
Shun winced as he felt creeped out by her gaze and wondered who this nosy woman was. He took a step back and said before Arion could reply, "No one was hiding me. I was simply resting."
"Ahh, you poor boy. I didn't know you were injured. Where did you find him, Arion?" Yuro asked, ignoring Shun's glare. She could see that Shun was probably a patient brought in by Mei.
"Yuro, come out quickly! Old Zi needs to pass a message to you!" An elderly man's shout came from outside, making Yuro's expression serious.
"Arion, enjoy the food. I will go and see what that Old Zi needs," Yuro said before rushing out.
Arion had a surprised expression hearing that the only retired Champion in Fok Grove Ward, Zixin Siu, also known as Old Zi by everyone, was calling for Aunt Yuro, and it seemed like something urgent.
This meant that the Dreadlings must have made an appearance somewhere near!
Arion speculated in such a way since he knew that Old Zi never calls for the retired Dreadslayers in the Fok Grove Ward unless there was a disaster brewing somewhere nearby.
Old Zi would rarely make an appearance since even though he was retired in name, he would act like a protector of the Fok Grove Ward and even the nearby ones.
Despite how carefree Yuro appeared, she was a Dreadslayer once and a good one at that, according to rumors.
In the Fok Grove Ward, only a few dozen of Defiers were present, of which the majority were kids and young adults.
Most of these youngsters were just Pseudo-Defiers and not even a Ranger. They either would be at the Prana Binding Stage, while the oldest among them would be at the Prana Releasing Stage, which was the stage that came after the Prana Binding Stage.
Only when one finally completes the Prana Releasing Stage would they finally be a Defier!
However, those youngsters in the Prana Releasing Stage were not present in the ward since they all had gone to various training schools to become a Ranger.
Reaching the Prana Releasing Stage was no joke since it was very difficult to complete the Prana Binding Stage, which can even take a few years in the worst case.
Arion frowned, wondering if a big threat was upcoming since the Fok Grove Ward has been peaceful for a long while. Maybe it was due to the presence of Old Zi, but hardly any Dreadlings showed up in the Fok Grove Ward and the reason why most were envious of the people living here.
However, the Fok Grove Ward was a very small region. If more people were to move over here, the Dreadlings might get attracted by the addition of more people. Thus these flesh-eaters might pop up in many numbers here in the Fok Grove Ward.
That's why the Village Chief barred anyone from moving to the Fok Grove Ward since that would be one headache less.
"What's going on? Who is this Old Zi?" Shun asked in a confused tone as he looked towards the door.
"It seems like there might be a problem. Old Zi is our protector who looks after the whole ward," Arion explained while his eyes seemed in deep thought.
Shun shrugged and slowly sat down on a chair beside Arion, "So how was your Prana Binding session today? How much progress have you made?"
Arion frowned, "What's it to you?" Right now, Arion couldn't help but feel bitter whenever he thought about his condition, and Shun only seemed to add oil to the fire.
Shun grimaced, "Ugh, why so rude? If you don't want to tell, you should just say that. And here I was trying to be nice…" Shun grumbled as he subtly popped a meatball inside his mouth.
"Fine. I failed, okay? You happy, now?" Arion said as he rolled his eyes, not noticing how Shun subtly stole a meatball from his plate.
Shun's brows raised, "What? How's that possible? Are you telling me that you were not able to even infuse a bit of Prana onto your body?"
Arion sighed as he popped another meatball in his mouth to feel better, "Yes...there is something wrong with me, apparently."
"I heard you awakened your Aspect even before the Prana Binding Stage. That is something unheard of. Maybe, because of that anomaly, what if you lost that connection or because something is lacking inside you?"
Arion's expression immediately became thoughtful, pondering on Shun's words while he was happily gobbling up one meatball after the other.
Shun shrugged, "You know, on second thought, I am not sure about what I said. I am no expert when it comes to things like these...they are too much of a headache. But I believe that your problem might be similar to what I said because I don't see any other way unless you are a real Inert."
Inerts were those who had no chance in becoming a Defier due to not possessing a Pranic Heart or due to other reasons.
"Do you mean like I lack a catalyst that could allow me to connect to Prana?" Arion asked with a narrowed gaze.
Shun's cheeks were bloated with two meatballs in his mouth when Arion asked him a question. He, however, tried to reply after swallowing one of the meatballs, "Mhmmm...catalyst? I don't know...maybe? As I said, I just told you what I felt. They may not be right."
"No...maybe that's what I was missing…" Arion mumbled as several thoughts connected together in his mind...it was as if everything was fitting together like a puzzle.
He thought about everything that happened to him since the arrival of Aldress, including the part where he received the Origin Blood of Aldress.
After a few moments of silence, "I got it!" Arion excitedly mumbled with spirited eyes.