*Engres's POV*
I awake with a start in an unfamiliar room, as I move to get up I feel a weight upon my chest. Thea, Alia, and Aylin are laying on top of me which brings a smile to my face.
The room is rather big but fairly barren of amenities, it is quite obviously a guest room. The bed however is big and fluffy so it easily fits me and my siblings. There is a single nightstand next to the bed and a desk across the room. On the nightstand rests a special ring very similar to the one father wears.
As if on queue the door opens and Baron Tristain steps in. The sound door opening wakes Aylin as he looks up at me with groggy eyes.
"ENGRES!" Seemingly waking up immediately Aylin throws his arms around me clinging onto me tightly.
A smile spreads on my face as I hug him back, it seems his yell woke up both Thea and Alia. Seeing them both looking up at me with concern in their eyes I rustle their hair and smile at them.
Baron Tristain stands at the side with a smile on his face waiting for the kids to calm down.
As I rustle her hair I see tears begin to well in Thea's eyes, "Don't cry."
I say as I pull both her and Alia into a group hug. Despite my words, Thea begins to cry causing Alia to cry only for Aylin to follow soon after.
I try my best to comfort them but it still takes a few minutes for them to calm down. Thea has seemingly cried herself back to sleep while the twins are now hiding their faces by burying them in my chest.
Finally, Baron Tristain steps up taking the sleeping Thea into his arms.
"Alia, Aylin, why don't you two give your big brother some space, he needs to rest to regain his strength."
Both Alia and Aylin nod but keep their faces buried in my chest causing Tristain to smile.
Turning towards the door he calls out, "Mary, could you bring the children to their rooms?"
In walks a somber Mary wearing her usual maid outfit without her typical smile. She does her best to give a small smile as we meet eyes but she quickly looks back at the baron taking Thea from his arms.
"Come on, Alia, Aylin." She says stretching her hand towards them.
Aylin gets up enough to wipe his face before turning to Mary with an exaggerated nod as he grabs Mary's hand. Alia looks up at me with tears still in her eyes, she pouts as I rub her head again with a smile.
"Will you play with us when you get better?" Alia asks still pouting.
I smile at her words, "I promise."
She nods before scooting off the bed and grabbing Aylin's hand. I smile as I wave at her departing figure while she swings her arm over her head in an exaggerated wave.
Once the door closes I let out a long sigh and put down my head. The Baron patiently waits at the side as I organize my thoughts.
"Are they alive?"
My tone is calm but I am not calm in the slightest, instead, my heart is beating wildly as anxiety fills my chest.
"No death is confirmed, but your father has vanished. Your mother is alive, she was taken back by your grandfather."
Leaning back onto the bedframe I try to calm myself, "Thank you, for taking us in."
"There is no need to thank me, your father is my sworn brother. When you are ready I will help you get them back."
I shake my head, "I have only just awakened my flame, I am far from being any help in any sort of fight."
"No. You are a Heretic, not only that you have four boons. Your fate is your own to make."
Turning to him I give a small smile, "Thank you, uncle. Will you be taking me to the cult?"
He looks at me confused, "What do you mean? We are already there, can't you see?"
My brows furrow as I expand my sight outside the bay window to my left. Out the window is a ravine so wide that I cannot see the other side. At the bottom, I can see many grand buildings including a mage tower, a palace, a pagoda, and a large courtyard full of hundreds of people.
Uncle seems to understand that I am currently looking at the valley as he smiles towards me, "Impressive, isn't it? I remember when I first came here, I was your age and I had just run away from home. It feels like an eternity ago."
I nod in agreement, "It is quite grand… This is the Valley of the Broken Devil?"
Uncle nods, "I have already given you my recommendation, all you need to do is arrive at orientation tomorrow."
"Tomorrow? I haven't even tried to use my boons yet?"
He smiles as he sits at the foot of the large bed, "That is why I am here, I am going to help you understand how to take in qi and mana as well as control your boons. Now take the ring."
Following his words, I lean over to the nightstand and pick up the ring. Inside I see the two books that mother and father gave me. Waving my hand over the ring I take them out and set them in front of myself.
Uncle nods, "Those manuals are more valuable than any amount of gold in the world. NEVER let anyone see them, not even me. Your mother was a mage so the Broken Moon manual will help you train mana. Your father was a knight who came from a family of pugilists, his manual will show you how to train qi as well as how to use your signature family ability."
"Heaven Quaking Steps?" I ask reading the title.
"Yes, it is considered the most powerful martial arts in the world. It was invented by your great grandfather."
My eyes narrow at the mention of my great grandfather, "Who is he?"
"The Grand Elder of the Jun family, the strongest man in the Davis Kingdom and the Fist Monarch."
"He is also Immortal?" I ask thinking of how my other great grandfather is also immortal.
"He is."
"Then why aren't we with him? Why didn't father ask for his help?"
"Because your father denounced the Jun family. Your real uncle and grandpa made many attempts on his life, your father was fed up with it. Your great-grandpa was the one who convinced your father to keep his name in case he ever wanted to return, or in case you ever wanted to."
Opening 'Circle of The Broken Moon' I begin to read before looking back up at Uncle, "What am I supposed to do with this information? I can't even pull power from heaven and earth."
Uncle nods as he waves a hand over his ring and the corpse of a large black dog lands on the floor. The dog doesn't have fur instead it has scales and a large horn sprouting from its forehead.
"This is a devil, this is where we Heretics get our power from. They carry power that is not of this world so the God's restrictions do not hold us back from cultivating it. You can either cook it or eat it raw, cooking it will give you less power."
My eyes narrow at the corpse that is getting blood all over the red carpets, "How much less?"
"A lot."
I hold out a hand, "I'll eat it."
He puts the corpse back in the ring giving me a smile, "Finish reading first, if you can't manipulate the energy in your body you will face severe backlash. Also, it is incredibly painful to take in the power so you should prepare yourself."
Seeing his genuine concern I nod, "How much should I read?"
"Read both of them, only read up to completing the first circle and creating your kindling. Once it mentions feeding your flame or creating the second circle stop. You can deviate your path by knowing too much."
I let out a sigh as I nod. Opening both books I begin to read them at the same time.
"You can do that?" He asks looking at my blindfolded eyes scrupulously.
I give him a small smile, "I can see quite a bit… Bull head."
His cheeks tinge a bit red as he gives me a surprised look, "I will explain that later, continue your reading."
With those words, he walks out quickly causing me to laugh.