Arlo spent almost an entire day with Scarlett and Rebecca, the werewolf's queen.
During this time, the two women asked about his life and how his parents fared these past years.
Arlo similarly had questions to ask. Some were answered, while some were not.
But he didn't mind.
He felt at peace after a long time.
Ever since he came into this world, he had been encountering problem after problem and never had a moment to rest.
But this past day relaxed his taut mind.
The two women sat on the ground, as they watched Arlo stand in front of the sea.
The seawater would occasionally wash ashore, submerging Arlo's feet and enveloping him in a cold feeling.
He enjoyed the feeling.
Looking at the edge of the sea, Arlo marveled at the sight.
'A person strong enough to create such things should no more be in the realm of mortal.' A sharp glint flashed in his eyes.
He watched the moon give way to the sun that slowly rose from the edge of the sea.
The whole thing looked surreal.
"Arlo!"
Hearing Rebecca's voice, Arlo turned and approached them.
"Sit."
Rebecca patted the space between her and Scarlett.
Arlo sat down in between them and enjoyed the natural fragrance from both women.
Scarlett scent gave a charming feeling while Rebecca's seemed to give a calming effect like from mother nature.
"When will you turn eight?" Rebecca asked.
The emotion on Arlo's face was ambiguous as he replied, "In about a month."
"I see..."
A look of hesitation appeared on Rebecca's face for she didn't know whether it was right for her to ask such a question.
But it seemed Scarlett knew her thoughts and she didn't hesitate to ask for her.
"Arlo," she said causing Arlo to look at her.
"Do you know what will happen when you turn eight?"
Arlo nodded slowly, "I know the general gist. It seems I will finally awaken my innate trait by then."
The two women looked at each other briefly, 'Seems they didn't inform him yet.' The two silently agreed not to interfere.
This slight reaction didn't escape Arlo's sharp eyes, causing him to go deep in thought for a moment.
Unfortunately, he couldn't think for long as Scarlett asked him another question:
"Seems you have broken the suppression on your physical body and can now use Ki?"
"Yes, I am now a one-star warrior."
Scarlett and Rebecca suddenly looked at him strangely.
A bad feeling slowly crept into Arlo's mind.
Sure enough.
"No, you are not. You are simply a Ki refiner and are yet to become a one-star warrior."
Arlo's face twisted, 'Did the artifact spirit lie to me?'
"Let me explain to him." Rebecca suddenly said to which Scarlett nodded.
She knew more about warriors than her so she didn't mind.
"Do you know that the Ki cultivation is divided into the one to twelf star stage?" she started by asking a question.
Arlo nodded.
"This twelve stages involves tempering twelve bones."
'Huh?' Arlo was confused but he didn't interrupt.
"Each stage involves tempering a bone and after tempering twelve bones in total, you become eligible to become a true astral warrior. Your body will have become strong enough to handle astral energy instead of the much weaker 'Ki'."
She stopped for a moment to allow Arlo to digest the new information before she continued:
"When a Ki refiner becomes an astral warrior, they awaken their true form causing them to develop a unique bloodline. This bloodline then slowly strengthens their entire body but because twelve parts had already undergone tempering, they will always be stronger than any other part of the body."
"So I am yet to become a one-star warrior as I am yet to temper a bone?"
"Yes," Rebecca affirmed.
"Then how do I go about it?"
The air suddenly became tense, while a grave expression appeared on both of the women's faces.
Taking a deep breath, Rebecca answered with another question, "Do you know how rare warriors are?"
Arlo silently nodded again.
"Even in ancient times, warriors were rare. In a million mages, you might not even find a warrior."
Arlo was not surprised as Old bro had already informed him of such things.
Although he was a bit displeased about the latter withholding information from him.
Rebecca didn't know what was going on in Arlo's head and continued, the grave expression on her face increasing:
"To refine a bone, you need to break it continuously before healing it with Ki and some supplements. After a while a Ki rune in the form of a star will appear on that bone, showing it has been completely tempered."
Arlo's face turned pale.
Keep destroying a bone until it becomes tempered.
Can a person even bear that kind of pain?
No wonder the Artifact spirit didn't say a thing about the matter.
Seeing Arlo's pale face, Scarlett tried to console him, "Ki cultivation is incomparably difficult but the power they get in return is well worth it."
"The strongest world in the current Dark galaxy is ruled by a group of warriors called Asuras. They were given that title due to their monstrous tenacity and inhumane strength..."
Scarlett trailed off when she saw her words seemed to fall on deaf ears as Arlo was already in a world of his own.
The two women didn't know he had a special physique, but Arlo had an ominous premonition.
'It took me so long to become a ki refiner and it was far more painful than normal'
'There is a high chance tempering my bones will also be far more difficult than usual.'
'Besides, would tempering just twelve bones be truly enough for me to become an astral warrior.'
A feeling of despair welled up within him.
He could still remember the pain he felt when breaking through.
He had barely managed to bear through the pain.
What about now?
Old bro's voice suddenly resounded in his mind for the first time since he woke up.
<< Is this all your resolve amount to? Pathetic! >>
'That's right.'
He remembered the last thing old bro showed him.
To think he almost broke down just because he had to bear some pain.
Then how was he supposed to bring her back?
He clenched his hands into fists.
At the same time that his mind was in turmoil, a cold voice resounded in Scarlett and Rebecca's mind directly:
<< That is enough! >>
Rebecca harrumphed as a look of anger appeared on her face.
Old bro ignored her and continued speaking with Scarlett.
<< He has already stayed two days with you per our agreement. >>
Scarlett kept silent her thoughts unknown.
Not receiving a response, Old bro was displeased but he still stopped sending his spiritual energy out.
The two ladies' attention was attracted, "Aunties, how can I start tempering my bones?"
A look of guilt flashed in both women's eyes.
They were legendary figures, yet they couldn't assist him in any way.
Anything that has to do with the realm of the gods was far from their reach.
They were yet to even reach the peak of mortal cultivation due to the declining mana in their universe.
Arlo was all on his own.
Rebecca hugged Arlo, while Scarlett's world drifted into his ears.
"I will be sending you to the Darkblood Academy a few hours from now."
"After entering the Academy, I advise you to make heading into the library your priority. You will find whatever information you need there. You should also take that opportunity to learn more about the vampire society. It will make living here far easier."
Arlo melted into Rebecca's embrace, as he enjoyed the soft cushioning of her massive chest.
He didn't have any perverted thoughts.
He simply felt safe.
It seems his journey ahead was full of difficult paths.
But he will pull through it.
His closed eyes opened before flashing with renewed resolve.
AN: Expect another chapter later in the day. Don't forget to rate the novel, <3.