The brothers were finally allowed to go out again after a long time. With glee and a sense of freedom, they made their way down the hill and went into town, there they met a familiar curly haired, chubby teenager. He stood next to a weapon store with two unrecognizable, yet familiar faces. What caught their attention the most was the large beast that sat comfortably next to the three young males.
It had brown fur from its hind legs leading up to the spine and also had feathers running up its neck to the forelegs and the head. The beast had a curved, sharp beak and golden eyes. It was easily recognized by the twins as it was the first griffin they saw up close, also the first one Kiyan ever rode, Goldfield.
"Hey, Lecter!" Raten called out sprinting forward. His brother trailed behind.
"You both just always disappear, huh?" Lecter said with a smile when they neared.
"Forget about that, you're out with Goldfield." Kiyan pushed him aside and bent forward squeezing Goldfield's head a bit as he snuggled it. "I missed you."
Withdrawing from his hold, the griffin shook his head a bit as Kiyan ruffled up the feathers.
"I heard from your cousin you moved out." Lecter spoke. Raten just nodded. Kiyan returned to stand with them.
"So we meet again. I can finally get my rematch." One out of the two boys that stood with Lecter spoke. He was by far the tallest out of them all. His dark laid back hair was a tad bit longer than the last time they met. Standing beside him was a blonde haired boy with freckles who, as usual, tied it up in a ponytail.
Paying more attention to their features, it didn't take long for the twins to recognize them. They were the boys they fought against a few months ago, Jarett and Chandrel.
"A rematch?" Raten raised a brow. "If there's anything I want right now, is to take a break from fighting."
"I'm hoping the same doesn't go for you. Assuming you're the one I fought with." Chandrel spoke to the other brother. At least he hoped the one he looked at was him. Seeing as the other replied to Jarett, he assumed he must be the one who he fought against. It seemed he spoke to the right person.
"I'm afraid it does." Kiyan said. "How about some other day? I would love to have a go at you again. But, this time, we go all out." His last statement put a smile on the other's face.
"Did you three come to buy a weapon?" Raten asked, though he strongly doubted it. It cost a lot to get a weapon, he couldn't imagine the three of them being able to pay for one.
"No. I was just walking by when I saw these two." Lecter answered.
Having nothing in particular to do, they just strolled the city. The sun had set and they all left for their various homes.
The twins returned home to meet their father with an injured arm. On his right arm was a large cut that looked to be healing and opening up again. It was disturbing to look at, but they couldn't look away from it.
This was a first for them. They had never seen their father injured before. Whom or what exactly could have hurt him? They wondered. What was the most odd to them was the smile their father had on his face.
"What happened to your arm?" Raten asked with a horrified look on his face as he still stared intently at the wound.
"I finally ran into something challenging today." He answered with an even larger grin.
"What do you mean 'something challenging'?" He asked again.
"Today, my group found a very interesting beast on our way back. I had to battle it alone though. They were exhausted from the beasts we had faced already." Agnar answered.
"Beast, you battled a beast?" This time, Kiyan asked.
"What group exactly do you speak of?" Raten questioned. He, as well as his brother, were confused by their father's words.
Letting out a sigh, Agnar replied. "Thinking of keeping myself busy, I decided to join a guild. The Raven's Guild to be specific. So, yes, I battled a beast. I have been doing this for a while."
Their eyes widened in shock on hearing their father's words. The Raven's Guild, among others, was solely focused on hunting magical beasts around the kingdom. Not many knew what the beasts were used for, but they were rumoured to be harnessed for power. People would capture them dead or alive so they can absorb their abilities. But only a few can.
The guilds had strong men and women, most of them having great knowledge of Qi and magic. The guilds, now more than ever, were active because of the rampant movements of these said beasts into human settlements. Acting fast, they try to stop it before it becomes a big problem. Now their father claims to be part of not just one, but the strongest of the guilds.
"I don't want to believe you both thought selling grapes got us all this." Agnar spoke referring to their home and the proper clothes they could now put on.
Truth be told, they did find it somewhat surprising. Still, this was the first time he had returned injured. Were all the beasts that weak or was he that strong?
"I'm guessing from the way you spoke, and our lives now, you're a high-ranking member." Kiyan said. "But, the beast you found wouldn't it be taken to the Raven's headquarters and then to who knows where, that should tune down your excitement."
"That is correct, but I already have everything I need from the beast." He answered.
"What might that be?" Raten asked curious to know what could make their father this excited.
"Let's just say it had something I lost." He answered then left them in the sitting room and headed upstairs.
"He keeps saying we should keep a low profile. He should do the same in this guild. Taking out a strong beast on his own in front of different people and acting like it's nothing." Raten mumbled, but it was loud enough for his brother who was beside him to hear.
"He should take his advice. I don't want to go through that again." Kiyan stared at his slightly pale skin and grazed his fingers on the scar on his neck that almost went around it.
"Horrifying, wasn't it?" Raten sighed and went up to his room leaving Kiyan in the sitting room.
While heading to his room, Raten subconsciously placed his fingers on his scar which was on his neck as well. The incident behind the scars continues to haunt them.
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Author here: Sorry for the slow updates. More chapters will come in, and more often as well.
Still a novice here, you can point out my mistakes in the comment section.
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