He then pushed his body up and decided to find his brother and a way out. As he took a step forward, his body ached with pain. The earlier injury from the birds had worsened and more blood spew from it. He fell to his knees feeling dizzy when suddenly, a portal appeared beneath him and his body was sucked in.
"See, I knew he could handle it," Agnar said with a smile. Raymond was immediately bored as the battle ended and now focused on getting two men out of his abode.
"Of course you did." He rolled his eyes as he replied in an ironic tone. "You can leave now, right?" He stood up and the chairs which he had formed out of nature itself returned to the soil and both Agnar and One-eye fell to the ground with their bums.
"Couldn't you ask us to leave any more politely?" One-eye, having gotten up from the floor, dusted his clothing off any dirt. "We'll see tomorrow Agnar?" He asked.
"No," Agnar replied. "I'll see you next week." Agnar left the cabin quite pleased with the fact that his sons could handle beasts on their own. Kiyan's fight was very tough and could have caused a casualty, still, he prevailed. Raten had to deal with his power in a stronger form. 'I will give them a week off training as a reward.' He thought and walked into his home.
He made his way to Kiyan's room first. The young boy was peacefully snoring away as he lay in the comfort of his bed. His wounds looked almost non-existent and he had a few bandages here and there. His snow-white hair fell in locks over his face and some strands into his mouth. A small smile formed on the lips of Agnar as he watched his son.
Slowly closing the door, Agnar left for Raten's room. Unsurprisingly, he found the door already open, as he expected, someone was already there.
"Next time I do this, you'll have to pay me," Demas said in an annoyed tone. He didn't even spare Agnar a glance.
Raten who lay on his bed tucked between sheets turned to see whom his cousin conversed with. He was still perplexed at the turnout of things. How he ended up in his room from the forest, he had no idea and Demas had explained nothing to him.
"F-father?" He called out seeing a blurred image of his father standing at the door to his room. He pushed his body off the bed, he tried to at least, but he was too weak to move.
"Don't move, don't speak," Agnar said and Raten calmed. The voice of his father did not sound furious nor did his expression give off that he was angry, so he decided to not bother.
"I hear you told them to stay away from the forest without a reason," Demas said.
"Yes, well that was the only way I was sure they would go into the forest," Agnar stated looking at his son who had his eyes half open. Raten heard what was said and was a bit surprised.
Squinting his eyes a bit and blinking a few times, Raten wanted to see the face of his father. He notices an expression of delight on his father's face before falling asleep.
"I hope you don't plan on..."
"No, I don't. A well-deserved week off is what they'll get. Besides, I don't believe their bodies will be healed by tomorrow." Agnar said much to the approval of Demas.
"I do have a meeting with the leader of the Raven's guild next week. I hope he accepts my request."
"If he does then, we can make our move," Demas said. Agnar gave a slight nod and then turned to leave. "Oh, and I would like to make a request?"
"What might that be?" Demas asked.
"Can Marie stay with the boys while we are gone?"
"Oh, of course. At least they'll get to eat decent meals." Demas approved of his request and they both left the room to allow the young one to rest easy.
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Rays of sunlight shone through the windows and onto the face of a young boy, much to his discomfort. "Urghh." He groaned as he twisted and turned away from the lights. As soon as he moved, his body fell off the bed and landed with a thud on the wooden floor.
"Ow!" He winced a bit. Rubbing his eyes, he sat up and looked around. "That was a very peaceful sleep." He yawned and stretched his limbs. "Huh? It's late in the morning and Father isn't here yet?" Kiyan wondered pushing the strands of hair that fell on his face behind his ears.
"Wait..." Kiyan paused as he saw bandages on his body. He rubbed his temples trying to recollect the events of the day before. "Raten!" He blurted out as he remembered their journey in the forest they were warned against. He didn't know how he got home and only assumed it to be because of his father. More importantly, he needed to know if his brother was okay.
Getting up abruptly he made to the door. His knees buckled and he fell to the floor. Worry forced his weak body off the floor and bolted out of the room only to be met with a brick wall.
He fell to the floor and his head hurt from the impact. What felt like a brick wall was his father standing in front of his room. He rubbed his forehead a bit and stood to his feet.
"F, f-father? G-good morning Father."
"Why do you boys always stutter when speaking to me?" Agnar sighed "You look fine. Do you feel fine?" He asked. Rarely shown, a hint of worry was evident in his voice.
"Yes, I do. I'm just a bit weak." He replied.
"Expected."
"Father, how is Raten? Is he okay? Is he home?"
"He is in his room. Hurry up here and come downstairs." Agnar said and left.
Kiyan then hurried off to his brother's room which was the room next to his. He slammed the door open startling Raten awake. He jumped in fear.
"What was that for?!" He yelled with his hand on his chest.
"I couldn't let you sleep peacefully while I am awake." He smiled. Raten let out a yawn and laid back down. Kiyan then walked up to him and pushed him off the bed.
"Father wants to see us downstairs." He said.
The mention of his father made him remember what he heard before being pulled into the land of rest. "I found out, us going into the forest was what Father wanted."
"That would explain why he wasn't mad," Kiyan said. Raten then got up and stretched his limbs before heading downstairs. Kiyan followed.
They got to the living room to find their cousin and Demas both seated. They sat on the chair directly in front of them.
"Starting with your venture into the forest yesterday," Agnar began. "It's safe to say you both did well. You fought hard against beasts and not only did you survive, you killed them. That, I believe, should be awarded and I will do just that. As a reward, you will get what you've been asking for the most, a week off training."
Hearing his last statement, the twins were elated. A week off was something they needed. It suddenly struck Raten to ask,
"How did you know we killed beasts?"
"That's because I was watching you. The only reason I told you both to stay away without stating why was because I knew you would go in. Letting you fight for your life knowing there was no one to help you was what I wanted. I wanted you both to as well bear the consequences of your actions."
"To not have you killed in there, I had a friend make sure you got attacked by basic tier beasts alone."
"This means there are high-tier beasts in there. How come they have never attacked us?" Kiyan questioned.
"Don't bother about that." Agnar dismissed it and went on to tell of his schedule to leave in a week, meaning they were getting not just one, but two weeks off. A once in a lifetime event to come by.
"Sir, sorry for intruding, but would you like your tea now?" A familiar voice asked. Looking in the direction it came, the twins saw their beloved big sister, Marie.
"Yes, please," Demas replied.
"Marie!" The twins got up and ran to her. They both opened their arms and enveloped her in a hug. Both men glanced at the twins, while one had a smile on his face as usual, the other kept staring in tenderness causing himself to receive a nudge from his relative.
"And one more thing, she will be staying here for two weeks," Demas said.
"Really?! Two whole weeks without father, I mean, without training." Kiyan immediately corrected himself. "Plus Marie's company, these will be the best of days!" He smiled and so did his brother who nodded in agreement.
"That's okay now, I have to go bring your cousin's beverage." Marie smiled back at them, gave a little pat on their heads, and left.
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Author here: Sorry for the slow updates, I've been busy with exams.
More chapters dropping soon.
You can as well motivate me to get bonus chapters. Your comments and reviews will be highly appreciated.
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