Ding! [Host identified.]
[Binding SYSTEM to host's soul…]
[Error! SYSTEM binding unsuccessful.]
[Re-attempting…]
[Error! Error! Error!]
[SYSTEM binding failed due to an anomaly in Host's soul.]
The ethereal voice echoed in the void, invisible to common eyes. It seemed as if the long wait of the right person had finally come to an end.
[Analyzing…]
Ding! [Anomaly detected. Host's soul is incompatible for binding.]
For a moment, the voice paused as if considering its next move.
[Attempting alternate binding method…]
Ding! [ORIGIN blood detected.]
[Initiating binding sequence...]
[Binding progress: 0.001%... 0.002%... 0.003%]
Ding!
[Warning: ORIGIN blood contains immense energy. The binding process will be significantly slowed. Estimated completion: 5 years.]
[SYSTEM entering conservation mode. Binding will proceed passively.]
[Initiating hibernation in… Three… Two… One.]
The mechanical hum gradually softened, fading into the background as the system entered a long, dormant state.
.
.
.
[SYSTEM binding progress: 0.100%... 0.101%... 0.102%]
.
.
.
[SYSTEM binding progress: 1.007%... 1.008%... 1.009%]
---
Under a sky veiled by dark clouds, two men and a woman stood in silence in the open field. The wind swept through, carrying the faint scent of the forest, blending with the heavy tension that lingered in the air.
"Brother-in-law, I don't want to do this."
One of the men, seemingly younger, spoke, his voice heavy with emotion.
"How can I leave you and my sister alone in this situation? There must be other ways."
The other man, slightly older, stood a few feet away, his back turned to his wife's brother. Though he tried to appear calm, the stiffness in his posture gave away his inner turmoil.
"If there were another way, don't you think I would've taken it?
Junior brother, you know the situation we're in. If it weren't for your timely help, we would have been in a much worse situation," he said.
"But…"
"Given the circumstances, it's only a matter of time before they locate us. We have to make this difficult choice to ensure his safety, or, it will be too late to regret.
Besides, what do we have to worry about with you there to protect him?"
The older man spoke with his back to his junior brother-in-law.
The younger man clenched his fists, frustration rising within him.
"Junior brother, I know you don't want to leave us behind, but there's no one else we can trust to protect our child."
"..."
"Perhaps… there might be another way, but it's currently out of reach. It could be possible if we were stronger, but we don't have the luxury of time. We have no choice but to make this difficult decision to protect him."
The older man gazed up at the sky as he spoke, his voice heavy with emotions he couldn't allow himself to express.
He needed to stay strong, not just for himself, but for his wife. This was not the time to falter.
"But he's only a month old. How can you bear this? What about my sister? Can she… really handle the pain of being separated from her newborn?"
The younger man's voice cracked as he glanced at his sister, standing a short distance away.
"..."
The older man remained silent, his gaze turning to his wife. He was unable to answer his junior brother-in-law's question.
Just a few steps away, the woman stood in silence, her hands kept trembling as she held the infant. Her tears glistened under the faint moonlight like stars falling from the sky.
Feeling her husband's gaze, her shoulders shook as more silent tears streamed down, her lips pressed tightly together to suppress the sobs.
A deep ache throbbed in his chest as he watched his wife suffer. He wanted to tell her everything would be fine, to share his feelings with her, but he couldn't bring himself to do it.
He approached her and wrapped her in his arms, offering support and comfort.
"This is for his safety," he whispered, though it was unclear whether he was speaking to his wife, his brother-in-law, or trying to convince himself.
The woman lifted her tear-streaked face to meet her husband's gaze before leaning her head to his firm shoulder.
For a while, they said nothing, only sharing their pain and resolve in silence.
Together, they watched their child, wrapped in warm clothes, sleeping peacefully, unaware of his parents' anguish.
The younger man stood by silently, watching.
He had never seen his sister in such pain, and it broke his heart. He didn't know what to say to comfort her.
He could only imagine the pain of a mother being separated from her child.
'Those old bastards… If not for their greed and ambitions, my sister and brother-in-law would be enjoying their time with their newborn.'
He thought bitterly as his fists clenched in frustration and anger. He silently cursed the enemies who caused their current situation.
After a while, the woman slowly handed the baby to her husband as her lips brushed the infant's forehead in a final, tender kiss.
As her child left her arms, her reluctance was clear. Yet, knowing it was necessary for the sake of the child's safety, she endured the heart-wrenching pain.
It wasn't that she and her husband were incapable to protect him, but against many cunning enemies, they fell short, only at the premise of the safety of their child.
The man held his child with the utmost care, as if he were holding the entire world. He feared that even the slightest movement might disturb the baby's peaceful sleep.
His eyes, previously filled with sorrow, now shone with fatherly joy. Unable to resist, he raised his arm and placed a tender kiss on the baby's forehead.
Then, with his wife, he approached his junior brother.
A distant rumble in the air made the trio's heads snap up, reminding them that time was running out.
"They've found us, it won't be long before they break the protective formation. We have to move quickly," the older man said grimly.
Holding the child, he turned to his junior brother.
"I am entrusting him to you," he said quietly, his voice thick with emotion.
"Please, take care of him."
The junior brother swallowed hard at his brother-in-law's heavy words, despite that he stepped forward to take the baby into his arms.
"Senior brother… Sister… I swear I will protect him with my life."
The woman felt her body, heart and soul trembling as she watched her child leaving her husband's embrace.
She understood that the time had come to part ways, and in that moment, all she wanted was to cry— cry so hard that her pain would fade away. But she couldn't.
It was a difficult decision to protect her child.
She had accepted it, and now she had to be strong for her child.
Feeling her trembling, the man squeezed her hand.
"Even though we are not blood related, I can never ask such a worthy and dutiful brother-in-law. Please accept my vow."
The older man bowed deeply, showing his utmost respect and gratitude to his junior brother-in-law.
"B-Brother-in-law, please, don't. We are family," said the younger man, shaking his head.
"Besides, I'm his uncle, it's also my duty to protect him, I'll care for him as my own."
The older man's lips pressed into a thin line, his eyes revealing the depth of his pain.
"Thank you," was all he could say.
"Let's not delay anymore, they can be here anytime. Don't need to worry about the child, do what you must," the younger man said.
Together, the three made their way to the formation they had prepared beforehand.
"Wife… we must do this for his… our child's safety," the older man said lightly.
Though she was silent, her tear-stained face said what needed to be understood.
That's why the younger man wanted to rush the process, to spare her from enduring more of the situation. The longer she saw her child, knowing they must part, the harder it would become for her to let go.
As her husband spoke, her heart quickened, and she turned toward her brother.
She removed the amulet from around her neck and gently fastened it to her child's. With a tender gaze, quivering words slipped from her lips,
"This will protect you… my baby. Please forgive your father and me. We… We have to do this for your safety.
You can blame us if you must, but… but please, never h-hate us.
When you return, I will find you, and together we will make up for all the time we've lost. Just please, don't h-hate… your mother and father."
Tears streamed down her face as she kissed her child's tiny palms.
Throughout this entire time, she had remained silent, but when she finally spoke, both men felt their hearts tremble. If not for their resilient spirits, they would have been in tears by now.
She burned her child's image into her mind, heart, and soul, determined that when they met again in the future, she would recognize him at a glance.
Knowing time was short, she quickly raised her eyes to her brother.
"Heaven has blessed me with such a brother; I want you to be my brother in every lifetime," she said, her gaze filled with tenderness.
"It would be my pleasure to have you as my sister every time," the younger man replied with a smile.
"Please take care of yourself and protect him."
"I will."
With one last glance at her child, the woman nodded slightly.
Her little brother stepped into the center of the formation, holding the baby tightly to his chest.
Standing with her husband, the woman's face looked pale but determined.
To him, it seemed as though she was battling an inner struggle, trying to restrain her maternal instincts from rushing to her newborn child.
Holding his wife's hand, he pressed lightly, showing his support and providing comfort and warmth.
Feeling somewhat better, she indicated that she was ready.
Standing shoulder to shoulder, they started weaving different signs in perfect synchrony, causing the ground beneath the younger man to light up, as intricate symbols and characters started to glow with powerful energy, indicating the activation of formation.
"Remember," the older man called out as the formation began to surge with light.
"The teleportation will be random. We don't know in what situation you'll end up. But you must stay safe… and take good care of him… for us."
His voice gets lowered by the end.
"I understand," the younger man replied with a nod.
"I won't fail your and my sister's trust. If the need arises, I will protect my nephew with my life. Just wait for the day your child returns and reunites with you."
As his voice faded, the light of the formation enveloped him, slowly obscuring his figure.
The couple stood in silence, emotions swirling within them, listening to the last echoes of the man's words.
Just as the weight of the moment settled around them, suddenly, a sharp burst of energy ripped through the air.
A glowing palm shot out of the darkness, striking the younger man in the back just as the formation's light enveloped him.
With his dulled senses and blurred instinct due to the formation, he couldn't react to the unexpected attack.
"Brother!"
"Junior brother!"
Both shouted, but it was too late.
The teleportation activated, and the man at the center of the formation vanished from sight, the light flickering as it faded.
'You must stay safe…'
The older man could only wish in his heart for his junior brother-in-law's safety.
From the shadows, figures began to emerge one after another, and soon there were more than a dozen of them, all clad in robes that reflected the dim moonlight.
Startled by the sudden appearance of newcomers, the couple's expressions turned grave.
They hurried to close the formation by performing remaining hand signs lest their sacrifice become meaningless.
"Go, catch him for me and bring that child!"
A hoarse voice pierced through the silent night as the subordinates quickly reacted and hurried towards the formation.
At the command, several subordinates rushed towards formation but fell short on luck as the couple reacted quickly, closing the formation.
Though a few of the subordinates seemed to have vanished along with the closing of the formation.
In the heavy atmosphere, with serious expression, the couple turned to face their enemies, ready for battle.
---
*Rumble* *Rumble* *Rumble*
In the far distance, the clear blue sky suddenly turned black as it split open with a crack, causing loud cracks of thunder.
The sudden change in the atmosphere scared the beast away down in the forest, causing them to hide.
Just a few seconds later, a shadow fell from the rift, plummeting towards the forest below.
*Thud* *Cough* *Cough*
The figure hit the ground hard, coughing up blood as he struggled to catch his breath. His body trembled from the impact of the earlier strike.
"Curse those bastards," he spat, wiping blood from his lips.
"I hope my sister and brother-in-law are safe."
He was the same man whom the baby was entrusted to.
Not worrying about his own injury at first, he quickly checked the baby in his arms, and felt relief only after seeing that the child was unharmed.
"Don't worry, nephew, I will take care of you in absence of your parents," he whispered.
"Your uncle won't let anything happen to you."
Now, relieved, he took out a few colorful pills out of nowhere, and swallowed it without any hesitation.
"Phew…"
Within seconds, he felt a surge of energy flowing through his body, stabilizing the rampant internal energy and repairing the small injuries caused due to the attack he received before teleportation.
"That attack was dangerous, luckily it didn't hit me at full force, otherwise my condition would have been much worse. Now, I have to find a safe place to completely recover from my remaining injuries."
Feeling a bit better, he thought, deciding the next course of action.
"I also need to find what sort of place this is. The Spiritual Qi here is significantly scarce," he muttered.
*Rumble* *Rumble* *Rumble*
But as he moved his feet, he sensed more danger approaching.
With a frown, he looked up, then saw a rift forming in the sky accompanied by thunder, and from it three figures descended.
His expression turned grave as worry flooded his face.
As the three men appeared, they released their aura, filling the air with a dangerous, oppressive energy.
"He must be injured by the earlier attack, quickly attack him and capture that child."
One of the men spoke, seemingly leader of the team.
"You bastards! You dare to attack my sister and brother-in-law? I won't let you get away with this!"
The man holding the child shouted at the three men with visible anger.
"Heh, do you think we're just sitting ducks waiting to be taken down by you?"
The group leader snickered as he laughed, the other two accompanied him.
"Just die…"
Without a moment's hesitation, the man launched a powerful strike at the three.
"Heh!"
The group leader laughed as he released his aura to defend against the attack.
The other two stepped back, letting their leader handle the situation.
*Rumble* *Rumble* *Rumble*
As soon as the fight escalated, each clash sent ripples through the air.
As they watched the two combatants unleash their powers in the sky, one of them suddenly spoke up.
"It seems this place can't withstand our leader's full strength. And did you notice the spiritual energy here—"
"You mean the lack of it, right? I noticed that too. We'll discuss it later. Let's focus on this for now," the other man replied.
*Bam*
With a loud sound the group leader hit the ground.
"Boss!"
The other two shouted, shock evident in their faces.
"Ugh…"
The group leader struggled to his feet, feeling pain, a thin line of blood flowed through his lips.
"Do you think thi— wait, where did he go?"
He spoke as if unaffected by the attack, but he widened in surprise as he realized the man was nowhere to be seen.
"Huh? He was just there!" the other two exclaimed, equally confused.
"That bastard tricked us. He was injured and knew he couldn't win against all of us, so he feigned defeat and fled the moment he had the chance," the group leader said as he realized.
"Hurry, find out where he went!"
As he spoke, the three quickly left the area, searching for the man and the child.
---
Meanwhile, somewhere in the forest.
"My injury is serious; I can't fight at even half my strength. I need to find a safe place to recover,"
the man muttered, clutching the child tightly in his arm as he ran.
If it had just been a fight, he would have risked everything, but he had to protect the child, so he chose to escape.
Earlier, anger had driven him to lose his control and attack. Once he realized his mistake and limitations due to injury, he made a quick decision.
He summoned every ounce of strength he could muster for a powerful strike. And as soon as he saw an opening, he bolted away, and disappeared into the shadows of the forest.
'I swear, I'll protect you and avenge your parents by killing those bastards with my own hands.'
---
A/N: For readers who may find the conversation a bit confusing, here's a brief reference:
The younger man is the woman's brother, while the other man is her husband.
During their exchanges, the younger man refers to his sister's husband as "brother-in-law," and the husband addresses his wife's brother as "Junior Brother."