Caine's position, as the alliance's De facto Scion, was heavily sought after, and almost all the youths of his generation wanted him dead.
Being the youngest and last-born of his generation, most would expect Caine to crumble beneath the pressure, but he truthfully didn't care. He didn't see any of these children as true opponents.
What worried him more were their elders—shrewd individuals who had lived longer than some civilizations and were prepared to do anything for the prosperity of their own factions.
They were the enemies he had to be cautious of.
Zao shook his head after hearing Caine's words. "Young master, I've told you a million times, and I'll say it again. As long as I'm alive, no one shall lay a hand on you."
"I swore it to your father, your mother, and to myself that the tragedies of the past will not be repeated."
Caine smiled at his uncle's unyielding passion. "I'm well aware of this. But my ceremony will be the first of many events they can interfere with, and there will be moments when you won't be able to protect me. If I don't die during the ceremony, they'll try again during my pagoda trials. If not then, they'll wait for the clan gatherings."
"It's inevitable. And beyond all that, you can't keep sheltering me, Zao." He chuckled. "I'll soon be a man, after all."
"To the world, maybe. But to me, you'll always be my nephew." Zao said, his voice filled with pride. "They'll have to step over my dead body."
Caine sighed and nodded, though he couldn't help but think to himself. 'He still blames himself for their disappearance.'
"Anyway, any news? What's been happening lately?" he asked, changing the subject.
Zao cleared his throat, placing his cutlery down before crossing his arms. "Not much that would interest you. But good news: we've found the second legacy realm of the Five Elemental Lords. That means an outing will soon be happening. I assume the events will follow one another."
"I've already informed the elders that you'll be going in first, before anyone else. So, as soon as you finish your coming of age trials, there's quite a bit of work cut out for you."
Caine raised a brow. "You've been insisting I go to these legacy grounds for a while now. Surely, there must be something significant there for you to push so hard. What is it?"
"You'll understand soon enough. When you enter the realm of Blood yourself, you'll see how important the five elements are to your foundation. By then, you'll thank me for forcing you to go."
"Another issue is our Velios lineage. Our bloodlines only awaken during our prime, which means you'll be without a bloodline when facing the masters of other clans."
"To compensate for that, I'm hoping you'll find a few bloodlines within these legacy grounds to empower yourself. They should help to even the odds."
"If it weren't for the ridiculous political matters, I'd have already taken a few bloodlines from the Alliance Treasury for you. Unfortunately, they're arguing you're too young."
"Young?" Caine asked, a slight confusion crossing his face.
"Mhm." Zao sipped from a glass of wine. "They claim that before you're allowed to take anything from the treasury, you must at least reach the Sage realm."
"And who's 'they,' exactly?" Caine pressed.
"The Renala Clan, mostly. Those bastards aren't even trying to hide their disdain these days."
Caine frowned, unable to comprehend why they would harbor such animosity towards him. He had always been amicable and reasonable, even from a young age, but it seemed almost all the members of the Renala Clan despised him.
The hatred ran so deep that he had nearly been killed once when he was only three years old, attacked by a group of their elders. Zao had intervened just in time, slaughtering them all. Still, the fact they had dared to try said a lot.
"What exactly do they have against me?"
Zao laughed, a smile lighting his face. "It's not you. They're terrified of what you'll do when you find out the truth."
"If your parents were still here, the Renala would've been wiped from existence long ago."
Caine nodded. He didn't bother asking what Zao meant. They had this conversation before, and the answer was always the same.
You'll know soon.
Though Caine had been reincarnated, his attachment to his family and his roots as a Velios ran deep. He was determined to find his parents. He had lost them in his first life, but this time, things would be different.
Zao cursed inwardly, noticing the fire burning in Caine's eyes. 'I got carried away.'
"But, in a way, not having access to the treasury might be for the best," Zao said, steering the conversation away from the past. "You'll have to fight for most of what you want until you officially become Scion. By then, you'll have been forged by countless tribulations, tempered by adversity."
"And adversity is what makes us grow."
Their conversation continued for hours as they ate, drank, and celebrated.
It was Caine's sixteenth birthday, after all.
***
In a dark room, veiled by chaotic mantles of qi, two figures sat across from each other.
"How's the operation going?" one asked, his voice low and cold.
"Decent," the other replied. "The continental guard has uncovered a few of our hideouts, but none have found the mines we've created. So, for now, our underground network remains safe."
"For now?" the first figure pressed.
"I doubt the elders of the great powers haven't noticed our movements. Several major events involving the younger generation are coming soon. I wouldn't be surprised if they do a sweep to secure the lands before their heirs start playing around."
The first figure chuckled. "That works in our favor. If they try to sweep, we'll start the war. If they don't, we'll have trapped them."
"We win either way."
The second figure nodded but cautioned, "Still, we should be careful. The alliance concerns me. Their internal conflicts are maddening, yet they maintain a unified front that's difficult to break."
"It's as if some power at their core can still unite and lead them when necessary."