Chapter 5: So We Meet, Brothers Once More (5).
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White Lake Village .
If the Black Sand Village was like the shine of cold metal, this lake gave us a light of purity, tainted only by clarity .
The white color of the water made one feel that the world was nothing but eternal snow, yet the lake was never frozen .
" Fresh fish! Striped carp! Metal tail frog! We even have green-eyed white snake !"
" Come, come! We have the best leather armor! Made from prickly fur wolf skin! It may not be as good as an Ego, but it can save your lives in times of danger! Don't miss the opportunity !"
" Our prices are affordable! You can take out loans for ego stones from us, don't miss your chance !"
" Ego refinement materials! We have the hundred-year-old skin of the Green-eyed White Snake! Who knows, maybe you can refine your own Ego! Try your skills, my honorable Customers !"
Colors ripple amidst the pure white, red columns stand above the water .
The columns and white metal touched, as they connected together, the square became like solid ground, and above them all were the houses .
The grounds were of bluestone and white wood, the sidewalks and paved roads were simple, but captivating .
Houses are white as snow falling, and at the end of this winter the merchants opened their shops .
" Hurry, hurry! The ceremony is about to begin !"
" Father! I'm excited! It's said that the young leader will be joining the ceremony as well !"
" Young Leader Damian, despite being only 16 years old, has beaten all the other candidates! Even his older sister hasn't reached the realm of genius like him, he is truly the light of our people !"
" It is said that his three brothers faced him together, but he defeated them. This is amazing !"
" There are rumors that he is engaged to Lumia, the granddaughter of the village elder, he will undoubtedly win the succession struggle like this !"
Red torches above the houses lit up the world, dark clouds covered the morning sky .
Sunlight broke the gray every now and then .
Small and large fish swam in the white water, their instincts avoiding strange pillars and the surface .
There was nothing in the expressions but a smile .
Today is the day of awakening for young warriors, who have undergone the toughest training and learned from the toughest teachers !
This year was particularly full of talent, and the people of this country felt proud .
From the youngest at sixteen to the oldest at twenty, they were strong, powerful, their eyes burning with desire and hope .
" Step aside! The young masters are passing by !"
" Young leader Damian is passing by, people like you should give him a paved path !"
" Come on, come on, step aside! Unless you want to get slapped by this loyal servant !"
Tall people shouted hoarsely to the crowd, but no one complained .
Behind these guards was a group of young men, nine men and seven women .
Proud and cold expressions, eyes that looked at everyone with contempt, as if they were worthless .
The streets were definitely crowded, bumping into someone was inevitable, these mistakes were unintentional, and because they were, no one would feel outraged .
This did not apply in their world .
Ordinary people, people of lineage and power .
The difference in status makes morality float away like fog .
If a mosquito bothers a person, he will crush it to death .
The mosquito doesn't realize that it's annoying, and the sound of its wings is unavoidable, even sucking blood is a way to survive, not pleasure .
But man does not think about it, he does not bother to think about it, because he does not care .
A mosquito is a mosquito, and a human is a human .
Is there a creature in this world more prone to arrogance and boasting than him ?
Simply put, human feels that the rights to life are his alone, even if he does not recognize them .
Is the life of a human being the same as that of an ant ?
no !
It can be said that despite the deep joy in the hearts, the fear of the people of the homeland towards their masters is still present .
Thus, what was originally a chaotic path was cut in half .
For fear of death .
If a person with no background or supporter collides with one of these young men, his only destination and path will be death .
No one ever wished for annihilation, only a madman would ask for that, the slightest noise faded into silence, and the movements of the body diminished into stillness .
This is the experience of adults and their understanding of the world .
" Wooow! They're our young heroes !"
However, the young ones were very compassionate, inexperienced but perceptive .
Today there is no war, no mourning or worries, only pride and joy towards their masters reside in the eyes .
" young master Damien! You are very handsome, may you live long, healthy and happy !"
" Beauty Queen, young lady Lumia! We are loyal to you, show them our pride !"
The talk was in turmoil among the people, and the mouth spoke endless praise .
This was the beginning of the White Lake village awakening ceremony .
As Damian walked calmly through the commotion, he wondered about this farce .
And that farce was simply "celebrations ."
Why did the village leaders expand the concept of celebration ?
The reason was simple .
Monsters are constantly hunting, in order to survive, in search of food .
As long as we live, our paths will cross, and there is nothing but conflict between the beast and the human .
The strong lives one day and dies the next, The weak is destined for nothing but destruction that day, That's how life is .
Every day, outside their home there are monsters, in times of changing seasons they attack them in their homes .
Monsters are fierce, strong and powerful, with a strength that no human can possess.
The emotions of despair and misery are certainly present, but they do not overthrow them. That is how monsters are .
For us people, there come days when we get tired of the struggle and the conflict, we understand despair and misery .
We think, because we think, we can understand our emotions deeply, and so they devour us heart and mind.
As the days go by, our connection to the world fades away, desire dries up, and patience runs out .
With no will to live, no voices to shout, no goals to learn, who could spend a lifetime like this ?
no one .
No one lives without goals .
If he exists, he lives in despair, feeding himself and plowing his way through it .
That creature is not a monster, that creature is not human .
He dwells in the depths, deep within the darkness .
It's the person self when he tastes blood, and he is not alive, he doesn't believe in the future or remember the past .
That was the hollow one .
There are celebrations and occasions in this world to make people happy, to open their hearts and to realize the beauty of the world .
To keep some of them away from the hollow winter, to engrave in themselves the simple moments of warmth some desire to live, to be able to rejoice .
This is where ideas come from .
While Damian was deeply aware of this, he couldn't help but scoff at those joys .
" Fools "
They are simply weak, insects worthy of being trampled upon .
Like an ant passing by, he could either crush it or leave it, the ant had no power over its destiny, this is what makes ants afraid .
That fear is what gives power to the nobles and the noblewomen .
Damien doesn't want to be with them, neither of them nor in them, neither in mind nor emotion .
" Because they are fearful, because they are fools, they will always remain ants. It is my duty as master to judge between them, whether with justice or tyranny, that is entirely up to me ."
This was not a sin, this was not arrogance .
It was just a "fact ".
This is how Damien lived since childhood .
Now all that remains is to awaken his talent and then enter the Moonlight Academy .
" And in that place, things will always be the same. "
Because this truth was never distorted, it remained in his heart like light .
The light that illuminates his world .
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Black sand village .
As the lights inside the palace glowed, Lucas sat with his wife and daughter dignifiedly, eating quietly, peace filling their hearts …
" This is mine! Take your hand away before I cut it off !"
" This corrupt bastard! it's mine! You servant! Tell the truth! it's mine, isn't it!"
" Don't listen to his bullshit! I know that a loyal servant will not become a false witness !"
"… ummm "
Why did I get dragged into it in the first place ?
There's plenty of food, no, actually, don't look at me like that! I didn't kill your people !
The servant sandwiched between Leon and Ragna was cursing his luck .
" I-I'll bring more !"
So he fled to save his skin, to the only refuge of life, the kitchen .
" Eeey, look Ragana, if it weren't for you he wouldn't have run away like that! Now they'll think I'm a bad person… tsk tsk "
" This damned bastard ?"
Weren't you who hit one of the servants when we arrived ?
Look in the mirror, whoever sees you will think that servant stole your wife .
This lying bastard !
Whosh !
" What are you looking at! Get your eyes off my food! I'll pierce you !"
Whosh !
" Gloop! Gloop! Kaaaah! This is how water should be! Cold and refreshing! More !"
" Meat! Put the meat on my plate if you don't want to die !"
On the other side of the table, five young men were eating… no, it was a struggle for survival .
"…."
"…."
"…."
... Well, not exactly "peace".
" My dear husband…what am I looking at now ?"
" Monsters," Lucas answered .
" Huh ?"
" It's a struggle for survival between monsters ."
" Haha…" Lucas's daughter laughed nervously, "It's not that bad …"
" Go away or I'll kill you !"
"…."
The young girl became speechless .
Where did these people come from, and why exactly were they hosted in their home …
Such questions did not occupy the mind of the young girl, Luina, who was now sixteen years old .
If one saw how those who are now hardly called "people" eat food, all one's understanding and questions would fly away .
bandits .
These aren't people, they're bandits !
Her father had explained it before but …
Lucas put his hand on Luina's shoulder and smiled brightly .
" No one in this world is sane in the first place, don't try to understand "
As Lucas comforted his daughter, Lucas's wife, Thenia, stared at the five young men, lost in thought .
Although she was only an Ego Fighter at the lowest level, Thenia was an expert when it came to sensing essence energy .
The essence energy, the source of life and the source of annihilation, that by which the world is built and that by which the world is destroyed, that from which purity comes and from which corruption comes .
This was the nature of the essence energy .
To delve into the foundation of one's relationship with the essence energy, three aspects come to mind and no fourth .
Sensing, absorption, extraction .
Sensing is understanding the nature of the energy around you, its size and density, its difference from the environment, and the power and purity of the energy .
Absorption is for one to devour that energy and absorb it, to make it a part of oneself and one's being, to make it one's own, a flowing blood in one's body, a walking will in one's consciousness .
Extraction is a change in the nature of energy, from the stage of understanding to comprehension, towards exit, that the nature of energy is transformed into the world and changes what is in it, and that was the process .
Only when one mastered those three stages would one qualify for the chance to become an Ego Warrior .
Whether it was advancing in ranks or improving oneself, let alone using ego, without mastering the three, one could do nothing .
Naturally, depending on the warrior's path and orientation, his ego and the nature of his essence energy, you will see him focus on one aspect more than the others .
That's what mastery means .
As a support warrior rather than a combat one due to the paralysis in her legs, Thenia focused her tireless efforts towards sensing, meaning she was a detection warrior .
For a while now, she had been trying to fathom the depths of these young men and uncover the density of the essence energy around their bodies .
Her efforts failed .
Nothing can be sensed, let alone detected .
As if they had no energy, as if they were ordinary people .
But Thenia knew, she couldn't help but understand .
They were clearly: Ego warriors .
Not being able to fathom a warrior's depth can mean a few things .
He has an ego that helps hide his aura, specializes in all three aspects deeply, or the difference in level is extremely high .
Whatever the reason, Thenia could do nothing .
Without understanding their capabilities, their level of danger was unknown, and that was the highest risk .
"… this is a bit annoying ."
If a stranger suddenly came towards your house, wouldn't you feel uncomfortable ?
Although Lucas had already confirmed the situation, Thenia wasn't completely relieved .
What if these are just pawns of some greedy cult ?
It wasn't going to be okay, that's why Thenia needed to understand the situation .
Members of a cult had a unique aura, and the aura and customs of those individuals were often similar .
They learn from the same people, walk the same paths, and use similar ego types, not to mention absorbing similar essence energy .
Thenia had done her fair share of wandering around the Moon Island before becoming paralyzed, and the auras of the famous cultists were familiar to her .
So I tried to make sure that these young men were not one of them .
After concentrating for a while, I didn't reach any result .
No outgoing energy, no familiar habit, no local dialect .
Everything clearly shows that they are outsiders .
" Don't bother yourself, my dear. Even I can't compare to any of them, let alone try to understand their strength ."
Lucas's words interrupted Thenia's thoughts, staring at her with a calm smile .
"… you always had this habit of worrying about the worst ."
Although Lucas wanted to carry the burden on his shoulders, his family had always been like this .
They always break into his office when he's up late at work, forcing him to sleep or share the work .
When there is conflict, and Lucas is at his most tense, they simply surrender their fate to him, without question, without complaint, as if death is not scary .
Lucas was grateful to them, and felt he could never repay that debt .
but …
" It's my role, my dear, to find solutions amidst the chaos and problems, and to stay strong. You don't have to appear so serious. "
Lucas never wanted to waste that love, as his role was always to protect them .
That was his responsibility .
"… that talk again "
Thenia smiled helplessly and let her husband stroke her hair .
Although anxiety never left her heart, she tried to cheer up .
Lumia smiled as she tried to understand the burdens of these two warm parents .
"… Moonlight Academy "
As that name came to mind, Luina's eyes lit up .
" Oh, that reminds me, my dear husband ~"
" Yes ? "
Hearing the gentler-than-usual voice, Lucas felt a strange feeling .
" I didn't know we had a son before? Hmm ?"
"…."
The smile that didn't reach Thenia's eyes widened .
Lucas's face was pale at her terrifying appearance .
... I'm doomed .
Lucas raised his head .
Ah, the beauty of the sky .
Fuck you, Leon, you damned son of a bitch .
"… I'm full." Lloyd reached for his stomach .
As Lucas was trying to save his life, the brutal food struggle ended .
" Dude~ I haven't eaten like this in decades !"
" You're still eighteen, Leon ."
" ya? Who cares! After all those conflicts and wars, who is still sane enough to think about the years ?"
" For the first time, Dio says something that makes sense. Life is truly amazing. "
" motherfucker? Come here !"
Dio and Loki engaged in a fistfight, but the others didn't stop them .
Leon lay back on his chair as if he was going to fall asleep at any moment .
"…."
strange feeling
How can he describe it ?
"… it's not just the happiness of meeting. "
It is not simply the comfort of reunion and the end of separation .
Leon's thoughts became words, and the comrades heard them clearly .
" What do you mean ? "
Loki asked, pulling Dio's hair, which pulled his nose up .
Others were curious .
Leon.
A person, if you say he is strong, he is, If you say he is evil, he is, If you say he is good, he is too .
He is the type of person who defines his relationship with people very simply .
Enemies, strangers, tools, and allies .
A harsh division to categorize his relationships, but it accurately describes how Leon sees people .
Is this unethical ?
Sure, it is .
This world doesn't run according to morals, but the life flows as the strong want .
If the strongest person has good morals, the world will be prosperous, but if he has no morals, the world will perish and lead to ruin .
Leon's brothers didn't hate his nature, as they had tasted together the pain and bitterness of life .
Aside from most of the moments where he's rude, sarcastic, devilish and downright mean ...
There were moments when he described his emotions openly, and that was rare .
It wasn't because he was hiding it, but on the contrary, he liked to describe how he felt about himself and life .
The thing is, he doesn't "feel" the same as everyone else .
And now he was expressing himself after years of separation from his brothers ?
It's impossible not to be curious !
" It's hard to describe easily …"
" Seriously ?"
" It's rare to see Leon admit that something is hard ."
" He's not normal, he's sick, he must have something wrong with his mind !"
" Blue Moon Alliance, they have that miracle doctor, maybe he can cure Leon's illness, no… that retard might make that doctor spit out blood in anger instead. "
As his brothers thought about it harder than they had when they tried to survive a monster with the power of the Third Moon in a cave, Leon smiled gently .
" These bastards haven't changed a thing ."
Leon grabbed the piece of meat and chewed it ferociously, but he calmly considered his emotions .
As someone who has lived on the brink of madness since coming to awareness of the world, his emotions will not be "normal ."
That's why he always felt pleasure when unfamiliar emotions came to him .
Emotions are uncomfortable, painful, dark, and nobody wants them .
Emotions are beautiful, bright, and brilliant. No one can live without them .
That's why Leon found it interesting .
His crimson eyes turned towards his brothers .
Their first meeting was hostility, they wanted to shed each other's blood .
Circumstances force them to form an alliance, it's exploitation, they use each other as allies .
Allies of conflict, understanding, understood each other and struggled together .
Then comrades in arms, that's what cooperation means, watching each other's backs, without worrying about traitors .
Finally, brothers, and that was the strongest ally, struggle, conflict, understanding and compassion, walking the path together even against the world .
They lived through the toughest conditions by relying on themselves and supporting each other .
In the most bitter moments, they parted, so that each of them could understand himself more and become stronger, and after years, here they are .
Such a rich emotion, how can it be described in words alone ?
" Words will never describe this feeling ."
After saying that, Leon focused on eating the rest of the roasted ox leg .
Of course, his heart will not be explained by words alone .
" However, what I am sure of, guys, is that I am grateful. "
But there are some things that can only be conveyed in words .
" Grateful that we are alive to complete our paths, grateful for our past that brought us together ."
Whatever Leon's overall feeling about this encounter was, he was certain .
There was never any resentment .
Who feels bitter after being reunited with his brothers ?
" My brothers, here we are today, finally, after the bitterness of struggle and separation, meeting in our new home ."
Others were usually the first to crack a joke to get a laugh .
But not today .
The brothers smiled quietly, each raising a glass of warm water .
The hall was filled with silence, the servants and guards, even Lucas and his family were overwhelmed by an unfamiliar silence .
Although it wasn't a funeral, no one died, it wasn't mourning a painful past, no one was sad .
To put it simply …
It was a family reunion .
That was enough for everyone to understand, to sympathize, and to smile .
Exactly as Leon said .
After the difficult parting, comes the meeting .
This is the flavor of life, when you reach the destination, everything that was lost becomes easy .
Such a world full of flavors .
The brothers loved her very much .
With peace and quiet .
This is how the brothers met .
" Hiiik! Cough! This water is too hot! I'm suffocating !"
Leon choked when he suddenly drank the water quickly .
... well, not quite "quietly" .