Anathema appeared behind Arlienne, who couldn't sense his mana. The raven haired boy was about to land a decisive blow, and Arlienne had no defense against it. It seemed certain that in this battle, Anathema would emerge victorious.
But destiny had other plans.
Anathema heard the ship's bells, but what caught his attention most was the smell of fire. Even that seemed secondary once he sensed a massive surge of mana coming from a few feet above him.
His eyes widened at the sheer scale of the power he was sensing. Arlienne, seeing her chance while Anathema was distracted, put some distance between them and launched a mana burst toward him with her trident.
Anathema, finally snapping out of his shock, blocked the mana burst with his sword.
"I thought that would surely hit, considering your shocked and distracted expression," Arlienne said with a smirk. The mist around her slowly began to dissipate.
"The mana I am sensing... it doesn't belong to you... am I correct?" Anathema asked in a questioning, almost wondering tone. Arlienne, however, knew exactly who the mana belonged to.
"If I hadn't looked up at the sky, I would be as shocked as you are," Arlienne said confidently, pointing her finger toward the heavens. As Anathema's gaze followed hers, he noticed Emerion floating in the sky. The mana he was sensing belonged to the boy he had completely underestimated.
Blue flames began gathering around Emerion's hands. Sensing the danger, Anathema rushed toward the fire on the ship's deck. His eyes started watering as a sudden wave of worry for his guards struck him.
'Not again... I don't want to lose people again,' the normally dull Anathema thought to himself. The boy who had rejected all feelings was now consumed by emotions.
'This will be interesting,' Arlienne thought. She made no move to stop Anathema, simply watching the scene in amusement.
Anathema arrived quickly, but the blue flames surrounded his guards like a cage. He knew the danger of blue fire, yet the fear of losing his comrades blinded him to the risk to himself.
He wasted no time and began summoning more mist, but it had no effect on the blaze. Normal flames might have been smothered, but blue flames burned with a heat far beyond the ordinary. Tears fell from his eyes; for once, he was acting his age.
He looked up at the sky for a moment and saw Emerion gathering flames for a final blow. The expression, the pose, and those massive pools of mana dragged unpleasant memories to the surface. He wondered if they were the same... even though that woman's mana pools had been even more massive than Emerion's, his current helplessness felt exactly like the past.
Flashback
Nine years ago, Anathema was just a five year old kid known as Mui, just beginning to explore the world. He was the second child of the head of House Corvus. House Corvus was situated in the northern side of the nation of Ateris, an area mostly covered in snow and largely uninhabitable. People there relied heavily on coal for heat, and everyone respected the noble House Corvus for bringing stability and for their legendary assassination skills.
However, the world was not kind to little Mui, despite his lineage.
"You dropped this," little Mui said to a girl around his age, who had dropped her paper plane on the ground.
"I don't want this," the girl said stubbornly, refusing to look Mui in the eye. Mui's hazel eyes grew curious, so he grabbed her hand to stop her from leaving.
"But isn't it yours?" little Mui asked. The girl looked horrified the moment Mui touched her. Suddenly, a woman rushed over and slapped Mui across the face.
Mui couldn't understand what had happened. He only felt the sting of pain, and he began to cry.
"Don't touch my daughter, you Anathema!" the woman, the girl's mother, said with a voice full of disgust. Before Mui could ask why she had struck him, the woman hurriedly ushered her daughter away.
Mui had seen that sharp look many times before, yet he still didn't understand the meaning behind it. He didn't know why they looked at him that way, but he knew the gaze was not a kind one.
A saddened Mui returned to his estate. There, he saw his father speaking with an assassin.
"Make sure that boy does not survive. If the Dawnveil family gets two Nullborne Factor users, and if the Factor deems the boy worthy, it will be trouble for the other noble houses. Eliminate him before he can even make progress with it," his father said in a sharp, firm tone that meant business. The assassin nodded and grinned, showing all his teeth.
"Don't worry. I haven't failed a mission yet. My record is 49-0, I've never failed an S-rank mission," the assassin said. He had flashy blue hair and a tone full of confidence. His name was Iriz, a skilled assassin who inspired many. Kids in the area dreamed of being like him, it was said that if you saw Iriz on a mission, at least you knew you weren't his target.
Little Mui didn't understand much of what they were saying, but he approached his father with a question.
"Father, why does everyone look at me with that sharp gaze? Like... like I stole their chocolate or something?" Mui asked innocently, not realizing he had interrupted the conversation. Iriz smirked, but Mui's father turned that same sharp look on his son.
"Because you bring misfortune. You were a mistake," his father said coldly. Mui still didn't understand, so he reached out to his father.
"Don't touch me!" his father barked in a gruff, angry voice. Mui stepped back, terrified.
"You know what to do," the father continued, turning back to Iriz. "The other five major noble houses are paying a generous sum for this mission. If you succeed, your name will forever be written on the great list of heroes, and House Corvus will become the new Great House once we show our capacity to the other six."
Mui's father spoke with a hint of ambition, looking at Iriz, who was still smirking.
"Oh, don't worry. I just want some more land, okay? I've done some farming on the last plots you gave me. My three wives are always fighting over which plants to grow, despite how big the land is. I want more space so they don't fight. Women are serious trouble," Iriz said in a carefree tone, ending with a sigh. Mui's father looked annoyed by the demand, in that snowy region, arable valleys were rare, and Iriz already owned most of them. These areas stayed warm due to natural mountain barriers. Despite the annoyance, the Lord didn't deny him, he knew Iriz was an essential asset.
"Done. Finish the Dawnveil boy as soon as possible," Mui's father said, turning to leave.
"As you say, Lord Corvus," Iriz replied with a smirk. Unlike other assassins, he did not bow. Instead, he gave Mui a thumbs up before completely disappearing.
Mui didn't know what they were talking about, but he felt hurt by his father's dismissive tone. Suddenly, he heard footsteps behind him.
"You're crying again. Here." Mui looked up. His big eyes met those of his older brother, Leon. Leon had the same hazel eyes and long raven hair, but he was taller and more composed.
Mui took the rice ball his brother offered, but it didn't do much to lighten his mood. His big brother sighed, sat down on the balcony, and patted the space next to him.
Mui sat beside Leon, who looked at him with kind eyes unlike the sharp eyes of everyone else.
"What happened? Did Father say something to you?" Leon asked gently.
"He called me a misfortune when I asked why everyone looks at me like that... like I did something bad to them," Mui said, taking a bite of the rice ball as tears welled up again. Leon sighed.
"You are not a misfortune, Mui. Father is just... being Father," Leon said, trying to comfort his younger brother.
"But I still didn't get an answer. Why do they look at me like that?" Mui asked. He continued, "If I ask you, big brother, you won't lie to me, right? You're six years older than me, so you should know... am I really a misfortune? If I am, just say it... I just want to know why."
Mui buried his face in his brother's lap, crying uncontrollably. Leon patted his younger brother's back with a look of deep sympathy.
"You are too young for this... but fine. I will answer you if it will put your heart at ease," Leon said with a sigh.
"When you were born... it was a stormy night. It was too dangerous for anyone to go outside. Our mother... she died during childbirth. But it's not your fault, okay? Don't blame yourself." Leon paused, looking down at Mui, who was sobbing in his lap.
"Father, in his grief, blames you, which is why he is wrong. That same year... the people in this area couldn't find enough coal, and many lost their lives in the intense cold. That wasn't your fault either," Leon continued.
"People believe you are cursed. Father did nothing to deny it; in fact, he seems to believe it too. But Mui, I know you're just my annoying little brother. So don't listen to them, okay?" Leon's voice was comforting. Mui finally raised his head.
"They... believe I am cursed?" Mui asked transitionally.
"Yes. And that makes them the cursed ones for accusing a child like you of bringing misfortune. You are a blessing, little brother, not a curse. No matter what they say, I love you."
Leon hugged his brother. Mui's eyes widened. He couldn't understand everything his brother had said, but he knew Leon cared for him. This time, he cried tears of happiness.
"Mui, don't let their words get to you. Now, do you want more rice cakes?" Leon asked playfully as he stood up. Mui's face lit up.
"Yes! More rice cakes!" Both brothers laughed as they went to get more food.
"Hey now, you forgot about us! We want rice cakes too!" a brawny haired boy about Leon's age shouted. He was accompanied by a boy with curly hair.
"Were you listening to us, Ryuuken and Rui?" Leon asked, sounding a bit annoyed, though he clearly knew them well.
"Yeah, a bit, but that's not the point. Let's get some rice cakes!" Ryuuken said, his voice full of excitement.
"Yeah, but you're paying, Leon. You're the richest among us," Rui added playfully. Leon rolled his eyes but silently agreed. Little Mui smiled, these two didn't give him the sharp gaze either. Together, they all went out to get rice cakes.