《Heaven's Cry》 Prologue: Fall of three and one ¡°It¡¯s almost time.¡± A boy muttered softly to himself as the wind played with his light brown hair. The boy¡¯s face was young looking but his gaze gave off a mature feeling. He was sitting on a cloud looking towards the horizon with his sharp blue eyes. The distance he was able to see was immeasurable. To him, it was like a world within a world. The landscape far, far below looked beautiful as the sun shined on it. This was only the scene in front of him. Although he was on top of a cloud he was in fact only high in comparison to the distance in front of him. Suddenly the boy heard another boy¡¯s voice. ¡°Albus, Gramps is calling!¡± Albus turned around when he heard the nonchalant voice. Albus when he saw the chubby boy looking straight at him he nodded responding with a quick, ¡°ok¡±. As he turned around Albus gave a quick look at the gigantic waterfall. Below it was a drop that was impossible to see from the amount of mist. Yet from the nonexistent sound of the fall was enough of a sign of how deep it truly was. Not lingering any longer, Albus slightly patted the cloud he was sitting on and headed towards the brown haired youth. Although he was fat, he wasn¡¯t as fat as he looked. It was only because the boy was so short, despite his appearance, he wore a face full of smiles giving off a jolliness that was unique to him. The cloud responded to his touch and started to drift back towards the stout boy. Surprisingly, the drifting cloud was fairly fast even though the distant was short it only took a few seconds to arrive back. Albus smiled mischievously towards the fat boy and spoke out. ¡°Brother Cannibal, you don¡¯t happen to have any food do you?¡± Not fazed by his words, the stout boy retorted: ¡°Now little brother, just because you put ¡°Brother¡± in front of that nickname doesn¡¯t make it less insulting.¡± Brother Cannibal shrugged his thick shoulders. He had already had the nickname for many years and no matter how many times he complained it stuck. Once they decided on something it was irreversible. Albus nodded lightly and said, ¡°Oh, is that how it is Brother Can- I mean Brother Delwyn?¡± Delwyn rolled his eyes and although it was unknown whether asking for food was a joke or not, he still pulled out a wrap from within his pocket. Though he looked reluctant to part with it, because his younger brother asked him for it, he still willingly gave it over. Albus wasn¡¯t even shocked as he grabbed the sandwich taking a bite out of it. With his mouth full he and Delwyn walked back where their grandpa was waiting. Albus however, didn¡¯t forget to add another few words with his mouth full. ¡°Let¡¯ go, Pillo!¡± The cloud that Albus was sitting on before started to condense until finally, it turned into a physical shape. ¡°Baa.¡± The small furry sheep, that was once a cloud, hopped after the two brothers. ----------------------------------- ¡°Ah, you¡¯re here. Come, sit down. Let us begin.¡± A kind old voice spoke when Delwyn and Albus entered through the door. They had already let Pillo graze on nearby grass outside. As they faced the voice they bowed in respect towards the old man and spoke, ¡°Grandpa Shepherd.¡± He was an old man with wrinkles covering his entire face. His calm disposition led others to feel at ease around him. While he stood he had his hands on top of a walking stick, as he watched them both enter. His silvery eyes were the only thing that looked alive about him. Grandpa Shepherd smiled softly and directed his gaze towards the seats. Both Albus and Delwyn sat down without hesitation. A smirk grew on their faces as they both faced towards the other member that was here before them. ¡°Morning Brother Raris.¡± The two boys greeted with smiles towards their eldest brother. Raris was already watching them with a smirk and greeted them back. ¡°Morning junior brothers.¡± Once the two sat down, Grandpa Shepherd lightly coughed and started to speak. ¡°Now, where were we?¡± The Old man pondered himself while stroking his chin through his long white beard. He faintly nodded when he remembered and continued. ¡°It has already been year years since I started to teach you young ones. I have forced you to train despite only being children.¡± Regret could be seen through his eyes. But since he had already resolved himself from the beginning he didn¡¯t allow the pain to linger. The brothers looked at one another and it was Raris who, with a dignified manner, spoke up, ¡°Grandpa, all three of us do not regret the days we spent under your wing. We know that having you as our teacher is already our greatest blessing. Now, like baby chicks, we must take flight and find a new nest.¡± Just as Raris finished his serious statement, a stomach rumbling was heard. Albus, Raris, and Grandpa shepherd all looked towards the obvious suspect. Blushing slightly, Delwyn looked down in embarrassment. The three boys then laughed heartily while Grandpa Shepherd mumbled under his breath while smiling. Soon after the food came with a person who usually follows after Grandpa Shepherd from afar. Even during all this time they never knew the name of the man who acted as Grandpa¡¯s helper. Although they tried speaking with him on many occasions he remained emotionless through their five years of training. As Grandpa Shepherd saw their gazes he waved his hand and started to speak. ¡°Young ones, do not forget what you have learned here. But, also do not tell others where you are from or what you have learned. You are all still too weak and there are those who know that knowledge is power.¡± ¡°Yes, Grandpa!¡± The young boys bowed in respect to their teacher and grandpa. Their words held their true feelings towards the old man. ¡°I have already given you all that you may need. You shall leave within the week.¡± Though Grandpa Shepherd had a hint of reluctance in his voice, he didn¡¯t show it through his facial expression. He then slightly tapped his walking stick and disappeared. Naturally, the three brothers weren¡¯t surprised as it was a normal occurrence from time to time. Where he went they never knew. Albus seeing that they were free for the time being spoke up. ¡°Hey, shall we see who is the strongest between us three before we leave?¡± ¡°Haha, that is a good idea. If I win I¡¯ll be able to revel in the fact that I¡¯ll be the strongest for years to come.¡± As soon as Albus mentioned a fight, Raris was already following up while laughing. At this moment Delwyn was too busy thinking about second breakfast to care much about who was the strongest out of them. Knowing fully well what Delwyn was thinking Albus spoke some words that caused Delwyn¡¯s ears to perk up in interest. ¡°Whoever wins, gets all he can eat and the other two have to gather and cook all the food for the winner.¡± ¡°I¡¯m in!¡± Delwyn was already sold and couldn¡¯t wait till Albus stopped so he could voice his agreement. As they started walking Raris didn¡¯t forget to add one more thing. ¡°Oh right,¡± Raris said while staring at Albus. ¡°Fine, I won¡¯t say anything while fighting. But seriously you guys got to learn how to defend yourselves from words. After all, that could be the difference between life and death!¡± Albus waved his hands in an exaggerated way to voice his displeasure. Though he acted displeased Raris and even Delwyn will not trust anything that came from his mouth. It wasn¡¯t just once that Albus had fooled them. After all, he was a rascal years ago. They also knew that even though he said he wouldn¡¯t he was definitely going to do so anyways. ----------------------- ¡°Brother Cannibal, it can¡¯t be you plan on eating your own family before fighting are you?¡± ¡°Hmph! What do you know? I¡¯m strongest when I¡¯m full. And while we are talking, aren¡¯t you always eating Pillo¡¯s Cloudfur?¡± Delwyn had convinced himself that him eating pork was similar to eating the Cloudfur from Pillo¡¯s fur. Despite trying his hardest to reject Albus he was instead digging himself his own grave. Albus was not the type of person to leave such an opportunity open to float around either. ¡°Brother Cannibal, as kindred spirits, of course, it is natural for Pillo to share some of her beautiful fur with me. After all, it has such a sweet taste how could I resist? But as for you, you end up eating your kindred spirit for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. How could those be the same things?¡± Albus said with a mischievous smile. Though he was a little less ruthless than he could be, he still ended up with turning Delwyn¡¯s situation against him. Raris, before Delwyn could speak up for himself, spoke. ¡°Now, let us move along. After all this opportunity doesn¡¯t come very often. Same rules as always, anyone who falls on one knee or gets knocked into the water will be out.¡± Raris left no room for further discussion as he already jumped on top of a small circular island. It didn¡¯t leave much room for manoeuvring but it was big enough for a small-scale fight such as this. Albus, who failed and trying to argue further, clicked his tongue but he didn¡¯t dare risk angering his elder brother and followed. Delwyn was a tad bit slower, but he had already forgotten about the argument and was thinking on how to win his all-he-can-eat buffet made from his brothers. ¡°Shall we begin?¡± Raris said with a rather calm attitude. But when Albus and Delwyn looked into his eyes, they could see the glint of fire. Raris was always one who loved to fight and show off. But he wasn¡¯t a person to show it through his voice. In fact, it was only really possible to tell what he was thinking through his eyes alone. During the five years they spent training together, they had learnt of all the little things between one another. Raris had already waited a few seconds and he immediately summoned his spirit weapon. It was in fact, a rather beautiful sword that matched well with his good looks. The red hilt with a red ribbon fluttered in the wind along with his red hair. While swinging his sword in a rhythmic like motion, it was obvious his sword technique was incredible. However, the thing most notable was his sharp gaze that looked down upon everything. ¡°Such a nice spirit weapon. You wouldn¡¯t be planning on using that against your youngest brother now would you?¡± Though Albus was speaking words, he didn¡¯t mean what he said. After all, he knew that Raris was staring straight at him with his deep yellow eyes. Though this is was a side effect of his spirit, the gaze alone was enough for Albus to feel anxious. ¡®This isn¡¯t good. Brother Raris is serious.¡¯ As Albus thought to himself, he soon realized that he was the target of his elder brother¡¯s competitiveness. Albus, who was slightly fearful of being in close combat with his brother, immediately drew his spirit weapon. A dark blue bow appeared out of thin air and perfectly fit inside of his palm. As he gripped it just enough to keep hold of it, he could feel the grain of the carefully crafted wood tickle his palm. As he saw Raris already charging straight for him he immediately dodged to the left. The place he was just before standing had already the air cut in half as a swoosh was heard. ¡°Now big Brother, you don¡¯t have to try so hard against young me!¡± Raris had wanted to roll his eyes, but he knew if he took his eyes off of Albus for even a second he would quickly disappear. ¡°You were always talented at being a loud chicken.¡± Raris said with a light scolding tone, but he didn¡¯t dare belittle Albus. He could talk shamelessly and run away whenever he needed to with his spirit. Though he called Albus a loud chicken, that absolutely didn¡¯t mean that Albus himself wasn¡¯t strong. In fact, it was the complete opposite. Albus was just too talented in running away and talking, but his strength was definitely real. Not to mention that Albus was so good at running away combined with his archery skills it was very unlikely that he would ever catch him if he let him get away. Albus fired off arrows that he pulled from his quiver only to be quickly deflected by the pursuing Raris. Meanwhile, Delwyn was standing off to the side not doing anything. He had already summoned his spirit weapon, more like spirit shield. But, his shield was an incredible weapon in his hands. While Delwyn was looking at his brothers he laughed to himself. ¡®These brothers of mine. How could they forget about my great power? I shall end this in one charge!¡¯ His thoughts started to leak out by the end of it, but because both Albus and Raris were ignoring him, he must have felt they didn¡¯t realize what he was planning. Just as Delwyn was about to start his charge, suddenly Albus started charging towards him first. This didn¡¯t stop Delwyn from continuing with his charge, he was even more excited to have a head-to-head clash. If the three brothers were to ask who had the most destructive power it would undoubtedly be Delwyn. Everything that he charged into would be flattened. ¡°Heh heh, Brother Cannibal you look confident!¡± Albus managed to sneak in a few words before he arrived in front of Delwyn, with Raris still behind him. Naturally, Raris knew what Albus was planning and the moment Albus jumped out of the way, he too dodged to the side. The charging Delwyn just passed by without any issues. Except he wasn¡¯t happy that his brothers jumped out of the way. If he had it his way he would have ended it with that single charge. Just as he was about to voice his complaint someone else spoke instead. ¡°Brother Cannibal, I set a perfect path for you to charge into Brother Raris. How could you let go of such a beautiful chance?¡± Delwyn was momentarily stunned by his words, though only for a moment. If the older brothers were still bothered by his words at this point they would never defeat him in a fight. Delwyn, after that moment, started to charge towards Albus again. ¡®Oh hoo.¡¯ Albus smiled when he knew that he wouldn¡¯t be able to drag Delwyn or Raris into his own pace so easily, but at the very least they had their emotions stirred. He didn¡¯t even need to say anything to Raris because the moment he tried to use Delwyn to take him out, it was already enough to get his blood flowing. Knowing that the fight was about to get more intense, Albus ran towards the outer perimeter of the small island. He grabbed an arrow from his quiver and pulled back the string of his bow. The arrow slid out of his fingers as it launched towards Raris, who was currently directly behind him. ¡°Damn. I know that a single arrow is easy to knock out of the air for you Brother Raris, but could you at least act a bit disturbed?¡± Albus said while running away, of course, his words didn¡¯t match his expression as he continued to smile. Raris didn¡¯t want to continue playing cat and mouse with his younger brother and immediately focused his spirit to form. ¡°Spirit Release!¡± As Raris yelled, red wings appeared on his back. As these wings formed, his speed shot up and he quickly caught up to Albus. ¡®Not good!¡¯ This time, Albus didn¡¯t even have time to retort as he, too, immediately summoned his spirit. ¡°Scatter!¡± Albus panicked voice was heard but a thick fog quickly formed in the surrounding area successfully covering the entire field. Now that both Delwyn and Raris had their field of vision cut from them, they both took protective measures against this. Well, Raris did at least. He escaped by flying upwards cursing under his breath that he failed to finish Albus off before he could go into hiding. Delwyn wasn''t bothered; he knew that neither of his brothers could harm his body anyways. ¡°Hehe, I am the Erymanthian Boar! I dare you both come and fight me head on!¡± Delwyn yelled out as it was his only option left when he couldn¡¯t see. Charging was a definite no for him because he potentially could run off the island! He wanted his buffet too badly to risk such a terrible defeat; such a thing would obviously be outrageous. Naturally, Albus always had something to say and this time was no different. ¡°Brother Cannibal, how can you say that? You weigh at least a couple dozen times more than me and even if I wanted to over exaggerate, I wouldn¡¯t be able to unless I added another digit to that.¡± A lingering moment of silence followed after his words. But it wasn¡¯t long when Albus finished with his favorite laugh. ¡°Heh heh.¡± Delwyn felt his eyebrow twitch from anger. He wasn¡¯t overly sensitive by his weight as he knew it was a side effect from the spirit however, there was definitely a limit. It was only when Albus used his sarcastic laugh as the finisher that it bothered him. The reason was that both Raris and Delwyn knew that when Albus laughed like that, it was like he was winning something. To give Albus any form of victory was a form of defeat for them. At this time Raris was calmly trying to find Albus from his voice. If there was one weakness Albus had, it was definitely that he liked to talk¡­. Too much that is. Which gave away his location for Raris. ¡°Ignite!¡± As his words echoed in the fog covered world. Albus was already on the move. He knew that Raris was already taking advantage of his talent. He couldn¡¯t help but lightly reprimand himself, but only lightly after all he still managed to leave Delwyn slightly speechless. Raris released a bombard for feathers lit on fire. When they pierced through the fog they disappeared, but an explosion soon followed. Within the fog, Delwyn was still standing still not caring from the explosions as he called out in a relieved tone. ¡°Little Brother Albus, that will teach you to not speak while hiding!¡± Delwyn laughed a little to himself as he brushed the dust off of his stout body when suddenly he heard a sound. ¡°Well, Brother Delwyn you might be right. Unfortunately, this little Brother will politely decline your advice.¡± As he said that, it was now Raris who was preparing to dodge. The moment Raris heard his unfazed words, he already knew that Albus would be shooting at him next. Soon after several blue arrows erupted from the fog wall. Even though Raris dodged, he still looked at his previous location with some fear. A hit like that would undoubtedly put him down even if the arrows were blunted. A few rounds continued between Raris and Albus, but because they both had their own methods of dodging a stalemate was immediately formed. This is the point of which their fights would usually be forced to stop. After all fighting against the same person for many years, their reactions to each other were heightened to the limits. Delwyn never moved once while he was inside the fog. For him, it was riskier to move than not move. After all, with his brother¡¯s spirit weapons or spirits, they could not harm him. As for Albus; he was, well, shameless. That alone was already a problem. Not to mention that Albus had a cloud spirit. It was a rather obscure spirit to have but at the same time for concealing it was absolutely dominant. Raris had no way of attacking Albus unless he spoke. And when Raris made his way into the air with his Garuda spirit, it was already hard enough to catch him with Albus''s arrows. That alone was enough to show how fast Raris was with his wings. ¡°Heh heh, Brothers why don¡¯t we call this a day and say that I won?¡± Albus asked shamelessly. ¡°Little Brother, don¡¯t think that I don¡¯t have a way to deal with your cloud spirit now!¡± Raris followed up by igniting the spirit essence within his body and shot of even more feathers than the earlier time. The feathers pierced into the cloud and split apart momentarily before it returned to its original form. Tick tick tick. The Feathers landed on the ground, and after a few seconds, nothing happened. This made Albus drop his shoulders in a relaxing way. The island wasn¡¯t small, but hundreds of feathers were launched by Raris. Luckily Albus was able to walk away unscathed. So, what did Albus do when he walked out unscathed? Of course, the answer was to shamelessly let everyone know and what better way than to add his smug laugh! ¡°Heh heh. Brother Raris, even after all that effort yo-¡± ¡°Erupt.¡± Raris squeezed his hand into a fist as he cut off Albus. Albus clicked his tongue in disappointment and said: ¡°Of course, that¡¯s not all.¡± The feathers that started to glow suddenly exploded. Because the feathers were small so were the explosions. Luckily for this reason alone, Albus was able to stay unscathed once more. Unfortunately, the fog dissipated along with the explosions. And to top it off Albus didn¡¯t have enough time to complain that his cover disappeared as Delwyn suddenly came charging from the side. ¡°Clench. Your. Teeth!¡± The unstoppable Delwyn slammed into Albus flinging him high into the air. It was obvious that he would be knocked into the water. Luckily the island was a fair distance away from Heaven¡¯s Fall, thus even if he didn¡¯t immediately recover he wouldn¡¯t encounter an unfortunate accident. Nonetheless, after Delwyn launched Albus, he spoke a few words, ¡°Don¡¯t be angry with us Albus!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, we only did this because we wanted you to realize that sometimes your words will get you into more trouble than just keeping quiet.¡± As Delwyn gave an apologetic look, Raris followed up with an explanation. When Albus heard these words smiled. He knew that his brothers teamed up against him to teach him a lesson. However, it was futile as it was a lesson that he could never learn. He was extremely stubborn. As Albus was still being launched and was about to drop he had enough time to say one complete sentence. Albus didn¡¯t look for an excuse, he only needed to do one thing: That was to prove that his words could be backed up by his actions. Just as both Raris and Delwyn had thought it was over for Albus, they turned to see Albus regain his posture in the air by flipping backwards. ¡°He can¡¯t be up to something¡­¡± Delwyn couldn¡¯t help but get nervous. After all, their plan wasn¡¯t guaranteed to work and seeing it succeed so easily made him slightly worry. As for Raris one could see the change of expression through his eyes for a short second. Suddenly just before Albus''s toes were about to touch the surface of the water they could tell his mumbled under his breath and in the next instant a cloud formed from below his feet. It wasn¡¯t a cloud like his earlier fog either. Otherwise, Albus would not be perfectly standing on this cloud above the water. ¡°Albus! Using Pillo is cheating!¡± Delwyn immediately felt wronged by the sudden turn of events. Seeing his brother¡¯s reaction only made Albus smile even more. ¡°Why Brother Cannibal, how could you say such a terrible thing,¡± he then gave a mischievous smile as he pointed towards the distance. ¡°That cloud over there is Pillo!¡± Delwyn rolled his eyes and said: ¡°You can¡¯t use any of the other Cloudsheep either!¡± Albus used his signature laughter this time as he felt pleased by Delwyn¡¯s reaction. ¡°Heh Heh, You are mistaken Brother Cannibal, this is, without a doubt, not another Cloudsheep!¡± Delwyn was about to pick up rocks to knock Albus off of the cloud but as he was about to move, Raris stopped him. Raris afterwards gave Albus a deep look and sighed. ¡°You learnt to manipulate the cloud¡¯s physical form?¡± Albus gave a saddened expression like a child who had prank found out. In this case; it was a perfect example of it, nonetheless, Albus was still answered truthfully. ¡°Yes, Brother Raris is insightful.¡± ¡°How did you do it? I imagine you would have spent a lot of time observing to immitate their metamorphosis.¡± Raris looked at his younger brother with a hint of curiosity. Though asking would more than likely not help him directly, learning more was never a bad thing. And truthfully Raris was rather impressed by his brother¡¯s ability to comprehend such a difficult thing. Delwyn, on the other hand, wore a face full of confusion then followed by sulking because he was left out of the conversation. Not to mention he suddenly remembered failing to teach Albus a lesson did not work which led to a tear forming in the side of his eye. "When I figured out how to Cloud Step, I was also surprised. But truthfully, it isn¡¯t similar to the way Cloudsheep change their shape at all. Cloudsheep''s incredibly light fur allowed them to expand to an enormous size where it was easy to float. They only had to supplement that with Essence and flying was no problem. Although I use a similar logic, it is still quite different. My clouds are still clouds, but within them, I condensed as much water as physically possible freezing it to act as a step. Naturally, with this alone, I would fail. But, luckily I learnt while watching the Cloudsheep how to control the Essence in a way to support that weight.¡± With Albus''s explanation, Raris gave a look of approval. He nodded and rose his hand. ¡°Well, with this I admit defeat. Only because you have truly impressed me this time little brother.¡± Raris then flew off the small island and headed back to the house where Grandpa Shepherd once was. As he did Delwyn immediately voiced his reluctance in giving up while grumbling to himself. Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. ¡°I refuse to give up my buf- I mean victory!¡± Albus followed with a fake smile and said: ¡°Heh Heh, I just so happen to need to do target practice and focus on improving my skills. Ah! I got it, what better target than the indestructible body of Brother Cannibal! What do you say Brother Cannibal?¡± ¡°I give up!¡± Delwyn threw his hands into the air and walked away whining about food this and food that while on the way. Though he knew that Albus''s arrows could not physically harm him, it didn¡¯t mean that it felt good to get hit by them. And if Albus stood on the cloud and bombarded him with arrows who would be the one to give up first? The answer was obvious and Delwyn wasn¡¯t stupid. Not the smartest in comparison to his two brothers but he still had common sense. ¡°Victory!¡± Albus threw his hand into the air and shouted. There was no way he was letting up on this opportunity to brag. Ten minutes later after Albus exhausted himself jumping from cloud to cloud proclaiming his perfect victory, he jumped on Pillo looked towards the horizon. Turning serious he spoke, ¡°I can¡¯t believe we will finally be able to go down there.¡± Raris¡¯s gaze turned serious as he spoke as well. ¡°It¡¯s true, to think that we brothers will split up and make a name for ourselves in the Mortal Realm. Who knows we might not even see one another again.¡± ¡°Elder Brother, please don¡¯t say something so ominous. ¡± Delwyn anxiously said. Albus also agreed with Delwyn as he nodded. ¡°That¡¯s right. We are young but we are already mature for our ages. We trained for longer than any other child our age. Besides after all these years, how could we not know our own strength best and when to retreat?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear that from you, little brother.¡± Raris gave a look towards Albus. As he did Albus awkwardly scratched his chin. When he was unable to rebuff he was only left with this action. Though he normally he was shameless, he wasn¡¯t someone who would deny the truth. Thus he could only sit there and be reprimanded by his brother¡¯s gaze. ¡°Hah, but you¡¯re both right. We need to stay alive and make sure to fulfil Gramps wish.¡± Both Delwyn and Albus showed their agreement by nodding. It was just then that Raris suddenly remembered something so he brought it up. ¡°Hey, do you guys remember when we first received our Spirit weapons from Gramps?¡± Delwyn laughed while he replied. ¡°How could I not? Both of us were given a master that we could learn the basics from. Though our masters never spoke to us outside of that, we at the very least had someone to teach us. Yet Brother Albus was left alone to learn archery for himself.¡± ¡°Heh heh, see? Shouldn¡¯t you guys be admiring me because I self-taught my own skills?!¡± Albus added his own words as his lifted his chin shamelessly praising himself. Raris immediately snorted as he argued: ¡°Don¡¯t you mean where you learnt to become shameless?¡± ¡°Ah! Brother Raris! How can you say such a thing about my master?!¡± Albus face immediately showed displeasure when he heard his master talked about in a negative way. ¡°I have no reason to say anything about your so-called ¡°master¡±. What I¡¯m saying is that you chose to follow in her footsteps!¡± Raris rolled his eyes as he knew following his brother¡¯s pace was only going to give him a headache. But being the Eldest Brother wasn¡¯t for nothing as he was able to turn the words against his little brother instead. ¡°Sure enough, you guys don¡¯t understand! The moment I saw her, I knew she was my one true master! I¡¯m telling you guys, her destructive power was amazing!¡± Delwyn pulled out a sandwich from the basket, that was more than likely put there for him, and started eating it. He had wanted to ignore the conversation and fill his stomach but he couldn¡¯t help but be interested and ask with a mouth full of food. ¡°Why don¡¯t you tell us if it¡¯s so amazing!¡± Raris felt wronged as he glared at Delwyn. Except Delwyn was already busying himself with his sandwich. Sighing to himself he, too, was curious but at the same time he would rather not know why his little brother became such a rascal. Albus showed his excitement to tell the story by nodding more than necessary. Truthfully, he wanted to keep it a secret, but now that they were leaving soon he felt it was better to leave off with no secrets and readily agreed to tell. ¡°Well, after you guys went to train with your masters. Even though I didn¡¯t have anyone to teach me archery, Grandpa still sent me to the forest to practice against the trees. Luckily for me, there was already an archer there. That was my master!¡± ¡°Oh thank you! You learnt more than being shameless from her. That is, at least, one relief.¡± Delwyn interrupted. But Albus ignored him and continued to explain: ¡°At first, I just watched her form. I wanted to learn from her by practising the way she did. And because Grandpa sent me to the forest every day I was able to see her all the time. After watching her for only a bit my skills improved greatly. But it was at that moment when he arrived that things changed. A man appeared one day and from what I remember there was nothing overly wrong with the man¡¯s appearances. But as soon as he tried to talk to the woman, he was completely ignored by her. He got angry and thus tried to speak ill of her. There were some words I didn¡¯t understand but I knew he wasn¡¯t being fair. Despite this, the woman didn¡¯t care and continued to shoot at her target diligently like always.¡± ¡°Yawn, get to the point already!¡± Delwyn complained once again, but, like before, Albus ignored him and continued. ¡°Finally, it got to the point that the woman was unable to ignore the man any longer. And on the day she spoke, it was before the man came back to harass her again. She said, ¡®If you want to use it so badly, why don¡¯t you just show me it and then I can decide?¡¯ I wasn¡¯t sure what it meant, but nonetheless, the man was left speechless. And not only that, when he refused to show her what she wanted, she immediately got angry and beat the crap out of him. For some weird reason, the man continued to visit and became speechless by her words every day followed by being beaten up! And because I went every day I was able to learn many things from my master!¡± Silence lingered for a few seconds. Raris couldn¡¯t help but mutter a few words under his breath, ¡°Well maybe some of us aren¡¯t so mature after all.¡± While Delwyn looked in disbelief as he asked in a worried tone, ¡°Brother Albus, from this story alone I don¡¯t entirely see how you became so shameless. It seems that your master only ever said a few words then beat that man up. But as for you, well, you never shut up. How can that be considered the same thing?¡± Albus looked at Delwyn¡¯s face full of disbelief and pondered for a second. As he did, he replied with a straight face and a nod. ¡°Don¡¯t fret the little things Brother Cannibal.¡± Because Albus acted so nonchalant about it Delwyn nearly spat out the sandwich he was still eating. He nearly jumped up and strangled his little brother but luckily Raris was able to steer the conversation in a different direction. ¡°Well regardless of that. All three of us will have to live until we see one another again.¡± ¡°Yes, Brother!¡± The two younger brothers answered seriously as they knew Raris was completely serious with his words. Next, Albus remembered something and asked his brothers. ¡°What do you guys wish to do after we fulfill Gramps wish?¡± Delwyn upon hearing this stuck out his chest and proclaimed loudly, ¡°I want to open up a Saint restaurant! Only those I allow to enter will eat my food!¡± ¡°Who are you trying to fool? You will eat all the food yourself so how will your customers eat?¡± ¡°Why you!¡± ¡°Heh Heh.¡± As the two started to bicker among themselves Raris thought to himself: ¡®A Goal¡­.hmm¡¯ As he thought that he turned to Albus. ¡°Well, what about you little brother?¡± ¡°Me? Naturally, I will improve myself so that one day everything in front of me, even the Heavens, will cry!¡± The two older brothers were so speechless they immediately got up and left. Leaving behind Albus who was also speechless from the sudden reaction which was rare for him. Finally when he could almost no longer see them he spoke, ¡°Hey Brothers? Wait up!¡± After a few seconds, he called out, while slightly embarrassed, to his older brothers. ¡°Wh-what about m-my buffet?!¡± The next thing that happened no one knew, as Albus was soon, actually very soon, met with a black filled mind. The next thing he knew he woke up, not knowing why he fell asleep in the grass, with his brothers nowhere to be found. ¡°Heh Heh¡­ Huh? Why did I suddenly feel like laughing like that...?¡± ----------------------------------- ¡°Master!?¡± The man that was always seen following Grandpa Shepherd called out towards the man himself. Grandpa Shepherd gave an exhausted look towards his subordinate. ¡°I have already told you many times. This is how it must be!¡± ¡°But-¡± ¡°No!¡± Grandpa Shepherd was not known for raising his voice. Because of that, it made it that much more terrifying when he showed his might. This old man was actually more known for his overbearing strength than anything else! The young man lightly backed away not daring to defy his master. When Grandpa Shepherd saw this he sighed with some stale air. ¡°I have already told you that my time right now is only because of the Protector!¡± ¡°But Master! Please allow your disciples to assist you in your tribulation!¡± ¡°Insolence! You dare take the Protector¡¯ Life Essence in your own hands!? You, the Highest of The Heavens; a Saint?!¡± Grandpa Shepherd roared despite his age. He looked like a famous General who led a thousand soldiers through a thousand years and lost none but gained many. He slammed down his walking stick; golden light filled the room stunning the young man into a kneeling position. He immediately bowed his to his master and begged for forgiveness. ¡°Master! This disciple does not wish to offend the Protector! I, Graham, only wish to see you live and lead us into the Heaven¡¯s Gate!¡± The moment that Grandpa Shepherd heard this his anger softened until all the pressure was gone. Graham was finally able to feel all his cold shiver all at once. As he tried to get up his knees buckled, as he fell Grandpa Shepherd held out his hand and held him up. With an apologetic look, he said, ¡°Young one, my time is over. I, The Shepherd who led all but followed none, am dead. You all know this!¡± He told not only to Graham but to the others who were listening as well. Graham lowered his head, but despite looking defeated he still opposed him. ¡°But Master if you become a Saint you can live!¡± Grandpa Shepherd lightly shook his head and replied softly, ¡°And take the Protectors Life Essence? Then who shall protect the Seal of Heaven¡¯s Gate?¡± His gaze lightly chided Graham who still was resolute. But Grandpa Shepherd knew that he didn¡¯t know the true dangers behind Heaven¡¯s Gate. Thus he dropped his shoulders in defeat and walked away. At this point, the old man¡¯s back looked incredibly lonely muttering a few things under his breath, ¡°Soon Old Friend.¡± -------------- ¡°... What did I just hear?¡± Albus crouched down and tried to keep calm. Despite his efforts, his voice still leaked out as he panicked. Him being here wasn¡¯t that odd because Albus lived with Grandpa Shepherd. It was more strange for Albus to be witnessing Graham speak than for him to be here. As Albus tried to breathe in deep breaths, suddenly he saw Grandpa Shepherd open the door and see him sitting there. ¡°Oh? Lil Al what are you doing on the floor here. Come, let us get you into bed.¡± Grandpa Shepherd smiled as he lightly helped Albus back up. Albus, at first panicked but after seeing his Grandpa¡¯s kind eyes he eased up and relaxed. ¡°Yes Grandpa,¡± as he walked upstairs to his bedroom he turned around and said, ¡°Thank you for everything Grandpa.¡± Grandpa Shepherd watched Albus walk upstairs and go to bed. He gave a weak smile, after all, someone with his strength how could he not know about Albus overhearing his conversation? It was more that he wanted Albus to know but he didn¡¯t want to directly tell him. It, too, hurt Grandpa Shepherd to leave the three brothers who were like, his grandsons. But he also couldn¡¯t bear to have them find out when the returned. This to him was the only way, it might have been a cowardly move, but when he thought like that he murmured to himself. ¡°I¡¯ve had a brave life, it¡¯s bad for my heart to act too brave.¡± ------------------------ The next few days passed quickly and it was already the night before they left. During this time Albus had made sure to let his brothers know about the incident he overheard. And now all three brothers were standing facing one another. Raris finally crossed his arms and spoke up. ¡°We all know that after we give our goodbyes we aren¡¯t going to want to see each others'' face. So while we still love one another and aren¡¯t rivals until we fall, let us say them now.¡± Delwyn stepped forward and saluted his Elder Brother. ¡°Brother Raris, I thank you for looking after me all these years. Thank you, though not in blood we are brothers in life, I will return your hard work by showing you how strong I will become!¡± Raris returned his speech with a nod and replied, ¡°I thank you as well, brother. I wish you well and thank you for sharing all your food.¡± Delwyn gave a dejected look when he heard that, while Albus snickered to himself. When Delwyn heard him snicker he raised his mood and walked over to Albus. ¡°Little Brother Albus, I thank you for your words of wisdom all this time!¡± Delwyn then surprisingly grabbed Albus by the knock and started to lightly punch him in the stomach. Though it was light for Delwyn they were still hard punches because of his weight. He wasn¡¯t pulling his punches, as Albus was slightly having the wind knocked out of him! Raris didn¡¯t interfere and even Albus didn¡¯t bother to dodge our counter. Though other might call them stupid they all knew there were two reasons for doing this. The first was to get obvious revenge upon Albus''s sharp words for all these years, and Albus was not surprised to see this outcome. The second was to test Albus''s resolve for his goal. Albus had already explained he wanted to attempt to defeat foes through talking before he fought them. Of course, he wasn¡¯t stupid and this only applied to simple violence. Even still his older brothers didn¡¯t approve and only if he let them beat the crap out of him before they left would they agree. So that¡¯s exactly what they did. As Delwyn finished with Albus he smacked his hands together and smiled ear to ear. Albus wasn¡¯t bloody, but he was bruised. Raris gave a look towards Albus who returned a look of defeat. But Albus still managed to sneak in a weak voice: ¡°Brother Raris, you wouldn¡¯t happen to be thinking you would go all out on a weak me, would you?¡± Raris ignored him and continued to stare needles into Albus that was getting fiercer by the second. Albus who caught on got up and clenched his eyes and waited. As he waited a few more seconds with nothing happening he opened one of his eyes and looked at his brother. The moment he did he was hugged by Raris tightly. Raris padded his back and spoke softly, it held a kindness unlike the usual Raris, but that just made it that much more real. ¡°I told Cannibal- I mean Delwyn that he could put mine in with his. You should know that we only want you to stay safe and not bring in this unnecessary risk. But at the same time, we understand following the path we choose is when we are strongest!¡± Albus heard this and smiled while he joked, ¡°Brother Raris, I¡¯m supposed to be the shameless one here. I know you guys wanted revenge don¡¯t lie!¡± Raris tilted his head while he pondered. When he thought of an answer he curled his lips and nodded firmly. ¡°A little bit.¡± He laughed as he put his arm around Albus¡¯s neck shaking him from side to side. Then Albus and Delwyn started to join in on the laughter. As they finally started to calm, Albus took his turn to pay respects to his brothers. But unlike his usual attitude he serious bowed to his brothers for a good few without saying a single word. It was obvious from this action alone how greatly he thought of his brothers. The older brothers were touched and both put a hand on his shoulder while smiling. ¡°Well, I must say I was touched by Little Al¡¯s sincerity. Finally, it is my turn.¡± As he said that he released his spirit spreading open his wings. From each wing, he took the outermost feather and plucked it from his wings. He gave the right to Delwyn and the left to Albus. He didn¡¯t even give them the chance to be confused as he continued: ¡°These feathers represent my goal. My goal is to not only fulfill Gramps¡¯ wish of opening the Heaven¡¯s Gate, but also to follow create the strongest clan and challenge Heaven¡¯s Gate!¡± Raris then pointed towards the feathers and announced, ¡°Those feathers represent my challenge to you younger brothers! If you wish to fight along with me, bring those feathers and we will bring the strongest men and women to challenge Heaven¡¯s Gate!¡± The two younger brothers were inwardly shocked. By boldly saying this, Raris was claiming he wanted to be the strongest force in the world! That also included Saints! Such a clan would be massive and take incredible amounts of strength to back up the name. But, they could tell Raris¡¯ eyes were serious. But the next moment he smiled again and returned to his calm demeanor. He then placed his fist in front of him. The two brothers realising the change in attitude returned his fist. As all their fists met, they closed their eyes one by one. No more words were spoken to one another. And one by one they left the circle with their necks held up high, their backs straight and fearless. The moment they left they were now rivals. Raris left, and then Delwyn, until finally Albus was left with a hint of reluctance he, too, left the circle and headed to his house. ------------------ The next day, the three brothers, Grandpa Shepherd stood on the edge right before Heaven¡¯s Falls. Graham was off in the distance and Pillo was in cloud form near the edge. The Brothers faced the world they would be soon challenging. Then they all turned around and deeply bowed. Grandpa Shepherd nodded happily but just as he thought they would all stand up only Raris did. Although confused Grandpa Shepherd patiently waited. Raris stepped forward and bowed sincerely again. He released his wings and he took a feather from each wing. The feathers he took were both the closest feather to his back. Before the farthest feather was the representation of his challenge but now, it meant something completely different. The feathers closest to him represented that Grandpa Shepherd would always stay in his heart forever. Grandpa Shepherd had a momentarily, shine in his eyes as he nodded towards Raris. Raris then immediately and turned, jumping off Heaven¡¯s Fall. It was unknown whether it was the mist or if there were actual tears coming from his bright yellow eyes. Next Delwyn stood up. He took a step forward like Raris before him and bowed again. He pulled out a sandwich. It was his favorite pork sandwich that he always ate. Under normal circumstances, he would give it with a slightly look of reluctance but today, he handed it to Grandpa Shepherd once more and spoke: ¡°Disciple Delwyn thanks Grandmaster for everything!¡± With that Delwyn too took his leave as he climbed on top of several Cloudsheep that would have the unfortunate responsibility of delivering him. Grandpa Shepherd was stunned in a different way however, he still nodded happily. Next, he looked towards Lil Al. The boy he took from an age before he could even walk. He raised him to be a fighter from the day he took him in. Carefully teaching him the essentials so that his journey would be easier. A bond had been formed between them and they both treated one another as a proper family member. Although Grandpa Shepherd didn¡¯t tell Albus directly about dying, he did tell him about not being his real grandfather. He also didn¡¯t know anything about his family. After a few moments, Albus finally stood up. A tear could be seen formed in his eyes. ¡®Damnit, I promised I wouldn¡¯t cry. The others didn¡¯t!¡¯ He slightly cursed himself but as Grandpa Shepherd saw those defiant eyes he chuckled to himself as he thought to himself. ¡®If only you knew that each one of your older brothers had the same look.¡¯ Albus after taking a step forward and bowing pulled out an arrow. This was an arrow that was created when his spirit weapon took form. The quiver would create as many arrows as he had Spirit Essence but it took very little. The thing about this arrow was that it was wrapped around with Cloudfur. Albus had wanted to use his own cloud spirit however, he knew it would soon lose its shape. But regardless Grandpa Shepherd gave a full smile and thought to himself. ¡®A cloud spirit intertwined with an arrow. The spirit weapon I gave him huh? Haha, what a good boy!¡¯ Then without being able to hold himself back tears started to pour down his cheeks. As he didn¡¯t want his Grandpa to see him like that he bowed again and jumped onto Pillo who was on the edge. Pillo drifted to the world below while carrying Albus who had tears streaming down his face. Grandpa Shepherd calmed down and smiled. ¡°Good boys!¡± ¡°Who do you think has the best chance Master?¡± Surprisingly it wasn¡¯t Graham who asked because at this moment there were hundreds upon hundreds of people knelt down behind Grandpa Shepherd. He faced forward and gave a hearty response: ¡°Of course all three of them. You brought good kids in this world Genir, Ida, Solumdunr, Mindred. Two pairs of couples stepped forward and bowed in unison. One man stepped forward and represented the other. ¡°We are honoured that you have high expectations for Raris and Delwyn, Master.¡± The couples retreated back to the spots after. They were excited that Grandpa Shepherd had high expectations for them. Naturally, they were the proudest themselves. Grandpa Shepherd finally turned serious and spoke: ¡°Highest of the Heavens; A Saint. As Saints, you have all failed to open Heaven¡¯s Gate. But fret not, I failed to even reach your level!¡± His subordinates didn¡¯t dare speak as they knew these were his final words. Grandpa Shepherd accepting their goodwill continued, It doesn¡¯t have to the be most talented. It doesn¡¯t have to be the strongest. It just needs to be someone who can lead everyone to protect our world. I, as your master, command you to follow the person who proves themselves worthy!¡± ¡°Yes, Master!¡± They all saluted Grandpa Shepherd. With a final nod, he gave a quick few thoughts, ¡®I¡¯m ready now Old Friend.¡¯ Surprisingly though this time a voice responded. ¡°Do you have any last words Old Man?¡± ¡®If I had to complain about one thing, it might be that you made Albus learn about how you met his mother.¡¯ Grandpa Shepherd grumbled to the voice. ¡°Haha! I just wanted him to have a touch of the person I loved most.¡± The voice laughed as Grandpa Shepherd snorted, ¡®They are nothing alike!¡¯ The voice still thought it was funny and responded, ¡°Haha I disagree, I think he¡¯s just like her!¡± ¡®Whatever, regardless, he¡¯s a good kid.¡¯ Silence followed after Grandpa Shepherd¡¯s soft words. ¡°.....Thanks for looking after him.¡± ¡°Ah whatever, You gave me a long life training as many people as I could. That is already more than your simple favour Old Friend.¡± ¡°Well, enough of that! Old man, come join me! I have enough liquor to get us drunk for eternity! Let us drink until the Seal erases our souls!¡± Grandpa gave a deep breath and gave his final response: ¡°Ah, I have lived a very busy life, I would very much like to die in a relaxed way.¡± While he held onto the items the three little boys left for him he carried his last few thoughts. The moment an arrow leaves the string it will carry on forever or disappear forever. But with the bond we formed, my spirit will stay forever with the arrow, no matter where you may go. Like that, the old man passed away with a smile on his face. He never looked away from the direction the children left as if to cheer them on after death. Map Hello just posting the map of this world. If the above image doesn''t show, feel free to click in the link below :) The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.http://imgur.com/a/ZWuZS It''s not perfect but it gives a general idea on how to keep track of where the characters are! Anyways thanks for reading~ Chapter 1: Unable To Retort Six months later¡­ ¡°Heh heh! FINALLY!¡± Albus threw his arms into the air and laughed mischievously. During this time, he had travelled to find a school that he could enroll in. As he already knew from previous knowledge, he had asked around where the nearest Primary School was. Now he had finally entered the town of ¡°Before I was still traveling just to find a single school. Luckily I only turned ten a little awhile ago.¡± While he was traveling he realized he had landed in one of the two smallest countries in the mortal realm. Thus it was no surprise to him that it would be difficult to find a school. As for him moving to a larger country was not quite his style. He would rather build himself up from the very bottom. Albus looked at the gate entrance that had an enormous line up and walked towards the back while he thought to himself, ¡®As Gramps always said: Only at the bottom can you truly see how high you need to aim.¡¯ The moment he quoted Grandpa Shepherd, he felt a sharp pain within his heart. He smiled weakly. It wasn¡¯t the first time that he thought of his Grandpa Shepherd and how he missed him and his brothers. Though Albus had Pillo to talk to it just wasn¡¯t the same. After all, if Albus said anything rude to Pillo he would take one look at the, ¡°What are you saying,¡± expression and leave it at that. While his thoughts were roaming around, he heard a deep voice: ¡°I said NEXT!¡± When he heard this roar, Albus shook his head and looked around momentarily. Upon realizing that no one was ahead of him he finally rushed forward bowing in an apologetic way. The old man nodded lightly, as if he didn¡¯t care at all for the boy, and continued: ¡°Place your hand one after another on the Totems.¡± The old man rudely said without explaining the purpose but as Albus was not a normal ten year-old child he immediately listened and placed his hand on the first Totem as he thought to himself. ¡®Hmm, do they not test the Spirit level in Primary Schools¡­ Oh wait I think I heard about this from Grandpa once. Humans aren¡¯t normally able to communicate with their spirits early on. Only when they become stronger can they. But the longer one waits the harder it becomes to cultivate.¡¯ ¡°Boy!¡± ¡°..Sorry, I¡¯ll start immediately!¡± As Albus knew exactly what the Old man was getting impatient about, he apologized and focused his Essence into the first Totem. If this was a peer he was undoubtedly be arguing back with the man. However, Albus was strictly taught one thing by his Grandpa and that was to respect to his elders. Naturally there were always exceptions but this wasn¡¯t one of those. ¡°Phew..¡± Albus took a deep breath and felt the warm sensation gather within his palm. It didn¡¯t take a lot of effort to control Essence at a basic level like this, but taking every little thing seriously was a secret that led to success! Finally the bottom face of the Totem lit up. The colour was dim and wasn¡¯t overly fascinating. Disappointed, the Old man announced the results. ¡°Essence Rank¡­.1¡­.Efficiency 5 percent.¡± ¡°Hahaha! He¡¯s a loser! Rank 1 and only 5 percent Absorption rate?!¡± ¡°He¡¯s a waste of time to train!¡± The others behind Albus laughed in an obvious way and as Albus was about to turn around and teach them his way of fighting, when the old man interrupted: ¡°Prick your finger and place a drop of blood on the second Totem, boy!¡± The elder had no hint of respect anymore in his voice which slightly rubbed Albus the wrong way, but once again it wasn¡¯t bad enough that he had to voice his complaints. Thus he placed his hand on the second Totem with a smug look. ¡®Let¡¯s see how you all react now!¡¯ Soon after the results were out and the facial expression of the old man changed immediately as he stood up! ¡°Innate Blood Rank 10! Efficiency¡­. 100 percent?!¡± The spectators at this moment shut up and didn¡¯t dare say a single word. Talent came in many ways and the Blood Rank could easily make up for it! After all, Blood rank was directly related to the strength of the body! Naturally before he chance left him, Albus took one look backward and smiled wryly. ¡°Heh heh!¡± Albus didn¡¯t need to say anything else as his laugh alone was more than enough for a finisher. Thus as the group of children heard this laugh they felt ticked off slightly. Despite their moods, they still stayed silent knowing he had an Innate Blood Rank. As the old man¡¯s expression changed greatly, so did his mannerism toward Albus. He spoke, ¡°Little one bless our school!¡± Albus bowed in respect towards the old man and followed one of the students who beckoned him to follow him. Though Albus looked satisfied he was in fact not. His talent like his eldest brother lied in his Spirit! Neither his Blood Rank nor his Essence Rank meant nothing! Why was that? Because Albus knew of someone who had a Blood Rank 1 but under no circumstance would he ever say his body was weak! ¡®Brother Cannibal sure is a monster¡­¡¯ Albus reminded himself that having an Innate Rank was garbage in comparison to true talents. Naturally Albus wasn¡¯t going to say anything and destroy the respect he had just earned. -------------- After walking some time the senior student saluted Albus and spoke: ¡°Junior, this is your room during your stay.¡± ¡°I, Albus, thank Senior!¡± ¡°There is no need for that Junior Albus. I am Baldric. Now then, I have other duties to attend to please forgive me for leaving. If you need something be sure to come find me Junior Albus.¡± Albus nodded and bowed in respect to his Senior. In a way, seniors were also elders and thus deserved the same amount of respect. Seeing that his talent didn¡¯t go to his head, Baldric smiled and left. Naturally he was happy to receive respect from Albus. ¡°Now what should I do?¡± At this moment, there was a squirming within his outer robe. He looked towards and leaked a ¡°Oops,¡± and hastily pulled out a white fluffy ball. The ball wiggled itself out of Albus¡¯s grip and fell to the ground. Soon after, it expanded in size. ¡°Ba.¡± Pillo looked at Albus with a hint of displeasure. Albus rolled his eyes at his pet¡¯s human-like expressions and jumped on Pillo. As Pillo was an intelligent animal it knew what Albus was about to do. Pillo expanded to a size easily enough to catch the incoming Albus and continually Ba¡¯d in displeasure, but Albus ignored it. ¡°Hah...It¡¯s no fun arguing with Pillow,¡± Albus sighed to himself as he muttered. Suddenly, he thought of a great idea! As he did he jumped up and started to push the cloud into a small ball, forcing Pillo to condense into his smaller form. Luckily, Pillo had been with Albus for such a long time, otherwise he wouldn¡¯t be able to handle this sort of abuse! Though Pillow complained it felt more like being massaged and because of this Pillo continued to complain so that it would continue. Albus didn¡¯t care for the small things inside his room. He didn¡¯t care about the facilities or the scenery. The endless trees and weeds didn¡¯t excite him much and neither did the school name, that he had forgotten to even look at when he entered. Thus he overlooked the small things that normal people would stare at. But now that he was looking for something in particular, he noticed these things. Soft wood was the material base for the school. From the colour darkening, it was easy to tell how old the school was. ¡°Hm, this place isn¡¯t so bad after all.¡± As Albus walked through the school grounds he could see many types of weeds growing. Most people would think of this as a laziness but after looking at it more closely, that would probably changed. ¡°Someone planted the weeds like this on purpose??¡± Albus wasn¡¯t a professional gardener by any means, but he could still tell from how the weeds grew that it was carefully planted. Unconsciously he ended following this pattern of weeds outside the school and after thinking about it for some time he finally gave up. Only when he finally gave up did he realize that he was now lost! ¡°...I don¡¯t believe this is a problem I can¡¯t handle.¡± This was what he said to himself every time he got lost in the previous six months of looking for the school. Naturally it was better to say he was always lost. Just as he turned around to start backtracking he heard a soft muffling sound. At first he had no idea what it was so he ignored it, but when he heard it again he was able to discern what it was. ¡°Sniff, Sniff, why did I get such a low result!¡± A little girl said softly behind her tears. Albus overheard this mumble and couldn¡¯t help but sneak closer. Maybe it was because he was trying to listen to the sound to get a closer idea where she was; or maybe it¡¯s because he was lost, but when he moved a bit closer, he walked into a clearing. The little girl despite her sullen mood, heard the rustling and looked towards the source of the sound. At this moment their eyes locked. Albus awkwardly scratched his chin not knowing what to say. He had seen women before so it wasn¡¯t because he was shy. Instead he definitely intruded on something he shouldn¡¯t have and wanted to apologize. Yet when he looked at those dark endless eyes streamed with tears he was forcefully shut his mouth. ¡°...Who are you?¡± The little girl tried to hide the emotions in her voice, despite her efforts some sobbing leaked out at the same time. Realizing that she hadn¡¯t recovered her emotions to speak clearly, she looked down in embarrassment, while wiping her tears. If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°...Uh.. My name is Albus. I¡¯m sorry.¡± Albus said while apologizing. Somehow he felt like he did something wrong. But, at the moment, he wasn¡¯t sure what he did. As he did this, he thought of the words Raris would always tell him: ¡°He¡¯s not so mature after all.¡± The girl suddenly giggled while covering her mouth not trying to show her pearly white teeth. She couldn¡¯t refrain herself from speaking out shyly. ¡°Why would you be sorry? Fellow Disciple Albus...is a bit weird?¡± ¡°Ha¡­ haha. I just didn¡¯t know how to react when I saw you crying and felt like apologizing.¡± Albus¡¯s words contained none of his usual temperament. Being sad was natural, and even for Albus, he wasn¡¯t going to kick someone while they were down. The girl nodded lightly and giggled once more. This time, she didn¡¯t hide her smile and as if she forgot, she rose her hand to try to hide it. Knowing full well Albus saw her, her cheeks reddened. Albus had no idea how to react when it came to this girl. He simply stood there dumbfounded. ¡®For once in my life, I think I have found someone I can¡¯t find anything to say to.¡¯ He sighed to himself, but upon realizing that the girl saw this and looked disheartened, he felt bad... again. As he immediately tried to apologize, he waved his hands around to explain himself. The girl was too quick however, and before he could say anything, she was already looking towards him with her head still down. ¡°Hur hur.¡± She laughed as she innocently lifted her head. Before letting his reaction sink in she continued. ¡°Fellow Disciple Albus is fun to tease. Forgive me as it made me feel slightly better!¡± Albus felt like vomiting blood. Usually it was the other way around and he had never once felt the feeling of being unable to speak against someone. He now truly knew how the man felt when his Master spoke out against him. Though the situation was different it didn¡¯t change how he felt! ¡®Fellow Disciple Albus is fun to tease!¡¯ This words echoed within his mind. It was an incredible blow to his confidence, but he refused to show on his expression. He would rather die than acknowledged that he lost with words, even if it was a strange meeting. ¡°Ah! Sorry, Fellow Disciple Albus. I haven¡¯t introduced myself.¡± The girl¡¯s mood changed for the better and she stood up with a slight spring in her legs. As she did Albus had no choice but to take a better look at her. She smirked more with the right side than the left, a cute charm fitting of her young age. As she walked forward her black hair tied behind her head swung back and forth. Finally as she arrived in front of Albus he was able to notice that her skin was free of any blemishes. Albus hadn¡¯t seen a lot of women, but he could tell that she was still quite beautiful. The girl smiled and spoke, ¡°My name is Laila!¡± As she announced her name, she lightly bowed in front of Albus. Albus wasn¡¯t slow in reacting and bowed in return. He had settled down during the moment it took for her to walk towards him. He then asked a question that bothered him. ¡°Fellow Disciple-¡± ¡°Please call me Laila.¡± She firmly interrupted Albus as he spoke. He wanted to retort but repeating his words as a bit of revenge but he couldn¡¯t help but remember her crying face and opted not too. ¡°Laila, will you tell me what you meant by, ¡®low result¡¯?¡± The girl looked at Albus with a smile much different from her earlier smile. One could tell that the smile switched sides, but it was anything but a smile. Albus¡¯s words touched a sore spot for Laila, and even though he was quite mature for his age there were some things that Albus just didn¡¯t understand. Laila took a deep breath and spoke even though she wanted nothing more than to forget about it. ¡°I¡¯m sure you took the test as well right Al?¡± ¡°My name-¡± ¡°The one with the Totems right?¡± Once again Laila took the upper hand by interrupting Albus not giving him the opportunity to retort. Though she knew exactly what he was going to say, as her smile switched once to her happy mood. Albus could immediately tell despite not knowing her, that his nickname was already used by her. Albus lamented to himself as he thought of how his brothers felt all these years. ¡®No wonder they felt so satisfied after beating me.¡¯ He then spoke up to confirm her words. ¡°Yes, there are two Totems, one for Blood and the other for Essence.¡± Laila nodded slowly and sighed. Hearing this slightly brought her mood down but because she teased Al earlier, she felt he deserved at least something in return. ¡°I ended up getting the lowest result in the history of the school!¡± Laila clenched her eyes shut because she knew that their encounter would just that, an encounter. She was afraid she would be casted aside with no friends and be the trash of the school. Despite her thoughts, Albus only stood there inwardly shocked. ¡®It can¡¯t be right? Gramps said that no matter the person everyone could cultivate¡­ there was no such thing as trash in this world full of Essence. Of course there were weaker spirits and people from their method of training, but born trash? That was impossible¡­ so if that¡¯s true then she can only be similar to me. Can she be like us?!¡¯ Albus immediately grabbed Laila¡¯s hand and pressure her palm with his thumb. He focused and directed his Essence into her palm before he could continue she took her hand back and shyly responded. ¡°...Shameless! How can you grab a girl¡¯s hand so casually?!¡± Laila started to blush a bit as she spoke. ¡®Oh? A weakness?!¡¯ Albus was inwardly pleased with himself at finding such a rare weakness. But he didn¡¯t dwell on his short happiness and tilted his head to the side responding to her raised voice. ¡°Easy...Look?¡± As he paused he then grabbed her hand again. This time it was a bit forceful but only enough so she couldn¡¯t escape his grip. As focused, he ignored her complaints and continued. ¡®Hmm¡­ A Firestorm spirit? This doesn¡¯t suit her at all¡­ hmm wait a minute¡­ if she had a Firestorm spirit it wouldn¡¯t be possible for her to have such a low rank.¡¯ As Albus was lost in his thoughts he focused his Essence to dive deeper into her body. At the beginning he knew, more than anyone, that a lower rank did not mean you were weaker. It usually meant that the spirit had absorbed all the Essence instead of the soul! When he thought of this and could not find any other reasoning behind this he came to one conclusion! ¡°You aren¡¯t talented¡­¡± Laila who heard these words flinched slightly. These were the words she didn¡¯t want to hear most and as she was about to run away; Albus continued to speak, ¡°If someone was to say these words¡­ they are the biggest fools in the world!¡± Hearing this loud proclamation, Laila could no longer move. Confusion filled her face, while Albus smiled. ¡°You might not know this, but there is another Rank that we are cultivators have. And that is the Spirit Rank! Normally humans absorb the Essence over time and it naturally raises our Ranks. However there is an exception to this rule. When the cultivator owns an extremely strong Spirit, the Spirits will forcefully absorb it instead!¡± Laila had initially smiled with her right side but as the words went on she could only turn to her left as she didn¡¯t believe them anymore. She had never knew of Spirits before it was only naturally that she wasn¡¯t confident even after Albus explained this. Luckily Albus knew what she was thinking and before she could slip out of his grip he explained slowly: ¡°I can prove it to you!¡± As he said that without Laila hearing he mumbled, ¡°Scatter.¡± Suddenly, a thick fog condensed in the area. It was so thick that Laila couldn¡¯t see her own hand. And when he let go of her hand, she momentarily panicked as she felt insecure within this endless world. A few moments later, a pair of hands tapped her on the shoulders. ¡°AH!¡± She jumped forward as she screamed. As she lifted her head to reprimand Albus, the Fog had already disappeared and he was standing there with a slight smirk on his face. ¡°Heh heh.¡± ¡®Ah revenge is so wonderful. No¡­ it¡¯s justice!¡¯ Albus tried to shamelessly give reason to him scaring Laila. Although surprised, with the real thing shown to her she couldn¡¯t help but nod in agreement. She didn¡¯t mind that Albus scared her because she didn¡¯t believe him. It was a just result in her opinion, but now that she knew this she couldn¡¯t help but bring up the a question. ¡°If you know how to use your Spirit, can you teach me?¡± She asked curiously. Albus looked at her in surprise. He had thought she would complain about him touching her, but instead she, quite seriously, asked him to teach her. At this moment, Albus knew she had a playful side, but she was incredibly diligent when it came to training. So when he saw her expression he nodded agreed. Of course only he knew the true reason for him helping her! ¡®If I can get her on my side, I¡¯ll never have to suffer a defeat like that again!¡¯ Chapter 2: The Firestorm! ¡°If I didn¡¯t have the intentions on helping you, I wouldn¡¯t have told you!¡± Albus answered simply. While Laila pondered, though happy on the outside, she inwardly was cautious. She was young but any child willing to step on the path of a Saint had to at least have the common sense to think for themselves. Of course that didn¡¯t mean that the unintelligent ones didn¡¯t walk on the path anyways. After all it was because they were unintelligent that they stepped on the path in the first place. ¡°Alright don¡¯t worry so much.¡± After noticing her hint of hesitation, Albus spoke up. He didn¡¯t explain himself but his words and attitude carried an air of trustworthiness. As for the reason it sounded trustworthy, she couldn¡¯t describe it perfectly but she knew that sometimes following her feelings was the right decision. Voluntarily, she reached out to grab Albus¡¯s outstretched arm. Albus gestured for her to sit down. She immediately sat down on the grass. Through her grey coloured robes given to her from the school she could feel the blades the grass bend. Albus sat behind Laila and placed his palms on her back. Even with the clothing on he was able to feel the tenderness of her muscles. She slightly jumped but as she knew it was coming she didn¡¯t say anything. Albus could tell she disliked being touched but as he had no choice, he continued. As such, he didn¡¯t waste anytime and focused his Essence throughout his body to rally. The Essence responding to the call streaming towards his palms and eventually passed the thin space between his palms and Laila¡¯s back. For him it was a warm tickle that surfaced as it exited his palms. For Laila it was a cold invading feeling that caused her to feel anxious. ¡°Relax.¡± Albus spoke softly just loud enough for Laila to hear. The cold feeling continued to invade her body and flowed towards the deepest parts of her soul. When the cold stream suddenly stopped, she called out to him. Meanwhile, Albus took the moment to thin his Essence to into a strand. It then continued to extended to the edges of her soul. ¡®Where is it?¡¯ Albus¡¯s consciousness looked on through the strand of Essence. He was no longer paying attention to his surroundings so when Laila had called out to him, he didn¡¯t answer. As she turned her head, in her peripherals she could tell that she was in a state of extreme focus. She opted to stare forward and trust him. Even though it was a matter of great importance to her. That one look at Albus was enough for her to relax. ¡®There!¡¯ Albus shouted inwardly when he saw a gate. The gate itself was ancient looking with flame like patterns on it. Compared to the small strand it was infinitely large. ¡®The Spirit Gate, a place that connects the cultivator to their spirits.¡¯ As he arrived he immediately arrived at the gate with his strand. Albus then unconsciously held his breath. It was his first time opening the Spirit Gate for someone else. Grandpa Shepherd had personally taught him how to do it. With Grandpa Shepherd''s explanation it wasn¡¯t a difficult task to carry out. The thin strand gently collided into the Gate without any strength, but the moment it did a loud sound echoed. The shockwave spread throughout Laila¡¯s body. As for Laila the moment Albus touched her Spirit Gate she was immediately able to feel its existence even before the shockwave spread out she already knew what she had to do. Though not as experienced with Essence control as Albus she was still able to steam her Essence towards the Spirit Gate. Albus already knew what he did all he could and retracted his Essence. Just as he left her body, she arrived and knocked the Gate once more calling out to her spirit. She prayed towards the spirit to open, ¡®Please come out!¡¯ The ancient gate reacting to her Essence slowly opened. Through the crack a tremendous amount of heat escaped through the gate. Flames flickered like tongues from the small crack and Laila panicked. Albus who noticed the sudden change in attitude immediately fall backwards and rolled away. He didn¡¯t have enough time to even stand up. But luckily for him as he rolled back, he just barely missed the flame tornado that appeared. ¡°That...might be a problem.¡± His head faced Laila, but he was already running the opposite direction. A look of worry could be seen at the thought of her being injured. ¡°Why is this happening?¡± He couldn¡¯t figure out the reasoning for the sudden change. Before when he saw both of his brothers and himself bridge their Spirit Gates, they had immediately been able to control their spirits, albeit very weakly. However, Laila the moment she connected the spirit she lost her control of the spirit. His mind reeled, he continued to remember the things Grandpa Shepherd reminded him about Spirits. As he continued to think about a solution he quickly grabbed a nearby tree. As the tornado gained strength the suction force did as well. However the worst part was still the flames that danced within the tornado. Thus holding the tree was only a temporary solution. He had to find a way not only for himself but also to save Laila. He continued to run through his memories cursing himself when he could not find the answer. It was then that suddenly he could see a small opening between the flame pillar. Albus could see the fear covering Laila¡¯s face. Though she didn¡¯t look conscious, she was shivering in fear and from the pain. The image soon disappeared, replaced by the rage storm once again. ¡°...This is my fault but I know how to fix it now!¡± He thought back to the words of wisdom that his Gramps once bestowed them: ¡°Fearing one¡¯s spirit is like fearing oneself. If one does, how can they control themselves?¡± Albus held the tree as he shouted out, ¡°Laila! Don¡¯t fear your Spirit! Let it become one with you!¡± A few moments later with no response was enough to tell Albus that she was completely separated from the real world. At the same time, Laila was in front of her Spirit Gate shivering. She had never felt such destructive power in her entire life. It caused her to fear this unknown power dwelling inside her. She continued to sit there completely oblivious of the muffled sounds from the outside world calling her. ¡°Shit¡­I didn¡¯t expect her fear to be so strong!¡± He cursed to the heat wave in front of him. Although it looked like he wa hesitant to move he immediately let go of the tree and spoke: ¡°Scatter!¡± Albus twirled his body so it looked like he was falling straight into the tornado. But with his own spirit, he materialized his Cloudstep under his feet. The cloud stopped him from being sucked into the tornado but his face fell the moment he gained his balance. ¡°Damn. I don¡¯t have enough experience using Cloudstep yet!¡± He jumped off the cloud and materialized another. The earlier cloud crumbled and disappeared. The heat simply melted the frozen cloud as soon as any pressure touched it. Forcing Albus to jump continuously from cloud to cloud. Luckily, Albus¡¯s intentions needed him to continue moving anyways. He continued to jump from cloud to cloud spiraling around the tornado preventing him from being sucked in. As he did he eventually continued to climb higher in the sky! Eventually he the suction power was less and less, but that didn¡¯t change the amount of heat. So the only thing that changed as he went higher was the angle he stood on the clouds. This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. ¡°I have to hurry before others arrive!¡± Albus wanted nothing more than to leave before the arrival of other students and teachers. It was obvious to him that if they saw what happened here, questions would arise. His speed rose as he was the suction weakened. When he was finally above the tornado he held out his hand. At this moment his spirit bow condensed and fit snugly in his hand. He knocked an arrow and pointed towards the fire storm! He tightly gripped the end of the arrow and spun the bow.. The string of the bow started to tighten but as it continued to tighten, it still never reached a point of firmness. It continued to stretch as long as Albus continue to spin it. ¡°I need to counteract the spinning of the tornado¡­¡± As he muttered he realized that even though he could potentially counteract it the window he had to approach Laila would be incredibly short before it reappeared. ¡°That doesn¡¯t matter! This is my fault to begin with!¡± Albus didn¡¯t care about anything else. It was his fault she was in this place and it was as simple as that. He, himself had a vast sea of knowledge that Grandpa Shepherd carefully taught. As such he didn¡¯t even think about the consequences of his actions. Thus he felt guilty about the result. Finally he stopped spinning the arrow. He had wanted to spin it more, as insurance, however he didn¡¯t have time to waste as people would surely notice the disturbance. Although the tornado didn¡¯t reach above the trees it was still loud! ¡°2nd Style¡­. Hurricane Shot!¡± He roared and released the arrow. It momentarily hovered in the air as the arrow spun faster and faster. Suddenly the arrow shot forward with a force that caused it to disappear without trace. Of course Albus knew where the arrow was and followed after it!. He fell down head first and bent his knees. He materialized a cloud underneath his feet and¡­ pushed off of it! From the time the arrow begun to spin, less than a blink of time passed. The arrow collided with the firestorm. The spin of the tornado and the arrow started to battle each other while Albus launched himself towards it. Suddenly the tornado weakened just a bit but that tiny bit was enough for the arrow to completely overpower it! It blew apart the arrow and flames scattered everywhere. As the flames scattered they disappeared. ¡°Now¡¯s my chance!¡± Albus dropped down below. As he fell he could already see the fire starting to reappear. He bit his lip and hoped that he would make it. Fortunately, he was able to arrive before the tornado reappeared. Unfortunately, as he shook Laila there was no answer from her. ¡°Laila!¡± He didn¡¯t have the time to enter with his own Essence to wake her. At the moment he was only left with one option! He had to directly wake her by channelling his Essence within her! He sat behind her as tightly as possible. If Laila was awake she would more than likely punch him a few times for getting too close. With time running out he sat down and sent his Essence deep inside her quickly reaching her soul. It was at that moment that the firestorm resurfaced. It started to scorch his body. His colour change but despite the pain he still focused his Essence deeper! ¡°Laila!¡± Laila deep within her soul jolted twitched when she heard Albus. ¡°..Al?¡± She looked towards the source of the voice only to find a weak strand approach. With her knees weakly shaking she rushed over to strand of Essence. As Laila grabbed it Albus spoke to her. ¡°Laila, don¡¯t fear what is part of you. You must embrace your own power!¡± His voice weakened as the strand started to fade away into nothing. ¡°Al!?¡± Laila¡¯s eyebrows furrowed and looked worried. Seeing the strand disappeared she knew something must have happened. Even though the situation was different from expected she still believed Albus. She gained insight and approached the door. With a steel heart, grabbed the burning gate. ¡°Ah!¡± The gate burnt her skin, despite being her own power. Despite this she held on muttering to herself. ¡°I can¡¯t fear it!¡± She gripped harder the door, leaking out voices full of pain. Her pale white skin started to reddened and blood broke through. Laila pulled as hard as she could but no matter how hard she pulled the door refused to open! She panicked and started to feel anxious. She became worried for Albus¡¯s sake, worried that this power would harm him. She wasn¡¯t worried about the pain she had to endure! She felt worry from harming the first person to approach her at this school! She bit her lip and tears started to run down her face. Before the tears begun to drop they disintegrated from the heat of the Gate. Many expressions could be seen on her face, but the one that dominated them all was stubbornness! She screamed as the pain grew, but to cover up her pain she spoke: ¡°I refuse to lose the first person to show kindness to me! Spirit! I will accept you if you vow to protect me and my friend!¡± BOOM! The gate swung open and Essence filled her entire body. She could feel strength spread throughout her body. As the feeling spread it felt like she gained something she always had. She could then see deep inside the Spirit Gate. There a Firestorm infinitely large spun around without resistance. The look she carried was no longer fear, but pride. This was her spirit, it didn¡¯t matter if it was destructive. It was only as destructive as she would let it be! As she carried this determination she blinked and suddenly she was back. The firestorm disappeared before she regained consciousness. As she woke up, she felt a heavy burden on her back. She turned to look to see Albus! She wanted to scream and jump up, but she noticed the blood and his burnt skin. She once again panicked and turned her body without moving Albus. He fell into her bosom completely unconscious as he did one thing appeared from inside his robes. ¡°Ba!¡± A small white sheep complained unhappily. Pillo¡¯s singed fur caused him to look over his body. Pillo had never felt so displeased before in his entire life! But he didn¡¯t complain towards his master. He only looked at Laila with a serious expression. As the sheep could see the pained gaze as she stared back at the sheep, it ba¡¯d once more and expanded! Laila had wanted to resist, but the force was too strong and she disappeared along with Albus! The miraculous part about a Cloudsheep that they could suck in the moisture in the air to replenish their fur. Despite the air being dry from the firestorm, Pillo still gathered enough to expand into a cloud and rose into the air. The three disappeared without a trace just before a group of people rushed to the scene. As they saw the scene their jaws dropped and they couldn¡¯t help but call out, ¡°What happened here?!¡±