Chapter 29 – Rebirth

*fizz*

The lightning thread completely disintegrated into thin air as soon as Calron drew it slightly.

“Huh?”

Calron dumbly stared at the bow in his hands. Besides the faint yellow glow, the bow was exactly the same as before, and all the essence it had just absorbed seemed to have vanished as well!

“What just happened?”

Calron was utterly perplexed. Hoping it was a fluke, he gathered a huge amount of essence again and willed it into the dark bow.

The yellow glow of the patterns brightened for a moment as the lightning thread formed once more. The string of lightning bolts appeared to be a bit thicker than before. Reaching to draw again, Calron pulled the essence string.

*fizz*

Although Calron could draw it slightly more this time, it still disintegrated after a few seconds.

“Hmm, it seems that this bow requires a huge amount of essence in order to use it.”

After realizing what the problem was, Calron softly sighed.

He knew that it was just wishful thinking to hope he could use a weapon that emitted such a profound baleful aura with merely his Spiritual stage strength.

Storing the metal bow back inside his body, Calron lay on top of his bed.

“Thunder’s Hand… this bow has some sort of connection with lightning and that mysterious locket. I wonder why my father had this locket in the first place…sigh, if my Teacher were here, he would be able to answer some of my questions. How long will he take to recover? I really miss him…”

With a wistful groan, Calron turned to his side and slowly closed his eyes.

Within his dreams, various images flickered, ranging from bloody wars to a large bird with lightning bolts.

………………

Feeling the sun’s rays boring through his eyes, Calron groggily stared outside the window.

He immediately tucked his head back inside his blanket and turned his body to the other side to escape from the sunlight.

Suddenly, he felt a massive weight on his legs. It was almost as if a baby elephant had just sat on them.

“FATTY! Get the hell off of my bed!”

Realizing that the baby elephant was actually Fatty, Calron furiously bellowed while kicking the chubby boy with his feet.

“Ouch! Big brother, no need to be so mean! That hurts, you know I already got kicked around yesterday because of you!”

Fatty mumbled as he rubbed his bottom, while Calron slowly got off the bed.

After a quick brush of his teeth and a hurried cleanup, Calron returned to find Fatty rolling around in his bed.

Shaking his head, Calron yelled.

“Fatty, let’s go!”

……………………….

After their breakfast at the gathering hall, Calron and Fatty left to go to the forest as they gave a quick goodbye to Gretha.

Looking at the two boys leaving together, Gretha gave out a low chuckle. The two youngsters were almost polar opposites of each other, both physically and in their personalities.

One was skinny and pale, while the other was chubby and energetic. Calron was a nice boy, but he rarely talked to others and seemed to have a mysterious atmosphere around him. On the other hand, Roran was a cheerful kid who was almost always goofing around or shoving food in his mouth.

Giving a final smile towards the young pair, Gretha went back to her work.

………………….

In a few minutes Calron and Fatty had finally reached the start of the forest, and the whole time, Fatty either gasped or exclaimed in wonder at the new sights in front of him.

“Master told me this was an Artifact that is a special treasure of the Red Boar School. He said the School Head let him use it as his home, so Master doesn’t have to interact with others.”

Calron explained while the two boys were walking towards Elias’ hut.

“But Master is so strong! Why does he need to hide from others?”

Fatty curiously inquired. From his experience yesterday, it was obvious that even though the old man was blind, he was extremely powerful! Just based on the movement skill he saw alone, it was comparable to the Martial Arts of his family!

“I think Master doesn’t like drawing attention to himself, and besides, he told me once that against some Vajra stage experts, he won’t even be their match.”

“Hey big brother! Have you realized something yet? From today onwards, we will be cultivation brothers as well! Hehe, I will show you just how awesome I am!”

As Fatty playfully boasted, Calron just gave him a smug smirk.

“Fatty, you are forgetting that I’m your senior disciple. Master has already taught me some powerful moves! If I was allowed to use the Blood Legacy during my fight with Chax, I could have easily defeated him!”

Calron proudly gloated, while Fatty turned a disbelieving look towards him.

“Of course, big brother. And I’m secretly a princess in disguise!”

Fatty sarcastically responded. He had felt a powerful aura around Calron when first saw him, but after knowing that he was a Lightning elementalist, the logic in Fatty’s mind could not associate Calron with someone strong.

Aware that Fatty did not believe him, Calron gave up on trying to convince him and cracked a grin when he thought about how he will be able to give a thrashing to Fatty when they sparred!

Meanwhile, Fatty completely ignored Calron’s grin.

After a few minutes, the familiar hut of Elias soon appeared within Calron’s sight and he grabbed Fatty’s arm, as they both rushed towards the humble hut.

………………….

An old man sat seated in a meditative pose.

His upper body was bare, as the thick muscles rippled under the sun’s rays. There were countless traces of scars spread across his skin, some of which appeared to be caused by claw marks while others seemed to be clean cuts from a sword. With his silver hair tied neatly in a simple ponytail, the old man emitted a violent and bloodthirsty aura into his surroundings.

Just as the two boys were starting to feel pressured by the aura, the old man abruptly opened his eyes.

“Good, you’ve come on time. Calron, you can practice your Formless Fist if you want, and I will pass on the Blood Legacy to Roran in meantime.”

“Yes, Master.”

Calron responded as he started walking towards the lake. He had decided that the open air and the natural environment might help give better results in his training.

As Calron left, Elias stood up and turned towards Fatty.

“Roran, what do you think the Blood Legacy is?”

“Um, big brother told me it had something to do with bloodlust or killing?”

Fatty hesitantly answered.

“True, but not completely. The Blood Legacy is one that follows the path of destruction and violence. Although all Legacy Inheritors train in battles and war, their main purpose is to increase the understanding of their Martial path of either their weapon or fist. The Blood Legacy is completely different. There is no justice or virtue in our path, we kill what needs to be killed, and we are neither the heroes nor the villains, as we simply forge our own path in this cruel world.”

Elias calmly explained to the wide-eyed boy in front of him.

“Our Legacy is not the path of a weapon, but a path soaked in the blood of others. Your greatest battle will be controlling that bloodlust, and the rest you will understand once you inherit it. There will be no going back after you get baptized in the legacy’s blood. Do you still wish to become my disciple?”

Elias knelt down and looked fixedly into Fatty’s eyes, as he softly asked the last question.

Gazing into those unnatural glowing eyes, Fatty felt his heart tremble at the sight.

Clenching his fists, Fatty gathered up his determination and returned the fierce look towards Elias.

“My desire had always been to cast away my fate as a cripple and seize my own destiny. If this Blood Legacy will give me the power I need, then I will gladly embrace it and walk the path of blood.”

Fatty responded in a cold low voice.

Hearing the boy’s determination, Elias gave a slight smile.

“Roran, you and Calron will be the future of this Legacy. Do not let its fire be extinguished!”

With a solemn declaration, Elias slashed his palm with a dagger.

“Kneel.”

Fatty slowly got on his knees in front of his Master and bowed his head. After a few seconds, he felt a warm wetness on his forehead and he knew that it was his Master’s blood. Just as the blood dripped into his eyes, he heard Elias’ voice.

“From today onwards, you will walk in the path of blood. Destruction and Carnage will be your sworn brothers and follow wherever you go. May the God of War bless and look favorably upon you and give rise to your valor. I, Elias Salazar Xuria, hereby acknowledge you as my Inheritor and pass on my will and Legacy to you. Do you accept?”

“I do, Master.”

“The first blood has been shed. From this day on forth, you will walk in the path of blood, alongside your brother. Let your transformation begin.”