26 Memories Of The Past 1 (2/2)

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Astrona sighed nostalgically as he looked at the sleeping boy, ”Ai. He's 10-years-old already, where has all the time gone? A child's world of simplicity and purity... it only lasts so long, huh?”

”The world isn't so bad, father. Your outlook is just far too negative.” Ced shook his head with a smile.

Astrona's eyes held back a sadness, ”I hope so, Ced. I truly do.”

Faline impeded, ”Ced! Did you invite Icrin's friends over? It's his 10th birthday after all, I'm sure he's looking forward to Haz, Tsyun, and the others coming over, no?”

Ced whispered to Astrona, ”Such simplicity and purity... after meeting Faline, I'm afraid you might be right about that.” Ced then yelled out quickly, ”Of course, dear, I'll be right back.”

Astrona chuckled softly as Ced hurried off in mock-fright, closing his eyes as time continued to pa.s.s.

An hour had pa.s.sed by, Ced had returned alongside a retinue of young adults, among which were the quintet of Haz's group. Their faces were still immature and clean - yet to be marked by the flames of battle and the scars of life.

”Hey, Ced, where's Icrin at?” Haz asked.

”Sleeping right now. And watch your way of speaking to me, Haz. Pretty soon, you'll be calling me elder. Hmm, why not start calling me Elder Brother for that matter, huh?” Ced placed his hand on his chin thoughtfully.

Haz smiled darkly as he pushed up his gla.s.ses, ”Hmph. In your dreams, Ced. I'll definitely catch up to you. Maybe I'll even be a grand elder, huh?”

Ichi questioned, ”Hoy! Icrin's really sleeping? At a time like this? It's his tenth birthday, there's no way he could be that calm, right?”

”Uh-hm. I still need to check out how far he has developed his bo staff technique. Even if he has relinquished the sword, I will make sure to help him hone his ability. s.h.i.+n, wake him up, wont you?” Phu instigated.

s.h.i.+n smiled obnoxiously, ”Hehe. Just leave it to me, will you?” He entered the house, approaching the door to Icrin's room. Grabbing the handle, the door creaked open with a small turn.

”Wakey-wakey!” He laughed sheepishly, approaching the bed. Covering the bed was a blanket, under which clearly lie a moderate-sized figure. ”Still asleep?” s.h.i.+n smiled, yanking the blanket from the bed.

Silence. Absolute silence.

Everyone was in shock, their gazes blank - under the blanket were nothing more than two pillows, making up the size of Icrin's body.

While they were shocked, no one expressed any sort of panic. After all, Icrin was quite the trickster himself; not to mention, the village itself was safe.

In their shock, no one had noticed Tsyun slip away from the group. He left the house, cross the pavement towards the far end of the village, more specifically - the five statues and Ancestral Hall.

Tsyun thought to himself, 'Hmph. That rascal! It took Ichi's speculation for me to understand the situation. After all, how could Icrin sleep in on such an occasion? He's probably been eagerly awaiting his bloodline awakening the entire night, huh?' Amidst his train of thoughts, he couldn't help but ponder over giving him a good whooping.

For Tsyun to figure it out, it was only natural the others would come to realize it as well. After all, considering Icrin was a child, it wasn't all that difficult to realize what had happened. As for why they hadn't realized it sooner, much had to do with the factor of surprise and calmness.

The village hadn't encountered many disturbances since its creation, their lives dedicated to simple tranquility. The sole source of action for the village was generally hunting, and so, the village was lax in terms of regulations. Furthermore, there was the stone wall and reinforced gates which served as security for the village.

”Truly your child, Ced.” Astrona held his head tiredly.

”Your grandson!” He refuted.

Faline sighed, ”Ai. Truly your child.”

Ced could almost cough blood, ”Oh? You say he's my child, now? Any other time you say: 'my child.' Hah. Never mind that, let's get going. I'd hate for Icrin to awaken his bloodline while we're not there to see it.”

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Together the group set out towards the statues and Ancestral Hall.

Six statues entered their view. The bird, fox, snake, wolf, bear - and Icrin?

At this moment, Icrin stood still, his face so pale that he looked lifeless. Considering how life-like the statues were, and how lifeless Icrin looked, one couldn't help but question which was the actual statue.

Behind him stood Tsyun, a ghastly gaze in his eyes, ”Icrin, do you enjoy causing unnecessary trouble?”

Icrin yelped in fright, laughing nervously, ”N-n-no! Of course not, elder brother Tsyun. He... hehe....” As the group came into view, his eyes lit up, it was as if his saviors had arrived.

His parents and grandfather's gazes held a sense of malevolence, and so, Icrin decided the only logical thing to do was, ”Eldest brother Haz! Help! Please! Phu, your sword techniques, I wish to see them before I am to die! Please! Ichi, your cooking, one last taste, I beg! And s.h.i.+n! Your muscles, I wish to see what they can do in battle! Just once, just once!” He cried out desperately, appealing to each of them individually.

The four of them weren't fools, they knew what he was doing. But, that didn't matter. There was a certain satisfaction that insured they'd act, and so, they prepared to take action against Tsyun, who seemed not like a demon, but a devil from the depths of h.e.l.l.

”Settle down now, children.” An old man in a flashy black and white robe spoke up, only blissfulness present in his voice.

Behind him was another man donning the same colored robe, smiling ear-to-ear from all the lively activity.

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