Getting out of the underground was easy compared to the near three months Liam spent underground.
He exited from a cave-like crevice that led to a wide opening into a hill – which he quickly climbed atop. It was night time, and the moonlight cast a silver hue on Liam’s face.
A gust of wind made him realize how much he missed fresh air, and any smell that wasn’t rotten.
‘Wow.’
Liam exclaimed, in awe at how far he could see with the King’s Eye – even the tiniest ant didn’t escape his vision, despite the darkness – not to mention he could distinguish ‘Ora’ patterns and concentration surrounding him.
He could even discern individual leaves on a tree from a mile away.
Liam spread his senses. There wasn’t anything in the 150 meters range except for a few weak magical beasts and empty land.
His ‘mental muscle’ had grown to an amazing level during his seclusion – he didn’t have anything else to train except his consciousness, after all.
The hill below him still shook for a good minute before abruptly ceasing. Now and again, slight tremors momentarily shook, before stopping once and for all.
That felt strange to him. Zeniths were so powerful, yet they were unable to break through a mere cave underground.
‘I guess that’s the limit of the fourth Rank. They can’t shatter the earth or pierce through the sky. That’s bound to change in the future ranks, though. Especially the seventh.’
A moment later, Liam steeled his gaze. He hadn’t forgotten Emma’s betrayal for a minute – he merely suppressed those feelings to focus on survival.
Of course, he wanted to reunite with Eve, Lloyd, Rogan and Revel right away, to assure their worries and apologize for all the months he disappeared.
But revenge took precedence. He couldn’t let a loose end walk freely. He began to run towards Ucladd.
Taking out his Jade connected with Lloyd’s, he imbued it with ‘Ora’.
***
Three months ago.
ROAAAR!
Following the Lava Lion’s bellow, chaos and disarray spread among the cultivators.
Most of them had their mental spheres shattered, and those who were lucky enough to survive were horribly maimed.
Lloyd was one of the lucky few who didn’t have any life-threatening injuries. He had retracted his consciousness just before the roar, covering himself with mental energy.
Pain invaded his mind, but he tolerated those feelings to look at his disciple.
Before he could find him, a syllable rang from above.
“Beast!”
BOOM!
Lloyd managed to get behind a thick covering of trees and shrubbery just as the giant arms collided with the Rank 4 beast.
Still, he was sent flying away, skin charred and flesh sizzling. He managed to block his face from the majority of the fire using his hands, but the harsh flames seeped through the cracks of his fingers.
Lloyd crashed against the stump of a distant tree.
By the time his consciousness steadied, the roars and explosions had already ended.
The Lava Lion’s body was utterly maimed, its limbs broken and flesh cooked. The single attack from the patriarch had completely incapacitated it.
The patriarch slowly descended.
Lloyd watched from a distance as the Zenith ranked cultivator punched the beast once in the head with a flaming fist, releasing another shockwave throughout the area, and dislodging the lion’s neck from its body – its eyes popping out from their sockets.
With that, the Rank 4 magical beast was no more.
Flicking his sleeve, the hill-sized Lava Lion had been absorbed into the patriarch’s ring.
Shooting one last indifferent look below, he flew up and soared away, heading towards the wealthy side.
Regret, anger, and guilt was visible in Lloyd’s eyes. He healed his body with ‘Ora’, enough to bear the remaining pain and enter the battlefield where the Zenith’s fought.
The environment was still burning with thick flames, but Lloyd pushed past the burning sensations and searched.
Soulless bodies continued to burn, spreading ashes that the wind scattered forth. Among them, hunters, guards and scouts.
Despite searching all around, Lloyd couldn’t find his student’s body.
His gaze fell to the canyon gorge, his senses screaming danger.
“Tell me you lived, Liam.”
…
The following months were slow and filled with grief. Many lives were lost on that day – nicknamed the ‘day of loss’ – but the townsfolk came together to rebuild their community.
For one, the guild base had been kept up, since the nobles thought it’d be better for any upcoming beast tides – causing the strengths of common cultivators to rise exponentially.
Ever since Lloyd had come back from that battlefield, he had visited his student’s mother once – to tell her Liam was MIA.
The news hit her more critically than Lloyd imagined, as she began sobbing on the spot. To the best of his ability, Lloyd attempted to calm her down, and promised Eve he’d find him.
She was too distraught to pay any heed to his words, slamming the door shut and secluding herself in her home.
At the same time, Eve was boiling with grief and anguish. The pain of losing a son wouldn’t leave one for multiple life times, and she had no one to share that burden with. .𝘤𝑜𝑚
Lloyd hadn’t stopped searching for Liam since that day, but nothing had turned up.
…
On the other hand, Rogan found it strange that his student hadn’t arrived for their session. At first, he’d denied that Liam died… no way.
But then a week passed, then a month.
By then, all that was left was regret.
“It’s always those with talent and a promising future that get snuffed out early,” Rogan clicked his tongue in anger, before using his forging to cope with the loss.
…
Meanwhile, Revel’s condition grew poorer over the coming months – only made worse by his missing disciple. Liam would be his inheritor, the one to continue his Blood Weaving and bring him the glory he deserved.
Revel was never one to hold hope, but something about that kid made him believe he wasn’t dead.
“Damn rascal! I don’t have much time left, get back already!”
…
Lloyd was in one of the underground restaurants having a drink, his features covered with exhaustion and regret.
Sighing, he took another sip from his mug, when suddenly, a Jade in his pocket started glowing.
Eyes widening, he yanked the Jade out of his pocket and answered it.
Liam’s voice coming from the other end made Lloyd smile from ear to ear.