Zilan shrugged off the killing intent, minding his own business as he trekked back to the camp.
Along the way, thoughts of Tausi occupied his mind however, these were not thoughts of interest or attraction. No, in truth Zilan could tell that there was something afoot, he didn’t know what just yet, but he had a nose for schemes after having been at the centre of a sinister one for almost half of his life.
As he approached the house, Zilan heard muffled explosions and a series of crashing noises coming from within. Fearing that something had gone wrong, he did not hesitate to release his full speed and head towards the training chamber.
Barely a breaths worth of time had passed and Zilan was already inside the training chamber however, what he saw caused him to have a strange facial expression.
Before him, was Fujo cackling as he hurled things towards the awakened Kifo. The interesting thing though was that everything that was being hurled at Kifo would immediately corrode and disintegrate upon slight contact with his body.
“Hahahaha, not bad, not bad, you’re training has paid off. You now have no equal when it comes to trash disposal.” Joked Fujo with his hands behind his back.
Kifo smiled hearing this,
“I don’t know if I have no equal yet but at least you will never reach my level. Come, I’ll handle everything you can throw at me.” He said.
Kifo’s words may have sounded light-hearted and amusing but when looking into his eyes, Zilan could see a sense of relief and exhaustion hidden deep within. It was like a war veteran who had finally come home and was relishing just playing a simple game of catch with his son.
‘It must have been tough.’ Thought Zilan as he sighed.
Looking at Kifo’s current appearance, he couldn’t help but nod his head. ‘It looks like it was worth it though.’
“Fujo, you can catch up with Kifo later. Let’s first let him rest, then we’ll talk.”
Fujo was no fool, he wasn’t playing such a crude game with Kifo just because he felt like it. When Kifo had abruptly woken up much to his shock, the look he had on his face honestly struck fear into him. It wasn’t because of how ferocious he looked but rather it seemed like Kifo had lost all compassion for life. Not his own life of course, but simply life in general. He was like the embodiment of death and his gaze seemingly wanted to drag Fujo down to the netherworld.
It was only after a few advances and jokes that he seemed to recover, slowly becoming the Kifo of old. Unfortunately, Fujo could tell that the changes Kifo had gone through were permanent, not just his bodily transformation but also temperament-wise.
Zilan was following Fujo out of the training chamber when he heard Kifo call out, “Boss, wait a minute.”
The word ‘Boss’ no longer sounded forced at all when he said them this time, catching Zilan off guard.
“What is it?” asked Zilan, smiling all the while.
“That place….”
“Do not speak of it.” Warned Zilan. “There are forces beyond our control that cannot be messed with. Tell no one of what you experienced there, as long as you’re back I’m happy.”
Kifo’s heart warmed hearing that, a feeling he hadn’t experienced for what seemed like an eternity.
“Does that logic still hold if ‘that place’ no longer exists?”
Zilan’s eyes widened in disbelief, “That’s impossible! That place is……”
Seeing this Kifo relaxed a little bit, a weight lifted off his chest ‘So he didn’t know.’
“The place isn’t destroyed, it’s just…not the same as it used to be.”
Zilan’s eyes lit up with a trace of understanding but although he wanted to know more, there were things better left unknown.
“Kifo, whatever you’ve experienced, no matter how tough it was. I need you to understand that it was necessary.”
“I know.” Smiled Kifo.
“Then that’s good. Just because I’m your Boss does not mean that all our secrets should be shared. Regardless of what happened, letting me know would bring more harm than good. Do not underestimate the forces that govern that place.”
Kifo’s mind drifted away, recalling a scene that he was unable to describe. He then came back to reality and stared hard at Zilan.
“I understand.”
The response may have come off as simple however, beneath its simplicity, there was something else that Zilan was able to detect.
‘Looks like he’s found himself another goal.’ Despite not knowing what it was, he could more or less gather from Kifo’s expression that he was longing for something. What it was, to Zilan, did not matter. As long as it effectively motivated his brother to strive for greatness, he was on board.
“You should rest. We’ll talk more tomorrow.” Said Zilan, waving his hand as he turned around.
Kifo stared at his back, his mind suddenly became clear. ‘How far have I closed the gap between our abilities? Or has it further widened during my time away?’
Although he had left for quite some time experiencing all manner of life changing circumstances, his original goal of not being left behind still stood strong.
……………………….
Leaving Kifo to rest, Zilan moved to his room. He paced about the room, wracking his brain over something.
“He’s changed so much………what exactly happened over there?”
Thinking up to there, he sighed knowing that the answer to that question would not come anytime soon. If he was to ask he would probably get an answer but the consequences of that was something the current him could not handle.
“Unceremoniously opening the gate for him was already a huge risk, if I delve even further into the heritage of those who hail from the netherworld then my death will come not too far into the future.”
A smile surfaced on his face as he thought about the features of the netherworld that were represented on Kifo’s body. The white fur, the ancient inscriptions, the soulless silver eyes.
“And the Origin laws of Death.”
Getting familiar with the Origin laws was something even Zilan had yet to accomplish. Kifo had beaten him to the punch in substantially less time no less.
Zilan was neither angered nor frustrated about it though. In fact, he was not just happy for his friend and brother but also exceedingly proud. He of all people knew just how hard he’d worked to get to his current prowess however, regardless of their starting point, Kifo was not well versed in the ways of the Universe outside of this small plane which made his accomplishment all the more impressive.
There was no cheating when it came to getting closer to the Origin laws and the mere fact that he was able to achieve it just proves how hard he worked to get to this point.
The Origin laws were like the generals or gods of all the laws within their element or category. For example, in water there were laws of viscosity and laws of flow as well as countless others however, governing all of these laws was none other than the Origin law of water.
Even with his innate great affinity for the water element, Zilan had yet to reach the level of becoming intimate with the Origin laws. Of course, there was that instance above the lake when he was interrupted but nevertheless the fact was, he had still not attained the level that Kifo has when it came to law affinity.
As for who between the two was stronger. Zilan just smiled as the thought sprung into his mind.
“A Boss still has his pride. I won’t lose….ever.”
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An – *Hint* The extra chapters for the Emerald Dragon tier this month will be quite an interesting read…..Or so I’m told. *disappears into the darkness whilst snickering mischievously*
P.s – A deep dive into Kifo’s experience whilst he was away is not really necessary at this stage of the plot however, it makes for a good story and that is why it is exclusive to the Emerald dragon tier. Of course somewhere down the line, Kifo’s experience will eventually be released….just not as detailed. (for fairness purposes)
Important announcement ;
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