“Why, hello there, You really have your brother’s eyes-”
Samantha looked at the weird tall man, if her grandfather weren’t here, she would have probably screamed and alerted Eden’s security. But there was something that told her that it wouldn’t really do anything.
Was it a side effect of being near her brother all the time? Because of him, she met multiple people that could be considered strong, Her brother, the guild master of Twilight, and many of Twilight’s members… Each one of them exuded a certain type of…pressure.
But this man didn’t. Her grandfather was a normal man, while the boy near him, the one with blond hair and depressed face, exuded pressure. But the man did not.
“Hmm… Did I do something wrong?”
Perhaps it was just her… but the fact that she didn’t sense anything from him…made her feel scared. There was always the possibility that he was some ordinary old man like her grandfather, but then…what reason would her grandfather have to bring him here? “Ah!”
She didn’t know who the youth was as well, and her tensions only grew when her grandfather refrained from speaking.
She…was getting scared.
“I know! Here, have some candy! Kids loved these back in my days.”
He took out a candy from his pocket that she didn’t recognize, not at all. And the old man opened it up and said.
“Here, aaahhh.”
“HE-”
She tried screaming for help, but the moment she tried to do so the old man put the candy in her mouth, quite happy with himself.
“I knew kids loved candy.”
She didn’t, not this incredibly sour one that tasted like the ashes of someone’s grandma. She didn’t know what that tasted like, but this was probably a fair comparison.
Unfortunately…due to her shock, she had swallowed the thing.
“Master… She is about to cry.”
The youth commented, looking at her with sad eyes. Those eyes also seemed to contain a bit of sympathy for her… Could he have been subjected to this horror of a candy too?
“Come here, Sam…”
Her grandfather took her hand and comforted her.
“He isn’t a bad man… Master Arken is just… like that.”
“Hmm? What did I do? That candy was the hot stuff back in my days.”
What Arken had just given Samantha was a candy developed during the times of war, one that was specifically made to be sour and nutritious to make a soldier as active as possible. Of course, children of the peaceful age would hate it…when even veteran soldiers detested it.
“It’s ok, Sam, he is someone your brother sent.”
Samantha was still holding back her vomit until they got into a car, The youth began to drive, and she sat with her grandfather in the back.
“I’m actually Alan’s master, you know, the one who taught him a lot of stuff. Haha!”
The man finally took off the mask, his glasses, and his ridiculous hat, finally he seemed like a normal man, one that Samantha wouldn’t be scared of.
He simply had a fierce look on his face. The man, who her grandfather called Master Arken was peculiar. He was seemingly struggling with trying to put a suitable song on the radio. He kept making small talk with her Grandfather.
“So, Master Arken, how is Alan these days?”
It was mostly her grandfather asking about his grandson…and Master Arken complaining.
“These days? I haven’t seen him in so long, I’m wondering if he thinks he is above me or something! He hasn’t shown up for training at all! Who knows, he might even be dead.”
That last sentence worried both her and her grandfather.
“Lucas, how do I access classical music on this thing?”
She also learned the name of the man who was driving the car… She seemed to recall that
name.
Not only that, but she was sure she had heard her brother say it, she was simply having a hard time recalling it.
“Ah, I was joking, by the way. I don’t even think something can kill him with that stupid regeneration of his.”
After finally putting on some song from an era long forgotten, He finally seemed content. Whistling, he began talking on his own.
“He went on some trip with his girlfriend somewhere, and apparently took his team with him too! Such an ungrateful disciple, forgetting his master behind.”
Lucas sighed, clearly tired of his master’s shenanigans.
In reality, he was sad that Alan and Alex left without him…leaving him to handle all the training by himself. He enjoyed the training, but having someone with him sharing the pain of training was a boost!
‘Bastards… I am going to kill you both.’
He doubted he could, but I was worth a shot.
Samantha’s grandfather didn’t really say anything, but Master Arken continued.
“Ah, I apologize for this, but we may have to stay with you all for a while, your grandson requested it of me, so I could get some fresh air and protect you while I was at it.
Ungrateful, isn’t he? Always asking me for favors.”
Samantha and her grandfather were impressed, or even glad that Arken was there to protect them, even though they were unaware of his real identity… All they knew was he was Alan’s
master.
And if he was Alan’s master, he had to be strong.
Lucas, however, knew Arken was lying. He was scared at how adept his master was at lying. In truth, Alan had merely asked Lucas to keep watch over his sister… The problem was he had texted it at a terrible time. Arken was there with him…and saw it.
Ever since then… he had to deal with his master’s anger and also with babysitting. Arken had reasoned that Alan would visit his family first, so he would stay there and teach his disciple a
lesson!
‘I, a Hiddlestone, am reduced to a babysitter.’
This wasn’t the worst part of his life, but it was up there with the most embarrassing. Worse,
he didn’t even know why Sage Oliver allowed it!
He was the one supposed to keep his master in check!
‘Come back quickly…please.’
He could only wish that Alan and Alex would come back soon…
“Lucas.”
His master called his name.
“Take them to their home, I’ll join you soon.”
There was a flash of yellow light, and without giving a proper explanation, Arken disappeared
and left both Samantha and her grandfather awed.
At that very moment, Samantha finally remembered who Lucas was.
“Ah, you are the masochistic pervert Al mentioned!”
“…”
******
Lanekia was dull, or growing dull for the rest of the team. Two weeks had passed since they
arrived at this planet, and they were slowly growing…bored.
The scenery was the same, the sky was the same, the only thing that changed was the
cold…the cold seemed to get brutal every second. It didn’t bother some of them, Alan was content with analyzing the manuals he had got and further grasp their meaning. Alice and Sabrina were busy with the materials Alan had brought them.
Maxwell didn’t really mind, he was thinking much further ahead than anyone could even imagine. Kazikato would spend his days sleeping, or at try too.
So, there were very few people who were left bored. Emma, Edward, Olivia and Alexander. Edward didn’t express it much since his main concern was his sister, Emma would sometimes help Alice and Sabrina, Alexander however…
Suggested a spar, at first, he asked Alan but was promptly rejected. Alan had his mind full of the aura breathing manuals… So he then asked Olivia.
He faced rejection there as well… He then asked Kazikato… only to be refused there as well.
Edward, however, accepted his challenge. Alexander didn’t know how to respond to that, if he was being honest. He had asked, but he didn’t expect a confirmation. He was ready for a
refusal.
And to top it off, he didn’t think of Edward as someone that would be a good opponent. But he
still gave it a chance.
So, the group stopped for a while, as everyone besides the two gathered in the driving compartment to watch, whilst they stood some distance beyond the Arctic Titan.
Alan had been made a judge, much to his own disappointment. He wanted time to comprehend the manuals… but he had to do this, he was interested in Edwards growth as well.
So he left the Arctic Titan as well.
“Are both of you ready?”
Alan asked, a cup of hot coffee was present in his hand, growing colder with each second.
Both Alexander and Edward nodded. Alexander opted to go bare-handed, But Edward had a
unique weapon choice.
He had two round shields, not too small but not too big to disrupt his vision as well.
“Alright, begin.”
Alan announced the beginning of the match… And to his disappointment, Edward rushed
towards his opponent as soon as he could.