Chapter 66
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"Fuck!" Zacharias swore, reflexively punching in the direction of the voice with pure strength alone.
The sudden shock of being caught off guard in a place that he'd deemed safe caused him to temporarily forget his training.
Likewise, Cyrus' hands had dropped to the dagger that he kept at his side but stopped himself just as he was about to draw them. His eyes widened.
Alec caught the fist thrown at him with his own hand, the sound of flesh meeting flesh echoing in the building's silent confines.
Luckily, he'd Awakened his own strength, otherwise this wouldn't be as funny as it was right now.
He took this chance to take in the changes that the two had experienced in the single year that he had not seen them.
Cyrus was now a great deal taller, hitting puberty at fifteen. That would have been a bitch to go through in a crappy building like this where he had to keep an eye on his back all of the time. He still looked lean even though he had gained more muscle definition. His hair was still styled in the same way, if a little longer than before.
Zacharias, on the other hand, had gained a bit of height, but not as much as Cyrus had. He had put on a bit more muscle definition than was normal for a Neil Clan member. When he'd punched out, the fabric had rippled as his muscles moved. The teen had shaved the sides of his head, leaving the top spiked.
Zacharias' stunned blue eyes met smiling blue eyes attached to a face that he hadn't seen for a very long time.
"Alec?" Zacharias said in disbelief, his mouth parting slightly. Catching himself making an unacceptable face, he immediately schooled his disbelief into something more neutral.
Alec watched with laughter in his eyes at the two's overreaction. Though, he felt like they'd gotten a little sloppy from one year being away from the clan. He'd have to fix that.
Alec never once thought that it was because his own abilities at hiding his magical signature had grown so refined that they were unable to detect it. Continuously draining his magical capacity and building it back up again had done wonders for his fine control over his own magic as his familiarity with his own body increased.
For some reason, Zacharias and Cyrus felt a shadow of foreboding creep over them at Alec's smile.
"Hmph," Zacharias said, regaining his calm. "I see one year away from us has done you some good."
"Can't you just say you missed him," Cyrus chided the other teen. "Alec it's so good to see you again. You passed the clan's final test?"
"Of course. They wouldn't have let out anyone from the advanced course if they didn't pass."
The two teens nodded in agreement. Though the clan was lax regarding things like manners and etiquette, they were strict on meeting expectations and strength levels. Those with weaker mentalities were usually weeded out early on.
Cyrus swept up his younger brother in a hug, taking advantage of his much larger body to spin the boy around a few times. He ignored the glare that Zacharias was giving him at the side.
Alec bore the spinning with long-suffering patience. If it was anyone else who tried to do this to him, Alec was sure that he would have kicked them hard in the nuts already.
Cyrus finally put Alec down, who lightly dusted himself off.
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"Are you alone? Where are Elias and Tatiana?"
"I graduated together with Elias, but Tatiana passed the same time as the two of you."
The three frowned. One inwardly, two outwardly. Alec's smile looked a bit dimmer than usual.
"She didn't come this way," Cyrus said, shaking his head.
Considering that the two didn't even know that she had passed as well, that meant that she had hidden herself well. There were no rumours nearby about hearing of a young girl wandering on her lonesome.
Though Tatiana was strong, there were people that were bound to be stronger than her. A female teenager that was seemingly weaker than them was bound to be a sign of trouble.
Zacharias shot Cyrus a look, tilting his head in Alec's direction.
Cyrus sighed long-sufferingly in his mind. Zacharias was, as usual, leaving all social niceties to him to deal with. But this was their younger brother! Just how far were his tendencies going to go! Would it kill him to show a bit more unadulterated emotion!?
"We want to meet Elias too." Some things were better saying in person.
The three of them left for the shady-looking inn that Alec was staying in for the night.
Alec knocked on the door, entering.
"Elias," Alec said without continuing.
Elias looked over in puzzlement, only to freeze.
Cyrus walked forward and thumped him, breaking him out of his stupor.
"Long time no see."
"Yeah."
The four of them sat down.
"So, do you know about… our clan," Cyrus said, trying to be tactful and delicate. There was always the chance that they hadn't yet figured it out.
"Yes. The real final test, as you can say."
Cyrus nodded strongly, and beside him, Zacharias looked a lot more relaxed now that he knew they weren't just imagining it himself.
"I had my suspicions about it, but it was Alec who convinced me when I started doubting it," Elias said.
There was a faint change in the way the two teens looked at Alec. The eight-year-old was so much better at thinking it through than they were that the respect they felt for him shot up considerably.
"Do you think Tatiana has figured it out yet? After all, it took me meeting Zacharias again to start doubting it. If I never met him, I would probably have been consumed by my resentment and hatred."
The room fell into an uneasy silence.
"Stop. We will find her. Tatiana's strong. She knows how to take care of herself," Alec said, blowing away the tension in the room.
His words reassured them that they would never stop until they found her.
"What have you been doing in the past year?"
Zacharias leaned back on the bed as Cyrus filled them in, holding in the groan when he sank into the soft mattress. Damn, they should have bought a new mattress for that damn building. His back missed a good mattress. It wasn't like they were lacking any money!
"So, I heard you've been giving the street kids a beatdown every few days?" Alec said with a smile on his face.
Elias shot them an appalled look.
Cyrus waved his hands to hurriedly dispel any of such notions. "It's not what it looks like!"
Zacharias snorted and rolled his eyes, lightly kicking at Cyrus' back. "Shut up. What this idiot is trying to say is that we're giving them a bit of survival training since that moron over there is too soft-hearted whenever he sees one of those street kids. They don't know that, though."
Cyrus put his face in his hands, his face red. "Zach!"
"Who's being a bashful idiot now?" Zacharias taunted. His tone spoke of various grudges against being called that. Probably more than once, even.
"I never called you a bashful idiot. I said you had troubles expressing yourself to show your softer sides."
"That's the same thing!"
"No, it isn't!"
Alec and Elias exchanged a glance, watching the two bicker with fondness.
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"Fuck!" Zacharias swore, reflexively punching in the direction of the voice with pure strength alone.
The sudden shock of being caught off guard in a place that he'd deemed safe caused him to temporarily forget his training.
Likewise, Cyrus' hands had dropped to the dagger that he kept at his side but stopped himself just as he was about to draw them. His eyes widened.
Alec caught the fist thrown at him with his own hand, the sound of flesh meeting flesh echoing in the building's silent confines.
Luckily, he'd Awakened his own strength, otherwise this wouldn't be as funny as it was right now.
He took this chance to take in the changes that the two had experienced in the single year that he had not seen them.
Cyrus was now a great deal taller, hitting puberty at fifteen. That would have been a bitch to go through in a crappy building like this where he had to keep an eye on his back all of the time. He still looked lean even though he had gained more muscle definition. His hair was still styled in the same way, if a little longer than before.
Zacharias, on the other hand, had gained a bit of height, but not as much as Cyrus had. He had put on a bit more muscle definition than was normal for a Neil Clan member. When he'd punched out, the fabric had rippled as his muscles moved. The teen had shaved the sides of his head, leaving the top spiked.
Zacharias' stunned blue eyes met smiling blue eyes attached to a face that he hadn't seen for a very long time.
"Alec?" Zacharias said in disbelief, his mouth parting slightly. Catching himself making an unacceptable face, he immediately schooled his disbelief into something more neutral.
Alec watched with laughter in his eyes at the two's overreaction. Though, he felt like they'd gotten a little sloppy from one year being away from the clan. He'd have to fix that.
Alec never once thought that it was because his own abilities at hiding his magical signature had grown so refined that they were unable to detect it. Continuously draining his magical capacity and building it back up again had done wonders for his fine control over his own magic as his familiarity with his own body increased.
For some reason, Zacharias and Cyrus felt a shadow of foreboding creep over them at Alec's smile.
"Hmph," Zacharias said, regaining his calm. "I see one year away from us has done you some good."
"Can't you just say you missed him," Cyrus chided the other teen. "Alec it's so good to see you again. You passed the clan's final test?"
"Of course. They wouldn't have let out anyone from the advanced course if they didn't pass."
The two teens nodded in agreement. Though the clan was lax regarding things like manners and etiquette, they were strict on meeting expectations and strength levels. Those with weaker mentalities were usually weeded out early on.
Cyrus swept up his younger brother in a hug, taking advantage of his much larger body to spin the boy around a few times. He ignored the glare that Zacharias was giving him at the side.
Alec bore the spinning with long-suffering patience. If it was anyone else who tried to do this to him, Alec was sure that he would have kicked them hard in the nuts already.
Cyrus finally put Alec down, who lightly dusted himself off.
Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click for visiting.
"Are you alone? Where are Elias and Tatiana?"
"I graduated together with Elias, but Tatiana passed the same time as the two of you."
The three frowned. One inwardly, two outwardly. Alec's smile looked a bit dimmer than usual.
"She didn't come this way," Cyrus said, shaking his head.
Considering that the two didn't even know that she had passed as well, that meant that she had hidden herself well. There were no rumours nearby about hearing of a young girl wandering on her lonesome.
Though Tatiana was strong, there were people that were bound to be stronger than her. A female teenager that was seemingly weaker than them was bound to be a sign of trouble.
Zacharias shot Cyrus a look, tilting his head in Alec's direction.
Cyrus sighed long-sufferingly in his mind. Zacharias was, as usual, leaving all social niceties to him to deal with. But this was their younger brother! Just how far were his tendencies going to go! Would it kill him to show a bit more unadulterated emotion!?
"We want to meet Elias too." Some things were better saying in person.
The three of them left for the shady-looking inn that Alec was staying in for the night.
Alec knocked on the door, entering.
"Elias," Alec said without continuing.
Elias looked over in puzzlement, only to freeze.
Cyrus walked forward and thumped him, breaking him out of his stupor.
"Long time no see."
"Yeah."
The four of them sat down.
"So, do you know about… our clan," Cyrus said, trying to be tactful and delicate. There was always the chance that they hadn't yet figured it out.
"Yes. The real final test, as you can say."
Cyrus nodded strongly, and beside him, Zacharias looked a lot more relaxed now that he knew they weren't just imagining it himself.
"I had my suspicions about it, but it was Alec who convinced me when I started doubting it," Elias said.
There was a faint change in the way the two teens looked at Alec. The eight-year-old was so much better at thinking it through than they were that the respect they felt for him shot up considerably.
"Do you think Tatiana has figured it out yet? After all, it took me meeting Zacharias again to start doubting it. If I never met him, I would probably have been consumed by my resentment and hatred."
The room fell into an uneasy silence.
"Stop. We will find her. Tatiana's strong. She knows how to take care of herself," Alec said, blowing away the tension in the room.
His words reassured them that they would never stop until they found her.
"What have you been doing in the past year?"
Zacharias leaned back on the bed as Cyrus filled them in, holding in the groan when he sank into the soft mattress. Damn, they should have bought a new mattress for that damn building. His back missed a good mattress. It wasn't like they were lacking any money!
"So, I heard you've been giving the street kids a beatdown every few days?" Alec said with a smile on his face.
Elias shot them an appalled look.
Cyrus waved his hands to hurriedly dispel any of such notions. "It's not what it looks like!"
Zacharias snorted and rolled his eyes, lightly kicking at Cyrus' back. "Shut up. What this idiot is trying to say is that we're giving them a bit of survival training since that moron over there is too soft-hearted whenever he sees one of those street kids. They don't know that, though."
Cyrus put his face in his hands, his face red. "Zach!"
"Who's being a bashful idiot now?" Zacharias taunted. His tone spoke of various grudges against being called that. Probably more than once, even.
"I never called you a bashful idiot. I said you had troubles expressing yourself to show your softer sides."
"That's the same thing!"
"No, it isn't!"
Alec and Elias exchanged a glance, watching the two bicker with fondness.
"Fuck!" Zacharias swore, reflexively punching in the direction of the voice with pure strength alone.The sudden shock of being caught off guard in a place that he'd deemed safe caused him to temporarily forget his training.Likewise, Cyrus' hands had dropped to the dagger that he kept at his side but stopped himself just as he was about to draw them. His eyes widened.Alec caught the fist thrown at him with his own hand, the sound of flesh meeting flesh echoing in the building's silent confines.Luckily, he'd Awakened his own strength, otherwise this wouldn't be as funny as it was right now.He took this chance to take in the changes that the two had experienced in the single year that he had not seen them.Cyrus was now a great deal taller, hitting puberty at fifteen. That would have been a bitch to go through in a crappy building like this where he had to keep an eye on his back all of the time. He still looked lean even though he had gained more muscle definition. His hair was still styled in the same way, if a little longer than before.Zacharias, on the other hand, had gained a bit of height, but not as much as Cyrus had. He had put on a bit more muscle definition than was normal for a Neil Clan member. When he'd punched out, the fabric had rippled as his muscles moved. The teen had shaved the sides of his head, leaving the top spiked.Zacharias' stunned blue eyes met smiling blue eyes attached to a face that he hadn't seen for a very long time."Alec?" Zacharias said in disbelief, his mouth parting slightly. Catching himself making an unacceptable face, he immediately schooled his disbelief into something more neutral.Alec watched with laughter in his eyes at the two's overreaction. Though, he felt like they'd gotten a little sloppy from one year being away from the clan. He'd have to fix that.Alec never once thought that it was because his own abilities at hiding his magical signature had grown so refined that they were unable to detect it. Continuously draining his magical capacity and building it back up again had done wonders for his fine control over his own magic as his familiarity with his own body increased.For some reason, Zacharias and Cyrus felt a shadow of foreboding creep over them at Alec's smile."Hmph," Zacharias said, regaining his calm. "I see one year away from us has done you some good.""Can't you just say you missed him," Cyrus chided the other teen. "Alec it's so good to see you again. You passed the clan's final test?""Of course. They wouldn't have let out anyone from the advanced course if they didn't pass."The two teens nodded in agreement. Though the clan was lax regarding things like manners and etiquette, they were strict on meeting expectations and strength levels. Those with weaker mentalities were usually weeded out early on.Cyrus swept up his younger brother in a hug, taking advantage of his much larger body to spin the boy around a few times. He ignored the glare that Zacharias was giving him at the side.Alec bore the spinning with long-suffering patience. If it was anyone else who tried to do this to him, Alec was sure that he would have kicked them hard in the nuts already.Cyrus finally put Alec down, who lightly dusted himself off. Find authorized novels in Webnovelfaster updates, better experiencePlease click for visiting. "Are you alone? Where are Elias and Tatiana?""I graduated together with Elias, but Tatiana passed the same time as the two of you."The three frowned. One inwardly, two outwardly. Alec's smile looked a bit dimmer than usual."She didn't come this way," Cyrus said, shaking his head.Considering that the two didn't even know that she had passed as well, that meant that she had hidden herself well. There were no rumours nearby about hearing of a young girl wandering on her lonesome.Though Tatiana was strong, there were people that were bound to be stronger than her. A female teenager that was seemingly weaker than them was bound to be a sign of trouble.Zacharias shot Cyrus a look, tilting his head in Alec's direction.Cyrus sighed long-sufferingly in his mind. Zacharias was, as usual, leaving all social niceties to him to deal with. But this was their younger brother! Just how far were his tendencies going to go! Would it kill him to show a bit more unadulterated emotion!?"We want to meet Elias too." Some things were better saying in person.The three of them left for the shady-looking inn that Alec was staying in for the night.Alec knocked on the door, entering."Elias," Alec said without continuing.Elias looked over in puzzlement, only to freeze.Cyrus walked forward and thumped him, breaking him out of his stupor."Long time no see.""Yeah."The four of them sat down."So, do you know about our clan," Cyrus said, trying to be tactful and delicate. There was always the chance that they hadn't yet figured it out."Yes. The real final test, as you can say."Cyrus nodded strongly, and beside him, Zacharias looked a lot more relaxed now that he knew they weren't just imagining it himself."I had my suspicions about it, but it was Alec who convinced me when I started doubting it," Elias said.There was a faint change in the way the two teens looked at Alec. The eight-year-old was so much better at thinking it through than they were that the respect they felt for him shot up considerably."Do you think Tatiana has figured it out yet? After all, it took me meeting Zacharias again to start doubting it. If I never met him, I would probably have been consumed by my resentment and hatred."The room fell into an uneasy silence."Stop. We will find her. Tatiana's strong. She knows how to take care of herself," Alec said, blowing away the tension in the room.His words reassured them that they would never stop until they found her."What have you been doing in the past year?"Zacharias leaned back on the bed as Cyrus filled them in, holding in the groan when he sank into the soft mattress. Damn, they should have bought a new mattress for that damn building. His back missed a good mattress. It wasn't like they were lacking any money!"So, I heard you've been giving the street kids a beatdown every few days?" Alec said with a smile on his face.Elias shot them an appalled look.Cyrus waved his hands to hurriedly dispel any of such notions. "It's not what it looks like!"Zacharias snorted and rolled his eyes, lightly kicking at Cyrus' back. "Shut up. What this idiot is trying to say is that we're giving them a bit of survival training since that moron over there is too soft-hearted whenever he sees one of those street kids. They don't know that, though."Cyrus put his face in his hands, his face red. "Zach!""Who's being a bashful idiot now?" Zacharias taunted. His tone spoke of various grudges against being called that. Probably more than once, even."I never called you a bashful idiot. I said you had troubles expressing yourself to show your softer sides.""That's the same thing!""No, it isn't!"Alec and Elias exchanged a glance, watching the two bicker with fondness.
