Chapter 30 - Family

“There’s still one leg left, Skandor. Don’t worry, I won’t claim the meat,” Jiran turned to leave, tired from unleashing his mana and then combating the emotions of the red density.

“What’s your problem, kid? Don’t walk away when I’m talking to you!” Jiran sighed and continued walking away from the man.

“I see the fish always swims back to the same narrow river,” Skandor goaded while eyeing Soren.

What an ass.

For a brief moment, Jiran considered turning around and berating the hunter for being so useless, while he, a tier two killed the mutant crab.

What would be the point? Honestly, his opinion on anything couldn’t matter less. I can’t believe I used to idolize this loser.

Soren’s pull on his arm was given no resistance as he allowed his father to pull him away from Skandor.

“Hey, what weapon did our venerable lord give you that could kill a mutant like that in one shot? Show it to me,” Skandor’s voice was threatening, leaving no room for refusal.

Jiran smiled at him before raising his arms wide to his sides.

“I’m sure you’ll see it... if you look hard enough. Enjoy your breakfast, Skandor,” Jiran said with a cheerful wave.

With a click of his tongue, the hunter lost interest in them. His greedy eyes trained on the last giant crab leg.

Yup, definitely an ass.

Soren led him to a flat rock near the base of the hill back to town. They sat together in silence for a few moments before Jiran spoke.

“Are your ears doing any better? Sorry, I didn’t warn you about the sound.”

I need to get better at holding multiple coatings at once so I can plug my ears too.

I wonder if I can make a see-through coating for my eyes that can protect against the flash. Or just push a bunch of mana into them. I have so many things to test!

“What did you say?!” His father yelled far too loudly causing Jiran to flinch in surprise.

Maybe it’s a good thing he can't hear me, I have no idea what to say. Why is this so hard?

Father and son sat awkwardly for a few minutes, each struggling to find the words to express what needed to be said.

“That blasted ringing finally stopped,” Soren said with an awkward chuckle while rubbing his ear.

“I hope you can forgive her someday. The voicers really twisted her head, yah know.”

“She’s still not ready to see the truth. I ahh… I’m glad you’re doing good, Jiran.” Soren seemed to deflate as he spoke as if the weight of shame on his shoulders only became heavier with each word.

“You look healthier than I’ve ever seen, and you even tiered up again. I’ve heard about them noble kids who grow up fast cause they ascend 'em young. Seeing it with my own eyes is a whole 'nother thing.”

Soren trailed off, his eyes on the horizon were full of melancholy.

“Thanks, Dad. I’m doing great. It’s hard and they aren't taking it easy on me but I’m happy there.

“I’m learning so much. I think when I finally head to the army, I’ll have a much better chance of coming out of it alive,” Jiran tried to put as much cheer into his words as possible but they sounded flat and strained.

“See that you do, Son. Now, I need to be gettin' to work before they leave without me.”

He looked at Jiran like he wanted to say more. Then sighed, waved, and walked away.

Jiran stood awkwardly and watched his father leave.

Hell no, not like this.

“Bye, Dad! Have a good day at work!” He waved wildly while yelling at the top of his lungs like he used to when he was a little kid.

Soren paused and his fists clenched before he continued on his way to the pier with tears in his eyes.

Jiran watched him leave, a smile on his face before he began his climb toward town.

Better check my status to make sure that red stuff didn’t mess me up.

Jiran ignored the cascade of attribute increases and went straight to the four lines that mattered the most.

Challenger density detected

Authorizing challenger protocols

Authorization granted

Further upgrades delayed due to lack of density

NAME   Jiran of Feylon

RACE   Human

AGE   8

WEIGHT  78.21 kg > 79.69 kg

STATUS  Healthy

TIMER  48:00:00

TIER   2

GROWTH  7.83 %

MANA   0.05

CONCENTRATION 2

STRENGTH  22.1 > 22.5

AGILITY  22.1 > 22.5

ENDURANCE  22.1 > 22.5

DURABILITY  22.1 > 22.2

WISDOM  21.0 > 22.2

INTELLIGENCE 21.0 > 22.2

SKILLS

Molding - Mana Expansion lvl 62

Shaping lvl 17

TECHNIQUES

Forcing lvl 34

Coating lvl 27

Revelation lvl 1

Fire control lvl 0

True origin of Lightning lvl 20

Regeneration lvl 0

OTHER  UNIQUE - Fo$esi%h(

Jiran felt his stomach drop when he read the messages. He scanned through the rest of his status, looking for anything else that stood out as unusual in hopes of understanding what was happening.

He immediately focused on the timer and his heart stopped beating when he read the new message that appeared.

Time until expiration 47:59:10

Expiration?! Expiration of what?

Somehow the floating message carried with it a message of finality. A certainty settled into the pit of his stomach that the moment that timer hit zero would be the last moment of his life.

Sweat began to bead on his forehead as he forced himself to keep looking through his status, begging for some good news.

The only other thing I see is my growth increased. Which makes sense because my body absorbed that density.

Those messages are giving me crazy strong coliseum fight-to-the-death vibes. What the hell am I supposed to do now? How do I increase my timer? Two freaking days are going to go by in a flash!

His thoughts were disrupted by a group of people coming down the hill. He stepped to the side on the narrow path to give them room, then rolled his eyes as they jockeyed for position to walk as far from him as possible.

First Father is almost out, and with all the fresh meat on the beach, it’s only going to get more hectic. I should hurry.

Jiran couldn’t help but overhear the group's worried muttering as they passed.

“A second tier four in less than two moons, what does this mean for Feylon?”

“Have we done something to anger the voice?”

I can’t blame them for being worried. If either of those beasts had made it into the town, there would likely be very few survivors, if any.

To come that close to death twice in such a short time, when typically we don’t see a tier four but once a year, is enough to make anyone concerned.

Jiran passed another two groups on his way up the hill. At the top, two women stood in his way with scowls on their faces. They both wore the emblem of the Church of the Voice on their chests.

“This is all your fault, Vile Child.”

“Everyone is going to die because we harbored a foul denless. Take your curse elsewhere before you doom us all!”

https://imgur.com/9Lu6qJo

They moved forward, ready to shove their way past him when the shrill voice of a child called out.

“Idiots! Jiran isn’t denless and he’s not cursed! H-he’s amazing and you two suck!” Niya yelled before sticking out her tongue and blowing them a raspberry.

The two women jerked back as if her tongue waving in the air had slapped them before they left in a huff.

Despite his inner panic, Jiran laughed while giving his cousin a crushing hug. When he pulled back to look at her, she pointed a finger at his face while gritting her teeth in anger.

“How did you get so big?! No, when did you get so big? I just saw you the other day, what happened? This isn’t fair at all. Just a few weeks ago I was bigger than you.”

She jumped up and down adorably while Jiran felt the tension in his muscles releasing by the second. Not giving him a chance to respond, her barrage continued unabated.

When Jiran began walking toward the manor, she followed immediately.

“I watched your whole fight. How did you do that attack at the end? How did you do ANY of those attacks?

“Don’t just laugh at me! I’m serious, Jiran,” When tears sprang from her eyes, Jiran realized his laughter had gone on long enough.

“I’ll answer your questions if you give me a chance, Niya,” He said seriously while giving her a sharp look.

“Fine, fine, I’ll slow down,” she replied with a sniffle.

“I’m bigger because I tiered again. Apparently, tiering brings you closer to your optimal body composition… It makes you bigger and stronger,” He adjusted when Niya’s eyes began to grow unfocused.

“Oh, that makes sense. Wait a second, that’s not fair at all!” When her usual fire returned, Jiran decided it was safe to tease her a little.

“What’s wrong, Niya? Are you really so upset that I’m a little taller than you now? It’s not that big a deal, I’ve always thought of you as my adorable little cousin, so really, nothing’s changed,” Jiran said with a shrug.

“Bully!” Niya shouted while beating on his arm with her fists.

https://imgur.com/fzQ3O0K

Thanks, Niya. You’ll probably never know how much you’re helping me cope right now.

Jiran’s attack was fierce and impossible to avoid as his hands found the floating ribs in her sides and tickled them mercilessly. Squealing and shouting, Niya tried to defend herself but didn’t stand a chance against Jiran’s tier two strength and speed.

Before either realized what was happening, a wave of density crashed down on them from the sky. It slammed them to the ground in a tangle.

Being indestructible children, the minor distraction didn't stop their wrestling for a single second. They both scrambled to get the upper hand laughing all the while.

Jiran, not being one to go easy in a fight to the death, soon had Niya’s arms pinned behind her back. He viciously tickled the older girl while she squirmed on the ground with tears leaking from her eyes.

Once they both expended her pent up anxiety, Jiran let her go and they both leaned against a nearby wall to recover from their bout.

Just when Jiran thought she might actually hold her words for a change, she spoke in a whisper while staring at her feet.

“You’re leaving me behind so quickly, I don’t like it. I was there too when we met Lord Feylon. Why didn’t he choose me? Is there something wrong with me?”

“Quite the opposite, Niya. There’s something wrong with me. That’s why my first tiering failed.

“I have an error in my status that Lord Feylon is interested in studying. I’m helping him learn more about it and in return, he’s helping me ascend and training me to fight.”

“I want to learn how to fight too. I don’t want to be stuck here forever, Jiran. Even Father hates it here. If I was bigger, like you, I bet he wouldn't leave me behind the next time he leaves.” A light of realization shined behind her eyes.

“That’s it! All I have to do is tier up again. Jiran, you have to help me. Please help me tier up, pleeeeeease! I’m begging you.”

“Why are you in such a hurry all of a sudden?”

“I don’t know,” She said while kicking a pebble down the street.

“I just have this terrible feeling that if I don’t hurry, something awful is going to happen. Please say you’ll help me, Jiran,” She looked up at him with pleading, puppy dog eyes that he couldn’t resist.

“Of course, I’ll help you, Niya. You’re family,” Jiran’s response was so matter of fact that Niya was left blinking in surprise.

If I only have two days left, I better make the most of the time.

No, I’m not giving up dammit! There is definitely a way to extend this timer and I’m going to figure it out.

“Really?! Thank you, Jiran.”

“Yeah, yeah. Just stop crying already.” He waved at her like he was shooing off a buzzing fly.

By the time they made it back to the manor, Jiran had promised a portion of his afternoon to help her train. They also worked out a plan for how to increase each of her attributes to their caps as quickly as possible.

One of the maids was standing just inside the gate, waiting for him. When the girl saw them, her back straightened like she had been shocked. Niya squinted in suspicion while looking between the maid and Jiran.

With a far-off look, the girl spoke.

“Lord Feylon has requested your presence in his study.” She then turned on her heel so fast that her long skirt twirled in the air.

“What did you do to her?” Niya demanded.

It’s just one thing after another today, isn’t it?

“I haven’t done anything. They’re always weird like that. I thought it was because of my scars. They probably just aren't used to seeing me without them. They’ll get used to it.

“Thanks for walking me back, Niya. I’ll see you later today.”

Before she could leave, Jiran pinned her with an intense gaze that promised violence.

“I’m not going to be any easier on you than Lord Feylon was on me. If you don’t like it, then ascending just isn't for you. Fighting beasts isn’t easy or fun. It’s deadly dangerous and I’m not going to watch you walk into that kind of life without knowing you can handle it.”

Niya responded with a devilish grin of excitement.

“Good! Bye, Jiran,” She waved and ran down the street causing little puffs of dirt to fling up beneath her feet.

At the very least, she’ll learn a little about protecting herself. Never know when that could save her life.

Jiran took the stairs three at a time and soon arrived before the door to Samris’s study. It swung open before he could knock and he walked inside with a straight back, his chin held high.

Both Samris and Lenton were waiting for him. The old man was hovering in the air, his legs crossed beneath him as if he was sitting on solid ground. Samris sat in his chair, a pensive look in his golden eyes.

A brightly colored cube made of inter-woven metal filaments sat before him on the desk. Jiran was instantly drawn to the strange cube as it looked like something that did not belong to this world.

It reminded him of Brandon’s memories of blacksmith’s puzzles with finely-tooled interconnecting parts.

A strange energy he couldn’t understand radiated from the device. Whatever it was, he could instantly tell it was important and beyond valuable.

https://imgur.com/2fwmP0B

“Sit,” Samris commanded as the door slammed shut behind him.