Born in Blood



"Are you sure it's him?" Searching Eye questioned with a frown.

Edwin paused. 

How his grandson escaped from his grasp and became a member of the academy actually made him respect the boy.

But that wouldn't stop him from breaking his bones for doing so.

"Word is he has no familial backing, and is also young and talented. There's no doubt about it."

Silence.

"This got difficult," Lorcan professed. 

It was one thing for Liam to be hiding in some random city as a fugitive. 

It was another for him to be under the Royals. 

Still, a fugitive was a fugitive. 

They had grounds and authority to bring a killer to justice.

However, the patriarch of the Ken family had other plans. 

To have his name dragged through the mud by a peasant was a death sentence he would execute personally, no matter the cost.

"No reason to linger then."

The three began to shoot towards Roson with jet-like speed, turning into streaks. 

The capital was at least two months away from Ucladd, but that wasn't applicable to Zeniths.

They arrived in three hours.

Roson was vast, the thick, inscribed borders alone were nearly 300 meters tall.

There were golden towers and skyscrapers everywhere one looked, and only the top potentates of the country could afford to live in such a luxurious area.

The three Zeniths lingered outside the borders. 

They couldn't just enter willy-nilly.

Even they, as powerful patriarchs, couldn't afford to offend Royalty. Instead, they waited outside for someone to eventually accommodate them.

As they waited, a distant figure rapidly approached from the side, sonic booms causing the air tremble at his flight.

For a moment, the trio thought that was a Royal, but he didn't come from the city. 

As he got closer, the three instantly realized who the man was.

Nature's Hand, Benedict Voist. 

An esteemed expert who specialized in alchemy and botany, and one of the largest potentates of Echoria.

He was a silver-haired, lanky, tall middle-aged man donning an azure robe embroidered with various flowery patterns. A deep frown scrunched his sharp features.

Spotting the trio, Benedict looked confused, then made a beeline towards them.

Edwin, Searching Eye and Ken paid their respects as he approached.

Nature's Hand was a hard man to reach, and his expertise in creating pills was useful even for Zenith ranked cultivators.

"Why have you all gathered here?" Benedict questioned, confusion mixed with anger in his tone. 

"Two years ago, a commoner murdered three noble heirs before escaping to the academy," Lorcan was the first to respond. "He is now a student."

Benedict frowned deeply. 

"The Thyress family has gotten too lax… accepting peasants and commoners was always a flaw in their reasoning, yet they never attempted to fix it. Even my own grandson was mutilated by one of them! A darkness cultivator, they said," Benedict spat in anger, crossing his arms as he looked towards the Royal city. 

"It's about time things changed around here."

An awkward silence took over the air. 

"We're searching for the same person, then," Searching Eye confessed. Benedict's eyes widened in shock. "Perhaps if you join us, our chances of resolution could improve."

Benedict paused, then nodded firmly.

A few minutes later, a Royal met them at the city gates. 

Almost all Royals were women, and they all shared the same beauty – silver hair, golden eyes, red lips and pale skin, paired with their auerate silver robes. 

This particular one wasn't a Zenith by any means, yet the Rank 4 cultivators didn't offend her. The fact that she could fly meant she was nearing that realm, and Zenith ranked Royals were monstrous.

"We pay respects to their majesty."

The four made the Echorian gesture for respect, receiving a nod and a wave in response.

"I hope there is a good reason for this unscheduled visit. Our forces are a bit… busy as of now," the Royal, known as Keris Thyress, mentioned with a slightly worried look. 

"Please," Ken smiled in reassurance. "We would not have bothered you unless it was. We're searching for a student of the darkness element. We have proof he has murdered three noble heirs and escaped from his hometown. If you'd like, we can show you the corpses—"

Strangely, the Royal raised a hand, stopping him.

The four looked taken aback, but Keris looked grave. 

"Does this boy have one golden colored eye and blonde hair?"

Edwin looked alarmed, but nodded profusely.

Keris sighed, inwardly cursing.

"Our forces have already been trying to locate him since two weeks ago." 

What?

"...He's missing."

///

The search for Liam began precisely two and a half weeks ago.

At first, there was nothing out of the ordinary. 

The classes were on break, and there was at least an entire month before they resumed. 

Knowing Lawrence's personality, there was nothing strange about him staying in complete isolation. 

The only proof that he even lived in that mansion were the various sounds that resounded from within it.

Soon enough, a month passed.

By then, the Headmaster and Liam's professors grew concerned.

Liam wasn't answering his token and refused to meet with any of his teachers. There was utter silence from him.

At that point, the Headmaster allowed himself to enter the House, and was shocked to find Rin and Nord there instead.

"Weren't you two on a mission?" the Headmaster asked them.

Nord and Rin looked confused.

"What are you talking about?"

Reye Ornn's chest sank.

"Your tokens! Show me your tokens!"

Nord took out his and gave it to the Headmaster, only for the latter to realize it wasn't his token, but Lawrence's.

Rin patted down her pockets but looked genuinely confused. 

'It's… not with me? I was sure it was!' she gestured with panic.

After a stern questioning, the Headmaster's interrogation was fruitless. 

The two genuinely looked confused and oblivious. They mentioned how Liam paid them 10,000 Stones just for them to skip a few classes, and they didn't see a reason to disagree.

Cursing, the Headmaster instantly alerted Kalia, who quickly gathered all the academy professors and organized a large search party that scattered across Echorian.

///

Janice, along with a large gathering of professors, filled the bullet-train.

She had been designated an area to hunt for Lawrence - Liam Royce - but she had no intention of going there.

'I have a feeling I know where he is.'