The Martial Unity

No amount of warmth and empathy that the orphanage showered him with could wash away the awkwardness and guilt that he felt at that moment.

The Quarrier Orphanage had already mourned for a year. They had, for better or worse, begun entering the phase where they moved on from this tragedy.

Rui did not want to selfishly undo all of their progress and pull all of them back into mourning.

People had a right to heal from the loss of loved ones.

That was why he smiled.

He smiled like he meant it.

Like he wasn't hurting from the loss of his mother.

Like it didn't burn him from the inside out.

"You've grown taller, Kellen."

"Ah, congratulations on your third baby!"

"Good job with your breakthrough to the Apprentice Realm, Lea."

While he wanted nothing more than to mourn for the loss of his mother, she would not have approved if he paid more attention to the dead than to the living who sought him.

"Rui."

Julian's voice tugged at his attention.

"Julian, it's been three years." Rui wore a smile. "How have you been?"

He didn't respond, simply staring at Rui knowingly.

PAT

He put a hand on Rui's shoulder, dragging him across the orphanage to the center of the garden in the backyard.

Rui's eyes lit up as he came across a beautiful memorial at the center of a circle of flowers featuring a marble statue of Lashara with a gravestone by her feet.

[Beloved mother to many]

Rui's eyes softened as he gazed at a statue in her likeness. "…It's almost like she's still here."

"Can you think of a better place?" Julian closed his eyes. "She created our home. She deserves to rest here."

Rui couldn't agree more.

He simply stared at the statue of his mother with a melancholic expression, grieving silently and inwardly.

"You have changed, but you are still kind."

Rui snorted impassively. "Kind, I am not."

Julian smiled. "Maybe, maybe not. I'm just sharing with you what I see."

Rui continued staring at his mother's statue. "She would have liked to see me one last time. Kindness would be not denying her that."

"…Not at the cost of pulling you away from your path," Julian lightly remarked. "…She was always sensitive about that, refusing to be a hurdle to her children's path to success. She would have felt horrible if you could not set out to do what you wanted with your life."

Rui could not deny that.

Still, it didn't alleviate his guilt.

"…What happened?" Rui asked, directing a pointed gaze at Julian.

"…She experienced a heart attack," Julian replied. "Sometimes, I cannot help but wonder if she knew. She…made sure she could give everyone her love one last time before passing away…"

"If she did know, she probably would do just that." A fleeting, bittersweet smile cracked at the edge of his mouth.

"I concur," Julian closed his eyes. "Outliving her purpose and her loved ones was her greatest fear."

Rui simply stared at her statue in silence.

"…Let's go inside; it's time for dinner," Julian remarked.

"…I'd rather stay here for some time."

Julian stared at him knowingly.

"When was the last time you ate food?"

Rui's eyes grew hazy as he considered the question.

It had been a while.

"A Martial Artist has extremely high nutrition requirements," Julian told him. "Mother wouldn't approve if you didn't ensure you got all the food you needed. Mayra has prepared high- density food for Mana and Max; why don't you join us?"

The mention of Lashara's disapproval stirred him.

"…You're right," he relented.

Besides, he had resolved to make as much of his living family as possible while they were there. He didn't want to feel the regret that he felt today.

He joined the family at the giant table, large enough to accommodate them all.

"Big brother Rui!" Max chimed up, unable to control himself. "Is it just me, or have you broken into the Master Realm?!"

A soft smile cracked at the edge of Rui's mouth. "I have."

"Hahahaha! I knew it! You're the best, big brother!"

"…I can't believe you broke through to the Master Realm at such a young age, elder brother," Mana murmured, stunned. "Congratulations on your breakthrough!"

The laymen followed suit, congratulating Rui happily one after another, yet they didn't quite understand the sheer significance of what breaking through to the Master realm at his age meant. They were simply happy that he seemed to be doing well on his chosen path.

Julian stared at Rui with shock. "…You broke through to the Master Realm?"

Julian was unable to accurately intuit Rui's Martial Artist Realm based on his aura, unlike Max and Mana, whose senses were far greater.

The revelation that Rui was a Martial Master hit him like a train.

He couldn't believe that his younger brother had shattered the record for the youngest breakthrough to the master Realm by half!

"You…" Julian stared at him dumbfounded. "Just what have you been up to?"

Suddenly, many gazes and pointed looks pinned themselves on Rui.

Rui was known to have the most fascinating and fantastical stories that sounded like they came straight out of a fairy tale. The adolescents were especially eager to learn the things that Rui had gone through.

"Well…" He put his food down. "If you must know, I was in the Beast Domain."

Their eyes lit up with intrigue.

The Beast Domain.

A large region at the center of the Human Domain uninhabited by human civilization. To the average person, it was a mysterious realm filled with all kinds of fantasies and miracles.

"And in reality, it is exactly that."

Rui firmly confirmed their image of the Beast Domain.

"What kind of things did you see?!"

"Dragons! Did you run into any dragons?!"

"Did you bring back any souvenirs?"

Rui patiently answered all their questions as he took the liberty to narrate a highly doctored version of his story of his time in the Beast Domain, devoid of any strategic intelligence, of course.

-