The hall fell silent; nobody dared to say anything. The four Clan Heads stared at the aftermath of the battle, their eyes wide with disbelief. Five heirs entered the fight, but only one remained and that one was none other than Huo Shuzoh.
The only two people who hadn't shown a reaction were Saikichi Yoshe, whose eyes were still closed, and Huo Yusaih, who stared at the scene with the same calm look as he had since the beginning. Yu Yuhua slowly looked around the battlefield, his fingers trembling as he finally dropped his hand and with a cracking voice that revealed his shock he announced.
"...The winner of the match is Huo Shuzoh."
It took several seconds for anyone to react.
"He defeated all five of them." Mao Liuxian said, her eyes filled with disbelief.
Shi Yong slowly exhaled through his nose.
"This wasn't supposed to happen."
"The five of them were supposed to overwhelm him through numbers." Fu Yin stated.
His eyes landed on the five defeated heirs.
"But instead..."
He stopped. This was understandable; there was no need to continue. They had been overwhelmed.
Yu Yuhua slowly turned to face Huo Yusaih.
"Did you already know this would happen?"
Huo Yusaih finally opened his eyes, his expression, however, remained the same.
"I knew my son would win."
Mao Liuxian frowned.
"You're saying you expected him to defeat five heirs at once?"
"Yes."
Huo Yusaih didn't hesitate.
Yu Yuhua stared at him for a moment before turning his gaze back towards Shuzoh; the young heir was silently standing in the center of the hall, his flames had disappeared and his expression was calm. He hadn't uttered a word since the battle ended.
Shi Yong folded his arms.
"Well then, I suppose there's only one question left."
All eyes were now on Shi Yong, who looked directly at Huo Yusaih.
"Does this victory mean the Huo Clan claims the position of Supreme Chancellor?"
Huo Yusaih said nothing; instead, he simply looked towards his son. Huo Shuzoh slowly raised his head and for the first time since the battle ended he spoke.
"I don't care about the position, I only came here because my father told me to."
All Clan Heads stared at him, Yu Yuhua's expression darkened.
"And what do you care about?"
"Getting stronger."
The answer was simple, yet somehow it made the entire hall feel heavier.
Mao Liuxian was far from happy with that answer; in fact, she hated it with all her being.
She wanted the position of Supreme Chancellor; she had spent years believing that training herself to create a dangerous warrior from the Mao Clan would be an easy way for her to take the seat.
Yet a teenager—a teenager from the Huo Clan, no less—had the opportunity to take that position and turned it down.
Mao Liuxian's hands tightened. She hated it with all her being, then all of a sudden Huo Yusaih appeared right in front of her.
Mao Liuxian's eyes widened; she hadn't even seen him move. Huo Yusaih stared down at her with cold, yet strangely calm eyes. Mao Limong had the feeling of being frozen.
"What's wrong?"
Huo Yusaih said nothing; he simply raised one hand and touched her chest. Mao Limong froze, that is, until she felt it: an unbearable heat spreading through her. But it was not her body nor her flesh.
It wasn't even her insides.
Something else was burning, something deeper, something she couldn't reach. Mao Limong's eyes widened as she finally understood.
Her soul—it was her soul that was burning.
"No..."
The word barely escaped her lips; there was nothing she could do. She couldn't remove it nor stop it, nor even comprehend what Huo Yusaih had done to her.
The heat vanished and so did the presence in her and her soul had disappeared without a trace. Mao Liuxian’s body became still, then she collapsed.
The entire hall fell silent.
Huo Yusaih calmly lowered his hand, his expression hadn't changed, not even slightly. Yu Yuhua stared at Mao Liuxian, then at Huo Yusaih, and for the first time that day the meaning behind Huo Yusaih's reputation became painfully clear.
Huo Shuzoh had won the fight, but his father had just reminded everyone who the real monster in the Huo Clan was.
Everyone in the hall had seen what happened, and none of them could comprehend what had just occurred. Huo Yusaih turned away from Mao Limong's body on the floor and began walking towards the doors.
Huo Shuzoh followed closely behind.
The other Clan Heads stood motionless as if daring Yusaih to stop them, or maybe just afraid to do anything at all.
As Huo Yusaih neared the doors, he suddenly halted. He did not turn around as he spoke.
"Tell that Mao heir that she is now the head of her clan, and tell her to hope she's ready for what's about to happen."
With that, he turned and exited the chamber, Shuzoh not far behind him. The doors slowly shut behind them, and once again the hall was silent. But now there was an understanding among the heads present that what they were doing was about more than just picking the strongest clan; it was about sending a message to who they were dealing with.
…
As they walked through the corridors, a memory suddenly surfaced for Huo Shuzoh.
It was from the day he had suddenly vanished from the medical facility where Sun Yunso and the others were recovering from the Guo wedding massacre. As soon as Shuzoh disappeared from the facility, he wasted no time and made his way to the Huo family estate.
When he finally arrived, he stopped before the gates of the estate. Above the gates hung a large sign with the name of his family.
Huo Shuzoh stared at it for seconds. He had finally arrived, had finally come for revenge, had finally come to kill the man who had banished him, the man who had looked at him as nothing more than utter trash. His father; Huo Yusaih.
Huo Shuzoh's hand slowly tightened. He was ready for this, all that training with the person who found him and gave him a motive to continue on living and finally ending the reign of the man called Huo Yusaih.
But was this really the right thing to do? Perhaps his father had been right. Perhaps there was another path.
No. It did not matter anymore.
He stepped through the gates and almost immediately, several guards noticed him. They rushed towards him, weapons in hand.
Huo Shuzoh prepared himself. He had been banished from the Huo Clan, he was no longer considered family; if they followed the orders of the clan, they should have attacked him the moment they recognized him. But then the guards suddenly stopped, their faces changed and one by one, they lowered their weapons.
Then they bowed.
Huo Shuzoh froze.
"...What?"
He looked around to see every guard bowing towards him.
They were not attacking but bowing.
Why?
He had been banished, he should have been an enemy, so why were the guards treating him like a member of the Huo Clan? Or worse, like someone they were expected to obey. Something had changed while he was gone, and he had a feeling he was about to find out exactly what.
Huo Shuzoh continued walking through the estate grounds until he finally arrived at the main residence and stopped before the doors, and for a moment he simply gazed at them. Then he opened one and stepped inside.
The interior was exactly as he remembered it.
It was as if he had never left, but none of that mattered to him anymore. Huo Shuzoh continued down the corridors until he stopped. Two figures were standing ahead of him.
His eyes widened.
The matriarch of the Guo Clan and beside him Guo Aisoma. Shuzoh stared at them in confusion. This was the Huo family estate, they had no reason to be here.
Did his father possibly marry another woman? How cruel could that man be?
What if there was also the possibility that he killed his mother after discovering that he was still alive? So that he can take in the Guo clan and control them. Or maybe he took a second wife? And if that were true... why the Guo Clan, they had no value aside from being a rich family from Meizou.
None of it made sense; there were too many questions but few answers. Huo Shuzoh slowly clenched his fist. Whatever the truth was, he would find out.
Sooner or later he began walking towards them. Huo Shuzoh continued to walk throughout the corridors of the Huo estate and still walked. Every few steps, he would come across a maid or a guard, and every single time, it was the same thing. They would stop what they were doing and bow.
"Welcome back, Young Master Shuzoh."
"Good to see you again, Young Master."
He would just stare back at them before continuing to walk, the next maid just happened to pass him and immediately bowed. Shuzoh's eyebrow twitched, the same happened once again.
He continued to walk. A guard bowed, then another and another. Some greeted him respectfully, others just lowered their heads as he passed. It started to annoy him, not from anger or feeling threatened, but because he was simply confused.
What happened in the Huo household?
Why was he suddenly getting the "Young Master" treatment that he had years ago before he got banished by his father. It made absolutely no sense at all. His father had treated him like he was nothing more than a disgrace to the Huo Clan. Yet now everyone was treating him like he hadn't left at all, like nothing had happened.
Shuzoh finally stopped walking and turned around, looking down the long corridor behind him. Not a single person was chasing him, nor had a single guard drawn a weapon. They all continued to go about their duties as though his return was entirely normal.
"Something definitely changed."
He continued down the corridor, until he finally reached the room where his father always stayed, and at last the doors stood right before him.
Huo Shuzoh stopped.
After all these years, he would finally see his father's face again. It had been more than six years.
That stone-cold face.
The one that had sent him away when he was still young, the one that hadn't shown mercy towards his older brother, Huo Zin, and the one that never seemed to change.
No matter what happened or who stood before him. It always remained the same.
Cold, calm and unreadable.
Huo Shuzoh stared at the doors, his hand slowly reaching towards them and for the first time in six years, he was about to stand face-to-face with Huo Yusaih.
Huo Shuzoh took a long, deep breath. Then he opened the door and stepped inside and there he was: Huo Shuzoh stood face to face with his father for the first time in over six years.
Huo Yusaih sat comfortably in a large chair that almost resembled a throne and a simple book rested in his hands.
As soon as Shuzoh entered, Yusaih sensed his presence, but he didn't acknowledge him at all. His eyes were drawn to the book in his hands, as if the book in his hands was far more important than the son who now stood before him.
Huo Shuzoh stared at him.
He wanted to speak, he had imagined this moment countless times; he had imagined confronting his father, demanding answers, everything he would say after all these years. But now that he was finally standing in front of him, nothing came out.
His frustration began to build, and it worsened when he noticed something that made it even worse. His father still hadn't looked at him. Huo Yusaih simply continued reading, and Shuzoh's expression darkened. He was being ignored just like that.
After everything that had happened? After six years?
His hand slowly tensed, the silence became unbearable. If his father wouldn't acknowledge him with words, then perhaps there was only one thing left to do.
Huo Shuzoh lowered his stance.
If he couldn't speak he would make his father look at him. He attacked. As Shuzoh closed in, flames suddenly gathered around his arm.
"Heavenly Flame Arts: Form Fifth... SunForge."
Compressed flames wrapped around his arm, condensing tighter and tighter to form a blazing edge and Shuzoh swung. The attack tore through the room like a flying chop, racing right towards Yusaih. But the moment it was about to touch him, it simply disappeared.
Huo Shuzoh's eyes widened.
"What...?"
Huo Yusaih didn't react. He didn't even look up from his book. Shuzoh's expression tightened. He attacked again, using "Sunforge", and the same thing happened again.
He tried to repeat the attacks five consecutive times, but the same thing happened.
Shuzoh finally stopped.
He stood there staring at his father. Yusaih continued reading; not even a single page had been disturbed, and not a single strand of his hair had moved. It was as if Shuzoh hadn't attacked him at all.
Shuzoh's frustration boiled over.
"You're still ignoring me?"
No response came from Yusaih's mouth as he simply turned another page. Shuzoh's expression changed.
Fine.
If Sunforge wasn't enough he would use everything. His flames erupted around him and the temperature inside the room rose instantly.
"Heavenly Flame Arts: Form Eighth... Daybreak."
A blazing sphere of flame formed behind him.
"Let's see you ignore this."
He launched the miniature sun straight towards his father. The attack crossed the room, slowly going closer and closer until it disappeared just like Sunrise. The enormous flame vanished before even reaching Yusaih.
Huo Shuzoh stood frozen.
His father calmly turned another page and Huo Shuzoh didn't know what to do anymore.
It was already obvious. Whatever attack he threw, somehow it would just vanish the moment it hit Huo Yusaih. He stood there, breathing heavily, and the frustration returned.
"Why?!"
His voice resonated in the room.
"Why do you keep ignoring me?! Am I not even an atom in your world?! Why can't you give me even a moment of your shitty time?!"
Huo Shuzoh stopped and took a long breath, trying to catch it. His chest rose and fell as he stared at the person in front of him. Huo Yusaih finally reached the end of the chapter and he calmly closed the book.
He put it aside, then he raised his head and for the first time since Shuzoh had entered the room Huo Yusaih looked directly at his son.
Huo Shuzoh froze.
Huo Yusaih stared at him for a moment, then he spoke.
"What do you need? No, that's not the right question. Why did you come back?"
Huo Shuzoh stared at his father. His fists tightened at his sides.
"I want answers."
Huo Yusaih remained silent.
"Why?"
His voice was quieter now, but the anger behind it was unmistakable.
"Why was I suddenly banished from the Clan? And don't give me that excuse about me being a fireless, trashy son who couldn't use his flames at first."
His voice began to rise.
"You know that's bullshit. There are plenty of children born into powerful families who struggle to awaken their abilities. Some of them never do, but they aren't banished. They choose another path. If the family path doesn't work, they become what they want. Banishment isn't one of those paths."
"So why did you choose it for me?"
Huo Yusaih simply watched him.
"For six years, I've asked myself that question. Was I really that worthless to you? Or was there another reason?"
Huo Yusaih's eyes remained fixed on him and Shuzoh swallowed his anger.
"I came back because I wanted the truth. Why did you banish me, why did you throw your own son away? And why...did you never come looking for me?"
Hio Yusaih remained silent for several seconds then, calmly, he spoke.
"You're asking the wrong question."
"Then tell me the right one."
Huo Yusaih leaned back slightly.
"The question you should be asking is, why did I need you to leave?”
Huo Yusaih leaned back in his chair and rested his cheek on one hand.
"The reason you left is...Nothing. There is no reason why I wanted you out of my estate."
Shuzoh stared at his father.
Huo Yusaih continued as if he hadn't noticed the confusion in his son's eyes.
"Yes, you were born without Seidan. And it was already apparent that you would never try to master or refine it. But here you are. Somehow someway, you actually did just that. But that won't impress me. So that's the reason I needed you to leave."
Huo Shuzoh simply glared at him; he had no idea what had just happened and for a moment, Huo Yusaih's reasoning had actually made sense. Then he said there was no reason and somehow, everything after that had made things worse.
Huo Shuzoh slowly rubbed his forehead.
"...What?"
Huo Yusaih said nothing.
Huo Shuzoh lowered his hand.
"You just spent all that time explaining why you banished me and somehow you didn't actually explain anything."
"I explained it."
"No you didn't! You said there was no reason!"
"Yes."
"Then you started talking about my Seidan!"
"Yes."
"Then you said I somehow mastered it!"
"Yes."
"And then you said that wasn't impressive!"
"Yes."
Shuzoh stared at him.
"Then what the hell was the point of any of that?!"
Huo Yusaih calmly rested his head against his hand again.
"That is for you to figure out."
Shuzoh's eyes twitched. For the first time in six years, he had finally managed to confront his father and somehow he was more confused than when he walked through the door. Huo Yusaih's calm expression angered him more.
"Damn you..."
Seven blazing attacks suddenly erupted from Shuzoh's hands.
"Heavenly Flame Arts: Form Fifth — Sunrise!"
One after the other, the attacks tore through the room towards Yusaih, but just like before, they disappeared before reaching him. Huo Shuzoh's expression darkened as he compressed flames into both of his hands.
"Sunforge!"
He rushed forward and launched a fierce attack. Huo Yusaih didn't even move and before Huo Shuzoh could reach him, several figures suddenly appeared from the sides of the room, grabbing him.
"What-?!"
Shuzoh struggled but more hands seized his arms; they were three guards.
No.
Huo Shuzoh recognized them.
These weren't regular guards, they were members of an assassin unit belonging to the Huo Clan. He fought them but the five easily overpowered him.
"Get off me!"
He tried to break free but their grip didn't loosen. Huo Yusaih finally stood from his chair, slowly, and not saying a word, he began walking towards his son. Huo Shuzoh's breathing became heavier as he fought the five assassins, then Yusaih stopped completely in front of him.
The assassins lifted Shuzoh from the ground, forcing him to face his father. Huo Yusaih gazed upon his own son, no hatred but only disappointment and disgust, Huo Yusaih raised two fingers and placed them against Shuzoh's forehead.
"I see, you've allowed your emotions to run wild. I'll give you some fatherly advice, since you seem so desperate for it. Emotions are what cause one's downfall; they are the reason a person loses the things they cherish; the only way to prevent that from happening...is to become completely emotionless."
Huo Yusaih's voice lowered.
"To kill every emotion within yourself, even the emotions given to us by the gods and the ancestors we worship."
The room became completely silent, Huo Yusaih slowly removed his fingers from Shuzoh's forehead.
"That is the only way to become strong."
Huo Shuzoh was left speechless. He did not understand what his father was saying because in his heart something was suddenly different. A strange feeling was racing through his mind. No, it was not strange, in fact it was burning! Huo Shuzoh's eyes became wide as he gazed at his father.
"What..."
The feeling only became stronger until his whole body stiffened and he screamed out at the top of his lungs! The assassins kept hold of him as Shuzoh struggled in their grips. Inside his head he felt as though everything was being burned away!
"What is happening to me?!"
Suddenly he realized what was happening. It was his father, he had somehow done something to him! A wild fire was consuming everything in its path, but it wasn't simple flesh and bone that was burning. It was everything inside him, everything from happiness to love. One by one they were vanishing in the flames.
Huo Shuzoh shouted out again.
"STOP!"
Huo Yusaih was unfazed and took no notice. Slowly Shuzoh's struggles became weaker and weaker until his body went slack and his eyes began to close before finally collapsing to the floor completely out cold. The three assassins turned to face Yusaih as Shuzoh lay there motionless. Huo Yusaih looked down at his son for a few seconds before turning to the five men.
"As soon as he wakes up...train him. Train him to become a true heir of the Huo Clan. Make him stronger. Strong enough...to surpass me."
The assassins bowed as one.
"Yes, Lord Yusaih."
They picked up Shuzoh and without another word they left the room carrying him with them until eventually their footsteps could no longer be heard.
The doors shut and all was quiet once more. Huo Yusaih walked back to his chair and sat down. He reached out and grabbed another book from the table and opened it up to the first page before starting to read as if nothing had happened.
The memory faded.
Huo Shuzoh stood before his father. The same father who had forced him to burn away his emotions. That had made him the person he was now. A warrior that was trained to not only obey his father but to burn away any weakness. Anything that would make him hesitate in battle. It had all been taken. What remained was a warrior that could stand in the middle of a battlefield and not be ruled by his emotions.
A warrior that obeyed orders without question, a warrior that had been forged in the fires of the Huo Clan. This was the new and improved heir of the Huo Clan.
Huo Shuzoh.
....
The door to the room opened and Saikichi Yoshe stepped inside.
He had just gotten back from the Clan Meeting and the fatigue of it all was still visible on his face. He took off some part of his outerwear and hung it neatly beside him, before settling down to rest. A maid came and placed a cup of water on the table in front of him.
"Thank you."
Saikichi picked up the cup and drank a small sip before exhaling a steady breath.
Finally some peace or so he thought.
"Where have you been?"
Saikichi stopped and slowly turned his head to regard Zi Zan who was comfortably seated in the room.
Saikichi gave him a side-eye look.
"...What are you doing in my room?"
Zi Zan looked at him..
"You're back."
"That doesn't answer my question. I told you to guard the house until I returned."
"I did."
"Then why are you still here?"
Zi Zan was perfectly calm.
"I decided to stay."
Saikichi stared at him.
"You decided?"
"Yes."
"I don't remember giving you permission to make that decision."
Zi Zan shrugged.
"You weren't here."
Saikichi Yoshe sighed.
"Unbelievable."
Zi Zan smiled faintly.
"You seem tired."
"I've been sitting in a meeting with the most troublesome people on the continent."
"And?"
Saikichi shot him a look.
"And you are currently making it worse."
Zi Zan gave a gentle laugh.
"Come now, don't friends always stir up a little trouble?"
With that Zi Zan gave a gentle tap on the floor with his foot and two giant golden-like structures shot up from the floor surrounding Saikichi, pinning him in place.
Saikichi's eyes widened.
"What is the meaning of this?"
Zi Zan said nothing; he simply gave a grin. Saikichi looked at him, then his face shifted.
"Ah, so it was something involving that other boy who was in the other seat."
Zi Zan turned his head and sure enough Sun Yunso was sitting calmly in the other seat, a sheathed sword in one hand, his colorless eyes set on Zi Zan.
Zi Zan gave a look towards him.
"Oh him, I forgot how quick you are to jump to conclusions. Indeed you are correct."
Saikichi looked towards Zi Zan's eyes.
"May I ask what it is you seek?"
Zi Zan gave a small laugh.
"Indeed, you know me so well. Though we have only been friends for a month you somehow manage to grasp my personality so quickly."
Zi Zan shrugged.
"Now do not get me wrong, it is not that which I seek."
Saikichi raised an eyebrow.
"And what might that be?"
Zi Zan's expression shifted into something more serious.
"I am sure you already know. But for the sake of those who don't, there is something of a forbidden nature that belongs to you. Something we require."
Saikichi looked at him, confusion spreading across his face before he suddenly let out a small laugh. The moment Sun Yunso caught it he immediately shot up and was across the room in a flash, pinning Saikichi down in his chair by the neck with his unsheathed sword. His colorless eyes burning with rage.
"Stop laughing and tell me where it is! Where the hell is the blade that my master once bore."
Saikichi's grin widened.
"I see now, you mean the twin headed blade of Su Qing's prime. Indeed now I understand what you mean. That blade is most certainly powerful though not quite to that extent." Anzo gave a small chuckle. "You understand what I mean."
Sun Yunso's expression did not change. Saikichi then turned his attention towards him.
"Forgive me, but it seems I do not have it on me."
Zi Zan's smile faded slightly.
"Stop playing games, Saikichi."
He gazed into his eyes.
"Now give us the jaded blade and nothing bad will happen to you."
Saikichi stood completely still after this, then broke out into laughter again.
Zi Zan's eyes narrowed as Saikichi looked at him with a small smile.
"You hit the nail on the head with one of your predictions, I do believe that we are friends. Yes, even though we have only been friends for a month, I have managed to discover many things about your character. However, it is a shame you have not yet discovered my own nature."
Zi Zan's expression changed.
"What are you talking about?"
Saikichi made no reply as his body began to change.
It slowly turned into a mass of white clouds.
Zi Zan's eyes widened.
"Saikichi?"
The clouds dissipated and just like that he was gone. Sun Yunso stood motionless for a while, his sword still in his grip. Zi Zan looked at the empty chair before sighing.
"...I should have expected that."
Sun Yunso slowly sheathed his blade, his expression not changing.
"The Aberrant Katana of Peace"
Zi Zan looked at him
"Yeah. Looks like we are going to have to find it ourselves."
The golden structures surrounding Saikichi slowly sank back into the ground.
Zi Zan got up from where he was sitting to dust off his clothes before saying anything more. Just when he was about to speak, the door opened.
Lokei, Sa Wayong, and Chu Runar entered the room.
"So?" Lokei asked while looking over at Zi Zan. "Did you get what you wanted?"
Zi Zan shook his head.
"No. We didn't but at least it confirmed my suspicions."
Lokei tilted his head.
"About what?"
"His disappearance. It confirms that he may have already sold the Aberrant Katana of Peace or he still has it in his possession and plans to sell it himself."
"You think he's going to sell it?"
Zi Zan nodded.
"That's what I'm thinking. And I might have an idea of where it could be."
Sun Yunso immediately shifted his attention towards him. Zi Zan looked over at Yunso.
"We have a chance of getting it back. But it might be a pain with just us two."
Zi Zan looked over towards Lokei, Sa Wayong, and Chu Runar.
"So, you guys wanna come with us?"
The three of them looked at each other. Chu Runar immediately raised his hand.
"Sure. I'm in."
Sa Wayong hesitated for a moment before he gave a shy nod.
"I'll come too."
That left only Lokei. He stood there silently.
Lokei always suspected that his father was involved in some shady business on the side while managing the Yoshe Clan. Even though Anzo constantly praised his twin sister, Sanori, for having exceptional talent to possess within the Yoshe Clan, Lokei always felt that something was wrong.
It wasn't that his father didn't care but almost as if he was hiding something.
Wait, does that mean his sister Sanori also knew of the shady business and she's just been quiet about it?
Lokei looked towards the door. There was only one way to find out. He turned back towards Zi Zan. His expression became serious.
"Sure. Let's go.”