The Martial Unity

2032  Tales Over Dinner

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

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.

Rui couldnʼt agree more.

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.

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

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

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

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

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

Julian smiled. ”Maybe, maybe not. Iʼm just sharing with you what I see.”

That was why he smiled.

Rui continued staring at his motherʼs statue. ”She would have liked to see me one last time. Kindness would be not denying her that.”

He smiled like he meant it.

Like he wasnʼt hurting from the loss of his mother.

”…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 childrenʼs path to success. She would have felt horrible if you could not set out to do what you wanted with your life.”

Like it didnʼt burn him from the inside out.

”Youʼve grown taller, Kellen.”

”Ah, congratulations on your third baby!”

Rui could not deny that. ”Good job with your breakthrough to the Apprentice Realm, Lea.”

Still, it didnʼt alleviate his guilt.

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.

”…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…”

”Rui.”

Julianʼs voice tugged at his attention.

”If she did know, she probably would do just that.” A fleeting, bittersweet smile cracked at the edge of his mouth. ”Julian, itʼs been three years.” Rui wore a smile. ”How have you been?”

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

He didnʼt respond, simply staring at Rui knowingly.

PAT

Rui simply stared at her statue in silence.

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

”…Letʼs go inside; itʼs time for dinner,” Julian remarked.

”…Iʼd rather stay here for some time.”

Ruiʼs 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.

Julian stared at him knowingly.

[Beloved mother to many]

”When was the last time you ate food?”

Ruiʼs eyes softened as he gazed at a statue in her likeness. ”…Itʼs almost like sheʼs still here.”

Ruiʼs 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 wouldnʼt approve if you didnʼt ensure you got all the food you needed. Mayra has prepared high-density food for Mana and Max; why donʼt you join us?”

The mention of Lasharaʼs disapproval stirred him.

”…Youʼre right,” he relented. Besides, he had resolved to make as much of his living family as possible while they were there. He didnʼt 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 Ruiʼs mouth. ”I have.”

”Hahahaha! I knew it! Youʼre the best, big brother!”

”…I canʼt 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 didnʼt 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 Ruiʼs 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 couldnʼt 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.

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