Chapter Ten

The memories that were trapped inside Nekaia were like a thorn that pricked Arnin's mind. He didn't want Nekaia changing because of her past memories. If she changed for the worse what would he do? Arnin shook his head and continued to sit beside the two cultivating girls.

The sun began to rise by the time Nekaia's cultivating water was completely drained of essence. She slowly opened her eyes and releases a warm breath. Even though she was in the bath for a long time, her skin didn't look any worse. Rather it was softer and cleaner than before. Nekaia looked down at the water and then saw Arnin sitting not too far away. Arnin got up and brought clothes for Nekaia. He turned around to let her change into the clean set of clothes.

"Nekaia, how are you feeling?" Arnin turned around after Nekaia finished changing. She had a bright smile on her face before she walked towards Arnin and lifted her arm in the air in front of him.

"See for yourself!" Arnin looked weirdly at Nekaia when he noticed how excited she was. Arnin held her hand and inserted threads inside her body for an inspection. He found that the threads were much thicker inside her body and the orb was somewhat throbbing. The white colored orb was like a snowball; cold and extremely white. Arnin was very shocked, Nekaia had achieved Orb Birth - Earth peak level. Arnin took back his threads before warmly smiling at Nekaia. He was very happy to see his sister become stronger, at least she would be able to protect herself better.

"Congrats! For the next few days, I want you to spar with me so that you can get some battle experience. Although, it won't be life and death, it is better that you understand how to fight rather then just watch." Arnin explained his plan to Nekaia. He wanted her to learn battle techniques so that when she went with Avian, Nekaia wouldn't be worse than anyone else.

"Arnin, when will Lilise wake up? Also, how did you become so strong and smart?" Nekaia held onto Arnin's arm while she spoke. She had many questions and even looked at Arnin with slight respect. She had seen her brother grow up with herself, so how did he become so strong and smart?

"Well, you always went off and played with your friends. I on the other hand worked my butt off to understand cultivation. You are just a lazy little girl!" Arnin joked with Nekaia who began to look angry. She punched Arnin's shoulder before walking towards Lilise's bathtub.

"Arnin, are you really going to go to an academy? Why can't you come with me, mom, and dad to the city? I like master Avian; she treats me just like mom, she will treat you the same if you come." Nekaia's eyes became red when she thought of separating with her brother. Her puffy eyes looked directly at Arnin before turning towards the quiet Lilise.

"Nekaia, I need to go to an academy to learn more about cultivation. I want to become strong enough to protect you, mom, and dad. I can't depend on your master to survive!" Arnin was resolute in his decision which made Nekaia a little sad. She silently nodded her head when Lilise finally opened her eyes. Lilise found herself looking at Nekaia's sad face, which made her confused. Did she unknowingly say something or do something bad? Just as she was about to say something to Nekaia, Arnin picked up some clothes from ground and handed them to her.

"Lilise, change into these. After you are done, go and do some breathing exercises. I am going to rest inside and when I wake up, we will continue with the training." Arnin turned around and walked into the house from the back.

Lilise nodded slightly before walking out of the bath. She put on her clothes in front of Nekaia before sitting down. Before starting her exercises, she looked towards Nekaia in contemplation.

"Nekaia, I have always wondered where you and Arnin got your tattoos. Was it placed there by someone or were both of you born with it?" Lilise found the tattoos to be mesmerizing. If it was placed by someone then she had a chance in the future to get one for herself, but if it was by birth then she would never be able to get one.

"These tattoos were on Arnin and I since birth. My mom and dad don't know why we have them, but they always said that this mark is special and that Arnin and I are the only ones they have seen with it." Nekaia's eyes began to shimmer when she thought of the specialty if her tattoo. Although it wasn't as great in number as Arnins, it was still unique to her. Lilise felt somewhat downcast, but she got over it quickly.

"So, Arnin is going to the academy with you and your sister? I hope that you guys can look after my brother, he is very different. Whenever I play with my friends, he would go and do something alone. He doesn't like talking with people outside my family. Your family seems to be an exception so please look after Arnin." Nekaia helplessly looked at Lilise and spoke in a somewhat begging tone. She grew up with Arnin so she knew the type of person Arnin was. He was a distant person that hated to interact with people outside his own family. She was surprised to see Arnin having a friendly relationship with the village elder, but she was happy to see that Arnin found someone to speak to. Even if that person was an old man past his prime.

Lilise nodded towards Nekaia, agreeing. She also wanted to further interact with Arnin, both because of his wits and because of her favorable impression of him. She felt that going to the academy with Arnin would be a thrilling experience; Arnin was a monstrous talent and was able to defeat people who were higher than him in strength. As a person from Talonton village, Lilise couldn't help but be happy that such a person was from her own home. She was also happy to see that her grandpa found someone to speak to as well. Just like Nekaia, Lilise was concerned about her grandpa's loneliness. Although, he was the strongest in Talonton village, he still wasn't considered to be a very strong person wen compared to the whole world. His friends grew distant because of his lacking strength, which caused him to suffer greatly. However, with Arnin's appearance all of this changed. Her grandpa seemed a little livelier and did not hate the way Arnin spoke to him, rather he was happy to find someone who wouldn't bend his for him and treated him like a friend.

"Nekaia, what kind of person is Arnin? Since I will be attending an academy with him, it would be better for me to understand him more." Lilise really wanted to know more about Arnin. How could such a young person know so much? Her best bet was to ask Nekaia because she would have spent the most time with him.

"Honestly speaking, the person who would know the most about him is my mom. He is always sucking up to her and doing whatever she says. He is such a mommy's boy!" Nekaia talked about Arnin annoyingly. He would always listen to Ashia except for the one time, when Avian came. That was the first time Arnin went against Ashia. Nekaia was actually very happy at that moment because she was one of the many reasons he went against her. While Nekaia was speaking, Lilise listened with a smile. Inside the house, Arnin was laying on the bed while Ashia was silently massaging his head. Ashia was looking at Arnin with love and sadness.

"Florian, I know that Arnin is going to leave for the academy, but don't you think that we should be with him during this age. It's true that children around his age would go to the academy, but I don't want him to leave us at such a young age. He is still my little baby." Ashia was speaking with red eyes. Her hand continued to rub Arnin's hair as she spoke quietly with Florian.

"Ashia, he is young, and this is the best time for him to cultivate. If we keep him with us, wouldn't we be burdening his growth? Remember, he is very mature and different from the other children. If anything, we should be worried about Nekaia instead of him. Hah-!" Florian tried to brighten the mood, but Ashia only gave hive a glare which made him stop laughing. He walked and sat beside Ashia, also looking at Arnin. Although he hid it, he would also be worried about his son. Who wouldn't worry about their five-year-old child separating from them for a long time?

"Nekaia will be with us for a long time so we don't have to worry about her. Arnin will be all alone in that academy, and knowing him, friends will be difficult to make. If only I could go with him to the academy, but Nekaia will need me more then Arnin." Ashia sighed slightly before smiling towards Arnin. She loved both her children equally, but Arnin was a special case because of his personality. She knew that Nekaia would always be surrounded by people in the future, but what about Arnin? While the two parents spoke, Nekaia and Lilise continued to discuss things about Arnin.

"Although, my mom doesn't show it, she treats Arnin differently. She makes him go outside and play with other kids while she tries to force me to become a little more mature. Mom wants him to change and make friends, but that never happens. I don't really mind how Arnin is. He is different but he is still my older brother. He takes care of me and makes sure I don't ever lose out to other people." Lilise listened with heightened interest. When she met Arnin for the first time, he was very haughty, but after listening to Nekaia she understood a different side of Arnin. She knew that Arnin treated her like a student, but she really wanted to become friends with him.

"Nekaia, do you think that Arnin will become evil in the future?" Lilise suddenly asked a strange question. This question was always on the back of her mind. She still remembered that when her grandpa was signing a contract with Arnin, the only demand he had was for him to take care of Arnin's family if he was ever labeled as evil in the future. Since he said that he might be labeled evil, she kept thinking that Arnin may not be a good person. Nekaia was surprised by the question but became somewhat angry. She glared at Lilise before calming herself down.

"I don't know what you see in my brother, he may be different and may have tricked your grandpa, but he is not evil!" Nekaia said with irritation before stomping off. She didn't think that Nekaia would react so angrily because of her question. She quickly chased after Nekaia.

"Nekaia, I am sorry! I didn't mean it like that. I don't think he is evil. Please Nekaia, listen!" Ashia heard the shouts and walked out with confusion. She saw Nekaia coming inside with a dark expression while Lilise was wearing a pale one. She hushed both the girls and pointed towards the resting Arnin. She then called them both over to the other bed, Florian also watched with some confusion.

"Alright, stop making a ruckus. Tell me, why are you both fighting?" Ashia first looked at Nekaia and then turned her face towards the almost tear stricken Lilise.

"Miss Ashia, it was my fault. I asked Nekaia a question that made her mad." Lilise was on the verge of tears, but she held them in. Ashia was even more confused and curious as to what question she asked.

"Mom, dont worry about the question. It was about Arnin, and you may not like it. Hmph!" Nekaia did not want her mom to know the question because she would be hurt the most from it. She knew how her mom felt about Arnin, so anything negative said about him would be a big blow to her mentally. She was overprotective of her children, and with Arnin's isolated personality, she took terrible comments against him to heart.

"Nekaia, be quiet! Little Lilise, tell me the question. I might be able to answer it for you if it is about Arnin." Ashia kindly asked Lilise. Little did she know that this question would completely traumatize her. Lilise was somewhat hesitant, but Ashia showed such goodwill that she couldn't hide it from her. In a very quiet voice, she state her question once more.

"I asked Nekaia whether she think that Arnin will turn out to be evil in the future." The question hit Ashia's ears like a bolt of lightning. Nekaia glared hard at Lilise before running to support her mom. Florian lost all color on his face after the question was asked. His brows wrinkled and his face showed slight anger. Ashia's smile froze and she stood up like a statue.

"Lilise, why would you ask such a question? Did Arnin do something or say something bad?" Although Ashia felt hurt, she still needed to ask the main question. Why? Why would she ask this question? Lilise was somewhat frightened by everyone's reaction. She didn't know whether she should tell them about the contract between her grandpa and Arnin. However, at that moment, Arnin got up and opened his droopy eyes. Ashia noticed this and walked towards him slowly. Her eyes showed more care and love then before, and there was even a hint of worry.

"Mom? What happened? Dad, why are you mad?" Arnin was became confused and when he saw his parents' expressions. Even Nekaia had an angry expression. He turned his head found Lilise looking at him with an apologetic and sad face. This confused Arnin even more, so he turned towards his mom with a look of puzzlement.

"Dear, I have a question to ask you. Did you ever say or do something bad to Lilise? Because today she asked me a weird question, and there is no way she would ask this question without a reason. Did you do or say something in front of her or even to her that would make her think you are evil?" Ashia was still very heartbroken about the question that was asked about her son. Arnin was dumbstruck before he looked at Lilise. He then tried to recall anything that would have given her that kind of feeling. Different things came up in his mind, there was his dictator type training, him tricking her grandpa, and injuring her grandpa. He thought for a bit longer before he concluded. He sighed before looking at his parents and Nekaia once more.

"The reason she asked that question is because of a discussion I had with the village elder. Don't blame her, I shouldn't have spoken with the village elder in front of anyone. Just know this, your son will never be evil if you say so. If you think I am evil then I am, but if you think I am good then I am good." Arnin smiled towards Ashia who was very pale. He stood on the bed and rubbed her head slightly which caused Ashia to pull him into her embrace. Florian's face was better than before, but he was still thinking about what Arnin said. What discussion did he have with the village elder that would make Lilise ask such a question? Ashia also had the same thought in mind, but what her son said helped relieve her of most of her worries. However, she was now more reluctant to part with Arnin. What if more people began to start asking the same question? Would her son really become something evil in the future?