Complete Coincidence?

It only took a moment, but it had felt like eons to Liam, who was straining everything he had. His channels were strengthening painfully, and the explosions force pushed him back. Nevertheless, he steadied himself and held on. The shield never wavered.

How could it? It was primarily made from the Seed's energy. Liam barely gave it enough shape to keep the blast strength away from Haru and the kids.

Coincidentally, the twins and Willa were also behind that area. But on the edge of it. So that was why they weren't blown backward by the explosion.

When the biggest impact of the explosion ended, Liam fell to his knees, panting. His hands hanging limply by his side. He was entirely spent.

He still had a tiny amount of energy in his core. He fell to the side a moment later, some blood dripping from his nose. He was still conscious but so tired that he could sleep for days. The kids saw that the biggest commotion was over, so they decided to take a look and see why Liam wasn't coming to them.

They discovered him lying down with a nosebleed, his face pale as the white moon. They decided to bring him over to the other unconscious grownups. They soon found Liam's bag and brought it to him.

"Water…" Liam managed to get out.

One of the kids had wiped the blood from his nose and searched the bag for a container. Liam saw Karu running off toward the river. The environment wasn't safe, but the river wasn't far either. Soon returning with a good amount of it. It wasn't just for Liam; he also brought it for the others. The other kids were making a fire.

It seemed like they were adjusting well. Seeing the kids that had never been in the woods before adjusting so quickly to this kind of thing was strange.

There have already been several of these unexpected situations, and they seem to be dealing with the 'now' problems rather than the future ones. It was a good quality trait to be able to see what a person should focus on rather than something they couldn't even begin to understand.

The fire was crackling, some meats were grilling on the sticks near it, and a pot was placed in the fire with water and vegetables. Everything looked to be going well when the kids noticed movement some distance away. They become wary because they wouldn't be able to do anything, and the grownups were either too tired, sleeping, or unconscious.

They relaxed soon after when they saw the giant spiky snake coming closer.

"You look like shit!" Nio said after noticing the state Liam was in.

"No shit, I feel like I've been hit by you…" he said to Nio, who suddenly felt proud.

"Hehee, by the way, the humans are close by." He informed him.

"Would they reach us, or are they moving straight to the city?"

"They'll probably find you soon enough. The fire is pretty noticeable after all," he pointed out the obvious.

"Ahh, fine, are you staying or going to Biff?"

"I don't know. You're both quite annoying," he scoffed.

"So pick a middle ground then," Liam retorted without thinking as his head fell back to the soft fur of Haru.

Sure enough, the tree people found them having a barbecue an hour later.

The kids were a little apprehensive when they saw three adults come closer. The brothers relaxed visibly when they saw the silent twins, but Yong-Sun didn't dare to let his guard down.

Yong-Sun stared at the woman. The woman gazed back at him, turning her head a minute later, looking at the exhausted Liam. He didn't look anything like the mysterious man he saw in Maple City, more like a teenager who had been beaten to a pulp.

She had seen him without a hood last time, but she had been too distraught that she didn't pay much attention to his looks, just his demeanor that commanded respect.

This time though, she noticed his hair.

Pristine white, a bit dirty but still clearly white and straight.

Her eyes widened in shock as she took it in.

The next moment she fell to her knees and started to beg for forgiveness…

"Please, sir, forgive my ignorance. I have failed to recognize your excellences presence," she apologized and begged for forgiveness.

"Stop!" Liam said. "Get up…" the girl in front of him didn't get up. "Okay, I want to see your face when I speak to you," he added after a moment, thinking that giving an order might get a better result.

She hesitantly raised her torso but remained seated on her knees. Looked everywhere else than at Liam.

Liam sighed loudly. He pulled himself together and pushed himself to a position that looked decent enough. They seemed to be on the same eye level now, but as the girl didn't look at him, this couldn't be counted.

"Tell me, who do you think I am?"

"Sir?"

"I won't repeat myself," Liam looked dead serious. Inside he was exhausted to the point of passing out and wanted to close his eyes so that he could relax for a moment. He just needed to know this one thing, why did the Nobles act like this when they saw his hair. The Commoners nor the slaves had this kind of reaction.

"Sir is a core member of the Greenvault Family Clan. Their distinctive features, like clear blue eyes and pristine white hair are traits taught to every Noble when they start learning anything. Also, the black horns that can be hidden with a Secret technique of the Family Clan." She looked brightly at Liam, who seemed to be frowning.

"Greenvault?" Liam paused, thinking it over, "Tell me about their history," Liam said, asking it like he was testing the girl on something. Or at least, that was how she took the question.

"They…" she started to tell a tale that lasted for an hour. All the humans who were awake listened very attentively. None of them could never get to hear such stories if it weren't for Liam.

They all ate as the girl, or should I say a woman told the history of the Greenvaults. They seemed to be one of the two powers on this planet that have somehow managed to survive and trive.

It seemed like this planet also had three powerful families, but one was wiped out by the metros that they called flaming rocks. So, the Latner Family Clan now seemed to be their only opponent.

To that, Liam's eyes seemed to widen a fraction. 'Is this real or complete coincidence?'