Flashback (2)
*Flashback*
“How can I tell anyone about who you are when I don’t even know.”
“You don’t have to know. Just know that I am a Highborn, and only a handful of people know about it.”
“What if I behave out of character, and someone catches me for it? Can’t you tell me? I will keep your secret.”
“I… I can’t. I promised my grandparents that I won’t. If anyone finds out I am a highborn, not only me, everyone around me will be in danger too.”
“What does it entail to be highborn?”
“It’s more about having a powerful beast form, but it runs in the blood, so some people, even if they don’t have a powerful beast, tend to be known as highborn too. When some beasts have similar abilities, those highborn mostly come out on top. It’s like selective breeding.”
“Breeding sounds so wrong.” Sevir shook his head but moved on, “What are some of the powerful beasts?”
“There are records of some beasts that live quite far away from us. There are only a few that are closer to us. There are dragons in the north and Xuanwu in the east. The Naga King has been around for 600 years. He sometimes comes to Kaizen, and I have seen his beast form. It’s beyond imagination. My father was a Sunbird.”
“600? Wait, you said people lived for years and years. You never said 600.”
“Well. Most people only live upto 150 if their cultivation is shallow and upto 300 if they are Beast Masters. Then we go out and pursue life. Very few people keep pursuing cultivation. Those born without a beast spirit age and typically die by 100 or 120.”
“How do you pursue cultivation?”
“Practise, explore, develop. There are all sorts of ways. I read about some forbidden ways to increase cultivation. You could easily die, but you can jump a level or two easily if it works. There is a rumor that Headmaster Wama used a forbidden method.”
“Did he?”
“I have known him forever. He is a nice guy, but I can’t help but wonder about the duality of his nature sometimes. Anyways, even if he did, it worked out for him well. He had unusual traits too, but he never takes beast form in front of others, so people can only talk.”
“How do you know Headmaster Wama? Does he know about our plan?”
“No. He is a family friend. More like he barged into our home, demanding I come to Kaizen since he knew my mother and her beast. He even defeated my grandparents for it. So I am in Kaizen now. But I haven’t told him about this. If, by any chance, he didn’t approve….” Hongli shivered
“Does he know your mother?”
“He says he does. But he never talks about her beast, only about her as a person.”
“Did you get any clues from that?”
“A little. Once, Headmaster Wama said she didn’t know where she came from or who she was. Another time he said that her beast caused her memory problems. He was the one who mentioned first that my mother suspected that another world might exist apart from this one and that could solve her problems.
“Do you have a memory problem with your beast? Will I have them?”
Hongli shook his head, “Not all of our parents’ beast traits get inherited. I have never had a problem with my memory. It was the first thing Headmaster Wama tested me for. He didn’t want my grandparents to manipulate my memories of my mother.”
“They wouldn’t,” Sevir shook his head. They were good people, protective of their RuIng, their Hongli.
Hongli shook his head, “Don’t be fooled. All their niceness gets damned as soon as someone mentions my mother or my beast. Since I haven’t been able to turn yet, they are still hoping that I will be like my father. The day I turn, I might get thrown out.”
Neither of them spoke for a while, lost in thought.
Sevir sighed, “why did we have to have rotten luck with family?”
“Tell me about it.”