Chapter 3: Torture—Ahem, Training.

Chapter 3: Torture—Ahem, Training.

"Hiii!"

Lucas let out a high-pitched yelp, his heart racing.

How many times had he been through this now? He couldn't even remember.

It had been like this for a whole week—non-stop insanity. His new family... weird didn't even begin to describe them.

It's only been a week, and he's already considering ways to escape life permanently.

And now?

He was running for his life, dodging obstacles and gasping for breath, chased relentlessly by one of his so-called adopted brothers—who was gleefully chasing him with [real weapons] in hand.

"Damian, please—"

"—Training!" 

Damian barked, cutting him off from somewhere close behind. 

"Yes, training! For someone who complains so much, you've got awful stamina." 

"What's this been? Three hours? Not enough!"

Three hours?! 

Lucas's legs felt like jelly, and every breath he took burned his lungs. 

He wanted to collapse—no, he needed to collapse.

But that didn't matter. 

Even if he dropped unconscious, Kaiden and Shane would just heal him back up like nothing had happened. 

And the vicious cycle would continue… NO! It would even be worse!

At least Kaiden was gentle when he did it. Shane, however...

How did someone without legal status as a college-schooler—or even a certified Awakener—have so many high-grade elixirs? 

Not just ordinary ones, either, but the kind that completely restored the body, even banishing fatigue. 

The kind that could fetch millions at black markets or auctions.

Seriously, what was Shane's deal?

What IS their deal?!

Lucas yelped again as his foot snagged on a root, nearly sending him face-first into the ground.

"Oooh, so close." 

Damian's amused voice came from behind, his tone thick with mockery.

"If you'd fallen there, I'd have made you run for another three hours."

"P-please... no more…" Lucas gasped, with an expression that showed he was barely able to speak.

"Alright, let's call it for now."

Lucas staggered to a halt, sucking in deep, ragged breaths, his entire body trembling. 

He glanced back and saw Damian slowing down too, examining him with the same scrutinising look he'd been giving since the start.

The Creed family... Weird didn't do them justice.

Every one of them possessed strength beyond anything Lucas could comprehend. 

In their world, they stood apart from everyone else—untouchable. 

It was as if the saying had been crafted just for them:

Throughout heaven and earth, they are the honoured ones.

Sure, he may have been over-exaggerating—No. He wasn't.

Dungeons formed when mana concentrations became unstable, connecting this dimension with another sprawling with chaotic and dangerous beings. 

Yet the Creeds? They had a controlled dungeon sitting in the basement of their house.

And Shane? He was the one responsible for maintaining it—a task that normally required entire teams of experts. 

But Shane handled it alone, with little more than a shrug.

Damian, on the other hand, possessed physical strength rivalling that of Enlightened above class Awakeners—an elite rank only the closest to being the strongest could achieve.

Killing Orcs and Ogres with a leisure swipe of your hand is something only those of the Enlightened class could do.

And Kaiden? Lucas had heard about him from Enma.

As for Enma himself... Lucas wasn't entirely sure what his deal was. 

But one thing was clear—he was the one the others listened to, the quiet leader of the chaos.

"Haah," Lucas exhaled, still trying to catch his breath.

"Three hours on the dot," Damian said smugly, glancing at his wristwatch. "Better than yesterday."

"Ha—hah—" Lucas wheezed, struggling to stand upright.

"You lasted twenty-five minutes longer this time. Not bad."

"Ngh..." Lucas groaned in frustration, holding his tears inside.

Damian grinned, his expression unsettlingly cheerful. "Tomorrow, we push for four hours."

A chill ran down Lucas's spine at the sight of that grin. 

He was starting to suspect that at least two of his new brothers were, in fact, sadists.

And in fact, they are sadists.

"Haha... Mother, Father, your son might be coming to meet you soon..." 

He muttered under his breath, tears prickling at the corners of his eyes.

"Stop whining. Get up already. Besides, if you die, Kaiden and Shane will just heal you back up."

Damian said it so casually, with such unshakable confidence, that Lucas felt another shiver run down his spine.

"Uh... Can they really?" Lucas asked nervously, tilting his head.

"Not that I want to die or anything! Just, you know... insurance… yes, insurance!"

Damian shrugged, unconcerned. "Probably. Those two can handle it."

His nonchalant answer didn't exactly fill Lucas with hope, but if Damian said it, it had to be true... right?

There had been a question lingering at the back of Lucas's mind since the moment he arrived, and now seemed as good a time as any to ask.

"So... are you guys from a big family or something?"

Damian arched an eyebrow, the corner of his mouth curling into a mischievous grin.

"For someone who's supposed to be exhausted, you sure talk a lot."

"Perhaps, should I run another one hour drill now?"

Without thinking, Lucas snapped to attention, standing straight and saluting. 

"Sorry, sir!"

It had only been a week, but his body had already learned to obey Damian and Shane's on reflex.

Damian sighed heavily, rubbing the back of his neck. 

For just a moment, Lucas wondered—did this demon of a man have a soft side?

Nah. He must be going insane.

Surely. He must be going senile.

"Hm? Did you just have any bad thoughts towards me?"

"No, sir, no!"

"Haah. Screw it." Damian sighed. Shaking his head. 

"We're not from some big, secret family." 

Damian then muttered after a short pause, his voice unexpectedly calm, though tinged with irritation. 

"Just a bunch of kids abandoned by their parents."

Lucas blinked, stunned by the admission.

"Shane brings in money doing... whatever shady stuff he does. Kaiden and Enma keep the house running. And me…..?" 

Damian trailed off with a shrug.

His words hung in the air, heavy and unspoken.

In the short time Lucas had spent with them, things were starting to make sense.

Kaiden was always buried in his books when he wasn't taking care of the house. 

Shane? He was rarely seen, either locked away in his room or out doing who-knew-what.

The one time Lucas had peeked into Shane's room, he'd seen a massive computer screen filled with complicated data and papers scattered across the floor—something about theories or formulas.

And Damian... Well, other than his absurd physical strength, Lucas still didn't know much about him.

"Anyway," Damian said, brushing off the conversation, "we've got bigger things to worry about. We start at the academy (college) tomorrow."

"Yosen Magic Affiliated College."

He grinned knowingly, and Lucas felt his stomach drop.

Wait—Yosen MGAC? The Yosen Magic and National Affiliated College? 

That elite, world-affiliated academy? 

The one where just getting accepted was enough to guarantee success in life?

Sure, once admitted, it was technically easy to graduate. But getting in? That was next to impossible.

Then again... These brothers didn't exactly fit the mould of the ordinary.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Damian asked, lazily cleaning his ear with his pinkie. "You're enrolling too."

"...What?"

"Shane already took care of everything—the paperworks and all. Enma will go with you tomorrow to get you settled."

Lucas's brain froze, struggling to process what he'd just heard.

"...Huh?"

Whatever expression was on his face must have been priceless, because Damian's grin widened just a bit more.

Ehhhhhh?!