Life didn't get easier, even in another world.

"...."

Blink Blink

Kain tilted his head.

"Pardon?"

Alan folded his arms with a proud face.

"I said that old thing must've chosen you brat as a master. That is a secret that no one knows about, boy! So make sure to keep it a secret!"

"...."

Kain opened and closed his eyes.

"Pfffttt!"

And then burst into laughter.

"Hahahaha! You caught me for real! Pffft!"

"...."

"Generals and holy artifacts-"

Smack

Kain was smacked from behind.

"Gah!"

He grabbed his head and stepped away. 

'When did this man even get up and approach me?'

He took another step back.

"What?"

'Did he just use his power only to hit me from behind?'

Alan glared at him, his face suddenly really angry.

"Do you think this is a joke? Do I look like someone who would like to make fun of a brat like you?"

"...."

"You don't get it, do you? I've told you countless times already! If you can't control and shit, it will harm you instead! Forget that fucking story about all of those foolish generals and focus on this stupid thing!"

"...."

Kain lowered his head in shame.

"That fucking artifact is a double-edged blade! I've told you that before, idiot! Now sit down and continue the fucking training."

Why was he suddenly being scolded as if he was a kid? Kain obediently sat down. The floor was still wet from the blast of power and his clothes were getting drenched in water, but he still sat down.

"But..."

Before continuing on his training, Kain muttered some words under his lips.

"I'm definitely not the strongest person with a natural attribute... Even if the seal was broken... why would it choose me? Couldn't it just remain without an owner?"

His low voice was heard by the old man.

"You are right. You are not the strongest."

"..."

Those were the truth but hearing them like that still hurt! 

"The generals were never the strongest neither bravest nor the one with the best personality. The generals were never chosen based on pure power from the beginning... So don't think you've become a special piece of shit because of that shitty thing around your wrist."

"...."

Kain took a deep breath. 

'This man is trying to help you. Calm down. He just is a little bit harsh with words.'

Right. He needed to stay cool!

"Then how does it choose its... um... master?"

The old man didn't give an answer for a few minutes.

"Who knows!"

He shrugged and turned around, walking away from Kain. Alan stopped after a few steps and glanced back at Kain. 

"But one day someone told me... that it was their role."

Kain couldn't see it as his head was down, but Alan's gaze looking down at him seemed different for some reason.

"...The role they had... at the fate of this land."

A mixture of sadness and pity could be seen in his golden pupils while looking at the unfortunate man.

. . . . .

Kain didn't come back that day. He didn't even answer his phone no matter how many times Kairen called him. 

So instead of him, Kairen was dragged around the city the whole day by his son. He had to take the kid to a park for him to ride his bicycle and play around as much as he wanted, then take him to a supermarket to buy chips but end up coming out of the market with two bags full of snacks, then they somehow found themselves in an amusement park and ended up eating food outside as Kairen was too lazy and tired to cook food once they go back home. 

Even after returning home, he had to play with the kid from the evening until the night till the kid finally fell asleep. 

Kairen felt used. He was used by the kid on his precious day off! The day that he wanted to sleep and then organize his thoughts!

Alessia returned in the evening and Kain came home late that night while looking like a walking corpse. He only said that he was 'ordered' to take Kairen with him to the training ground on the headquarters the next day with him before sleeping immediately.

And that was how Kairen ended up in his current situation. 

"I'm going outside to talk to this brat but you don't stop your training, older brat!"

Alan stared at Kain with narrowed eyes.

"I won't... And don't call me brat-"

BANG

Alan pushed Kairen outside and slammed the door closed, leaving Kain to train alone inside the building. 

The two of them walked away from the training ground in silence until they stopped in the spot where they once had a conversation and sat down on the grass again. 

"Ahem!"

Alan looked around. 

"There wasn't actually a need to come this far...Hmm... Anyway, brat, are you alright?"

He looked at Kairen up and down. 

"Uh?"

Kairen was surprised for a second at the unexpected question, but he soon smiled.

"Yes. I'm fine."

"You threw out blood. Your friends were in panic."

"Haha!"

Kairen scratched his cheek.

"I don't know but I'm somehow fine... maybe the cockroach powers had kicked it..."

"What?"

"No, nothing!"

Alan looked at him once more and nodded his head.

"I have something to tell you about that power of yours, but let's talk about it later. First, I need you to know something."

"Is it about that bracelet?"

"Yes."

Alan looked around once again before leaning closer to Kairen. 

"Let me tell you a story."

"....."

. . . . . 

A few minutes later, Alan moved back and sat in his previous place.

"Did you get it?"

"...."

Kairen's face was blank and a little bit pale.

"You are telling me that... I broke the seal of one of the artifacts from an ancient artifact set... That was used by the six generals of the empire before... Something that no one knew about... And that artifact has chosen Kain as its owner and... will lend him power... And you are training him so that he can control the power?"

Alan nodded his head.

"Yes."

"...."

Kairen opened and closed his eyes.

"You... you are being serious?"

"Ha! I've moved out of my way to help these bunch of idiots and they call me a lier and a-"

"A-Alright!"

Kairen raised his hands in the air as a sign of surrender.

"Okay! I believe you!"

"Hah!"

Alan scoffed and folded his arms.

"That's as much as I've told that boy, but it's not the whole story and I can't tell everything to him."

"...."

Alan's words made Kairen a little bit nervous.

"What is more to it?"

He asked while looking at the man's golden eyes. Alan didn't answer him immediately. He poked the ground with his fingers and played with some withered and dry leaves.

"Those artifacts... They were left behind by the first emperor, Emperor Reynold. The artifact set as well as the Divine Crown were the things that would pass down to each generation in the empire."

He pressed a dry leaf between his fingers.

"They are important items, right? They must be one of the most important things that would be written in history."

The leaf got powdered under the pressure of his two fingers.

"But they weren't. Instead, they became one of the most secret things in history. Do you know why?"

Alan looked up at Kairen.

"Because of their nature."

He lowered his head again.

"Emperor Reynold was a great man. He was the one who saved thousands of people and created the empire. However, he was a scary man. Someone whom people could never understand.

He created an empire and taught people how to survive in the harsh world, but then he suddenly vanished, leaving everyone without their trusted ruler. The only things he left behind were these seven items. It was said that he had infused his own power inside them saying that their power would help the right people in leading the fate of this land. 

As he had told, his followers used the power inside those things to achieve victory in was and keep the land safe..."

Alan took a deep breath.

"But you see, every great power comes with a great price and those generals had to pay the price of using such power."

Alan stopped talking. He crushed the dry leaves one by one in silence. 

Kairen looked at the man who seemed to be telling a far memory, one that he wasn't really happy about. Alan had suddenly started to talk about history in a way that it seemed like he had prepared those lines before and probably practiced them a lot. While wondering if he had really practiced these lines before in order to tell them to Kairen or not, he urged Alan to continue.

"Pay the price?"

Alan nodded his head with a little bit of delay.

"To simplify it... The power that the artifacts give you gets fused with your soul. The more one uses the power, the more they get fused together, and the more the power gets mixed to each other, the greater the aftereffects the user will get."

Alan looked up at Kairen's face. 

"In other words, the more severe his punishment will be."

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