"My name is Magnus Nyxborn. You can call me Grandpa," the old man said to Alvin with a light smile.
Alvin stared at him indifferently and asked, "Why can't I move my body?"
"That's because you accidentally activated the second form of your bloodline, which put a huge burden on your body. Most of your muscles are broken at this moment. It will take at least a year to heal you if we tried to heal you in a tier two city. That's why we are going to fly above the suppression range of this city. That way, Zerra will be able to heal you using a fourth-rank spell," the old man said.
After hearing this, Alvin hesitated for a moment and asked, "Is what you said about my sister having a child true?"
The old man became serious when he heard this. He nodded. "That's true, but before I explain about that, I want to know all that you know about your sister and yourself."
Zerra also spoke up, "Don't worry, kid. He won't harm you. It's only because there are some missing pieces in the information we gathered that he is asking this question."
Alvin nodded. "From the day I could remember, I was living in an alleyway with a group of beggars. It was Alice who adopted me, saying I looked like her deceased brother. From that day on, my life changed. She gave me good food, new clothes, and a place to stay."
"Previously, I was despised by everyone because I was a little slow-witted. Everyone would laugh at me, saying I am an idiot. But once I started living with her, Alice would quarrel with anyone who dared to look down on me. She... she was everything for me... my family... my friend... my support... everything..."
Alvin's voice stuttered when he said the last line. Although there were no tears in his eyes, one could easily imagine the pain in his heart just from his voice.
Everyone fell silent after hearing this. They were not sure how to console Alvin in this situation. In the end, Magnus sighed and said, "It was too late for me to intervene, otherwise I would not have allowed such a fate to befall your big sister even if I had to destroy Phynicland."
Zerra's expression changed when she heard this, as she was sure this old man would have really destroyed Phynicland if he dared to say it so openly before a royal member of another empire like her.
"Leave it. We can't change the past. You still have a niece. Take good care of her just as your sister looked after you," Zerra suddenly said to diffuse the tension in the atmosphere, as she didn't want to see another battle between two empires.
"Who taught you Asura Scripture, and who gave you this name, 'Alvin'?" Magnus suddenly asked.
Alvin pondered for a moment and said, "Actually, I didn't have a name before. People usually called me 'idiot'. Alvin is Alice's deceased brother's name. She started calling me that after she adopted me. As for where I learned the third path of Asura Scripture, I don't know myself either. From the day I could walk, I knew every move of it in my head, as though it was printed right into my brain."
Magnus and Zerra exchanged a glance and nodded, as though they understood something.
"So it's a bloodline inheritance. Since that's the case, you might be able to grasp the complete Asura Scripture as well..." Magnus said after pondering for a moment.
But Alvin impatiently interrupted him, "Old man, tell me more about Alice's daughter."
"Well, there are some complications in it. Actually, your sister Alice is from a fallen noble family of Phynicland. Her ancestors had sold themselves and their generations as slaves to the throne of Phynicland a long time ago. This locked each of their descendants in chains of slavery even before they were born."
"According to the intel my men collected, Alice's father tried to go against this, and he secretly arranged his family to move to a low-tier city, thinking they would be safe there. But halfway through, they were caught and all of them got executed for committing treason. Somehow, Alice managed to escape and she started living in Heavenly Wood City thereafter," Magnus said.
"What about the beast tide five years back? Is it also somehow related to them? Did they intentionally cause it to capture her?" Alvin asked.
Magnus shook his head. "No, that beast tide happened because of an ancient ruin which was discovered in Heavenly Wood City back then. All those beasts came from inside that ruin. The reason why William came to Heavenly Wood City in the first place was because of this. In fact, meeting your sister there was just a coincidence."
After Magnus stopped, Zerra said in a grave tone, "Now the problem is that you have killed William Phynic. The royal family of Phynicland won't let this matter slide just like that. After all, even though William was not much favored, he was still a royal member."
"He caused my sister's death. Is there no value for her life?" Alvin asked coldly.
Zerra shook her head. "You don't understand what a soul slave contract really means. Once you become a slave, your body, life, and possessions all become your master's belongings. He can play with you however he wants. Even if he kills you, nobody, not even the law, has any right to speak on the slave's behalf."
"Even Alice's child, who has William's blood in her veins, would be considered just another lowly slave to the throne of Phynicland."
Boom.
Alvin smashed his fist on the bed and sat up. His purple eyes once again changed to a ruby red color, indicating how angry he was at this moment, but his body did not cooperate with him.
He began to shiver in pain as his body could not even handle the stress of simply sitting up due to his injuries.
Alvin ignored the pain and said in an icy tone, "Let them come. I will be there in front of her. It doesn't matter if nobody else speaks on her behalf, but I will surely kill anybody who dares to touch that little girl until the day I have air in my lungs."