The Divine Elements

“I suggest that you do not make a single move.”

A grave voice sounded out from behind the tall old man, as Roran held a purple dagger against the stranger’s throat.

Ellie scurried off to the corner of the room, and she looked with worry at Calron and Roran.

“Who are you?”

Calron asked icily, as he slowly stood up from the floor and looked into the old man’s face. Even while standing, both Calron and Roran appeared to be a head shorter than the intruder.

The old man had a full head of grey-white hair and a neatly trimmed beard. His pale blue irises exuded a sense of ancient wisdom, but there was also a trace of mischievousness hidden in those eyes.

“You’re scaring the young one over there, so calm down. I am just here to talk.”

The old man placatingly held up his arms with a slight smile on his bearded face. His eyes twinkled with mirth as he observed the two boys and their reaction to his presence.

“You either talk now, or I will beat it out of you.”

Calron stated threateningly, continuing to glare at the old man.

“Oya? You will beat a frail old man like me? Tch, your parents must have not taught you well… ”

The old man chuckled with amusement, seeming to be not at all panicked at the dagger still pressed to his neck.

Calron’s eyes darkened at the mention of his parents, and in a blink, he appeared directly in front of the old man. A flash of dark light exploded in the room, as Calron summoned his dark bow and swiftly equipped it with a golden arrow.

“Do not insult my parents again, or I will plunge this arrow deep in your chest. Now, who the hell are you?”

Calron seethed, pushing the tip of the lightning arrow against the old man’s broad chest.

The expression on the stranger’s face changed when he saw the dark bow in Calron’s hands, but he soon nodded like he had just confirmed something.

“Do you still not know who I am?”

The old man stared deep into Calron’s azure eyes, and in the next moment he abruptly vanished from sight, causing both Roran and Calron to withdraw their weapons and search for him in a frenzy.

“I am the Patriarch of the Raizel clan.”

A loud voice boomed throughout the small shop, as the old man abruptly appeared in front of Calron and his icy-blue irises penetrated through Calron’s own. Simultaneously, a faint image of a bulky and muscular golden bird coalesced behind the Patriarch, causing both Roran and Ellie to quiver in fear.

Glancing at the shaking figures of Roran and Ellie under the old man’s pressure, Calron quickly spread out his own aura to envelop them.

“Sigh… please withdraw your aura and have a seat.”

Calron exhaled, finally realizing who the old man was and asked him to sit down. He used his senses to check outside the shop and see if the noises had alerted anyone.

“Don’t worry, not a single tremor of sound escaped from this room.”

The Patriarch said gently, as he found himself a chair and patiently waited.

“Are you both alright?”

Calron inquired, as he patted Ellie on the head and looked at his brother.

“I am fine, Master… ”

Ellie still seemed to be a bit shaken up by the golden bird’s aura, but she was already recovering while Calron calmed her down.

“Big brother, your grandfather is too violent!”

Roran quietly whispered in Calron’s ears, and took a quick glance at the now tranquil-looking old man.

“He is not my grandfather, Roran… ah, whatever… ”

Calron tried to explain, but seeing the confused look on Roran’s face, he decided to deal with this matter later.

After making sure that the two were fine, Calron gradually strolled towards the old man and pulled himself a chair in front of him.

“…… ”

An awkward moment of silence passed between the two as they simply looked at each other, until the Patriarch finally broke the silence.

“What happened to your family?”

The Patriarch had noticed the brief flash of pain across Calron’s face when he mentioned his parents, so he guessed that something had happened to them.

“They died when I was eight.”

Calron replied in a quiet voice as he looked down at the floor.

“I’m sorry, lad… Do you know who your father’s or mother’s families were?”

The old man asked in a soft voice. He wanted to figure out which family member from the clan was Calron’s predecessor.

“I don’t know. As long as I remember, it was only me and my parents that lived together. They didn’t talk about their families and neither did anyone come to visit us. However, I know that I inherited the power of lightning through my father.”

Calron talked, while the old man silently listened without interrupting the young man.

“I guess it doesn’t matter who your predecessors were, but what matters is that you have definitely inherited the blood of the Raizel clan and also the bloodline of the divine bird. I won’t force you to follow the clan or be a part of it if you do not want to; however, I would like it if you would come to visit us and meet the rest of the family.”

The old man spoke in a serious voice without breaking eye contact with Calron.

“I was planning on visiting the Raizel clan soon anyways.”

Calron had a awkward smile on his face as he scratched the back of his head.

It was the first time that he met someone from his family, and he was slightly taken aback after sensing the honest emotions behind the old man’s words. The Patriarch truly meant what he said, and Calron could detect that with his Divine Perception.

“I think a lot of people are waiting for your shop to open outside, so take your time to decide.”

The Patriarch slowly got up from his seat, and ruffled Calron’s hair while chuckling.

“I forgot to ask, where is the Raizel clan anyways?”

Calron appeared to be slightly irritated by the old man messing up his hair, but deep inside in his heart, he felt very warm at the affection.

Chains of thick lightning bolts burst around the Patriarch’s legs, as he smiled at Calron and his friends. Just before he disappeared from sight again, his deep voice echoed throughout the shop.

“Just look for the First Tower.”

…………………………….

“Master’s grandfather is very scary… ”

Ellie crouched on the ground and furtively peeked at the corners of the shop to see if the old man was still hiding there.

“Haha, are you ready for your first day at the Azure Pavilion, Ellie?”

Calron laughed with excitement, as he went towards the door of the shop and slowly opened it.

“Oh no! You forgot to paint the flowers on the sign board, Master!”

Ellie exclaimed, as she ran back to the black wooden board on the floor.

A streak of pleasant sunlight fell on Calron’s face when he gradually opened the door, along with a bright smile on his face that seemed to wash away all the worries in his heart.

…………………………….

In a far away place from the shop, a tall figure suddenly appeared surrounded by bolts of lightning.

“Protect him only if his life is in danger, but let him deal with his own matters alone.”

The Patriarch commanded in a regal tone, his voice was a stark contrast to the one in his encounter with Calron.

“Understood, Patriarch.”

Twelve figures cloaked in black and golden robes responded. And in the next moment, a dozen bolts of golden lightning flashed through the sky as the twelve figures all vanished from the area.

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