Chapter 212: Resonance
“What about that magical beast that always followed you before?”
“Little Black—” Cindy stepped up the stairs one by one, “It should still be at the rear mountain. I gave it a huge, huge plate of at.”
Cindy stretched her hands to the limit, as if to show how “big” it was.
Ion said nothing, rely staring straight at Cindy.
“Wh–what’s wrong, Grandfather?” Cindy blinked with a steady expression, her small, delicate face showing clear confusion.
“Do you know our family motto?”
“Yes.” Cindy nodded. “Once the blade is drawn, never retreat!”
“Do you know what it ans?” Ion asked again.
“As long as the sword is drawn, it ans there’s no end until death.” Cindy answered without hesitation.
“Who taught you that?” Ion asked curiously.
In his eyes, it was hard to believe that soone of Cindy’s age could truly grasp the aning of that phrase. After all, if one were to be strict, the “Soderbell Family” had only been passed down to the second generation. Even their way of nurturing Cindy and Liam had been an improved version of the training thods Anne had learned from the Kasein Family—thods refined to better suit the Soderbell Family’s own principles.
Family motto, family rule—these were spiritual codes that united all mbers of a household.
But without several generations who had sacrificed themselves for that motto, using their own lives as examples for the entire family, how could such a spiritual creed be sustained?
Not to ntion, to rember that motto precisely and deeply.
Just like the Kasein Family.
Their family motto was “Everything for the family.”
So before the Kasein Family rose to power, each generation lived and acted toward that goal, even enforcing a policy of “resource concentration for investnt.” That was also why, despite Monica’s potential being far from weak in every respect, she had not received focused training before Burton’s death—and why the outdated single-person trial was still retained, which by modern standards would be seen as a relic of the past.
All of this was what Ion had later distilled through countless reflections and analyses.
In the short and mid-term, concentrating resources on nurturing the family’s most talented genius was undeniably correct.
But once such a genius truly rose above others and led the family to greater heights, could that thod and philosophy still be considered correct?
Ion didn’t know.
But looking at the Kasein Family’s current state, the answer was clearly no.
That was why he left behind the family motto: “Once the blade is drawn, never retreat.”
Because he wanted to leave the Soderbell Family with a mindset of “absolute unity against the enemy.” For this reason, he even established a first family rule that, in so aspects, directly contradicted the motto.
【Family mbers must remain united.】
He removed “family mbers” from the scope of “enemies.”
Because of the existence of the Demonic Sword, if a traitor were ever to appear in their bloodline, the consequences could be catastrophic.
So Ion sought to eliminate such a possibility at its root.
First—family mbers must not fight among themselves, but must remain united.
Second—not every mber was qualified to know about the existence of the Demonic Sword.
Because of this second rule, both Yam and Akar chose to have only one child—partly to prevent and minimize the risk of internal conflict within the family.
Yet despite lacking any direct examples, Cindy had still been able to speak the true aning of the family motto. That astonished Ion.
That was why he had asked who told her.
“Third Uncle.” Cindy answered imdiately. “When he was talking to Aches, I overheard him. —He told Aches that when facing an enemy, it must be a fight to the death. Because if you let the other live, then it’s Aches who will die—and it could even bring harm and ruin to the entire family.”
“Aches asked what kind of people count as enemies.”
“Third Uncle said—if soone makes you want to draw your sword, that’s the enemy.”
Ion couldn’t decide whether that thinking was right or wrong, but it was undoubtedly in line with Akar’s way of doing things.
He never showed rcy to his enemies, never felt compassion—his mindset was always straightforward and absolute: kill or be killed.
But at the sa ti, Akar’s attitude toward his own people was equally unwavering: he sincerely wished for every family mber to live a happy life.
“I can’t say whether your understanding of the motto is entirely correct,” Ion nodded slightly, “but by your Third Uncle’s interpretation, it does make sense. Then—do you know our family’s first rule?”
“Family mbers must remain united.” Cindy nodded her small head and replied again.
“And what does it an to be united?”
Faced with Ion’s question, Cindy froze.
After a mont, she said, “Living together?”
“Protecting Liam?”
“Sharing good things with Liam?”
Cindy listed more than ten answers in a row, but Ion remained silent throughout. That silence made her more and more uncertain. “None of them are right?”
“They’re all right,” Ion shook his head, “and they’re all wrong.—Or to be more precise, you need to understand two key things: first, who are family mbers; and second, what true unity ans.”
“Angelina isn’t family.”
“Why not?”
“She doesn’t bear the Soderbell na.”
“What about your mother?” Ion glanced at Cindy. “Cynthia Bole. And your aunt—Liam’s mother—Anne Billy. Are they not family either?”
Cindy froze.
“They’re family too. Including Angelina—once she married Aches, she beca a mber of the Soderbell Family.” Ion said slowly. “It’s just that they aren’t part of the Soderbell Family’s core mbers.” —“Your father, Akar, you, Liam, and Aches—these are the core mbers of our family. Even in the future, the children of Aches and Liam—only if they know about the Demonic Sword—can be considered core mbers. Otherwise, they cannot.”
“But even if they’re not core mbers, they are still family. We must protect their interests as well, for they are part of what unity ans.”
“For family, you can tell small, harmless lies, as long as they don’t harm the family as a whole.”
“But for the family’s core mbers—you must never deceive them. Once the seed of doubt is sown, no one knows what kind of bitter fruit it will grow into.” Ion said slowly. “So, do you now understand what unity ans?”
“I’m sorry, Grandfather.” Cindy finally understood why Ion had said so much to her.
Ion reached out and gently patted her head, smiling faintly. “You are the Soderbell Family’s hope for the future—the first chosen wielder of the Demonic Sword—and the next head of our house. Cindy, that is your fortune, but also your misfortune. Because it ans you will never live as freely as other children—not even like Liam. You bear too much expectation.”
Cindy pressed her lips together, not answering imdiately.
After a mont, she let out a deep breath and asked, “How did Grandfather find out?”
“It was too noisy.” Ion shook his head. “It was staring at the whole ti—or rather, at my vital points. That triggered my sense. I knew it was nearby, though not exactly where. But now, I know.”
Ion turned toward the shadow behind Cindy. “The Shadow Panther I once killed attacked the sa way—from hiding, taking the first strike. If you want it to hide within your shadow, you’ll need to train it so that it won’t be easily noticed. Otherwise, against ordinary people or those less perceptive, it might give you an advantage—but for those with sharp senses and strong bloodline power, that won’t work.”
Cindy glanced back at her own shadow, nodding thoughtfully.
After that, neither spoke again on the way.
Soon, they arrived at the small study.
Akar had been waiting there for quite a while.
This ti, Liam was not with him.
“Not bringing Liam?” Ion asked, looking at Akar.
“No.” Akar shook his head. “The situation is urgent, so I don’t plan to stay long. Once Cindy finishes her communication with the Demonic Sword, I’ll leave imdiately.”
“The frontlines are that dire?” Ion’s brow furrowed.
“There’s still one enemy force unresolved—and their expansion is rapid. Yam and I are both worried that delaying further could be dangerous. That’s why I ca back to gather intelligence and will head back right away. Our next operation will target that force directly.”
After speaking, Akar reversed the hilt of the Demonic Sword, turning it toward Cindy. “Sorry, little Cindy, I’ll have to trouble you.”
Cindy nodded.
Then, she reached out her hand toward the Demonic Sword.
The mont her small hand touched the hilt, her eyes widened sharply—and her aura weakened instantly, as though she had lost too much blood and fallen into unconsciousness.
“Cindy!”
Akar’s expression changed, panic flashing across his face.
But before he could rush to hold her, Ion stopped him. “It’s fine. Cindy’s aura is still there. But her little pet seems restless—almost frightened—”
“Little pet?” Akar blinked, then looked at Cindy’s shadow. “That Magical Beast cub can already—”
Ion nodded. “That’s actually good. Cindy now has a ans of self-defense. No one would suspect a child of hiding a Magical Beast in her shadow. But from what I sense, the cub obeys her because she’s been chosen by the Demonic Sword—she carries its aura. That’s what makes the cub afraid.”
“But we captured plenty of Magical Beast cubs later—”
“So there must be so special condition we don’t yet understand.” Ion shook his head and didn’t pursue the topic further.
Even he didn’t quite understand how Cindy could command a Fourth-Tier Shadow Panther cub, yet fail to command cubs of Fla Wolves, Earth Turtles, or Wind Crocodiles. He suspected it was because those lesser beasts were too low-level, “not intelligent enough” to sense the Demonic Sword’s aura—thus, they felt no fear and could not be commanded.
But that was only a theory.
“Is Cindy really not in danger like this?”
“No.” Ion shook his head. “She’s rely entered ‘Resonance’ with the Demonic Sword.”
“Resonance?”
Facing his son’s question, Ion finally sounded slightly impatient. “It ans their auras have completely rged—two have beco one.—You can understand it this way: at this very mont, the Demonic Sword is Cindy, and Cindy is the Demonic Sword.”
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