He gave a faint smile and muttered, "I don’t want to inform you about it, but I was told that I didn’t have much ti. I beca selfish and couldn’t stop myself from calling you all."
He gave a soft, broken laugh, turning his eyes to the ceiling. "At the very least, you have responded to it. Your elder brothers... they didn’t even ask for details. One told your uncle that he doesn’t care, while the other told him to cremate when it’s ti and then call him for the funeral."
She stared at him for a long mont. Then quietly, she said, "You really were a terrible father."
After a beat of silence, he nodded slowly, his eyes looking at the ceiling. "I know. I was the worst father one could ever ask for. I’m sorry to Tianzhu, more than anyone."
Xueli looked up too, as her eyes welled up in tears.
"I was part of your lives at least... but Tianzhu... he was only six when his mother died. And I just..." The father trailed off with a clear evidence of regret in his raw voice. "I wasn’t there at all."
Xueli lowered her gaze.
"I wonder," he continued weakly, "how he’s doing now. Whether he’s okay. Whether he even rembers . Or if he is even alive."
Xueli slowly opened her mouth but eventually closed.
*
**A few days later, Kitezh City, Novarusk Republic, Western Siberia;**
Around Noon;
"Ha" "Ha" "Eiiya"
In the front yard of a mansion, an adolescent beauty darted forward with her fists flying at her father, who effortlessly evaded each strike.
Her kicks sliced through the air, but he sidestepped with ease, with a smirk constantly on his lips as if he wanted to agitate her.
And the tactic was quite successful too.
"Argh... c’mon, Uncle. Let hit you once." Vera huffed, throwing another jab at Tianzhu’s face.
Tianzhu leaned back just enough to let her punch slip past his chin. The bionic eye under his left contact lens zood a bit as Tianzhu processed Vera’s movents with sharp precision.
Letting out a smirk, he provoked her. "Sorry, munchkin. True victory cannot be handed on a platter. You have to snatch it with your own hands."
Birthna: Veronika Sokjinovna Qin
Nickna: Vera
Age: 18
Ethnicity: Han/Rus
Arcane Path: Shapeshifter
Ability: Lightning Wolf Transformation
Ability Rank: S
Mana reserve particles: 21,667,408 (Tier-3)
Hunter Rank: Unlicensed
*
Birthna: Qin Tianzhu
Age: 39
Ethnicity: Han
Arcane Path: Mage
Ability: Forest Creation
Ability Rank: SS
Mana Reserves: 766,912,671 (Tier-2)
"Stop calling that," Vera snapped at her uncle as her cheeks flushed in embarrassnt. "I’m not a kid anymore, Uncle." She stepped in fast with her fist charged with mana as she swung, trying to take him by surprise.
But Tianzhu had already shifted, gliding past her strike like he had seen it coming a mile away.
He couldn’t help but chuckle, teasing her as he dodged the attack. "But you are a kid."
"I am not," Vera shouted in frustration, turning her embarrassnt into mild rage. All of a sudden, black fur sprouted over her flawless skin, and her eyes turned yellow as she dropped low with her hands, pressing into the dirt. Lightning flickered across her form, and within seconds, the girl was gone, replaced by a black wolf.
Tianzhu couldn’t help but smirk as he saw the transformation. "Let’s see how long you can maintain this form this ti."
Vera, now fully transford into a lightning wolf, crouched low to attack.
Grrr
As she growled at her father, the latter quickly snapped to reality. He raised his hand and motioned, provoking his daughter to attack.
She let out a deep, guttural growl once again before launching forward and lunging at Tianzhu with its mouth widely opened, revealing its sharp fangs.
Tianzhu, however, didn’t move from the spot. He calmly stared at the wolf.
But just as her fangs nearly t his shoulder, he mumbled. "Paralysis of the Great Vine."
At once, one third of his entire mana reserves were consud as vines burst from his body, lashing around Vera in mid-air and pushing her away from his body.
Before Vera could get out of those entanglents, the vines started absorbing her mana. Within monts, her entire mana reserves were sucked away, and Vera transford back into herself.
Tianzhu dismissed the vines and caught her before she fell to the ground. "Uncle, you cheated. You said you wouldn’t use abilities." Vera protested, glaring up at her dad.
He chuckled, brushing a strand of hair from her face. "My dear munchkin, you forgot rule number 1. Don’t ever expect your opponent to follow the rules unless it is a formal setting."
Vera puffed out her cheeks and looked away. "Still, cheating is cheating. You tricked ."
Tianzhu couldn’t help but smile, finding his niece’s actions very cute. As he continued to stare at the daughter in his arms, suddenly, he saw the illusion of a three-year-old little girl in his arms, spinning her around in a park. His facial expression changed for a mont.
"Hmm? Uncle..." Vera’s blurred voice beca a bit louder now, enough to drag him out of his thoughts. "Uncle... Hellooo? Oi, old man..."
His eyes refocused, snapping back to reality. "Hmm?"
Vera spoke. "Can you put down now?"
"Oh, right." Tianzhu gently put her down.
"What happened? You were making this strange face earlier."
"Ah, nothing. I just rembered sothing." Tianzhu shook his head, forcing out a smile.
Vera tilted her head, blinking a few tis in silence, wondering what it was about. "Huh."
From the veranda, Theo, who had been recording it since the start, finally stepped down. He walked forward, arms flailing slightly. "Ugh... what a boring fight this was. You clearly don’t suit for fighting, Vera."
"Hmm?"
Na: Theodore Sokjinovich Qin
Age: 18
Ethnicity: Han/Rus
Arcane Path: Mage
Ability: Song of the God
Ability Rank: S
Mana Reserves: 156,779
Both Vera and Tianzhu turned their heads.
Approaching them, Theo switched the pc tablet in his hands to their side and showed a frozen mont, "Here, look at this. This is where you lost. You could’ve used the charged leap to feint. You hesitated too long before the pounce."
Vera snorted, puffing her cheeks. "Oh, co on! I was literally trapped by mana-sucking vines!"
"Doesn’t matter," Theo said, raising his voice a little too loud. "You still ssed up the timing. What’s the use of having an S-rank ability with superior senses to a human if you make up such a rookie mistake? It’s seriously a waste of such ability on you. If only I..."
Tianzhu turned, interrupting him in a firm voice. "Theo. That’s enough." His eyes turned slightly serious.
Theo, however, didn’t just stay quiet.
"She could’ve won if she had just..."
"I said that’s enough," Tianzhu repeated, shutting the argunt right away by lecturing him. "Don’t be too harsh on your sister. Everyone grows at their own pace."
"Fine... Sorry..." Theo lowered his gaze and apologized to his twin, but a mont later, he looked up with hopeful eyes. "So... can I spar now? I don’t know if I can defeat you, but I’m sure I can do better than Vera."
Tianzhu exhaled slowly, letting out a sigh. "Theo, unlike Vera, you’re not weak. You were strong enough to protect yourself from danger, or atleast run away from it. But you don’t have the combat-type prowess required for battles. Your strength lies in music. That’s your gift. So, don’t try to obsess over the fight. Instead, try to enhance your abilities so that you can make a career out of it."
Theo’s eyes narrowed, clearly displeased by his uncle’s response. "Uncle, I believe I have told you a thousand tis so far. I don’t intend to pursue a music career. I want to register with the Hunter Association. But you never let sign up for it."
Tianzhu’s voice deepened slightly in response to his son’s statent. "It’s because that’s not the path for you. Don’t waste your ti chasing such a foolish dream. If you don’t know your strengths, it is perfectly alright to explore them, but you know your talents. You should co to terms with your limitations. If you are not interested in music, then focus on your studies. You slipped more than thirty ranks in the final exam, and as a result, you were dropped to Class-3 this year."
"But I still want to be a Hunter," Theo muttered aloud, not being able to hold his feelings under his breath.
Tianzhu’s sternness wavered for a mont. But in the end, he spoke. "You can do what you want when you’re an adult. Until then, you listen to ."
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