Light

Jyovic Bone walked along the hallway, his expression complex. He sighed, "Is this the right path? The price for the Aristocratic title…"

"I am Heima Bone. That is a fact." His ears picked up a faint sound, making his body shudder, an expression of distraught etched on his face. His limbs trembled, goosebumps appearing on it.

Noticing the changes, he wondered aloud, "When was the last time I felt such fear?" The figure of a man, seated on a throne, the figure of a spider in battle with the man appeared in his mind, the two figures emitting a chill that emerged from the depths of his self.

'Compared to Ancestor Marble, that man is many times scarier.' He entered the hall, looking at the time on a wall clock, the sole object present in the room apart from the urns.

11:59 AM, Jyovic Bone clapped his hands, signalling for the attention of everyone present. Almost eighty pairs of eyes gazed at his direction, filled with sadness that made his heart lurch. He looked around, noticing the gaze of Hancent, one devoid of any expression.

"It is time," His voice beamed out, echoing across the room, resonating with everyone. In silence, everyone stood up, carrying an urn each, walking towards the end of the room. Hancent followed suit, stopping before the wall situated at the very end of the room.

Noon, seeing the 80 Bone family members standing next to each other, Jyovic Bone too followed suit, standing at the spot on the left extreme. With a rumble, the wall shuddered, opening up from the bottom.

After reaching the height of a man, it stopped opening, revealing a murky black brook flowing behind it. The brook—spanning 2 metres wide and a metre deep—flowed at a gentle pace, taking a minute to traverse a distance of 100 metres, the width of the room. It emitted neither smell nor any sound, flowing silently, the only indication of its presence being its colour.

It lacked a mass, its aura being non-existent. Seeing its appearance, Jyovic Bone became dazed, his expression filled with nostalgia. 'I never wanted to see this again.'

"Everyone," His voice was light, audible to everyone present due to the silent atmosphere, filled with a serene calm. "The dead have passed the torch to us, the living. But, they will continue to protect our city forever. Glory to Marble City!"

Saying his piece, he took hold of an urn, filled with the ashes of his younger brother. His younger brother had never married, dedicating all his life to research for the betterment of their family. Hence, he had Jyovic Bone as his only direct relative.

His hands trembled as Jyovic Bone placed the urn in the brook, watching it float along its surface, three-fourths of it submerged underwater. The urn flowed across the brook, turning phantom as it approached half-way, disappearing into it by the time it reached the end.

Following his lead, after the urn had disappeared, the Bone family member standing to the right of Jyovic Bone, a man in his fifties placed an urn on the brook. The urn had the ashes of his son, a Tier 4 Ground Controller, the pride of the Bone Family. In the same process, the urn disappeared by the time it reached the end.

10 people away stood Hancent, his expression looking deader than the ashes in the urns. When it was his turn, he placed the urn filled with the ashes of Henrietta on the brook, watching it flow along its surface. As if he wanted to follow after her, he jumped into the brook, his action only making the others shake their heads. None had the energy to save him, one who had given up on life.

'A promising young lad, one filled with ambitions who had confronted me without fear in his youth to ask the hand of Henrietta. Now, after suffering one setback after another, finally witnessing the death of his wife, it seems he has lost the will to live. Maybe, if he thought about the children he is leaving behind, would he still take such an action?' Jyovic Bone thought, letting out a self-deprecating laugh.

'Maybe, he found out something in the end. That was the final straw that broke the camel's neck.' Memories of the past flashed across his mind, thinking back to when he was renowned as a hero.

"Sir Jyovic Bone, I have come to ask for the hand of your daughter. I wish to marry her." A young Hancent in his early twenties stood, his face filled with vigour, his aura sharp to the extreme.

'Is this lad only an Area Controller? Even Wave Controllers have but an ounce of his aura. It is quite…suffocating. Suffocating? Interesting, to make me think like that.' Jyovic Bone flashed a smile.

"Alright, prove to me that you are worthy of her. Even considering the difference in strength, she is already a Tier above you."

"Go ahead." Hancent stood, his back erect. "Test me until you are satisfied."

"As you wish," Jyovic Bone smiled, unleashing his aura to the extreme, displaying the terrifying strength of a Transformer. "You pass if you can withstand this for 10 seconds."

The moment his aura impacted Hancent, like a broken doll, he collapsed, coughing out a mouthful of blood. Various nerves erupted across his body, dying his skin red while his eyeballs showed signs of cracking. It looked like he was on the verge of death; death being a certainty if he wasn't treated soon.

Jyovic Bone stood rooted to the spot, stupefied. 'What was with that show of aura, making me excited? He went down in an instant, without even putting up a fight.'

"Mary!" He shouted, "There's an injured person here, on the verge of death."

A lady appeared behind him in an instant, the air stirring up behind her like a tornado had passed through. Showing a trace of anger on her face, she commented, "How many times have I told you to not disturb me? I was in the middle of something important."

"Hurry," Jyovic Bone pointed at Hancent, "Heal him before he dies. He's Henrietta's lover."

"Okay," With a wave of her hand, a pale blue light appeared, seeping into Hancent's body. In a second, his condition was stabilised.

"Your Unranked Skill is really unique. This is on another level," Jyovic Bone praised, an expression of admiration on his face.

"This is nothing," A pleased expression appeared on her face as she waved her hands. She then noticed his face, pointing at him, "Do you want me to heal you?"

"Eh?" Jyovic Bone raised his hand, looking at the direction she pointed at, touching his nose. He noticed something viscous dripping from his nose, red in colour. Only then did he notice a faint ringing sound resounding in his ears, one that was very faint, growing in magnitude over time, at a snail's pace.

"Interesting," Jyovic Bone muttered, gaining admiration over the youth who proved his worth, without consideration of his injury. It was a reckless behaviour on his part but Jyovic Bone approved of the courage and dare Hancent possessed to do so.

'He still had a lot to do in life.' Jyovic Bone sighed, gazing at the figure of Hancent as he fell into the murky brook.

'I let my children down. Maybe, I never had one in the first place.' His dazed eyes regained clarity for an instant, filled with regret and despair. He watched the murky brook grow closer, its stillness seeping into him.

His body touched the brook, the plunge silent, without a single splash or stir in the water, as if it was an illusion. His body became submerged within it, turning him unconscious at first contact. As he flowed along the surface, his body turned into a phantom, slowly disappearing by the time he reached the end.

"Father!" A Shrill scream interrupted the ceremony as a figure dashed to the spot he stood prior to his leap. Jyovic Bone appeared before her, holding her in place, turning to look at the others, "Continue with the ceremony; leave Heima to me."

With a nod, the next person in the line placed the urn on the brook, watching it disappear. After a few more urns went along the brook, another person jumped into it, dissolving as she approached the end. In the meantime, Jyovic Bone had brought Heima outside, dropping her a fair distance away.

"Stay," The building vibrated, his anger vibrating the molecules in the air, the increase in their kinetic energy igniting them. He looked at Heima, looking like he would kill her any second.

"The only reason I am tolerating your existence is due to Ancestor Light's command. Don't provoke me."

"And I keep telling you, I am Heima Bone. I am only connected to that person, I haven't changed." She replied, her voice cracking in fear. Her eyes then turned complacent, her lips curled up in a sneer, "Or, does that mean you have no issues with offending me?"

"You should know it by now." Jyovic Bone snorted, retracting his aura as he retreated. With a wave of his hand, he calmed the surroundings, turning it back to normal.

He snapped his fingers, making a subtle change in the area, creating a faint domain, undetectable to the ordinary senses. Heima's expression changed, morphing into one of surprise as her legs began to melt.

"What the hell are you doing?" She screamed, the attack making her unable to react. She had lost control of her legs, only having the option to watch them melt. Her hands too followed suit, melting like wax caught under a flame.

"I've been thinking," Ignoring her shouts, Jyovic Bone continued with his monologue, "What is it that I've been pursuing all these years? Is it strength? Is it fame and money? Or is it familial bonds? Do you know the answer?"

"Isn't it strength? You are the type to kill your own son to finish your experiments. Strength is the only thing you care about." Heima screamed, her behaviour changing. The way she spoke, her body language, and the way she looked at her surroundings changed in a subtle manner, oscillating between the two.

"Wrong," Jyovic Bone smiled, "What I pursue is mental peace. Gaining strength is just a means to an end; it is not and has never been my goal. After you appeared yesterday and spoke about Jyorta, it made me think. I then requested to communicate with Ancestor Light and the two of us came to a conclusion."

"W-What?" Heima stammered, her expression distorting. Then, as if sensing something, she turned towards her back, gazing at an old man who had appeared behind her at some point in time.

"We are no longer interested in cooperating with you. I feel like your dissociative personality disorder is making you slip away from humanity, making you a threat to us humans." The old man, whose existence looked like one from a painting said.

"Light!" She screamed, fear stemming from the depths of her heart.