Chapter Seven

"Dear, what did you think about Celius? I saw that you seemed especially nice to him towards the end." Luna slept between the parents as Aunt Vena asked her husband.

The man couldn't help but sigh. "He is not a bad kid. Before meeting him, I only judged him because of his thieving dad and uncle, but now that I look at him, I realized that I may have judged him wrongly." Taking a deep breath, he continued to talk. "You guys don't understand how much effort goes into looking after a field. I would come home every day with back problems, neck problems, and also extreme fatigue when I first started. Back then, I was already at Essence Engulfing when I did fielding. That kid isn't that strong, so one can only imagine the pain he will go through."

Aunt Vena silently listened. She then frowned slightly. "Shouldn't the elders then prevent him from doing such work? Even if his dad did something in the past, that doesn't mean they should let him do such stressful work."

"I know what you're saying, but the clan is still extremely mad at his dad and uncle. Not only did they give away all of the clans' precious herbs back then to a larger clan, but they also gave away the family heirloom." His face then began to show some anger as he spoke. "That heirloom was the symbol of our ancestors and clan, extremely precious. Giving it away not only made all of us lose face but other clans, some even smaller than our own, began to humiliate us. Some even went a step further and began to forcefully take away land and even people."

Aunty Vena also sighed as she thought about this point. When Celius' father and uncle gave away the heirloom to suck up to a major clan, almost every clan member suffered. Everyone faced poverty, humiliation, and kidnappings, with some even worse off. It was a bad time for the clan.

"Still, Celius was only a young boy when that happened. He also soon lost his uncle and then his parents, so the clan should stop bugging him. He didn't do anything wrong." Aunt Vena was still a little mad.

"Although his parent's past actions are a factor to why he is treated so badly, there are other reasons as well." The man's face suddenly became a little more serious. Unlike his wife, who was married into the clan, he knew more of the deeper secrets in the clan.

"What could be so bad, that they would force him into such a situation." She didn't buy it and still kept a pout on her face.

"It wasn't bad per se." He went silent before speaking a little quieter. "It started around the time Elder Amlenor became an elder. Supposedly, he was very strong and could even contend with the clan leader. His talent was very high, which made the clan leader of that time jealous, so he orchestrated a plan and injured Elder Amlenor. Elder Amlenor lost a lot of his cultivation after that and became the weakest elder. The clan leader of the time was also forced to step down because of that, but his offspring were able to take the mantle." The man's voice was grave as he explained the dark past.

"Then shouldn't the clan be compensating elder Amlenor rather than punishing his offspring?" She was still a little puzzled.

"That was indeed the case for a while. But when elder Amlenor got married and had his first child, the clan leader found out that he was extremely talented, more than his children. Feeling threatened that the clan leader seat would be taken from his family, he began to reduce resources allocated to Elder Amlenor." The man thought for a moment before speaking again.

"The clan leader during this time is retired right now and his son is currently taking the lead. But from what I know, Celius' uncle once fought for the clan leader seat, and even won, but before he could get it, a major clan visited us, and to suck up to him, he and his younger brother, Adilis Illeaf, stole from our vault and took all the precious herbs, giving it to the major clan. Celius' uncle was then not allowed to be the clan leader, and his family took a huge blow. He also mysteriously died a couple of months after that event." He sighed deeply.

"But even if that is the case, why is Celius targeted by everyone else?" She still didn't understand why such a story was important to know.

"Don't you understand? Elder Amlenor has a lineage with extreme talents. His oldest son won and could have become a clan leader if such an event didn't happen. Even Adilis had the same chance, maybe even more since his talent was higher than his brother's. The current clan leader fears that Celius will have the same talent, so he made everyone go against him. Most know about this, but anyone who speaks up is usually placed in a difficult situation, with them losing their jobs, being ostracized by the rest, and much more. The clan is using the past mistakes from his parents to pressure the rest to mistreat Celius. The ones who are more active are a part of the elders that are loyal to the current leader." He finally finished speaking as rubbed his head.

"The clan leader is such a…" She stopped speaking, but anger was clearly written on her face, but then she suddenly looked at her husband with suspicion. "If you know about this, why do you and the rest who aren't completely loyal to the leader continue to give him the cold shoulder. You know the secrets, and I'm assuming many others do as well, so why?"

"Let me just tell you this. Before Celius' parents died, there was one family that continued to support them. They helped them and even gave them resources for cultivation. Suddenly, news was released that this family was mysteriously slaughtered. If we support Celius, we will most likely face this as well. Our current leader is very ambitious and extreme and wants to make our clan into something huge. He is getting rid of any enemies." He shook his head before closing his eyes slightly.

"Alright, but if he wants to get rid of these so-called enemies, why doesn't he just exile Celius' family? Why keep them here then?" The more she heard, the greater her anger and worry. She was angry at the current clan leader, while also being worried for Celius' future.

The man opened his eyes and pondered a little. "From what I can see, it is most likely a way to gather a group under the current leader. Let me ask you, if you had someone you hate, and knew others who hated the same person, wouldn't you find it easier to gather together?" Vena nodded her head. "Exactly, with the leader making Celius and his family the common enemy, he can bring more people to his side. Thus, solidifying his position. If he kicks them out of nowhere, although he will continue to stay in power, there won't be that common enemy alliance. This is why he isn't kicked out." She finally understood and couldn't help but feel her face go red.

"Your leader is such a bastard! To treat a child as kind and honest as Celius like that, how could he do it?" Seeing his wife get all worked up and couldn't help but pat her head gently.

"Don't worry. I was blinded like others because I never really saw what his life was like. Now that I know, I will support him if he needs it. Worst case scenario, we can move to the nearest town and settle down there. It might do us good to get out of this place which is controlled by such greedy and malicious people." The man also felt upset and resolved his mind. How could he have known that Celius was actually in such a bad situation? He and many others assumed that even with Amlenor being the lowest of the elders, they would still be living an alright life, but the reality was not so great. Celius was putting his life on the line just to survive and raise his siblings.

The man felt his chest tighten as he regretted his previous attitude.

"Dad." Suddenly, he heard a voice come from out of his room.

"Ennie, come in." He saw his daughter standing outside and looking at him with a look of dejection. "What's wrong?"

Ennie sat down on the bed and looked at her parents. She pondered a little before speaking up. "From what I know, Celius is most likely withdrawing from his cultivation classes." When her parents heard this, their faces changed slightly.

"How do you know?" The man asked calmly.

"Well, he didn't say it directly, but from the way he was talking when he was getting his field plot, it seemed like he needed to drop the classes." Ennie felt extremely worried.

Not cultivating in their world was a huge issue for young people. If one didn't cultivate, they would always remain at the bottom of the food chain, no matter if they were rich or not, only cultivators could be considered important. Plus, cultivation was the only way to increase one's lifespan.

Normally, a person in the Essence Engulfing realm would live for at least a hundred years. And every time one broke through a major realm, their lifespan would increase as well.

If Celius didn't cultivate, then that meant he could maybe live until a hundred, but even that was a low chance.

Ennie's dad looked at her suspiciously for a bit, "Although this is a bad thing for him, I wonder why you are so worked up about it?" He looked at her, but unlike Vena, there was no teasing in his eyes.

She couldn't help but knit her brows as she pouted slightly. "Can't I feel concerned for him? I respect him a lot and even admire him, so it isn't wrong for me to get upset for him. Hmm." She crossed her arms and glared at her dad, who in turn smiled wryly.

"Alright, alright." He touched his chin and began to think, before shaking his head helplessly. "I can't help him with this. If he is planning on working in the fields, then he really won't have time to cultivate. Even if I pay for his classes, which he probably won't like and I can't afford to do, there is no way he can attend." Her dad sighed lightly. "We can only help him with minor things. These major issues aren't our business, plus he seems like the type that wouldn't like others interfering in such issues unless they are his closest family."

Ennie sighed as well before walking out her parents' room with a gloomy look. Vena giggled at this sight while also feeling sad for Celius. She found it funny that her daughter was so worked up over a single person, but she couldn't help but feel bad for Celius' situation.

As Celius arrived home, he quickly put Alura and Elrith to bed. Rislia was placed on his bed since she was already asleep. Celius didn't go to sleep right away, rather he went into the kitchen and sat down. It was silent.

He looked outside his window and stared at the dark clouds that roamed around the black sky.

Drip Drip Drip

Water trickled down his face as he tasted the salty liquid in his mouth. Pain filled his heart which was only held together by force. "Mom. Dad." He couldn't help but silently call out. "Why did you guys have to die so early? I can't take care of them on my own. Grandpa is getting old and his realm is also slowly dropping. If he leaves, I will be completely on my own."

Lifting his hand, he wiped his red eyes. He continued to stare into the night sky as he wept in loneliness. "Uncle left me a gift. I don't know what it is, but knowing him, it should be something good. I heard he traveled a lot, maybe it is something from his adventures, hehe." He laughed a little, as tears continued to stream down his pale face.

"I have to reach Essence Engulfing soon, but I don't have your help anymore, Dad. How am I going to do it? I can't even attend the classes anymore. What should I do?" Ever since his dad passed away, his realm stagnated. The dependence he had on his dad for cultivation and many other things was engraved into him. Now that his dad was gone, he was lost.

Finally, he calmed his mind and stopped weeping. A smile appeared on his face as he continued to talk to the clouds. "Mom, Dad, don't worry about those three. I will make sure to take care of them. Elrith seems to want to become a swordsman, haha. Carrying around his little stick and pretending to stand guard around Rislia and Alura, he might just do it. I will make sure he achieves his dream, don't worry."

A wry look appeared on his face as he talked about Alura. "As for that lass Alura, she just goes with the flow. For some reason she keeps teasing Elrith and calling him weird, I don't know why, but it's kind of funny." He then sighed. "Alura and Rislia are probably the ones you are most worried about mom. Their whole marriage, finding a good husband, and a good family, and so much more. I know that in this world I need strength to have any say. Although I'm not doing the cultivation classes anymore, I will find a way to become stronger, so strong, no one will want to hurt these two. They will find a good husband and I will make sure not to embarrass them. Hehe."

"Rislia is still too small, but she resembles you, mom. Her eyes are a copy of yours. Whenever I look at her, it feels like I'm looking at you. She is the cutest though. Never letting go of me, sleeping on the same bed with me, and only eating if I feed her. Ah, Rislia really is too cute, but she brings me the most worry of the three. Although the twins don't remember you guys, they still recall some stuff, but she has no memory. There isn't even a picture of you guys." He went quiet for a second.

"Ahh! Ahh!" Rislia's crying voice resounded in the house. "Brother!" She screamed as her crying continued.

Celius sighed a little before shaking his head with a laugh. He looked back at the dark clouds in the black sky. "Mom, dad, seems like your baby Rislia is calling me. Let's talk later then. I do miss you guys. Hopefully, the three can grow up early so that I can meet you soon." Getting up from his seat, he quickly ran into his room, only to find his sister bawling in the bed.

"I'm here, Rislia. Stop crying now, I'm here." He crawled into the bed as Rislia buried her body deep into his chest, with her eyes closed. Celius wiped her tears with his hand as he wrapped his arms around her. He pulled the sheets and placed it on himself and Rislia. Slowly and gently, he stroked her head, helping her fall asleep quickly.

Closing his eyes at the same time, he began to fall into a deep sleep.

That night, he had a very weird dream. His eyes were their real color, golden, which he hid from the world. Around his were hundreds of clouds. Some were white and fluffy; a couples were black and heavy. A few clouds rattled with lightning and others exuded a purplish hue.

As he walked through the sea of clouds, sometimes his body would be wrapped around by the cozy white clouds. It felt like cotton, really warm and comfy. Other times, the clouds would feel very wet. It was like he was wearing wet clothes, very uncomfortable.

He approached each cloud. The ones that rumbled with thunder stung him like electric shocks. The ones that exuded a purple hue entered his mouth, nose, and eyes, making him feel their toxicity. There were light clouds that blocked his view and made him forget his path, however, he kept moving forward unconsciously.

There was an extremely fast cloud that cut through the wind and blew out tornadoes. There was even one that blocked the light completely, drowning him in darkness. Finally, he went through the many different cloud types, until he saw the final one.

It was a ginormous cloud. It looked like a combination of the previous clouds, but even then, it was much bigger and more mysterious. Without waiting for even a second, he walked into the large cloud. Unlike the ones before, he entered a new world.

Looking down, he found that it was an eagle-eye view of his home. Inside, he shockingly found his mother and father. There was also his grandpa, his uncle, his aunt, and his three siblings. He even saw himself sitting inside the house.

They were all sitting around a table, eating breakfast. His mother was caring for the twins, while his dad was playing with Rislia. He was talking with his uncle who kept patting his head, explaining something to him.

Grandpa Amlenor and Aunty Esadora were also chatting while stuffing their faces with fruits.

He couldn't help but feel his heart melt and tears poured down. This was his dream. This was everything he wanted. His parents caring for his siblings while also caring for him. His grandpa looking healthy and happy. His aunt visiting more often, and his uncle teaching him everything he knew.

Suddenly, the scene changed.

He saw his parents and him walking down a path. His mom was holding onto a baby that looked only a few days old.

"No! This isn't…" Out of nowhere, a shadowy beast popped up and pounced towards his dad. "No! Stop!"

The beast tore his dad's arm off, and then looked at his mom. Seeing the beast coming for her, she turned around and grabbed his arm and ran. His dad stayed back and tried to fend off the beast which had unknown origins

He escaped far with his mother and sister, but then leaves rustled from behind. He saw his mother turn her head. He couldn't make out her facial expression, but he did see his mother's neck become extremely pale.

"Take her and run. Run as far as you can. GO!" He watched the scene play out exactly like it did in his memories. Grabbing the newborn baby, he saw his other self run, while his mother blocked the beast.

"N... o..." Celius watched the scene with tears and rage filling his eyes. His voice choked as he whimpered.

Suddenly, the scene changed once again. This time it was a funeral. His other self was holding onto Rislia, while his Aunty Esadora was holding the twins, who also looked a lot younger.

"Serves them right. That bastard Adilis put our clan into such a bad place, it is only right he dies." Celius listened to the whispers of others as he raged internally. He wanted nothing more than to go over and kill the people who mocked his dad, mocked their deaths, turned his siblings into parentless children.

Slaughter them all. This was the only thought running through his head. He wanted to kill them all. He wanted to torture them and make them regret ever taunting his parents.

Clouds covered his eyes as the scene changed once more. This time, it was an unfamiliar sight.

It wasn't a scene with him inside, rather it was a single cloud swaying in front of him. It looked exactly like the large cloud, just a miniature version.

The little cloud released a very attractive aura, making him want to touch it. Reaching out his trembling hands, he grabbed the cloud.

BOOM

The space around him began to blow up, as he saw the cloud lunge at him. Still being in a state of shock, he couldn't react in time. The cloud entered his body. Space continued to blow up around him.

Celius, let uncle teach you something cool!

Celius, keep father's words in mind, you're the big brother, you have a job!

You look so handsome Celius, you're really mommy's son, haha!

That bastard Adilis and his wife Yinsi are finally dead. Serves them right!

"AHH!" Visions and voices penetrated his mind. He felt pain in his heart and body as these continued to sound out. Scenes of his life flashed by, agonizing him "Stop! Stop it! STOP IT!"

"HUUUH!" In his room, he suddenly sat up as his face was covered in sweat. He was soaking wet. Looking around, he saw his sister soundly asleep beside him, but her nose was slightly wrinkled.

He fell right back on the bed and looked at his ceiling. "It was only a nightmare." Lifting his right hand, he covered his face, as tears fell down his cheek. 'Mom, dad. I miss you guys.'