Changes.

Kaiden stirred up in his bed as he slowly woke up. His gaze was blurry while his head was fuzzy. A sharp pain shot through his head as he tried to remember what happened. With his blurry vision, he looked around to survey his surroundings. He managed to see a bed beside his plus some medical equipment before he fell unconscious again.

...

"They should be waking up soon."

"Would you like to leave or stay?"

"I will stay until they wake up. I hope I'm not breaking any rules doc?"

"Oh no my Lord."

"I never knew you could be this meek."

"Piss off Greg!"

Kaiden could hear voices as he struggled to get up. His eyes flicked open, this time with a clear view of his surroundings and there he saw a face he had been wishing to see for a while now, his father. He was there, smiling solemnly and calmly at him as he helped him to sit up in the bed.

"Dad?"

"Welcome back to the land of the living. I think your brother should be waking up by now."

"Why what happened?"

"Shush! Let's wait, okay?"

"Mm." Very soon the others started waking up, starting from Echo who looked like the night sky.

"Dad? Brother?" He whispered as they helped him up.

"You look like shit."

"A whole lot of shit." Their replies to his whispers surprised the others a lot as they didn't expect this from them, especially the strongest lord in the human world himself.

"Fuck you all!"

"There there kiddo. You've successfully awakened the lightning element." Lord Arkonius said with a shit-eating grin causing another gasp of shock from those there and snort of annoyance from Lord Gregory who was now sitting with his son.

"How?"

"By frying."

""Huh?""

"One of the gods, the god of lightning fried you till you awakened his element."

""...""

"Oh, hi there kiddos! How is everyone?" Lord Arkonius asked the others who had woken up. He along with Lord Gregory were the only lords who decided to come and check up on the kids. The others made different excuses, especially Lord Kaneko who had a blood feud with the Arkonius. It was like he didn't want to see his daughter and that had happened.

"We are fine my lord." Dilian answered for the others. He was just one of the few talented youths in his family and wasn't worth the lord's worry at the moment and he understood it. It seemed everyone was alright except for April who had been looking around ever since she woke up. It was obvious who she was looking for, her father. If Kaiden's father was there, then her father was sure to be there, but reality was really harsh.

"Errm... Lord Gregory? Please where is my father?" April asked Lord Gregory whom she didn't have any feud with. Lord Gregory, a man of few words he was, just sighed and shook his head and that was all it took for April to break down into tears. She didn't know why but ever since she failed to best Kaiden at the annual competitions for the younger generations, her father had been acting coldly towards her. She thought that maybe with her awakening, he would talk to her like he did in the past but that was all just a fleeting dream. It turned out that the cold lord could be really cold and to no one, but his own daughter and she was broken hearted by it. It was like all the pain and torture she experienced just to awaken was all for naught.

Kaiden stared at her with a hint of pity in his eyes. Lord Arkonius seeing this patted his son on the back, beckoning him to go and comfort her while he took Echo to the washroom in the ward to clean him up. He was scaring the nurses with his black body and golden eyes.

"Rest a bit. We will talk after I'm done with this black guy." Lord Arkonius said to the kids. Inwardly, they were shocked as to how Lord Arkonius and Lord Gregory were treating them. First, they took off time to come and check up on them. Not just their sons but all of them. Second, they talked with them freely instead of the formal and condescending ways nobles talked to each other and to especially commoners.

...

"April? Are you alright?" Kaiden sat beside April on her bed with concern on his face.

"This is all your fault! If only I had beaten you and won, this wouldn't have happened." April screamed in his face with clear pain and hate in her voice.

"I know and I'm sorry, but it is not my fault that I'm stronger than you."

"Did you come here to mock me? If so, you are doing a good job, Kaiden Arkonius."

"I didn't even though I wished for that. This isn't the right time and setting to do this."

"Then what are you doing here? Leave me alone!"

Kaiden just pulled her into his embrace. April hit his chest for him to stop but it proved futile as Kaiden was too strong for such attacks, more so from a weak, broken-hearted girl.

"April. I know that you resent me and hate me, and I won't change that. We were both dragged into this feud by our parents. At least my parents aren't forcing me to best you or kill you as you've been doing but it still the same. A day will come where we will have to settle this ourselves and the winner would decide the losers fate. But now is not the time for this. I don't know why your father did this, whether intentional or not, it has happened. I'm happy to have parents who despite all their power and wealth, take their family seriously. To them, it's family first before any other thing. I'm not saying this to mock you or anything like that. No. Your father might have his reasons for what he did, or he must be really blinded by revenge, you and I don't know but know that I will always be there for you. Instead of revenge, focus on surpassing me. Use me as a motivation, as blockade, a barrier you must break to become the best version of yourself. After that, we can become enemies."

"Do you know you are really stupid?"

"It's a first."

"Why? Do you like me?"

"Guess." Kaiden said as he stood up from the bed towards his brother who was now looking like a human. April watched his broad back as he went and vowed in her heart that, she would defeat him, no matter what happens.

...

In a beautiful room adorned with beautiful furniture and portraits of great figures, a group sat. They were the hospital tenants and the two lords. The kids sat facing the two lords. There was another person there sitting beside the lords, Captain Liam.

"I guess everyone is feeling alright?" Lord Arkonius asked.

"Yes!"

"Good. For Miss Kaneko and Mr. Darkmoon, I don't have any issues with you. But I have issues with some two boys here. Would you care to stand up?"

Belthrox and Bradley visibly shivered in their seats when they heard this. The slowly stood under the piercing gaze of Lord Arkonius.

"Look me in the eyes." Lord Arkonius said while releasing a bit of his aura. Behind him, a vague image of huge beast formed scaring the kids shitless. Bradley was just a step away from going back into the land of unconsciousness again and Bradley was not faring better either. The staring contest went on for five minutes with the other kids also shivering from the residue aura apart from Kaiden, Greg and Echo.

"Stop it old man!" Echo suddenly jumped on his father and hit him in the head.

"I'm just trying to look cool here you fucking brat!"

"You don't look cool by scaring people!"

"That's how you do it. Tell him Greg!"

"..."

"Come on man!"

"It's either the two of you stop or I report this to mother." Kaiden said in an amused tone.

"Like we would believe you."

"Yeah!" Kaiden just smiled at them and showed them his phone with his mother's number currently calling.

"Like seriously? Come on bro."

"I'm your son old man."

"Is that how a son acts towards his father?"

"I can also contact grandpa..."

"Okay okay. I concede. You are no fun."

"Did I hear something?"

"..."

The rest just watched this dry and surprised gazes at how Kaiden easily defeated his father, the strongest and most powerful lord in the human world with just a few words. They were left questioning how someone as powerful as Lord Arkonius could behave like he had no care in the world. They were now witnessing what Kaiden meant by him being a family man and how it was family first for him.

"Okay. As Kaiden has destroyed my act of coolness. I will ask you this question."

"Do you wish to be the friends and aides of my sons for the rest of your lives?"

"Yes!"

"It seems you don't know what it implies. You will not betray or have any thought of doing so."

"I understand sir, but I didn't become friends with young master Kaiden because I wanted protection or any such thing. I became friends with him because he is the first noble I've met who doesn't discriminate between noble or commoner. The only noble who is willing to suffer insults and ridicule just to defend an insignificant commoner like me. 

Echo did the same for Bradley. He didn't see Bradley as a fat kid or a commoner but someone he can be best of friends with after Kaiden and Greg. I speak for both of us because Bradley is a shy kid. We do not really want the fame and protection which comes with joining the 5 great families but genuine friendship which your sons and their friend gave us, and we cherish that a lot." Belthrox said with a determined face.

"Hahaha! I like you kid! You would make a good butler and right-hand man for my son. You passed." Lord Arkonius said with genuine glee on his face, causing Kaiden and Echo to smile.

"We passed?"

"Yes. You know, I really don't care what your motives are, and I would never question the decisions of my sons except when it comes to women that is."

"Hey!"

"I trust in their decisions as I trust mine. From now onwards, Belthrox Gray and Bradley Rex are part of the Arkonius family. You and your whole family will have the protection of the Arkoniuses from now on and it will be known to the whole human world." Lord Arkonius said with a smile while patting the two boys' shoulders causing them to stifle their tears.

"Now that's how you look cool, dumbass."

"Piss off Greg!"

"The Oaks will also be supporting you two along with the Arkoniuses." Lord Gregory also said with a calm smile causing all of them to be shocked.

"What happened Greg?"

"I like them."

"That's not a reason you black wood!"

"You dare!"

"I challenge you to a duel of chess!"

"I beat your ass the other time dumbass!"

"Not today, NEET!"

"Is this how your fathers are like?" Bradley asked in a meek tone.

"You would experience this a lot of this from today onwards so prepare." Echo replied with in a flat tone.

"Wait till you meet the gramps."

"..."