Blood is thicker than water (2)

"Huh???" Levinte's face turned bright red.

The name 'Rian' was something that his mother told him to be proud of. She once explained that every child, no matter the gender of the parent, must have the surname passed down. For example, if a child's mother is a Rian, the hereditary surname will be their middle name. Naturally, if the father is a Rian, it will be the child's last name.

Acre merrily bounced, "You're a descendant of the Rian Clan!" He celebrated as if this was a grand occasion, dancing around and gloating with delight.

"That means..." The realization struck Levinte as his eyes widened in incredulity. "You're my ancestor?!" Levinte recoiled in shock.

"Yes! How wonderful is that?" Acre was filled with happiness. He jovially ruffled the boy's hair and squeezed his cheeks, adoring him like a grandson.

The thought of meeting his ancestor in such a way made Levinte's face twitch. "What uncle? You're too old for that! You're a grandpa!"

As if thunderbolts flashed through the air, Acre was petrified and lamented, "No! I refuse. Call me uncle!"

In the eyes of Levinte, Acre was a mister who had a calm and insouciant attitude. Seeing him acting in such a way was shocking.

After the touching moment of two relatives being reunited by fate, they returned to their transport and went back to the city. Along the way, Levinte was forced to hear the man's endless talks.

Southeast of Machaera City, nestled deep in the forest of Koilada is Tio Hill. The village is so deep even the Qiang troops did not discover the remote subarea.

The Tio Hill had five zones: Tio Iso, Tio Duo, Tio Tolu, Tio Apat, and Tio Limo. Acre hailed from Tio Tolu Village, adjacent to Tio Duo Village. Legend has it that a man had five sons and he gave each one of them a zone to be cultivated. Every individual from the zones has the 'Rian' surname, indicating the interconnection.

A big smile remained on Acre's face and he said, "We'll be leaving the city tomorrow so grab everything you want. Let's take a look at the night market tonight."

"Okay... Uncle." Levinte felt a flush of embarrassment. It was the first time he met a relative on his mother's side. Hearing the young one address him like that, a sense of contentment and jubilant spread in him. The feeling was something he had not experienced in many years; a reunion with a family member.

Overjoyed, Acre squealed and cheered, "My cute little niece! Oh, I'm so happy!" He wiggled in happiness, swaying side to side while adoring Levinte, similar to a person who finds a puppy so adorable and experiencing cute aggression.

That evening, Levinte tossed himself on the bed, shutting his heavy eyelids while his mind played a hundred thoughts. The overwhelming information today was enough to drain his energy. "I can't believe he's my ancestor..." Levinte murmured.

In his hometown, some of his father's relatives lived close to his area. They would often have a family gathering for a meal twice a month but Levinte never felt close to his father's side of the family. He was once close with his cousins during adolescence, however, each began to stray away and their conversations became increasingly awkward. Perhaps puberty was a contributing factor, or they had a change of heart.

However, the thing Levinte hated most about the family gatherings was his mother's struggles; hastily preparing food because his father would announce it on the day of the gathering, cleaning the house because his father likes it clean but doesn't like cleaning, forced to change her schedule because she cannot refuse due to 'lack of reasons'. 

In a nutshell, she was married to a narcissistic asshole!

Only after Levinte passed his rebellious phase did he realize everything his mother had gone through. He would always get angry at his mother because of how cowardly she was in front of his father, but his mother always reminded him to not act rashly before the right time.

Meeting someone on his mother's side of the family gleamed a new hope for a better perspective on life. His mother told him stories about her family being very chill and friendly and Acre was proof of those anecdotes.

The more Levinte cogitated, the closer he was to dreamland. Unbeknownst to him, Acre was sitting on a chair, sensing his emotion swirling in the environment.

Every time Levinte was deeply absorbed in thoughts, he would emit chaotic emotions. A wave of emotions passed through the wall, causing Acre to flick a coin so strong it made a small crack in the wall. The darkness engulfed half of his solemn complexion and his glaring eyes glinted a fierce light.

-

Among the streets, many shops and stalls are set up and decorated appealingly to attract customers. Levinte browsed through the various food stalls that lined the market. The aroma of street food was overwhelming and he could not resist trying some of the local delicacies. This time, Levinte wanted to use his own money but Acre insisted on paying for everything.

While Levinte was busy watching someone skillfully throwing darts at the game section, Acre stood beside him and enjoyed a tasty corndog.

Suddenly, he felt goosebumps all over his body. He stopped pulling the mozzarella cheese and looked to his right from the corner of his eyes. A tall figure stood amongst the pedestrians, a creepy smile lingering on his face.

Acre casually finished his corndog and turned around, just to see the figure had disappeared.

"Stay here, I'm going to find more food." He said and Levinte nodded without looking at him, then he walked away to investigate further.

"That guy's awesome!" Levinte cheered. He watched as the guy successfully threw another bullseye and popped the balloon in the middle. "Amazing sir! You've won the challenge!" The woman behind the counter clapped her hand.

The guy won a big teddy bear and happily presented it to his daughter. "Yay daddy!" The guy picked her up and the small girl played with the big teddy bear. Levinte laughed seeing the cute interaction between the father and daughter.

One second it was the lively scene, one second it was pitch black.

Mass hysteria erupted and rippled through the crowd.

"Why's everything so black?!"

"What happened? Did the power go off?"

"No! It's like something's covering us! Help!"

"Uncle!" Levinte called. He shouted louder but his voice mixed with other people screaming for their loved ones. He bumped into panic-stricken people running in all directions, causing him to lose his balance and fall to the ground. People continued to clash and trample on him, unconcerned about their surroundings.

"Hey!" Levinte cried out.

More and more toppled over because of the frequent crashing against one another. "Are you okay?" A person beside Levinte asked.

"Yeah, were you also trampled on?" It became hard for Levinte to breathe properly.

"Yes, and it hurts! What the hell is going on here?" The person put himself on top of Levinte as if to protect him.

Levinte panicked, "I don't know! Please protect yourself!"

Suddenly, a sweet odor filled the atmosphere, giving off a soothing effect, similar to an aromatherapy candle. The chaos began to subside and running people suddenly collapsed to the ground. The haywire crowd seemed to calm down because of the sweet scent.

The more he inhaled, the more he felt sleepy. It was like something was draining their energy.

In the meantime, Acre stood alone, enclosed by the darkness. He thought he was the only one experiencing this since he did not hear anyone screaming.

"You... A godly presence..." A whisper resounded.

"Who are you?" Acre did not budge and stared ahead. The person laughed. "A god! I have found a god! Once I absorb your power I will be promoted!"

Acre grimaced, "What nonsense are you spouting?"

The laugh became hysterical and ecstatic. "Fool! I've trapped you here while I consume all of those people. You can't help them now!"

This villain is truly dumb. Why would he disclose his plan that easily?

The thought of Levinte flashed through his mind as his eyes bulged. "Come out, you won't gain anything from me if you continue to be like this."

"Once I kill those people, I will-"

Acre interrupted the voice with a wave of his hand. With a touch of the keyring on his finger, a sword materialized and burst with energy, contradicting the blackness. "I've had enough."

The darkness dissolved and crumbled as he saw the original setting again. Everyone was lying on the ground; drained to their last bits of energy. Acre searched hectically for Levinte, struggling through the roads with unconscious people.

He hurried to the store where they separated and found Levinte below by a stack of people. "Levi!" He rushed to help the boy, gently placing the people above him in a better position.

Acre felt his pulse and luckily it was normal. He checked other people and they were still breathing, just unconscious.

"Acre!" A woman's voice called from the distance. As he turned around to look, he saw several people riding on swords flying toward them and the fastest was Empress Diana.

"Everyone, assist all of them!" She ordered before stepping down, dashing toward Acre.

"I received a report on a witness of a giant black orb surrounding the night market street. What happened inside?" Empress Diana looked extremely concerned.

Acre frowned, "I encountered someone mysterious. He trapped everyone here to be consumed. I was trapped in another place, likely another black orb inside the giant black orb."

"Your Majesty! Everyone is confirmed to be alive and has no grave injuries. However, it seems like they're so tired they can't open their eyes!" A knight reported.

"Send the victims to the hospital. Search the area and capture anyone who seems suspicious!"