Life Seed Extraction

Willowmist City, Thundershade Family

"Aeon, no matter what happens, you have to live." 

Aren looked at his younger brother Aeon with a severe tone, his face etched with determination and urgency. 

He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth with a trembling hand, his eyes filled with a mixture of fear and resolve.

"Brother, are you telling me that Father can't win against these bastards?" 

Aeon asked, his voice trembling with a combination of disbelief and fear. He looked at Aren's bloodied clothes, his heart sinking at the sight.

Seeing Aren nod in affirmation, Aeon gritted his teeth, his young face contorting in a mix of anger and desperation. 

"Even though Father is strong, the enemies this time are stronger and more cunning than our father," Aren explained, his voice strained with the effort to remain calm.

As Aren spoke, a tiny but shining blue-colored seed emerged from his body.

"[Lightning Recovery]"

Aren muttered, his voice barely above a whisper. 

'Swoosh'

In the next second, dozens of lightning sparks erupted from the seed and enveloped the brothers, their injuries slowly but steadily healing.

When the lightning sparks entered their bodies, they created an intense warmth that penetrated deep into their muscles, soothing and relaxing them. 

However, they didn't have the luxury to enjoy such relief in their current dire situation.

"But... Father is... it's all because of me. This massacre would not have happened if I hadn't awakened an S-grade Life Seed," 

Aeon lamented, his voice breaking. Aeon, who was only 15 years old, felt a surge of guilt and despair. "I've brought the destruction of our Thundershade Family."

Thinking about the deaths of the elders and his fellow family members, Aeon's guilt intensified. 

The weight of their sacrifices pressed heavily on his young shoulders, threatening to crush him under its immense burden.

"Aeon, stop blaming yourself. It's not..." 

Aren began, his voice filled with a desperate need to console his brother, but before he could finish his sentence, a sudden, sharp pain cut him off.

'Puchi'

A saber pierced through his chest, narrowly missing Aeon's throat. The blade glistened with a deadly red hue, and blood sprayed from the wound, staining the floor.

'Puchi'

'Thud'

"Kid... it's entirely your fault that your family is going to disappear from the face of this world," 

A middle-aged man with a scarred face sneered. He pulled out his red-colored saber, which transformed into a shining red seed before entering his body.

"..."

For a moment, Aeon's eyes went blank, his mind struggling to process the sight of his brother's lifeless body lying on the floor. 

His heart pounded in his chest, and a cold numbness spread through his limbs.

"Ugh... you son of a..." 

Aeon quickly snapped out of his shock, rage overtaking his grief as he rushed towards the scarred man, his fists clenched and his teeth bared in fury.

"Haha... what can a bastard who is yet to start his Life Blood Cultivation do to a Knight?" 

The scarred man chuckled, grabbing Aeon by the collar and slamming him into the wall with a force that made the young boy's head spin. "See, I don't even need to use..."

'Boom'

Before the scarred man could finish his words, an explosion occurred beneath his feet, blasting the entire room into chaos. 

Debris flew everywhere, and a cloud of dust and smoke filled the air.

"Haha... as expected of Thundershade blood... even in their last moments, they are dangerous,"

The scarred man laughed, despite the explosion. He remained standing with only minor injuries, glancing at the remnants of Aren's body with a twisted smile.

"Scarface, what was that?" 

A young man emerged from the smoke of the explosion, shouting at the scarred man with a tone of impatience and irritation.

"Don't worry, the youngest kid is safe," 

Scarface responded, looking at the newcomer with respect before walking towards the unconscious Aeon. 

Despite the explosion, Aeon's body remained fully intact, without significant injuries, a testament to the resilience of the Thundershade bloodline.

"He is just unconscious and will be very cooperative while extracting his S-grade Life Seed... haha," 

Scarface forced a laugh, secretly heaving a sigh of relief that Aeon was still alive. 

For a moment, Scarface had forgotten that they needed Aeon alive for their plans.

"Hm,"

The young man checked on Aeon before lightly nodding his head. 

"I have already made all the preparations. Let's extract the S-grade Life Seed at the place where he awakened it," 

He stated, his tone cold and calculating.

Soon, the young man nodded and ordered Scarface, "Go and check whether the route to the Sacred Hall is clear and, at the same time, see if the City Leader and others have killed this brat's father."

"Yes, Master Cyrus," 

Scarface nodded his head and hurried out of the Thundershade Family grounds towards the Sacred Hall of Willowmist City.

This world, known as Silvoria, was home to the colossal Celestial World Tree. Its enormous branches stretched to the heavens while its roots delved deep into the earth, touching the very essence of existence. This sacred tree connected many cities through its branches, acknowledging them over time.

The place where the branches and roots of the Celestial World Tree connected was called the Sacred Hall. 

This hall was used to awaken Life Seeds among youngsters. With the blessing of the Celestial World Tree, those who reached 15 years would awaken a Life Seed and follow the path of Life Blood Cultivation. 

Aeon was one such youngster who had recently awakened not one but two Life Seeds. 

Although it was an achievement to awaken two Life Seeds, many had done so in the past. 

However, Aeon's situation was unique because one of his Life Seeds was of the highest grade, causing jealousy and envy among many.

"Master Cyrus, this brat's father is still fighting the City Leader and others. I don't think it is a good idea to extract the Life Seed in the Sacred Hall," 

Scarface reported, his voice filled with concern. 

Despite not knowing the exact details of Life Seed extraction, he understood it was not wise to approach the Sacred Hall while Aeon's father, the head of the Thundershade Family, was still on a rampage.

"Damn it... even on his last leg, he's still making things difficult for us,"

Master Cyrus cursed Aeon's father, then looked at Scarface before ordering, "Those bastards can't even handle a single family head. Since we have little time, I will extract his Life Seed here."

Without waiting for a reply, Master Cyrus began the extraction process. 

'Even though it will be tiring to extract the Life Seed, I have no choice but to do it here,'

He thought, steeling himself for the arduous task ahead. 

With that thought in mind, he activated his Life Seed. A shining purple seed emerged from his body along with a blood-colored ancient grimoire that appeared out of nowhere.

'Swoosh'

As the grimoire opened, a bright light flashed on the Life Seed, and in the next second, the seed started sprouting. The sprout was black, and it grew at a rapid pace, transforming into a vine.

'Now, start the process,' Master Cyrus commanded, his voice echoing with authority and dark intent.

'Swoosh'

'Puchi'

In no time, the rapidly growing vine pierced through Aeon's chest and started glowing, its black tendrils wrapping around his heart.

'Argh'

Due to the intense pain, the unconscious Aeon woke up; however, for some reason, he was unable to move his body, no matter how much he tried. He struggled against the paralysis, his mind racing with thoughts of despair and regret.

'Is this how I am going to die after causing the massacre of my family?' Aeon thought, his heart filled with sorrow and a deep sense of failure as the vine tightened its grip around his Life Seed.