The Truth

Master Xia and the other Heads were utterly shocked, speechless, exclude Ying and her mother.

They'd just witnessed Wayne Xia get beaten and kicked around by an unknown opponent. The gap between them was too big, Wayne was no match for him, someone who didn't even have to bring out his spirit animal.

Yet strangely, he spared his life, and they even seemed to be...chatting with each other?

Who was this young man?

"Sir Xia," called Madam Wen. "End the trials, you have your winner, no one will challenge him."

"Are you- are you sure?" Master Xia stammered. "No one will be able to defeat him?"

Madam Wen smiled. "Of course, there's one that can..."

She shifted her gaze to Eryn.

"But it is not necessary..."

Master Xia followed Madam Wen's eyes to Miss Eryn, who was too busy smiling down at the two.

He glanced down as well and saw the young man had torn off his mask, but he still could make out who it was from so far up.

He turned to the audience and cleared his throat.

"Behold! Our winner for this year's trials! Congratulations!" he announced.

Suddenly, the muted crowd was alive once more, cheering and clapping.

Once it quieted down, Master Xia brushed his hand through his beard and spoke again.

"Young man...what is your name, may I ask?"

The figure standing beside Wayne glanced up.

"Do you really wish to know?" he called back.

Master Xia raised an eyebrow. "Well...you are indeed our winner. Wouldn't it be a pity if no one knew who you are?"

"Very well," he said. He clasped his hand together in front and bowed.

"It is I, Elias."

Master Xia's eyes bulged out from his sockets. "Elias, my boy?!"

From behind, Master Bai spat out the tea he was sipping on and his two children beside him were suddenly alert. "He said his name was what?"

Madam Liu and Master Jing were just as surprised.

Madam Wen and her daughter sat calmly on their platform, sharing the same look of satisfaction and triumph.

Master Xia quickly let the platform descend into the arena so that they were on the same level.

Wayne trudged over to the platform and sat down to rest his aching bones, avoiding Eryn's eyes.

Indeed, that person, he was really Elias.

"My goodness!" Madam Liu cried. "So this is your power! I haven't thought much about it the first time when we met since I didn't sense any aura."

Elias wiped his nose with the back of his hand. "...Just because someone suppressed their aura doesn't mean they don't have one," he remarked, raising an eyebrow.

"Ah, you are even able to suppress your own aura?" Master Jing asked. "That's incredible! Many people aren't able to do that!"

Elias frowned. "Really? It's not that hard though..."

San Jing coughed. "N- not that hard..." she muttered.

Suddenly, Evelyn pushed past the elders and jabbed a hateful finger at Elias. "This must all be some sort of trick! You cannot possibly be so powerful!" she shouted, glaring at him with all she had. "Nine months and you've suddenly gained some evil tricks! Tell us! What did you do?"

The adults were all shocked. "What?"

Edison grabbed his younger sister's arm and tried to pull her away as Elias' expression started to darken.

Eryn went to stand beside her twin, her lips pressed together in a dangerously thin line.

"Evelyn-" Master Bai pleaded.

Elias scowled. "Like mother, like daughter," he hissed through his teeth.

"Is there something that we don't know here?" Master Xia questioned Evelyn. "Do you know these twins from before?" He darted his eyes between them uncertainly. He felt a chill down his spine as the atmosphere suddenly drop.

Elias ignored him sat Evelyn a cold glare. "Who are you to say I have done something evil?" he snarled. "Who are you to accuse me of anything?"

Evelyn's face reddened in anger. "Don't think you can suddenly do whatever you want just because you defeated Wayne! I bet that you can't even do it again since you've-"

White strings suddenly snaked up her neck and face, coiling tightly against her mouth and neck. She let out a muffled scream and clawed at them, but she pulled away when they burned her hands.

Edison stumbled back in fear while the adults took a step back, disturbed.

All eyes flew to Eryn, who had one arm up with her fingers curled tightly halfway to a fist, her eyes glowing brightly.

Wayne flinched, seeing Eryn use her powers for the first time with his own eyes.

Master Xia nervously tried to calm them down. "Er, Eryn! Eryn, my dear! Release her, she's just a child!"

Master Jing turned to Master Bai. "Alan! These are your children! Why aren't you doing anything?"

Alan Bai only shook his head slightly, his eyes lost and expression unreadable.

Elias took hold of his sister's wrist. "'Ryn, you can let her go. I'm sure she'd learn her lesson by now."

Reluctantly, Eryn did so, and Evelyn dropped to her knees, gasping for breath. "You...you too?-"

"I what?" Eryn said flatly. "Did I find some witch who gave me evil tricks as well?"

Evelyn clamped her mouth shut.

Madam Liu furrowed her brows. "Don't be so so worked up now...please, tell us what's going on!"

"How about you ask Alan Bai, what's going on?" Elias said in return.

They all turned to him, and all the color drained from his face.

"Tell us what's wrong, old friend," Master Jing pleaded. "You've indeed been acting strange since their arrival..."

"I..."

Master Bai hesitated. Should he finally say it?

"They..." He glanced at the other Heads and their children, who were waiting for an answer.

Finally, he locked eyes with the twins.

"They...are my firstborn children."

Silence.

The first to break it was Master Jing.

"What?" he exclaimed.

Master Xia whirled on him. "You told us they died a week after birth!" he said accusingly.

Alan Bai shook his head. "It...it was my wife...but it's my fault, too. But, they are really my children. This is Elias Bai and Eryn Bai."

All eyes then flew to the twins.

Eryn stiffened. "We would appreciate it if you would not associated us with the name, 'Bai'," she sniffed.

"Why?" they asked.

Elias scowled. "Ever since birth, they neglected us, refused to acknowledge our existence. We were left alone, confined to the little courtyard in the back of the residence. We weren't allowed to go out, we weren't even treated as the eldest children should."

"We had to do everything ourselves, no one even came to help us or even visit us. The younger members have no respect. Even the servants think of us as outcasts."

"You threw us aside just because a spirit had not appeared when we were born, and now you dare to call us your children? You dare to claim us as part of your family?" Elias spat. "Did you know what actually happened on the day we escaped? It was Ailee Bai who sent people to kill us that night. If it weren't for Eryn and the stones gifted to us by some grandmaster she found locked away in the library, then we would be dead."

Alan Bai trembled on his spot. He reached out with his arm. "I'm sorry-"

"You think sorry would do? We are now both eighteen, we are adults. We have control over our own lives. Don't even think about trying to get us back because you found we are not entirely useless anymore."

Elias shifted his gaze at Evelyn.

"And you. Watch your mouth. You remind me so much of that old witch of a mother. If it weren't for everyone watching right now, I would've let Eryn kill you."

Then he glanced over at Edison, who was avoiding his eyes.

Elias released a breath.

"My sister thinks you are still worthy enough to let you off, but I don't think so," he said disdainfully. "You better prove me wrong, or in the future when you turn eighteen, I'll come back and deal with you myself."

Elias turned on his heel and headed for the stadium's exit, Eryn following close behind. "We're done here."

_______________

Edison watched as his elder siblings left the arena, leaving behind the Heads and their children staring after them, silent.

The words Elias had ranted still weighed heavily in the air down on their shoulders.

Master Jing shook his head, giving his father a look of disappointment. "Those are some promising kids, Old Bai. That is your loss."

Edison glanced up at his father's pained and defeated expression; it was the first time he'd seen his father so sad.

Madam Liu rubbed her hands together. "How can you be so heartless?" she whispered. "I thought your wife was a much better person than this. You have a lot of things to clean up within your family."

"I never liked her," Ying suddenly said.

The elders turned towards her.

"Did you know this all along?"

"Of course, I did."

"Then why didn't you say anything?"

"I shouldn't interfere too much with one's decisions...they have many other things you all still don't know about yet."

"Like what?"

"I won't say."

Master Xia shook his head. "Forget it. I'm going after them. I suggest you all go home as well. The day's over."

Edison watched as the Head left with a flick of his robes, his two children following him away.

He'd caught the wry look Wayne cast him before he disappeared at the exit, and Edison felt his heart sink.

Celeste and San Jing and her sister, Lan, they all eyed him with negative emotions.

He couldn't blame them. He'd been living a lie his whole life, trying to be someone he wasn't.

He was weak...a coward.

He could never be the person his brother Elias was: he was strong and powerful, he stood handsomely tall and was bold...he could speak up for himself and defend himself.

After finding out the fact that Elias and Eryn were not exactly powerless, he didn't want to keep playing the role of the weakest firstborn ever born...because he wasn't the firstborn.

What a nice older brother and sister they would've been if they weren't neglected...he must find a way to bring them back.

Edison chewed on his lip.

Elias had said Eryn still had some hope for him, and that if he didn't prove to be worthy enough, he'd teach him a lesson.

Maybe...if he worked harder, to show that he was worthy...just maybe, they would come back.

Edison held his breath, determined.

Yes, he must work hard.