48. A Mother’s Love

"You Can Find Me! For Us Death Is…"

The sky collapsed and Hiro fell faster than ever before. As he fell, his body started heating up. He could fell his body burn the further he fell down. However, Hiro had only one thought in his mind and that was…

"Death is what? Tell me! What is death!?"

…

(Hiro's Courtyard)

~Bang~

Tanji and Mia burst into Hiro's courtyard. They ran over as fast as they could.

"Elder brother! Elder brother!" Rue was yelling in front of Hiro's door.

"Rue step aside, that's a spirit flame," Tanji yells and rushed to his front. "Mia take him back." He spread his arms wide while facing the flame.

"What are you going to do?" Mia asks as his palms glowed blue. She had grabbed Rue and covered him like a mother hen over her chick. "You want to fight fire with fire?"

"That's the only way," Tanji replied and his palms released blue flame.

As if having eyes of its own, the red flame burning the building turned to him. Mia felt the red flame smile as it pounced at Tanji's flame.

"Grrr," Tanji bit his lower lips as the red flame engaged his flame in a tug'O'war. A contest of strength will be a more appropriate way to describe the back and forth movements of these two flames.

Shin walked in to see this scene. The red flame was pushing back on the blue flame leisurely, while the blue flame struggled.

"How the hell was he allowed to have such a strong flame?" Tanji screamed in his head. "How did he even tame it?"

"Hiro! Can you hear me?" Mia yelled. "If you don't do something, you are going to burn everything down. This place and everything within it will be burnt down."

Shin walks up to Tanji's side as she continues. "Everything you have will be gone for good. Your money and your pills."

"Tanji, what if I cut the fire?" Shin asks.

"You can cut it?" Tanji turns to him.

"If we do that battle formation again, I can use a technique that can cut whatever I want to cut. Even if it is the air itself," Shin turns to Tanji.

"I can't do the formation now, my hands are occupied…"

"Elder brother," Mia calls.

"Wait Mia, we are thinking of something," Tanji continues. "Beside, I'm sure that technique cost a lot to use. I'm not sure I'll survive that."

"Elder brother, look in front of you!" Mia yells and the duo turned to the building. They finally noticed the flame was diminishing and retreating.

"This…" Tanji mutters.

"Put your flame away," Mia says.

"Right."

The four of them watched the flame retreat into the building. It didn't take long for the flame to retreat completely and for Hiro's burnt body to enter their view.

"Hiro," Tanji calls out and rushes to his side. Hiro's entire body was scotched black. And all his hair was burnt off, he was completely unrecognizable. Tanji takes out a jade bottle from his pouch bag. "Huh?" he frowned and looked at Hiro.

Hiro had grabbed his arm. He slowly shakes his head as he says. "Ah… don't… it will only… fuel the flame."

"You mean?"

Mia, Shin and Rue walks over as Hiro nods. "Whatever… that water is… healed my dying flame… and… caused it to grow stronger and… out… out of my control."

"I am so sorry, I didn't…"

"My pills… check my pills…" Hiro interrupts Tanji.

"Mia please check them," Tanji says and takes out a few pills. He feeds them to Hiro and moved his hands slowly, forming hand seals.

"Okay," Mia replies and walks to the bed.

"What are you doing?" Shin asks while watching Tanji.

"I'm going to relieve him of some of his pain," Tanji said.

"You want to use that battle formation?"

"Not a battle formation, just a linking. It will combine the pain we both feel and divide it equally between us."

"There's actually something like that?"

"What… is that?"

"Don't stress yourself Hiro, your pain will feel lesser soon…"

"Don't bother… I don't feel it."

"What do you mean by that?" Shin asks but Hiro didn't reply.

"Your pills and other things are safe," Mia walks over.

"That's… good… thank you… your words from before… saved me," Hiro says and closes his eyes. His breathing slowly going low.

"Hiro?" Mia lowly calls.

"Ack!"

Tanji turns his head to the side as he spat out blood. His breathing had turn rapid and his eyes held fear in them. Shin frowns and turns to him. "Are you alright?"

"Elder brother!" Mia yells and rushed to his side.

"What was that?" Tanji thought. He turns to Hiro and found him unconscious.

"Tanji, are you alright?" Shin asks.

"I'm fine, help me carry him to my place. Rue find that orb and bring it over. Mia please assist me."

"Alright, elder brother."

"Okay elder brother Tanji, I'll look for it."

"What happened just now?" Shin asks as soon as he placed Hiro on his shoulder.

Mia helped Shin up and Rue went looking for the orb. "The linking failed, but luckily he isn't in danger. He is actually cultivating right now," Tanji replies.

"What? He is cultivating while unconscious? Impossible!"

"It's not impossible. Rue have you found it?"

"I just did, it was outside," Rue replies.

"Get Hiro's things and let's go."

Meanwhile up in the sky, unknown to them, two men watched as they left the courtyard. The vice master alongside the third elder.

"Vice master that is Zhang Tan, right? The cursed son of the Zhang family. How does he know hand seals for linking two beings together?"

"I don't know. Things like that can only be found in the ancient ruins."

"The Zhang family has indeed sent masters to that place but even if they found something like that, I don't think a cursed son like him will get access to it."

"No he wouldn't," the vice master said and thought. "But as much as I am interested in him, I am more interested in the content of that bottle."

"Was it a good idea not to interfere?"

"I have my reasons."

"The child could have died."

"I would have taken responsibility for that," the vice master replied. "Well, now I'm sure that isn't Hao Ren. Maybe a reincarnation, but that's not him," he thought.

"What do you plan on doing?"

"You may return, I'll keep watching."

"What about treating the child?"

The vice master turns to the third elder. No word spoken, no instruction given, yet…

"I'll take my leave," the third elder bowed and flew away.

"Hmm, let's find out what the content of that bottle is," the vice master mutters and stretches his hand towards the group beneath him. Almost immediately, a bottle appeared in his hand.

.

.

.

~Location Unknown~

"Oh, you are here," a woman mutters as she steps into a room. She was beautifully dressed in a purple gown and endowed in beautiful ornaments. Her black long hair flowed down her right shoulder. On it was a kingfisher feather hairpin. It's blue color and blue gems matched her ocean blue eyes.

"Sorry for disturbing your cultivation."

The recipient was a boy seated on a bed in a meditation pose. He had snow white hair and a small body build.

"It's alright mother."

"How are you?" she asks as she sits beside him.

"I'm good. You don't have to worry about me. I may be frail, but I am still an Ascendant."

"I know, but I'll always worry about you. That's the job of a mother." She pinched his nose gently and smiled at him. "By the way, have you prepared for the party tomorrow?"

"No, I won't be attending the party. I have pills to make."

"We both know that's just an excuse. Besides, with the amount of pills you receive from the family, you don't have to make pills."

"To be a good alchemist I have to keep on practicing. I may not be among the best alchemists in the world, but I'll be a great alchemist."

"I told you…"

"After all, the only reason the family keeps someone as frail as me is because of my body's constituent."

"Don't say that."

"But it's the truth, if it wasn't for my gift, I may have been banished or something. My frail body won't even allow me become a sage, much less a king."

"That doesn't matter…"

"It does mom, because even you… I know you are ashamed of me."

"I am not ashamed of you, son… I love you so much and I am proud of having you as my son."

"Come on mom, I won't get hurt… just say it and ease yourself…"

She pulls him close into her embrace and mutters. "I love you my son. Not once was I ashamed of being your mother, you know why? You are the best thing that happened to me. I loved you when you were in my womb. I loved you when I birthed you. I loved you when you were just a child, you don't know how happy you made me feel when you first called me mother. I love you now, I don't want you thinking otherwise. And I'll always love you, no one will love you more than me."