Sworn Brothers

A beautiful melody from the chirping of birds and the warm, crisp rays of golden sunshine made for a delightful morning.

Rentaro's eyes fluttered open, as he went to push himself out of bed—

Thunk!

He fell back down onto the bed, feeling at a loss as he looked at the bloodstained cloth of his shirt, the left sleeve missing.

'Oh right... I guess only a day has passed, this will take quite a bit to get used to.'

Rentaro shook the sulkiness from his face.

What use was there to wallowing in sorrow?

'Anyways, I better get some new clothes. I was too tired yesterday to wash up after returning home.' Rentaro smiled happily. After returning home, that's right, home!

He looked around, seeing no one else in the room.

'Where are Roy and Kyon? Is Kyon also a glutton?'

Despite finding no one else around, he found another set of fresh clothes on the dresser. They were similar, well, the exact same as what he was currently wearing.

'Not much for fashion?' he mused quietly before grabbing the clothes.

Exiting the room, he found the washroom open and prepared for use. He felt a trace of warmth seeing how everything was set up for him.

Some time passed, and Rentaro felt good as new. Despite the loss of his arm, his left shoulder healed up cleanly without any infection thanks to the two Vultasoris' healings.

Wilhelm praised, [Not bad, Rentaro. Of course, I'll look much more handsome when I form my own body in the future. Isn't that right, Tess?]

[Huh? Why are you dragging me into a conversation about your looks? Have some propriety out of consideration for our origins, why don't you?]

[Oh, come on. I'm sure you'll be very beautiful yourself! We could even be a divine match, don't you think?]

[You dare!] Tess fumed.

Rentaro's face flushed red and his body trembled in irritation, 'Can I get some privacy here?!'

He stumbled to put on his clothes before hurrying out in search of the others.

'Oh, right!'

His thoughts flickered with an idea, as he focused on his soul contracts.

Immediately, he could sense the direction Roy and Kyon were in, summoning Rjuka and Colo-Colo to accompany him along the way.

His energy was replenished and his fatigue relieved after a good rest. Should the need arise, he'd simply unsummon them for a bit.

This could be considered another form of training through the constant use and replenishment of energy, strengthening the pace at which he absorbs energy, as well as the quantity and quality of it.

They arrived at the location, finding a strange scene.

Astrona had carved many strange symbols in the ground, Patriarch Nero and Elder Quint working in conjunction with him after setting up an exquisite table.

The various symbols were of the elements, beasts, and ancient beings of exotic forms.

After all the symbols were carved, they gave off an ordinant feel. It was almost like a decree was being bestowed by the heavens themselves.

Rentaro was entranced, only snapping out of it by Rjuka's errant callings.

"Rentaro. Rentaro. Master Rentaro. My dear Rentaro. Are you alright!?"

In fact, he had already broken free from the enchantment. He was just stunned by the various names Rjuka referred to him as.

Roy was a narcissistic and gluttonous chimera that was only a few days old, Kyon a narcissistic elder of who knows how old, Rjuka a ruthless yet formal being and quite possibly naive, and the Colo-Colo who obediently followed so far.

Feeling a headache on the rise, Rentaro sighed.

'Liveliness is still better than loneliness.'

In a flash, Kyon flew into view. His pudgy face pressed up against Rentaro's.

"Your dear elder has been working hard! I've been carefully supervising everyone here, making sure all is done properly."

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

Kyon turned tail and fled, laughing mischievously at Rentaro's annoyance.

He took note of Kyon's path, seeing Haz, Tsyun, Phu, an apron-wearing Ichi, and Shin.

Along the way, Kyon even tripped Shin with a gust of wind, his tearful laughter teasingly sounding.

Shin's muscles pulsed as he roared in anguish while the others joined in with their laughter.

Rjuka asked hoarsely, "Is everyone normally this energetic?"

His yellow eyes rapidly shuffled around in curiosity.

"I'm not actually sure... maybe?" Rentaro answered doubtfully.

There was no use in chasing Kyon for help, and it was too bad Grand Elder Kia-Nian wasn't in sight.

Kia-Nian would've been among the first that Rentaro would seek answers from.

Instead, he moved in the direction of Elder Astrona, Quint, and Patriarch Nero.

"Rentaro!" Patriarch Nero's smiles turned apologetic, "I'm sorry about your arm. I know nothing could compare to it, but is there anything I can do to make up for it? You've given a lot for our sake, and we all appreciate it!"

Rentaro was about to answer with, "no need," before pausing.

He thought for a brief period, taking into consideration the recent events and future possibilities before answering, "Actually, I could use some gear, though it doesn't need to be anything too fancy. Oh yeah, if possible, maybe some guidance?"

"Gear and guidance? Consider it done! The three of us will go with you specifically to ensure you get high quality gear that's fitting for you! And if you happen to think of anything else you need, don't be shy about it!"

Rentaro gave his thanks, feeling that everyone in the village was especially kind.

He felt fortunate that he found his start here in Krose Village of all places.

"What's all of this about by the way?" Rentaro asked, pointing at the carvings.

Astrona gave a mischievous wink, "Oh this? It's a ritual for the Sworn Sibling Ceremony! By the way, Roy and Kyon already signed you up under the reasoning of sensing your agreement through your contracts."

Rentaro's mouth opened into an "o" shape, thinking to himself, 'Now that I think about it, Icrin did mention about being sworn brothers with Roy and I. Still, I'll have to teach those two a lesson for being so unruly!'

Elder Quint looked around, "Everything is ready. Kyon offered to go get Icrin and Roy. He should be back shortly—"

A breeze of wind passed, and two loud thumps were heard as Icrin and Roy landed just in front of them.

"Speak of the devil." Rjuka creaked from the side.

Rentaro nodded towards Icrin and Roy, before moving towards the center of the symbols under Astrona's beckoning, standing side by side in good behavior.

Astrona spoke, "Good! As I've said earlier, this is a ritual known as the Sworn Sibling Ceremony. You could consider this to be a basic formation. Even then, all of the carvings must be done with great accuracy! The slightest error will result in a failure."

"Now, let me ask, are the three of you willing to take each other as sworn siblings? To be sworn siblings, you must stick together and face the harshest of burdens together! And betrayal will not be accepted—should you ever turn on your sworn sibling, you will face the wrath of the heavens and the world laws!"

"The three of you, think carefully—"

Icrin interrupted, "There's nothing for me to think about! Rentaro, Roy, I will follow the two of you into even the darkest of depths!"

Despite not saying much, Rentaro felt the fire of youth ignite within his soul.

He answered, "I don't need to think about it either. Roy, the two of us have long agreed to his proposition. Now we just have to finalize it."

Roy's six eyes narrowed into cute crescents, "Of course!"

Astrona continued solemnly, "Good. Now, we must mingle your bloodlines. For that, we will make a small cut on each of your forearms, before pressing them together."

Tess suddenly spoke within Rentaro's mind, [Use the Sacrificial Knife that you've been using for your contracts.]

Rentaro was startled by her unexpectant command, but called the blade out of the system inventory in front of everyone's shocked eyes regardless, "This blade should be good enough."

Astrona nodded, a peculiar glint in his eyes as he inspected the blade.

Well, calling it a blade might be a bit of an overshot. Appearance wise, it was rather similar to a simple kitchen knife.

And yet, this "simple kitchen knife" held a unique aura while the surface of the knife had strange etchings of gold and red.

The red was of course thanks to the blood, while the gold came from the power of soul contracts.

Rentaro hadn't paid much attention to it since getting it, but it transformed several times with each contract, and it would continue to do so in the future.

"Very well, the three of you, please reach out."

Rentaro and Icrin reached their hands out, while Roy offered his paw after transforming his scales to a soft state.

After Astrona gave them each a small cut, they pressed their hands and paw together, allowing their blood to mingle into each other's wounds.

A strange force awakened, pushing down upon them heavily, and even leaving an invisible brand on their souls.

Henceforth, the all-seeing eye of the heavens was ready to dish out the consequences should one of them break their sworn brotherhood bond.