Reunited

As Mark ran towards the direction where zei was located, he followed the bandits trail but after ariving near the deep woods, Mark then saw a wolfpack and it looked as if they feasted on 2 people.

They had Blue fur and where quite big about as big as a lion with sharp fangs and decent mucle build around them.

Mark imidietly rushed in and slaming himself into the alpha, it was the biggest one among the group and it was eating its meal first, thats how he knew it was the alpha.

The wolfs could not react to the speed Mark ran into them with. And after slamming into the alfas wolfs chest it made a cracking sound causing it to fly into a big tree nearby and splashing upon impact.

The rest of the wolfs barly regestering what just happend feared to death and ran as fast as possible away from this man they saw where the alpha just was.

Mark however did not care about them and looked at the bodies and after checking that Zei was not among them he finnaly relaxed.

"Well done son, well done" he Said to himself and ran into the direction of City Z

And just when he was about to leave the woods and enter the openland from where you could see the city he looked to the right and dashed among the woods.

He then saw a young boy with dark hair a little curly and a lean body with dark eyes looking a little cute, he saw this boy waiting up on a tree waiting for someone to exit the woods.

"ZEI" Mark screamed, and Zei turned to the side looking at Mark however Mark did not stop and continued to run at him not at full speed but enough to not be a threat.

As he jumped to the tree Zei was he picked him up and spun around while hugging him "i thought i'd lost you" he said while a tear ran down his cheeks still hugging Zei and spinnging him around.

Zei just responded calmly "you think i'd lose to the likes of those guys? I thought you viewd me in a better light then that."

"Ofcourse" Mark Said while laughing and putting Zei down "alright so what do we do now? Wont We get attacked a second time"

Zei askes acting like he has not calculated that would be unlikely.

"No, this Karwl Guy has already suffered too much losses and No profit. If he where to attack us again he would be alone and i'd kill him while u retreated he would only risk his life for something that's not worth it" Mark then took Zei and they left in the same path as before.

When they got to the little town in the mountain

Zei looked above the thick forest and found it astonishing yet again. It truly was a delightful view and as They reached the top the guard stationed there let them in.

They revisited the inn after passing some houses and workshops. "Well hello there" the innkeeper Said "back so Soon" letting of a little laugh he then gestured for them to take a seet.

"So how did it go" he asked curious about what affinity Zei got. However he did not ask because its a known norm to not reveal your affinity everywhere unless one seeks a short life.

"We where ambused by bandists" the innkepper put down the glass he was polising with a handkerchief and told Mark to explain what had happend.

"Hmm i think i know this Krawl you said he refered to himself as. He's a real scum not that known but he uses children and homeless people as his pawns and throws them away when needed."

"Well i suppose you could say that about almost anyone" the innkepper then offered them a drik for their trouble

"Thanks Mark said and looked at Zei, "thanks" Zei then said. The inkepper thought that the kid honestly ment it he did not feel like the kid he saw last time.

After drinking Mark bid farwell to the inkepper and they left.

As they saw the stone road they started to run again and after hours they turned right and ran in the dirt road that lead to their house.

Zei saw the Gates and the spikes on the fence and felt just a bit more relaxed then before but not dropping his guard.

Mark and Zei has arrived home to the warm embrace of Mari. She greeted them with a mixture of relief and concern, her eyes reflecting the worry a little worry because they looked tired.

After reassuring her that they were safe, Mark and Zei settled into the familiar surroundings of their home as both took a bath.

Mark then came into Zei's room "Zei i'm going to be honest with you, you're going to be behind some of your classmen in the future because they will probably have way more resorses to work with then you"

Mark Said being honest "however your skills With the swords would probably be the greatest among your peers so you could work with that but you need to also focus on cultivation untill you pass the tests to get into a academy."

"I understand so what should i do to increase my cultivation to the max and as fast as possible" Mark replied fast "well you need to get enough mana in your mana core to break through into the 2nd adept realm.

"This is a book it will help you grow faster because it's for people with darkness affinity i had one for all common affinity just incase you got something other then earth affinity."

"Delighting flow"

Mark and Zei engaged in straightforward discussions about cultivation, dissecting the intricate details outlined in "delighting flow."

As Zei opened the book it told him to close his eyes and inscribe a rune then through that rune pull in energy into is mana core in his brain.

Zei nodded, appreciating the practical advice. "Got it, I'll work on integrating that into my daily routine."

Later, as Mark headed out to buy cultivation pills to accelerate Zei's progress, the bustling streets of the town near them, came alive with vibrant energy. He navigated through market stalls, seeking the most reputable alchemist.

In a dimly lit shop, Mark found a grizzled alchemist named Kylan. With a reputation for concocting potent cultivation pills, Kylan greeted Mark with a shrewd smile. "Looking for something to boost your kid's cultivation, eh?"

Mark, cutting to the chase, replied, "I need pills that stimulate mana core growth without side effects."

Kylan chuckled, producing a vial of shimmering pills. "These are the real deal. Guaranteed to give his cultivation a kick. But they don't come cheap."

Mark, undeterred, negotiated a fair deal and left the shop with the pills with a kick to his wallet. The city streets, teeming with diverse characters,

Back home, Mark handed the pills to Zei, who examined them with a mix of curiosity and caution. "These should speed up your progress," Mark said, his tone matter-of-fact.

"Alright then let's test this new cultivation" Zei said smiling he could not wait to get stronger.