The rushing sounds of water from the nearby river faintly ran through Velmo's encampment.
Xaryus and Zadius quietly sat on each end of the freshly made campfire.
Their attention focused on Velmo, who was returning to the encampment with a broken log that was thrown to the side because of their recent scuffle.
Taking a seat, Velmo glanced between the two brothers and began to speak.
"Assuming that you're both ready to listen… I am here to decide your future, but I need you to tell me about your relationship with the Smiling Blade... Is he your father?" Velmo questioned.
"No!" Xaryus erupted in outrage.
"Then?" Velmo replied, wishing to hear an explanation from the brothers.
"He was a teacher of sorts. Upon learning that we had awakened, he forced us to become his disciples… or die." Zadius answered.
"So Smiling Blade didn't assist them in awakening. Then did they awaken because of a traumatic event?" Velmo thought briefly before asking another question, "How old were you two when you awakened?"
"I was ten." Zadius responded.
"I was nine." Xaryus added.
"They were both extremely young when they had awakened. It's not unheard off, but only children that belong prestigious families are given the opportunity and resources to awaken at such an age." Velmo pondered further.
Seeing him in deep thought, Zadius had decided to shed a bit of light on their situation.
After all, the fact that they were sitting beside Velmo and having a conversation meant he had no intentions of harming them… anytime soon at least.
"We had awakened through the phoenix method…"
Those words alone had sent Velmo's eyes wide and demanded an air of silence in the camp.
Andrew had told Xaryus and Zadius that there were many things that they would need to keep hidden from others. One of those things was the fact that they had awakened through the phoenix method; a type of awakening that was abolished due to its harsh response to the untalented.
"The phoenix method is one that requires a sorcerer to first enter their cores and then seek a path towards awakening. However, the ability to visualize one's core is extremely difficult to do." Velmo continued to think on the brother's words.
"Atop of that, their ability to fight and stay composed even when the odds are stacked against them…" His thoughts continued to flow as his gaze shifted away from the brothers and into the flame, "They're exactly what Leveness is looking for." He concluded inwardly, his thoughts a bit sombre.
"When you awakened, did either of you develop a stigma?" Velmo asked, breaking the silence that ran across the clearing.
His question seemed to harden Xaryus and Zadius' demeanour.
Their stigma was another topic they were taught to keep very closely to their chests, not just because of its unique nature but because stigmas were very important to sorcerers.
Stigmas existed outside of a sorcerer's core and when used - it did not require a connection with law - making their effects almost undetectable by conventional methods.
As such, it had become a trend amongst sorcerers to keep the nature of their stigmas hidden, only revealing its unique traits to their closest and most trusted allies.
This culture had quickly spread to spite as well, developing a habit of 'keeping your cards hidden' amongst sorcerers.
"…I really didn't expect an answer, but your sharp gazes are enough. That's good though, never reveal the full extent of your abilities… It could be difference between life and death in this world." Velmo said.
"Oh, I forgot the mention! I've decided, I'll be recommending both of you to the Red Lions!" He added in a cheerful tone.
"…"
"…"
Xaryus and Zadius glanced at each other for a moment before their gazes softened and returned to Velmo.
"What!?" They erupted in unison.
"It's pretty apparent that you don't want anything to do with Smiling Blade anymore. So I'm proposing a better offer, join the Red Lions, earn a living using your talents…" Velmo explained
"…And protect the people closest to you." He continued, now focusing his attention towards Zadius.
Velmo had recognized the faint look in Zadius' eyes. He too had that look when he was younger… it was a look of fatigue and exhaustion, but not from physical exertion.
There was so much self-appointed weight on Zadius' shoulders that he couldn't bear.
As an older brother, he felt obligated to take care of Xaryus and make sure that everything was alright, even if it meant personal sacrifice.
"With a personality like that, he probably blames himself for all the misfortune they've experienced up till now." Velmo thought briefly.
Zadius had pondered deeply about Velmo's offer. They had no family or friends to fall back on and trying to survive with just Xaryus and himself was a gamble.
They wouldn't even be able to take out a third-grade mana beast if they had encountered one. Inept rank sorcerers weren't intended to roam about Etherios; even if Xaryus and Zadius were much stronger than the average inept sorcerer, they weren't an exception.
***
Mana beasts are separated into ten grades, ascending from one to ten, each correlating to the ranks of a sorcerer. However, these grades, similar to sorcerer ranks are vast; two mana beasts of the same grade can possess completely different ranges of lethality.
They are then separated into different tiers. A tier 1 mana beast can be subjugated by a single sorcerer of the corresponding rank. Tier 2 can be subjugated by a cohort of sorcerers of the corresponding rank and Tier 3 would require several cohorts of the corresponding rank to be subjugated.
***
"What do you think, Xaryus?" Zadius asked, not allowing himself to think further.
Glancing towards Velmo who was now looking at him with a soft but meaningful smile, Xaryus responded to his older brother's question with a small nod.
With that, the tension slowly subsided in the encampment as an agreement was made. The only thing left on Zadius' mind was Xaryus' safety.
"We leave in the morning; it's going to take us a few days to get back Rosa." Velmo concluded.