"I had once met him, back when I was agile and full of life," Grandmother began. Lucian listened quietly. For some reason, he loved hearing tales of his master, for to Lucian, the man was cloaked in a veil of mystery.
"As you already know, people like us, the Aboriginals, are naturally hated by the world. The world believes that as long as we are capable of roaming freely, we should also be involved in the affairs of the world, to carry its burdens too.
"If we want to live in the forest, away from all our 'responsibilities,' like beasts, then we ought to be treated like beasts when found..." Grandmother said. Lucian's eyebrows furrowed.
He had never heard such a conspiracy before and couldn't really say it was reasonable. Where a person chose to live and how they chose to live their life was their choice. Why would anyone want to interfere because they weren't being useful to society's problems? To him, it was a foolish notion.
"That is why anyone who stumbles upon our clan is killed without mercy.
"You may call it wickedness, but we call it preservation.
"One day, a man accidentally wandered into this place and came upon us.
"Immediately, we tried to silence him, but we couldn't even touch the hem of his sleeve, not even with the combined power of the entire clan.
"Even I, the strongest among us, failed to catch him.
"His power was mysterious. Somehow, despite our efforts to chase him around, he never left the clan, nor did he make a single attack against us.
"Eventually, we exhausted ourselves, and after wandering around our settlement aimlessly, he left. He took nothing, said nothing, and harmed nothing..."
"A few days later, he built that sect of his...
"If there was one thing I learned that day, it was that there is a power greater than most in this world. If Luther had wanted to, he could have destroyed our settlement with a single attack, yet he let us live. He never interfered with us again."
"Ever since that day, there's been an unspoken rule: none from your sect will be harmed if they encounter us.
"We owe our existence to Luther's mercy, and that mercy is something we repay, even now..." Grandmother finished her tale.
Lucian asked, "You still honor that promise, even after his death?"
His reasoning was simple. Since Luther was dead, did they really need to keep honoring his word? They could have just killed him, now that Luther was no longer around, and the unspoken rule would be broken.
"Even a thousand years from now, the clan will still be indebted to a man named Luther Void.
"Circumstances happen, but we won't be slaves to them," Grandmother said with firm, unshakable conviction in her voice. Lucian nodded.
"You, being the last of the sect and possessing treasures, which I know well are Luther's own power—there is no one more deserving of our mercy than you."
"That's why you weren't killed after being brought back to the settlement. The entire clan has chosen to accept you.
"You can thank your survival on your Patriarch.
"Destroying us back then would have cost him nothing, but somehow he didn't, almost as if he could see this day coming.
"Every time I think of him, I believe I knew everything about him, but I no longer think so...
"He was like an uncrowned king, and the world nothing but a chessboard he played upon."
"And yet, he couldn't prevent his own death..." Lucian whispered to himself, his fist clenching within his palm.
"So what about you?" Grandmother suddenly called out to Lucian.
"Me?" Lucian asked.
"Yes. You. What do you plan to do now that your sect has been destroyed?
"I see it in your scroll—Luther probably wants you to find the rest of the stones and reunite them. But right now, are you ready for that?" she asked, and Lucian sighed.
"No, I'm not."
"Will you join one of the supreme sects?" she asked, and Lucian frowned.
Only now did he realize the Aboriginals didn't truly know how his sect was destroyed.
"The three supreme sects were the ones who burned down my sect and killed Luther Void. I'm guessing you already know what they were after," Lucian said. Grandmother's eyes flashed.
"So, they wanted Luther's treasures... the Stone and the Scroll," she muttered.
"Even now, I wouldn't doubt there's a bounty on my head.
"The outside world is unsafe for me right now.
"My original plan was to fuse with the stone, grow my strength little by little, then kill some beasts, sell their cores for money, maybe find a safe inn to stay in the big city, and join an adventuring group. I could gain wealth and improve my strength..."
"A feasible plan, it seems, doesn't it?" Grandmother asked. Lucian nodded faintly. To him, it seemed reasonable.
"So for now, you need a place to stay, improve your strength, and maybe hone your combat skills if you ever plan on hunting Cored beasts..." She summarized, and Lucian nodded again.
"As a final thank you for Luther's kindness, we will accept you into our Aboriginal clan.
"Your power is difficult to master, but I have witnessed it firsthand and know how strong it can be.
"I'll assign you to the Hunters' group of the settlement. There, you'll grow in strength. The trials will be hard, but I expect the one who caught Luther's eye to bear it..." Grandmother said as she slowly rose from her sitting position.
"I'll send Theon and Leo to take you to your place. You can take a bath at the river before they arrive," she said as Lucian gave a grateful bow, watching her disappear down the slope and soon fade away completely.
Now, only Lucian remained, and the streaming river behind him.