Tianzhu couldn't help but smirk as he saw the transformation. "Let's see how long you can maintain this form this time."
Vera, now fully transformed into a lightning wolf, crouched low to attack.
*Grrr*
As she growled at her father, the latter quickly snapped to reality. He raised his hand and motioned, provoking his daughter to attack.
She let out a deep, guttural growl once again before launching forward and lunging at Tianzhu with its mouth widely opened, revealing its sharp fangs.
Tianzhu, however, didn't move from the spot. He calmly stared at the wolf.
But just as her fangs nearly met his shoulder, he mumbled. "Paralysis of the Great Vine."
At once, one third of his entire mana reserves were consumed as vines burst from his body, lashing around Vera in mid-air and pushing her away from his body.
Before Vera could get out of those entanglements, the vines started absorbing her mana. Within moments, her entire mana reserves were sucked away, and Vera transformed back into herself.
Tianzhu dismissed the vines and caught her before she fell to the ground. "Uncle, you cheated. You said you wouldn't use abilities." Vera protested, glaring up at her dad.
He chuckled, brushing a strand of hair from her face. "My dear munchkin, you forgot rule number 1. Don't ever expect your opponent to follow the rules unless it is a formal setting."
Vera puffed out her cheeks and looked away. "Still, cheating is cheating. You tricked me."
Tianzhu couldn't help but smile, finding his niece's actions very cute. As he continued to stare at the daughter in his arms, suddenly, he saw the illusion of a three-year-old little girl in his arms, spinning her around in a park. His facial expression changed for a moment.
"Hmm? Uncle..." Vera's blurred voice became a bit louder now, enough to drag him out of his thoughts. "Uncle… Hellooo? Oi, old man…"
His eyes refocused, snapping back to reality. "Hmm?"
Vera spoke. "Can you put me down now?"
"Oh, right." Tianzhu gently put her down.
"What happened? You were making this strange face earlier."
"Ah, nothing. I just remembered something." Tianzhu shook his head, forcing out a smile.
Vera tilted her head, blinking a few times in silence, wondering what it was about. "Huh."
From the veranda, Theo, who had been recording it since the start, finally stepped down. He walked forward, arms flailing slightly. "Ugh… what a boring fight this was. You clearly don't suit for fighting, Vera."
"Hmm?"
Name: Theodore Sokjinovich Qin
Age: 18
Ethnicity: Han/Rus
Arcane Path: Mage
Ability: Song of the God
Ability Rank: S
Mana Reserves: 156,779
Both Vera and Tianzhu turned their heads.
Approaching them, Theo switched the pc tablet in his hands to their side and showed a frozen moment, "Here, look at this. This is where you lost. You could've used the charged leap to feint. You hesitated too long before the pounce."
Vera snorted, puffing her cheeks. "Oh, come on! I was literally trapped by mana-sucking vines!"
"Doesn't matter," Theo said, raising his voice a little too loud. "You still messed up the timing. What's the use of having an S-rank ability with superior senses to a human if you make up such a rookie mistake? It's seriously a waste of such ability on you. If only I…"
Tianzhu turned, interrupting him in a firm voice. "Theo. That's enough." His eyes turned slightly serious.
Theo, however, didn't just stay quiet.
"She could've won if she had just…"
"I said that's enough," Tianzhu repeated, shutting the argument right away by lecturing him. "Don't be too harsh on your sister. Everyone grows at their own pace."
"Fine… Sorry…" Theo lowered his gaze and apologized to his twin, but a moment later, he looked up with hopeful eyes. "So… can I spar now? I don't know if I can defeat you, but I'm sure I can do better than Vera."
Tianzhu exhaled slowly, letting out a sigh. "Theo, unlike Vera, you're not weak. You were strong enough to protect yourself from danger, or atleast run away from it. But you don't have the combat-type prowess required for battles. Your strength lies in music. That's your gift. So, don't try to obsess over the fight. Instead, try to enhance your abilities so that you can make a career out of it."
Theo's eyes narrowed, clearly displeased by his uncle's response. "Uncle, I believe I have told you a thousand times so far. I don't intend to pursue a music career. I want to register with the Hunter Association. But you never let me sign up for it."
Tianzhu's voice deepened slightly in response to his son's statement. "It's because that's not the path for you. Don't waste your time chasing such a foolish dream. If you don't know your strengths, it is perfectly alright to explore them, but you know your talents. You should come to terms with your limitations. If you are not interested in music, then focus on your studies. You slipped more than thirty ranks in the final exam, and as a result, you were dropped to Class-3 this year."
"But I still want to be a Hunter," Theo muttered aloud, not being able to hold his feelings under his breath.
Tianzhu's sternness wavered for a moment. But in the end, he spoke. "You can do what you want when you're an adult. Until then, you listen to me."
"You just don't listen to me and impose your will on me… All you care about is Vera's dreams. Just admit that you hate me because I resemble my dad. Had we stayed with my mom, I swear my life would have been a lot better…" Theo stomped his foot and shouted at Tianzhu in frustration, then turned, retreating to the house. The front door slammed moments later.
"Theo…" Vera rushed after her brother.
Tianzhu sighed as his gaze lingered on the closed door. "I don't want to act like this," he murmured, almost to himself. "I just… I wish you both could live in peace, surrounded by comfort and safety. That's all I want. I will attain everything I can give you in this world, but I cannot let you push yourselves into danger… Theo and Vera are no longer young. I highly doubt I could stop them from doing what they want. I have to do something…"
Meanwhile, at Krasinostok in Eastern Siberia;
Coming out of the shower, Sungjun took the smartphone and opened Pavel Text, a private messaging app not found in any app store, exclusive for members only.
Opening the inbox, Sungjun browsed through the new messages sent by a couple of his trusted subordinates: Tempest and Pyro, the North East guardian and the South guardian of Pavel, respectively. Basically, Sungjun had 8 guardians in Pavel, each responsible for one direction. And each of them, while they don't carry a hunter license to stay out of the system, they are as strong as an S-rank hunter.
He tapped on Tempest's message first.