Chains Of Pride

"Young Master Lanzo, is there anything I can do for you?"

"Ah no, is there any news from mother or father?"

A very human-like android was pandering to Lanzo, the so-called green-haired idiot. However, here sat that same idiot, a profound look of contemplation upon his face.

"No young master, the two housemasters, advised me to tell you congratulations on your sequence, and that they'll try to make time to attend one in the future." Replied the android, a product of Setamaru enterprises

It's funny really, he was quite literally richer than the wealthiest people in Cendo Academy, not an easy feat to achieve.

His family were somehow able to become the heads of the leading conglomerate in regards to technological appliances. The android being one of their many products, it was from the waiter series, able to correctly cater to one's many whims.

Not everyone was like Kia's household that for some reason still has a human butler, didn't even know those still existed, to begin with.

In any case, Setamaru Enterprises was a household name by this point. This was also part of the reason why those people s.u.c.k.e.d up to him back at Cendo Academy, not for the riches, but for the connections and benefits being close to such a person would grant.

"I...I see, that'll be all Cerver." He sent away the android before he got up out of his room and out of the house. Talking a walk on his extensive family grounds, taking a look at the impeccably well-kept lawn and hedges.

"I have more money and connections that most people couldn't even begin to dream of, and yet, I have not one person who I can tell about my…situation." He wasn't lying.

Lanzo was even worse off than Kia. At least the latter had a somewhat estranged and borderline hostile relationship with his parents, but the former had none, nada, zilch! He didn't have any bit of relationship with his parents, what with them being busy all the time.

Before long, he heard a smooth unfeeling voice carry over to him from a short distance away.

"Young master Lanzo, you have a visitor at the gates." Another android came up to Lanzo to advise. Damn these things were life-like, was there a need to make them so realistic?!

Anyways, it looks like that person finally showed. He summoned his grounds vehicle (yes you guessed it, was a small vehicle that was used for travelling his home grounds), it only took a minute for it to arrive, being as fast as it was.

"Tell the guards to let him in and guide him to the chill spot." These were the last things he said to the android before he took the long route. He'd be where he needed by the time the guest arrived. So why not take the time to do one of the things he rarely got the chance to do?…Waste time.

The wind rushed through his spiky hair, an odd sight as it fluttered about. The speed of his ground vehicle was incredible.

Before he realised it, he was already nearing upon a large tree that played host to a small koi pond, an exquisite rock-garden in the backdrop and a few chairs placed in the right locations, aka his chill spot.

There was an elegant looking long-haired youth under it sipping tea that Cerver-02 prepared. The youth was quite good looking; however, there was this cold disposition that deterred others from approaching.

Surprisingly, it was none other than Siyenasta Gero, the assho- the uh ,cold stoic Digium in their group. He appeared quite content to just spend the day like this.

However, the faint rumble in the distance reminded him that good things never lasted, much like his favourite series on netfl-

"Hey Gero, thanks for coming over." Lanzo disembarked when he got close enough, he took large strides heading over.

"Yeah well, you told me it was important, anyways where's Kia?" asked the reserved young man.

"I called him earlier, but I don't know what 'kidnapped by my grandpa!' is code for, so I just chalked it up to him being busy and left it at that," replied Lanzo as he took a seat opposite Gero, and picked up a glass of freshly squeezed lemonade that was among the many choices there.

"…The mysteries just keep increasing with him, whatever, we'll cross that bridge when we get to it." Renounced a confused Gero. As he said this, he eyed the man who sat across him, signalling to continue and say why he Gero was here.

…

"Hmm, so you're now a part of this new race that you called, Taliums was it?" Iryoku, Kia's grandpa finally calmed down to listen to his grandson.

"Mhmm…" Kia lay face down in the dirt, his pathetic figure lay strewn across the sparring grounds. The muffled sound he made was his way of saying yes without moving.

This crazy old ma- uh his honourable grandfather, spent the whole night reinforcing Kia's training with the kenjutsu, True Dragon Sword Hunt.

He only now took the time to listen to Kia in the earlier parts of the morning, when they were finally done.

"Hahaha, good, good good! Okay I hear ya, your secret's safe with me." He air quoted the word secret as he did so. Then again he normally did so at odd points in time, as such Kia couldn't tell what he was thinking.

Then again, lying face-down in the dirt, it would be miraculous if he could tell what anyone was thinking.

"Urkh! Jeez my body's killing me! H-Honorable Grandfather you b-believe me?" Kia was a bit confused, he didn't expect the lively old man sitting to the side of the training grounds to believe him so easily.

"If another kid came to me, and said they were part of a secret race that lived alongside human beings, with an assload of powers lurking within their blood and yet not guaranteed for that power to show up in one's own family, while being knocked around by an old man with a wooden stick. I would have found a chance to bring that kid to a mental institute, but…"

He paused when he reached at this point, playing with his crimson coloured beard.

"You are of my blood, and a few whacks to the head wouldn't make you go mad. Plus, what sort of a sick demented grandchild would joke about something like that with literally no benefits, to his adorable grandfather." He shrugged when he said this, as if it was to be expected.

Pu Ci!

Kia nearly vomited blood when he heard this! What adorable grandfather!?! What sort of grandfather, both adorable and the ugly pronounced would beat his grandson senseless?

"I will cover for you when the time comes in and you underestimate the bloodline too much. There is much more to the Hokori clan than you think, don't think too much about it for now. Drag yourself over here, so I can focus on healing you, and pay attention this time!" He simply began waving in Kia's direction, beckoning him to come over.

Thus did Kia began the crawl, this grandfather of his was just too much. Sending his adorable grandson crawling on the ground so he could begin to heal him.

Kia's household was quite peculiar, apart from having a bone fide human butler, now this grandfather of his was able to call upon archaic arts to heal another person.

These were all things that were thought to have been lost in the long river of time.

"Do you remember the name of the art I am using to heal you?" He asked his batter bruised grandson, who exhibited a staggering skill with the sword.

"It is called the Dragon Nourishing Blood Art, this works by infusing a special type of energy inherent to our family into the blood. We then use the reaction of the energy fusing with the blood to bring about miraculous effects such as healing and changing the blood flow."

Iryoku nodded in content after hearing Kia's explanation. "I will not be fully healing you, only up to 80%. The rest will be up to you."

"Grandpa?" Kia was a bit surprised, so much so that he forgot to put the Honorable in his Grandfather's title, something that brought joy nonetheless to the old man.

"There is another art that I need to pass to you, not even your father knows this art, that damned disappointment. I was only planning to teach it to you when you reach a certain age. However, your situation I guess, makes you an exception to this rule."

Iryoku brows furrowed as he directed his energy, healing Kia to a certain point, "What I'm about to teach you is a technique that is used to reinvigorate and stimulate the potential of your bloodline. It is called Dragon Awakening Art."

"The average physical peak of a human male is 25, I push you this hard because I want you to meet this peak at your best. The Dragon Awakening Art is tyrannical and dangerous, if your body is weak, it'll rip it apart." He retracted his hands from Kia's back and set the latter to meet him face to face.

"You never told me about this." Kia said with a pondering expression.

"Honestly, I'd rather not pass down this art to you, but based on what you told me, you'll need it. Remember, only begin practising this when you awaken or whatever." He slowly breathed out when he said this, as if he was bracing himself.

Eventually it seemed as if his breath stopped entirely…"H-Honorable Grandfather?" Sweet butter crumpets my Honorable Grandfather killed himse-

Boom!!

Before Kia could finish this stray thought, a tyrannical aura erupted out from the old man before. He nearly got blown away from the fierce energy, but he held his ground. The energy was incomparably overbearing, it was inherently different from what he felt from the Shepherd, but it didn't lose out in the oppressive air it created.

"Hmph!" Hokori Irokyu snorted when he saw Kia's dazed state. He scattered the state he had just entered and began to explain to Kia just what it was, it's profound uses and the reason why he needed to wait till he was older...until now.

When Kia heard this, his eyes opened up in shock. Surprisingly, the Hokori clan had such a powerful ability, their connections and history may be much more than he had ever though. He spent the whole day with grandfather learning the intricacies of this art and the mysteries behind it.

This was where having an eidetic memory just like his little brother came in handy. He immediately remembered everything that he heard, now he just had to comprehend it. Little did Kia know that this art would be the cause of his life being saved many times over, and the impetus that changed it forever..

All three youths, spent their time as they saw fit. They had a feeling that this freedom would be lost quite soon.