Chapter 6: Under The Pavilion

"Martial son, you already knows about Laivien, don't you?" Kartius was in the lead as the two entered the Essence Cave, passing through the smoky mist without any sign of deterioration from its acidic properties.

In the past, the existence of Laivien was an issue Grandmaster Kartion did not permit to converse with outsiders, that is, individuals that were not part of the household and the selected few Krikitories that tended to her. Now that Grandmaster Kartion accepted Zax, Kartius could talk to him freely about any of the household's matters. Naturally, he would not weigh on him all of the household's problems, otherwise it my harm his concentration during cultivation. Thus, for the time being, Kartius decided to only properly introduce Laivien.

"Yes..." Zax's voice was a bit shaky.

He promised Laivien that he will not tell anyone that they talked. In the end, he easily admitted for couple of reason. One was that he could not lie to his Master. The second was that he somehow figured that his Master already knew, and the third was the relationship between his Master and Laivien.

With these reasons, it was pointless to lie. And why Zax's voice was shaky, was because of the anticipation to his Master's reaction.

Kartius slowed his pace, affecting Zax's also. They ran shoulder to shoulder, with respect to the difference in their sizes, in a similar speed to that of a level D Earth's Core Holder.

"That bored girl..." Kartius murmured, but his voice sounded as if he was to blame. "Martial son, Laivien is Martial father's twin little sister and big brother's spouse". Kartius spoke in a straightforward tone.

Zax nearly tripped. "Grandmaster's wife?!" He was stunned. He was not surprised from the brother and sister tie since Laivien already blurted out about it. But for the feminine voice in his head to be Grandmaster's wife? It was improbable for him not to get dizzy from this news.

"That's right". Kartius glanced at Zax, hinting for him to attentively listen as he began to narrate. "Big brother is almost half a century older then I and little sister. In our tribe, he was the unrivaled genius cultivator. Our status, though, unranked his due to our bloodline. When little sister and I reached level F as Mist Users, our father asked big brother to take us as his apprentices. That is how big brother became our Master". As he recounted, Kartius's speed sometimes grew slower or faster and his hooves left deeper prints in the ground. He repressed his tone from giving more meaning to the story than he intended to, but whatever he repressed was reflected in his body language.

"Another fifty years later, little sister and I broke through the Core Master's realm. At the time, little sister confessed her feelings to big brother and he, too, stopped holding back his true affection to little sister. From then on, the two became inseparable. Big brother was no longer my Master and I, of course, happily gave him and little sister my blessings". As Kartius finished speaking his pace gradually increased until he reached Zax's maximum speed.

Zax could sense that there was more to the story than what his Master told him. The parts that explained how the three of them reached their current state, confined to two caves in Valgarel. Nevertheless, he did not ask his Master to further expound. He trusted that his Master would tell him everything when he needs to know it, if at all he needs to know.

"Mm..." Zax hummed as he thought. There was a question at the tip of his tongue that he pondered if it would be rude to ask. 'Master taking me to her anyway... ' He assumed that it would be fine.

Looking at his Master, Zax asked. "Master, is everything okay with Laivien? How come she is in the Essence Cave and not in Grandmaster's side?"

Kartius was a few meters ahead of Zax, he turned half his stag face to the side, shifted it back forward and replied. "Big brother is too protective, all of us, in fact, including me and his Martial sons and daughters". His speech sounded as if there was a break between sentences, but it did not cease to prevent Zax from asking from what everyone worried.

"Martial son, as you know, the only cave connected to the Essence Cave is big brother's cave, which makes the Essence Cave a closely guarded secret from outsiders. Big brother received his cave from His Valor Ozeyn a long time ago, that is why our enemies don't dare to intrude to big brother's cave. If, however, the existence of the Essence Cave will come to light, even His Valor Ozeyn might have regrets of letting big brother have the cave. If that will happen, His Valor Ozeyn would probably give big brother another cave or two in exchange, but that would still be a great loss for us bodily cultivators. Because it is not known to outsiders, the Essence Cave is also the perfect place to hide little sister from our enemies. As for our exact destination, the valley in the Essence Cave little sister staying, it is a place that not even I can carelessly enter to. In the worst case scenario of use ever falling to our enemies, the most important thing would be to keep little sister safe; the smoky mist surrounding little sister's valley is the best protection little sister would ever have in such a case".

The two were always proceeding through the most dangerous red orange smoky mist since they entered the Essence Cave and had very little visibility. After about an hour some changes began to take place in the red orange smoky mist. First there were some odd cunctation, which Zax barely noticed, now, on the other hand, azure spots appeared within the red and orange.

Kartius did not pay attention to the new color in the smoky mist, but for Zax it was a first seeing it. The red orange smoky mist was supposed to have the highest level of acid, but as they continued onwards and the azure spots became more abundant. Zax wondered about it and used his Soul Sense to clearly see what it is, yet the instant his Soul Sense made contact with an azure spot, a splitting headache bombarded his sea of consciousness and his facial expression turned ugly. Zax gnashed his teeth as his heart was in turmoil. Other than pain there was one more thing he perceived from the azure spot. Upon touching it there can only be death.

Kartius was not oblivious to his Martial son's curiosity. He was in the midst of explaining to him about his little sister and the Essence Cave when Zax suffered from the contact with the azure spot. Kartius deliberately let Zax experience the threat of the azure spot, both to show him under what kind of protection his big brother put Laivien and to teach him that even an intangible instrument like Soul Sense has its limits and there is no need to make physical contact for a soul attack. Of course, if Zax was to try and touch an azure spot, Kartius would have stopped him instantly.