Chapter 395: Chapter 395 – Taming the Chaos – 8
A sharp, intense voice pierced the veil of Ren’s sleep like a needle through silk. No matter how deeply he had been sleeping, that conversation was impossible to ignore.
Ren blinked slowly, his eyes adjusting to the soft light filtering through curtains that definitely didn’t belong to his dormitory in the Gray Wing or the old room in his forr ho. The room surrounding him was… luxurious. Much more luxurious than any place he had been before.
The sheets he had been sleeping on were so soft they felt like clouds against his skin. The furniture was elegant, intricate carvings that spoke of masterful craftsmanship. Even the walls seed to shimr with a subtle elegance that suggested this was a place where important people stayed.
‘Definitely not at the academy,’ he thought, turning his head to orient himself better.
In a nearby bed, Lin slept deeply, her breathing steady but labored. Even in dreams, her face showed signs of exhaustion. It made sense… the overload that Ren’s mushroom had placed on her by fusing her beasts had been an enormous energy expenditure.
Ren smiled slightly rembering the power Lin had experienced during the fusion. It was an incredible trump card: not only did it combine beasts to leave the user with 150% of their initial power, but it also doubled that power by granting the ability to summon the fusion outside the body.
Practically 300%, three tis more powerful than normal.
Too bad it lasted so little…
His mind began to wander toward future possibilities. How could he use that ability with his next beast once he reached Silver rank? The combinations were fascinating to consider. Maybe with the elental wolverine egg he could make an interesting combination if he used the darkness route and…
A particularly penetrating fragnt of the noisy conversation pulled him from his musings.
“…but it’s not that… Mr. and Mrs. Patinder, our future would be…”
It was Liora’s voice, coming from the slightly open door of the room. She sounded strangely tense, as if she were struggling to maintain composure.
“Oh, little one,” ca his mother’s warm voice, “we understand perfectly. And we thank you so much for taking care of our son… Yes, your future looks promising.”
“No, no, that’s not it!” Liora’s voice rose an octave, clearly frustrated. “What I an is that… well… when we talk about grandchildren I an… and the future is more…”
Ren frowned, confused. Grandchildren? What exactly were they talking about?
“Oh, dear,” his father’s voice sounded amused, “we understand that you’re a very special girl for our Ren from what the elegant lady told us…”
“That’s not what…!” Liora seed to be completely losing the battle against logical articulation. “I an, yes I take care of him, but not… well, maybe a little… but he also does for … but that doesn’t an…”
Ren managed to sit up enough to see through a crack in the door. He could only make out half of Liora’s face, but it was enough to see that she was completely red. Her ears seed about to lt from the heat they were radiating.
‘What the hell are they talking about?’ he wondered, genuinely perplexed.
“What we an, little one,” his mother continued with that patient voice she used when explaining complicated recipes to Ren, “is that we very much appreciate that such a talented young lady from such an important family takes the trouble and is interested in…”
“IT’S NOT ABOUT THAT!” Liora practically scread in the highest possible tone, and then imdiately lowered her voice, clearly mortified by her outburst. “I an… what I’m trying to explain is that… I didn’t want to yell and… and Ren has taken care of too, so…”
‘Takes the trouble?’ Ren sat up more, now genuinely curious. ‘Were they talking only about ? Following this conversation from this point is kinda difficult…’
“Ah,” said his father, and Ren could ‘hear’ the smile in his voice. “I understand perfectly.”
“Really?” Liora’s voice sounded hopeful.
“Of course. You’re worried that he won’t listen to you or understand you, that he’ll get distracted thinking about other things like going outdoors or beasts.”
The silence that followed was so dense that Ren could have cut it with the dagger Isaac had made for him.
“No!” Liora’s response was so quick that even she didn’t have ti to think it through. “It’s exactly the opposite! You’re too kind! Ren is too kind and attentive! And I’m just… just…”
Her voice faded into what sounded dangerously close to a sob.
Ren’s bed creaked treacherously when he straightened on the edge to try to see and listen better.
Imdiately, his mother’s head peeked through the door.
“Ren! You’re awake!”
In seconds, three figures rushed toward him: his father, his mother, and Liora, who imdiately stayed back a bit with her hands behind her back, clearly embarrassed but visibly relieved that he had awakened.
“My boy,” his mother sat on the edge of the bed, imdiately feeling his forehead to check for fever. Her hands were warm and familiar, carrying that faint scent of herbs and ho cooking that imdiately made him feel safe. “How do you feel? Does anything hurt? Are you hungry?”
“I’m fine, Mom,” Ren smiled, though he noticed he was indeed hungry. The battle and firing the ray at nearly maximum power seed to have drained more energy than he had calculated. “Just a little tired.”
His father approached from the other side, his eyes carefully examining his son for wounds or signs of problems. The worry lines around his eyes had deepened since Ren had last seen him, and there was a tension in his posture that spoke of sleepless nights and constant concern.
“Son, what exactly happened? Lady Selphira told us a bit, but…” he paused, clearly struggling between paternal worry and pride. “Did you fight against many enemy soldiers in the forest too?”
Ren looked toward Liora, who still stood at a prudent distance, her cheeks still pink but her eyes shining with a weird mix of relief and concern. There was sothing in her expression that suggested she knew more about the situation than his parents did.
“Well,” he began carefully, “it was more complicated than I expected, but Master Lin and I handled the situation.”
“Handled the situation?” His father raised an eyebrow. “Ren, you, again…”
“Ah, look, we just went out to obtain these materials and…” Ren quickly summarized, avoiding so dangerous details. “The important thing is that I got what I needed from the forest and managed to get out without too many problems.”
His mother exchanged a aningful look with his father. After years of marriage, their silent communications were as efficient as words. The look conveyed volus about their shared worry, their pride in their son’s growing capabilities, and their fear of the dangers he was increasingly facing.
“And what exactly will we do now with our holess neighbors?” asked his father, his tone suggesting concern about imposing on other people here.
Ren smiled, feeling a bubble of excitent in his chest despite the fatigue.
“I think I know what we can offer most of them, plus… I have what I need to improve significantly. In just a few months I’ll have reached the next level. Silver rank.”
The pride that shone in his parents’ eyes was imdiate and intense. His mother practically radiated satisfaction, while his father straightened with that posture he adopted when sothing filled him with joy but he tried not to show it too much.
“Silver?” his mother murmured, gently touching the mushrooms that glowed in Ren’s hair. The tiny creatures pulsed with their own light, responding to her touch with what seed like contentnt. “My boy is going to reach Silver…”
“We knew you were special,” added his father, his voice thick with emotion, “Silver… that’s…”
The implications of reaching Silver rank at such a young age and in this family were staggering. Most tars from good families didn’t achieve that level until their early twenties, if ever. For an eleven-year-old to be on the verge of such advancent was practically unprecedented.
“That’s great, Ren,” Liora finally spoke, taking a step forward. Her voice had lost so of the previous tension, replaced by genuine warmth and sothing that might have been admiration.
But then her expression darkened, and the cheerful atmosphere in the room changed subtly, like clouds passing over the sun.
“Although…” she added, her voice taking on a more grave tone, “maybe we don’t have those months you need.”
Ren felt a chill run down his spine at the change in tone. The way Liora’s posture shifted, the sudden gravity in her voice, the way his parents’ expressions beca more serious, all of it suggested sothing significant had happened while he slept.
“What do you an?”
Liora exchanged a worried look with his parents before responding, her face now completely losing the blush of embarrassnt from earlier. Her transformation from flustered teenager to serious young woman was unsettling.
“Ren,” she said softly, her voice carrying the weight of soone delivering news they wished they didn’t have to share, “the war has begun. Grandmother has…”
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