Born in Blood



Liam, disguised as Nord, left the mansion through the floating platform. 

The Shadow Clone masquerading as Rin followed closely behind, its movements looking natural and human-like.

Liam spent a good amount of time working on his Shadow Clone spell, ironing out the issues with its movements. 

At the same time, he memorized Rin and Nord's features to the tiniest detail, then projected them onto himself and the clone.

The result was more than satisfactory… only, if anyone touched his clone, the flesh on their hand would melt along with the illusion.

To prolong the ability as much as possible, Liam didn't expand his mind nor forge or inscribe the previous two nights. 

He had a good three hours of using the spell without worry.

As the floating platform docked at the edges of the Hole, Liam's gaze met with a group that regularly stalked the House of Honor.

Their dedication for something so measly and pointless could be called commendable, but annoying was the more suitable word. 

As they saw Nord (Liam) and Rin (Shadow Clone) pass by, they looked a bit disappointed. 

"For a moment, I actually thought Lawrence was gonna come out…"

"Do you think we should sneak in on him? It's been months…"

"Don't bother. Jamie did that last time and the Vagrant broke both his hands."

Liam ignored the group and made his way towards the Main Hall.

There weren't too many students around this time around, and Liam freely walked up the large board to look for two missions.

'Revel's organization is towards the north west. Apparently it's a legit company that has proper authorization to sail the seas.' 

He needed a long and distant mission. Spotting one, he picked it out and gave it to the lady in front.

She didn't sense anything out of the ordinary and stamped the mission parchments, then directed him and his clone to the train.

Liam suppressed a smile as he discreetly entered the train, keeping a low profile and entering the back car.

///

Two and a half years ago.

The Regional Power Tournament had begun in good spirits, but came to be remembered as a day of dread. 

The bodies of Jacob Ovlar, Liam, Elsa, and Ian Royce were fresh in the memories of the soldiers who walked in on the scene. 

Samuel Horris' search was fruitless. He spent an entire week tirelessly combing the vicinity, unable to find even a hair strand.

Adrian Royce, Liam's father, could not sleep at night any more. 

Oftentimes, he'd dream about his children alive once more… only for his half-blooded kin to cut them down again and again.

It was not long before the issue was brought forward to Edwin Royce. 

The patriarch of the Royce family was enraged. His unstable mental waves caused the messenger guards to faint instantly.

Without delay, he boomed out from his quarters and shot towards the Ovlar family domain like a meteor. 

"Come out, Ken!" Edwin bellowed over the giant Ovlar mansion. 

A few servants and low ranking guards had instantly died from the vibrating soundwaves tearing apart their organs. 

"You've crossed a line, fool!"

Silence ensued, but a figure donning a yellow robe left the mansion and ascended to an eye-level with Edwin.

There wasn't any emotion in Ken Ovlar's dark eyes, his features surprisingly normal – long black hair tied to a bun, a lanky build covered by a yellow robe, and a short goatee. 

"You meathead. Do you think I would waste my energy and kill your worthless kin? Did you not see that my grandchild had died as well? My estranged son has done this." 

Blood rushed to Edwin's head. His fists churned with blazing red flames. 

"Your son?! Because of your incompetence as a father, he killed my nephew, the first darkness cultivator born in centuries!"

A bit of shock fell on Ken's face, but he didn't show it.

"Calm yourself," Ken said icily. A battle would no doubt wipe away his noble estate. "A fight here is meaningless. I have gone over the details of the attack, and some things don't make sense."

Silence.

The flames surging around Edwin's fist slightly simmered down. 

Indeed, some things did not add up.

How did the Blood Demon break in despite the area being infested with guards? 

Not to mention, some guards had found broken teeth and splatters of blood in one of the hallways. 

To add, one of the servants had gone missing during the event.

It resembled an inside job.

"We will have the Searching Eye mediate between us," Ken offered. "His investigative abilities could figure out what happened and find the attacker."

Edwin remained silent with a hard gaze. A subtle agreement.

"He's in seclusion. It will take at least a year before he comes out, and he won't help for free. We will both pay half of his fee."

Grumbling, Edwin didn't say anything. 

BOOM!

Kicking his feet and leaving behind another shockwave, Edwin shot back to his quarters.

Time passed.

Searching Eye had left seclusion.

Upon hearing the news, both Ken Ovlar and Edwin Royce arranged for the man to come and take a look at the evidence.

Searching Eye was a powerful cultivator focused entirely on investigations and mediation.

He solved conflicts between major families and had a powerful cultivation base to boot – A Zenith stronger than the majority of noble patriarchs.

In the giant stadium the attack took place in – now empty aside from the few guards that patrolled the area – Edwin, Ken, and Searching Eye, who's real name was Lorcan, had met and exchanged pleasantries.

The investigator had a well trimmed but graying beard, paired with high cheekbones and receding white hair. 

He looked scholarly, with his Hanfu coat and pants, complimenting his piercing blue eyes.

"Please, there is a case to be solved," Lorcan exchanged a knowing look with the two, then made his way to the evidence room.

There, the dried up mummies had been laid out beside each other. Nothing had been tampered with, meaning the macabre scene was perfectly preserved.

Searching Eye spread his mental waves throughout the entire room, analyzing the tiniest drop of dust and the thinnest strand of hair around the room.

Instantly, his eye fell towards Liam's body.

"There is something wrong with this one."