Lightbringer (I)

"Tell me little child, why shouldn't I kill you?" Shenghua mused. An air of authority and reverence was exuded with its every word. Unanticipated by Kyrian, Shenghua raised its mana pressure on him.

The presence of death was looming on Kyrian, and he was stunned, not knowing what to say for this was the first time he came the closest to death. In that moment, he thought of showing his worth to the Qilin and show that there are more advantages to letting him live than killing him.

First, he wouldn't expose his mana eyes until he knew its true worth. His mother told him that it was very unusual for a four-year old human to see mana at his age. It might endanger him more than benefit him. Next, he looked at the things he had on his body. His old, ragged clothes, worn down from all the traveling, worn-out shoes, and a gourd that seemed undamaged no matter how long it was used. The gourd was still in pristine condition, there wasn't any damage to it no matter how hard it fell, nor scratches from being placed in different terrains. But then, it struck him that the Qilin could just take the gourd and kill him.

Kyrian struggled to find a reason why Shenghua shouldn't kill him, and gambled in saying, "What about a mana contract?"

"And what can one get from this mana contract of yours? I have the power to enslave you by forcing a slave seal on you instead of giving you a favorable condition."

"I know how you observed me for a day before approaching me in the guise of discovering a treasure. You probably know how I can absorb mana and manipulate it. Limiting my growth potential because of a slave seal will hinder my ability to help you in your endeavors. I have the potential to be strong beyond the limits of humanity. Mother said so, and she had no reason to lie to me. Besides, you deliberately hid me from other beasts. You even hid me from your own disciple. Why should you kill me? I am but a harmless kid. I found myself here unwillingly – alone, afraid, and lost. I will do no harm to you and your people. I just want to leave and live." Kyrian said so in a hurry, leaving him breathless as he rapidly churned out incoherent sentences in a bid for survival. The pressure was strengthening each second, and his body was making weird sounds as if it were breaking.

"Harmless to me, yes. But I do not know if you're going to be harmless to my people once you grow though. Unwillingly arrived here, yes. Alone, yes. Lost, yes. But afraid? I sense a lie in there. Qilins are much more sensitive to mana compared to other creatures, and we can sense the truth and lies in the words any creature utters unless they are stronger than us, and I know for sure that I am more powerful than you." Shenghua pushed Kyrian further to test his limits as he raised the pressure in the air. "What makes you fearless, little child?"

"I have nothing left, Shenghua. They're all gone. My father died before I met him, and mother passed away in front of my eyes. If there's anything left within me, it's revenge." Kyrian uttered in a mix of whimper and a growl. There was dissonance in his words as he said somber words of pain and the appearance of a cute boy of four years old.

He never met his father and was told that his father died when Kyrian was an infant. He recently lost his mother in front of his eyes because of the war that forced them to flee and the overuse of her life essence core. He only had himself, his limited knowledge of the world taught by his mother, and his talent in sensing mana. Kyrian is a little boy, lost in an unfamiliar world – only his courage and will can carry him through this tumultuous world.

As the ascent of magic and pressure in the area reached its peak, it suddenly disappeared as soon as Shenghua heard Kyrian's words. Shenghua's eyes glimmered as it wielded the mana to soothe Kyrian's physical pain. It was as if there was nothing pressing him all of a sudden, and the injuries Kyrian had accumulated vanished. A refreshing feeling invigorated his body, as if catalyzing the mana he absorbed earlier. A spherical shape in the form of a core formed in the middle of Kyrian's dantian and started absorbing mana much more efficiently than the first time he absorbed mana. Mists of mana were forming within his core, and a sudden boom echoed inside him as the mana core fully crystallized.

"Milayah died? Shenghua uttered in disbelief. Visible pain reflected in the Qilin's eyes, and its majestic horns glowed red as all the beasts within a hundred kilometers felt its wrath. Shenghua still had a modicum of control as it shielded Kyrian in its outburst. A single drop of tear dripped down its majestic cerulean eyes that were now filled with anguish and wrath. This tear held unimaginable power as the legends of Qilins stated that its tears were as precious and rare as a dragon's reverse scales, and as valuable as a phoenix's feathes.

"You know my mother?" Kyrian asked in surprise. In hindsight, normal beasts would have killed him on sight. Although Qilins were benevolent and curious creatures, they were also temperamental on rare occasions. Shenghua was acting based on how Kyrian pictured it according to the stories his mother told him.

In a few seconds, Shenghua calmed down and answered the little boy.

"Yes, Kyrian. I was beside your mother protecting her as she gave birth to you. You can call this esteemed self your Godmother of sorts as I gave you the name of Kyrian – the Lightbringer, derived from ancient runic tongue."

"Can I call you Auntie Shenghua?"

"Sure, little Kyrian, I would be glad if you addressed me as such. I'm sure your parents wouldn't have sent you to Thiodan if they knew that you were going to be in danger because I am the protector of the gate where you came from. I was just teasing you earlier to test if you really had your parent's pedigree. Alas, I did not expect that your parents died already."

An awkward silence ensued the regal beast and the boy as they relished the memory of Milayah.

Shenghua then radiated a brilliant light, far more dazzling than the mana lights that had blinded Kyrian upon his arrival in Thiodan. A graceful presence materialized before him, with auburn hair, cerulean eyes, and a face that would outshine even the most noble women. Crowning her head was a majestic horn, reminiscent of a reindeer's.

The Qilin that turned into a charming and alluring woman hugged the little boy and said, "Look at you – forming a mana core at the age of four. Your parents must be so proud of you. If they were only here to celebrate this wonderful occasion." She said with a melancholic voice and continued after breaking the hug, "As much as I want to raise you here, the beasts are overprotective of their lands and wouldn't tolerate a human with your talents to grow up here. Sure, they accommodate visitors from the human lands, but that is if they had guaranteed and built their trust over the years. You living here is like raising a dragon in the middle of a city. Immediately after the other beast lords learned of your arrival, they would demand of your death. I bought time earlier by sending out a protective formation in the perimeter, but the others would have suspicions if we took so much time."

Kyrian thought to himself how after being sent into this land, he would not even spend a single day before moving away from this location again. It did not matter to him though. He did not have the mentality a child usually has. For he would not seek toys, but weapons. No more playtime, but training to prepare for his revenge. Accompanied by his wisdom beyond his years, Kyrian did not have the luxury to be a normal boy. He was orphaned at an age when most children were learning how to read and write while being nurtured by a loving household; Kyrian had been deprived of all that.

Shenghua saw how this cute little boy adorned with golden eyes and a platinum-blonde mane that covered his head to shoulders would have to face the world all by himself. She thought of ways that could make his journey smoother and carry all the burden she could to protect him.

Kyrian thought of how Shenghua shed a tear for a human and knew how rare it was for such bloodlines to show such emotions for someone they do not have blood-ties with. They only share their sorrows with those they consider as family. Considering all that, Kyrian asked in guidance, "What should I do now, Auntie Shenghua?"