Ave Xia Rem Y

~~~

“I have two brothers.”

The Duke’s eyebrow twitches. The wistful voice is a reminder of his broken solitude. Under other circumstances, the Duke would be glad to have company. Staring at the rust-colored earth grows incredibly tedious after the first decade. Any break in the monotony is a welcome one.

However, this annoyance has come in search of guidance. That is something the Duke refuses to give. It has been several weeks since he first denied him, and he’d hoped the boy would have given him up by now.

He should have known better. Meek acceptance of futility is not a quality possessed by anyone in the Renegade Realm.

“Must you keep doing this?” the Duke asks before the boy can continue. “This Duke has already told you he has no desire to teach you.”

“Senior,” the boy called Xiao Nan says, “this junior in the ways of being a Renegade hears and understands your words,”

“You say those words. This Duke is not convinced you know what they mean, boy.”

Rather than looking offended, the boy smiles with confidence that does not suit his situation. Such enthusiasm and cheer are utterly out of place in the Dead Plains. However, the boy would have never made it this far if he wasn’t at least this confident.

What a conundrum. The qualities that make him a decent conversation partner also make him unlikely to heed his words.

“On the contrary, Senior,” Xiao Nan replies. “If you do not wish to instruct me, I have no choice but to accept. However, you have not yet told me to leave, and it’d be rude of this junior to subject you to the company of a stranger. Thus, I must tell you about myself.”

The Duke hides his smile by turning his back to the boy and looking at the empty horizon. There is nothing around them for miles. All the nearby Spirit Beasts have fled due to their combined aura. Lacking even the distraction of violence, there is nothing else for the Duke to do but to listen. It does not matter. The boy can try as much as he likes. His mind will not be swayed.

Still, he is far too daring.

Is this what today’s youth is like?

“Try not to bore me,” The Duke says at last.

“That would be impossible, Senior. My younger brothers are far more interesting than myself,” Xiao Nan promises with absolute confidence. “Well, I call them my brothers, but only one is related to me by blood. We were cousins, so I never had a reason to call him brother. Perhaps I should have, so he’d know. I thought about it… but... I thought I’d always have time…”

The boy looks up at the sky, his smile replaced by something deeply melancholic and full of yearning. The Duke understands all too well. He has worn that look countless times in the past. Most Renegades eventually feel the same. The need to end their solitude, the desire to return to the place where they were happiest.

And yet, they cannot. Not as they are. Not as Renegades.

“An all too common folly,” the Duke replies. “Listen to the words of someone who has lived centuries. Time is the only thing we do not have. It slips through our fingers and mocks our best efforts.”

The boy smiles sadly.

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“As expected, Senior’s wisdom is undeniable…I just wish…” The boy cuts himself off and shakes his head, as if that would shake off the sadness from his person. “Never mind, where was I?”

“You were speaking of your cousin.”

“Right,” the boy says, nodding. “I... I always thought he was the one I had to worry about the least. His temper was never the best, but he was talented, bold, and born with every advantage. He had his father, and he had the Elders. I only needed to give him some advice every now and then.”

“And that was not the case with your other brother?”

Xiao Nan chuckles. “Not at all. He was brilliant but vulnerable and naive as to the ways of the world. Far too kind for his own good. He needed me more.” ř

The boy pauses. His aura becomes dark with gloom.

“I thought I would have time to help him grow, but all my plans were undone overnight. My home was destroyed, and I was made prisoner,” Xiao Nan says. “When I got out, everything had changed. The one I was most worried about had flourished beyond my wildest hopes. Unfortunately, in doing so, he put himself in far more danger than I could have ever imagined. There is even a future Emperor who promised to kill him if he does not approve of his works! How ridiculous! My little brother freed his country and gave the people the peace that has been denied to them for decades! Upon learning that, anyone should feel nothing but gratitude!”

The accusing look on the boy’s face is unmistakable. However, the Duke is unmoved.

“I stand by my words. If his work is truly as immaculate as you claim, there should be no reason to worry.”

“It is the fact that you insist on making his death an option that is unreasonable!” the boy shouts at him, throwing his hands into the air.

“Of course it is unreasonable,” the Duke says, much to Xiao Nan’s surprise. “We are Renegades, boy. We have already parted from reason. The only thing left to us is our word, and I will not betray it. No matter how right or noble it might be.”

The Duke speaks, and his words fall over the land. The boy glares, wishing to shake them off, but he knows better than to try it.

“My little brother has such a hard life,” the boy says, sighing with exasperation. “The worst is he is not even the one in the most critical situation. All the things I thought would keep my other brother safe were taken from him overnight. The strong father that would have protected him? Killed. The Sect that should have fostered his growth? Treacherous. The journey that would have guided him to maturity? Now a desperate struggle for survival. I can only be grateful that he is still alive. Despite everything, Xiao Fang has endured. I could not be prouder.”

The boy’s aura suddenly rises with hostility. It makes the earth quiver around them, but the Duke remains untouched.

He knows that anger is not aimed at him.

“I could not be angrier,” Xiao Nan says as his power spreads cracks across the landscape. “My treacherous aunt and I should be having words. I should be helping my brother reclaim what was taken from him. I should be bringing my family together, yet I cannot...”

The hostility vanishes. His Qi fades away. Xiao Nan smiles mirthlessly.

“Like this, I would only be a threat to them.”

“And so, we are back to the beginning,” the Duke says. “You wish for guidance, but I will not give it.”

If there are secrets to becoming an Emperor, the Duke does not know them. Otherwise, he’d have already reached that level. However, that is not what the boy seeks. In a situation such as theirs, a single piece of advice, a slight change of perspective, can make all the difference. The moment the Duke allows himself to share his experiences with Xiao Nan, he opens the door for him to reach his goal.

“Emptiness,” Xiao Nan says, and the word is heavy on his tongue. “I try to keep focusing on that. It has served me well so far. I empty myself again and again, but it becomes harder each time. There has to be something else I am missing.”

As expected, the boy is talented. Far more than him.

However…

“I will not be guilty of unleashing an Emperor on the world, boy,” the Duke says. “You already know the power we possess as Renegades, yet the next level is something we can scarcely comprehend. It is not an act that should be taken lightly.”

Xiao Nan glares at him but does not contradict him. It is a good sign. It shows he has enough sense to understand his reasoning even if he doesn’t like it.

“However,” the Duke adds, “if you wish to stay and try to steal this Duke’s wisdom, I clearly cannot stop you.”

The grin that appears on Xiao Nan’s face is savage in nature.

The Duke pities the man’s aunt.

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