Renlo was rooted in place.
It was late and night, and the sun had already set, yet, the clearing was brightly lit.
A bright gold light engulfed the entirety of Renlo's vision, and he raised his hand, squinting just to see through the blinding brilliance.
But despite this brief respite, Renlo was far from alright.
'I'm being attacked.'
Malakai had been right. Renlo had a knack for sensing when things were about to take a bad turn. An instinct for danger, they called it.
But it couldn't be helped. When your childhood was filled with nothing but pain and humiliation, you tend to pick up one or two survival habits.
At the cold voice, Renlo's body trembled. His heart thundered in his chest, and sweat drenched his skin as though he had just run a marathon.
The memories surged. The bullying. The beatings. The shame.
Tears welled in his eyes, but he clenched his fists hard.
'I'm not that person anymore.'
He forced away the terrible memories and replaced them with new ones, of a crimson-haired, crimson-eyed figure whose icy gaze could freeze oceans.
'I'm stronger now. And I'm not alone anymore… I made a friend!' Renlo repeated in his mind, and slowly, his heartbeat began to settle.
The blinding light dimmed.
He raised his head just in time to see three figures approaching. Young. Crimson hair. Bloody eyes gleaming with nothing but contempt.
"Hmm. You don't look scared," the first youth said, smiling.
It was the same thin-eyed boy who had reassured Julius earlier that day.
"I thought you said he was called Shivers?" he asked, glancing at the pudgy boy beside him, who flinched at the attention.
"A-ah, yes, Young Master Kamin," the pudgy one muttered, lowering his eyes. Kamin was the child of a Highblood. Though his father's rank was on the lower end, his influence within the clan was anything but small.
"I-it's just… he always trembles when paired up with others. I don't know what changed now."
Kamin narrowed his eyes at Renlo, who stood with clenched fists.
He scoffed. "Another worm who thinks he's climbed the mountain just because he associates with trash."
Renlo's eyes flared. "D-don't talk about the Ninth Vein like that!"
"Or what?" Kamin's smile faded.
He took a step forward, his cold aura pressing down on Renlo like a weight. The youths flanking him mirrored the movement.
"Or else what?" he repeated.
Renlo's fists tightened even further, shaking slightly as he glared back at Kamin.
But Kamin only chuckled, amused.
"You know, when they told me, I couldn't believe it," he said, gazing at Renlo from head to toe like some baffling puzzle.
"The grandson of one of the Scarlet Ten…"
There was genuine disbelief in his voice.
They were the ten strongest members in the Sanguine Clan, the top ten in the overall clan rankings. The true heads. Second only to the Sovereign himself.
And yet… this sorry excuse for a warrior was one of their blood?
Kamin shook his head, lips curling into a cruel grin. "But then I heard you were disowned. Thrown away like trash. And suddenly, it all made sense."
Renlo's arms had turned white from how hard he was clenching them. His teeth ground together as Kamin's laughter echoed in his ears.
Then, he took a deep breath. He calmed himself.
"What do you want?" he asked, voice steady.
Kamin's laughter stopped. His expression twisted. His voice cold.
"Stop hanging around the Ninth Vein," he spat, as if the words tasted foul.
"And you won't have to go through pain."
Kamin tilted his head to the side. Had he heard this fool clearly?
"No?" he asked again, just to be sure.
But Renlo's gaze remained firm.
"I don't know what you have against the Ninth Vein," Renlo said. His voice was trembling but resolute, "but as long as he doesn't ask me to leave him, I won't leave!"
Kamin was one of the top geniuses in the class, amongst those just below the Veins, yet Renlo didn't back down.
Kamin looked at him for a second before laughing and shaking his head.
"How unfortunate," he said. "I believed all Sanguines were born superior, but you've just proven me wrong."
He took a step forward. Renlo tensed. Just as he reached for his spear, Kamin vanished from his vision.
Renlo's instincts flared.
'Use your senses!' he screamed in his mind. He had gone through this more times than he could count while facing Malakai.
He focused, and he felt it. A coldness just beneath his left chest.
His eyes dropped. A fist was hurtling toward him at fast speed.
'I won't be able to draw my weapon in time.'
Renlo's mind worked quickly, and surprisingly calmly. Vita surged through his right arm, and it exploded forward, colliding with the incoming blow.
A blast of force ripped out as fist and fist met, and Kamin's eyes shot open.
'He blocked it?' He was shocked. It wasn't his full power, but it shouldn't be something this trash could block.
His gaze fell to Renlo's right arm. 'It didn't break… he formed a node in that arm.' He realized.
His eyes narrowed. 'Doesn't matter. He's still trash.'
Kamin shot in, arm raised. He closed the distance in a flash, sending several punches at once.
'Shit!' Renlo's legs moved as he barely evaded, each one narrowly missing, gusts slicing past his head.
As he evaded, he shot backward, creating distance from Kamin. He snapped his spear from behind, settling into a stance.
Renlo bit down on his lip, focusing all his attention on Kamin, who stood straight with a large frown. He didn't seem happy Renlo had evaded, even if barely.
"Do it," Kamin said coldly.
Renlo's eyes widened.
'Shit! I forgot about them!' He glanced back, but it was too late.
A heavy force slammed the back of his head, jerking it to the side. Before he could react, another struck his chest, sending him crashing toward a tree.
Renlo coughed, spitting out blood. He hit the ground with a thud, raising trembling eyes to meet his opponents.
While his focus had been on Kamin, the other two had attacked from behind.
Renlo ignored the blood streaking down his face. His gaze locked onto his spear, now far from him.
'It's so far away…' He had dropped it when the strike hit his head.
'I f-feel tired…' Renlo's eyes fogged. He stared up at the three youths approaching him with devilish smiles.
'W-will they kill me?' His heart trembled. 'Not now… please…'
If it had been before, he wouldn't have regretted it. But now… he was finally changing.
He was finally getting stronger.
He had finally… made a friend.
"I-I don't want to d-die…" Renlo muttered as they reached him.
Kamin crouched slightly, staring at him. "Then will you act like an obedient puppy," he asked, "and stay away from the Ninth Vein?"
Renlo's eyes widened slightly. "I don't want to," he muttered.
"Then blame your stupidity," Kamin said coldly.
He raised his leg and brought it down on Renlo's head, slamming it against the tree with brutal force.