Divine Beast Ascension

“SHUT UP!!!”

Staring into his father’s beady, downtrodden facade, Karos took hold of his emotions again with a slow, deep breath. “I’ve seen the upper floor of the library, where they’ve gathered all sorts of techniques at the perennial level. You don’t know it, but I’ve replaced your technique with one of the academy’s.”

“You–”

“I’m not finished...” Electricity sparked and fizzled around Karos, threatening to fall upon the unprotected cripple before him. “Are you listening now? Well, it’s too late for that. You’ve already lost everything you valued...

“Your cultivation... Your title.. Your clan’s respect. Everything.”

“Well...” Gar swallowed the stagnant saliva in his throat, hastily searching for some sort of rebuttal. “I still have a son.”

.....

Karos immediately broke out into laughter, loud enough for anyone behind the door to freely hear. Noticing the strange look from his father, Karos regained composure and brandished a sarcastic grin. “When did you ever value me as a son?”

“I–”

“I’m not a tool. Nor will I ever be one. For that reason, you’ll only remain alive to regret your choices and wait as your health continues to decline.”

“... You ungrateful–”

“And should you try ANYTHING to dishonor me or the clan again, I will personally put you down.”

“...”

“Is that clear, Father?”

“... Yes, Son...” Gar struggled to accept the harsh truth of the situation. He stared up at his son wreathed in lightning, sensing the killing intent behind Karos’s gaze. “I... Never raised you to be like this... I’m a failure... of a father...”

“True. You are a failure. And I’m just lucky to have better role models to follow...” Calm but still wrapped up in emotions, Karos took another deep breath as he looked back at Betair. “Now, what was this about a delivery?”

“Here...” Ignoring the awkward father-son conversation, Betair sat up. He pulled out the small package, wrapped in silk and resting on his paw pad.

Karos tilted his head in curiosity but didn’t know what to think. Dropping his essence, Karos used a single claw to carefully open the folded silk. Then, he was motionless for a moment, staring in startlement. But Karos quickly regathered himself yet again, lifting the gift with his tail. “Is this what I think it is?”

“I believe so,” replied Betair, happily smiling.

Taking his time, Karos carefully fashioned the choker around his neck before pouring some of his essence inside. “It is...”

“They offer you one, yet they never–”

“SHUT UP!!! You’re to never interrupt me, especially while handling clan matters that are no longer your business!” demanded Karos. As his father went quiet, Karos lifted a paw and retrieved a small sphere, utterly baffling both Betair and Gar. “It’s because you lost this that you hardly deserve to live. So be quiet, or else I’ll be forced to silence you. Understood?”

“...” Blinking in disbelief, Gar replied, “Underst–”

“Understood?!”

Almost biting his tongue off, Gar stopped himself. He then silently and humbly nodded, regardless of the pain his great ego felt.

“Good... Betair. Be sure to keep his house arrest in order.”

“Of course, Master Karos.”

“Also, there’s no need to call me master. You’ve always been a better father figure than him, so Karos is fine.”

Surprised, Betair blinked. “Thank you... Karos.”

Storing the core back into the choker, Karos turned and reopened the door. “I’ll be off.”

“If you need anything, just let us know,” Betair stated, bowing as the young lynx closed the door.

Karos took off, rushing out of the lynx residence and darting into the growing town center. But before he was on the main road, Karos took a side street. Now alone for a moment, Karos hid behind some empty crates to avoid wandering eyes. He hurriedly took out a metallic band and placed it around his wrist, activating it immediately to create a small silencing barrier, just large enough for two people.

“AAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!”

“... AAAAAAHHH!!! ... AAaaahhh! .. aaaahhh.”

Letting loose his pent-up emotions, Karos could no longer hold back any moisture from building up in his eyes. He passionately used his tail to wipe his tears before they could stain the fur on his face.

“Why... Why, Dad? Why make my life even harder... Is that all you know how to do? ...”

For a few minutes, Karos spoke with himself. The lynx did his best to let the emotions completely pass over, but that would be impossible. Though a lot of frustration could be released, there was no way for Karos to eliminate such deeply seeded thoughts in so little time.

Almost fifteen minutes had passed before Karos had regained his usual tranquility. Once he was himself again, at least outwardly, Karos deactivated the barrier and casually walked out of the alley. He followed the crowd for a while, letting the ebb and flow carry him to the central market.

“Keldon!” Karos shouted out, stopping the merchant from retreating into his storefront.

“Oh. It’s Karos, right? How could I ever forget?” laughing, Keldon held the door open for the incoming lynx. “Come. What do you need?”

Entering the shop, Karos walked with Keldon to the front.

The shop was filled with customers, both foreign and local. It was a massive storefront as multiple sections had been specially designed for all sorts of merchandise to be displayed. Many young merchants were doing their best to attend to the customers, with Wilburn, Keldon’s partner, overseeing his aspiring staff.

But Karos was taken directly to a counter at the side. Across the counter, Keldon smiled amiably. “So, it seems you’ve received your little gift. Have you come to trade anything back to me?”

Catching on, Karos smiled back. “Yes. I want to trade for lightning cores. In exchange, I have this.”

The moment Karos retrieved his item, Keldon shook his head. “Sorry, but I’m not trading for that.”

“But it’s a perennial core?” Karos argued. “This should–”

“I’m not trading for it because I can’t offer you anything better.”