Chapter 8: Hidden Beneath
The roasting sun was bright, so the sky should have been clear. However, in China's vast capital, there was a never-ceasing cascade of gray clouds which meant one was unable to ever enjoy the beautiful world's blue-sky view.
For Emily, after what seemed like an eternity, the time to send her children off to school had finally come. Despite her persistent nagging, Lynne had insisted that the two of them did not need her to follow them to the bus stop.
Since Emily had some free time, she had wanted to take Tylem and Lynne to school herself, but her daughter wanted to be with her friends on the bus. Nevertheless, she would pick them up this afternoon.
Thus, Emily could do nothing but reluctantly watch them from a distance after giving them both a big hug. Waving her goodbyes, her heart was a bit uneasy; nevertheless, she put on the biggest smile she could muster in front of them.
"But was it just me or did Tylem grow taller?" Minutes ago, Emily had noticed the slight change, and whatever the reason, it was good news. Tylem and Lynnie were at the important age where the two would be growing a lot.
Clenching her pendant, Emily remained in her position without any sign of moving. It was after the school bus had departed long ago that she finally heaved a big sigh.
"I hope that today will be a good day." Staring where the school bus once was, Emily prayed.
. . .
Tylem was slightly curious, but he didn't push for answers. When he and Lynne had arrived at the bus stop, she had instructed him to not sit beside her on the bus, her beautiful face serious.
However, Tylem didn't overthink it. Rather, he just thought that Lynne wanted to be with her own friend group, or that she didn't want him to embarrass her. Naturally, he would not disagree with such a thing.
Was that the reason for her unusual appearance this morning?
Lynne didn't want to hurt his feelings?
But it was something else that had made him more curious. Lynne had also emphasized to him that he could not reveal their relationship no matter what, not giving him a single reason. Furthermore, she wanted the two of them to act like strangers at school. It was a sharp contrast to her bubbly personality at home.
Sighing, Tylem followed his little sister onto the bus. The vehicle was crowded with loud children, and it made him crinkle his nose.
Following through with her promise, Lynne really did not pay attention to him again, acting like a passerby. Shaking his head, Tylem scanned the bus for a free seat.
Seemingly, someone had sensed his predicament as a slightly chubby boy jumped up to vigorously wave at him. The chubby boy's features were good and bright.
If it weren't for the little fat on his face, he would be considered a fine-looking child.
"Pal, over here!" Kaden, the slightly chubby boy, kindly patted the free seat beside him at the back.
Somehow, Tylem had lost track of his little sister. It was hard to keep her in his peripheral vision since she did not want him to expose their relationship.
Thus, when the chubby boy called out to him, Tylem nodded and made his way toward the back of the bus. Sitting down beside Kaden, he dropped his black schoolbag between his shoes.
"Hey, pal. I haven't seen you around before! Could it be that you're a new student?"
The two of them appeared to be around the same age, and Kaden was certain that he knew practically everybody in his grade, so the new face in the morning was quite a surprise.
Instead of answering the chubby boy, Tylem searched for the distinctive figure of his little sister. Narrowing his eyes, he finally saw her sad alone figure, and he did not take his eyes off her slumped, uncomfortable sitting manner.
"Heh, she's quite beautiful, isn't she? That girl is called Lynne, a second year like us, and she's in the top class. However, I must warn you, pal. If you associate with her, your life in school won't be easy." Kaden sighed, shaking his head.
"And why is that?" Glancing to the side, Tylem bluntly questioned.
The sight of his calm, sharp eyes frightened Kaden, and for some reason, he did not dare to delay in his answer. This was the aura of someone who was destined to be at the top. Tylem, having entered the world of cultivation, this fact had become even more obvious.
"Urgh. Make sure to keep this a secret, and if someone asks, I said nothing!" Kaden helplessly sighed upon seeing that this new transfer showed no sign of relenting. Perhaps, he should have just minded his own business this morning.
Tylem nodded to demonstrate that he agreed.
"You see… there's a certain group of wealthy heiresses and heirs that rule over our private school with the final say. Since you're attending Ivla, you should also be aware that these children all have powerful parents."
"It's said that these parents have massive influence over the school, and their words are the law within Ivla."
"Ava, who is a part of the Onel society's upper echelon, has her eye out for Lynne." Kaden whispered. "The Onel society is a friend group made by the super-rich and powerful children of the school."
"Under Ava's orders, Lynne was made the outcast. In fear of Onel, no one dares to be her friend." Sighing, Kaden continued, "Also, there are numerous students who regularly harass her in hopes of getting into Ava's good books."
Onel was comprised of the very best. Kaden himself hailed from a wealthy business family; however, his parents lacked the extensive connections and power that those influential families with deep roots had.
"… so that's the reason." Tylem understood. The reason this sweet, bubbly little sister at home had suddenly become this way at school—she was being bullied.
The lively girl who he had initially thought to be free of stress, everything was becoming clear to him. That first impression he had of her was so wrong.
Tylem realized that he had done the same thing as those people he severely despised. It was wrong to judge someone's life story solely from looking at the surface.
Sometimes, people would hide their anguish and despair for a lifetime.
The reason Lynne did not want him to associate himself with her… she didn't want to drag him into her mess and be bullied alongside her. Like this, she was willing to suffer alone in silence.
"You silly girl. Lynne… you don't need to worry about me." Tylem mumbled. Forming a fist, the amazing power of a cultivator flowed through his veins. However, in this modern world, the law was above a single person's fist.
Well, that was the case for Tylem right now; he was just a measly first stage Qi Building cultivator. Not to even mention the fact that his body was that of a child.
In the end, Tylem needed to be careful with how he handled the situation. If he acted rashly, he might make the matter even worse, causing great trouble for Emily and Weston back home.
The world of influential adults, Tylem was not strong enough yet to fight back. If the powerful parents of these spoilt children decided to cause trouble for his family, he would not be able to handle the guilt.
[So damn worthless.] Loosening his collar, Tylem cast his gaze to the side window. Even though he had promised to protect his little sister, when it truly came down to it, he was helpless to intervene.
"Enough of that anyway. The name's Kaden, what about you, pal?" Kaden noticed the mood was getting dark, so he steered the conversation away with a smile. For a child, he was great at reading others.
Did… this new student have a connection with Lynne?
[Shucks, whatever. Ava's a narcissistic brat anyway. I'll just beg and kneel if it comes down to it.]
Instead of actively avoiding trouble, Kaden decided to befriend this mysterious new student; his keen instinct told him that it would be worth doing so.
"I'm Tylem, Lynne's older brother." Picking up his bag, Tylem smiled.
"Haa… that's a good one." Noticing it was their stop, Kaden humorously patted Tylem's shoulder.
"I wasn't joking." Brushing the boy's hand off, Tylem calmly replied.
"Oh… uh." Kaden gulped, his hand awkwardly hanging mid-air. [Well, shit.]
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone