Chapter 2: Arius [2]
"Was he here?" A harsh voice came from behind a nearby pile of rubble, and the footsteps became closer and clearer.
"Yes, big brother. That effeminate one was sitting here, and when he saw me, he hit me with a stone when I wasn't paying attention." Another voice emerged, less gruff and more vibrant, though with a clear tremble of pain.
At that moment, a group of four boys appeared. The eldest, a teenager of about fifteen, stood beside a boy who seemed about Arius's age. The younger boy was clearly more pampered; his body was well-nourished and robust, and his clothes, though not luxurious, were much better than those of the neglected, thin boy digging at the wall. His head was wrapped in a white rag stained with blood spots, and he greatly resembled the teenager, foolish in features and carrying very somber expressions.
The other two boys, friends of the injured boy, walked behind without saying anything.
As they approached, the younger boy quickly pointed at Arius. "There he is, brother, that's the effeminate one who hit me."
Arius, with his shabby appearance, continued to dig into the crumbling wall as if unaware of those standing behind him. If not for his momentary pause a minute earlier, one might think he truly did not feel them.
The teenager looked arrogantly at Arius, seeing from behind only a frail and ragged figure. To him, Arius seemed weak and small, perhaps even younger than his brother. Arrogantly, he couldn't understand how this ragged being before him could harm anyone.
"You useless scum! Is this the child who hit you?"
The teenage boy's gaze shifted towards his brother. A superficial comparison between the two children made it seem ridiculous to say that this pale, thin body, which up close looked like a vagrant on the path to death, could cause harm to someone else. Especially when that other person appeared completely opposite: healthy, lively, and undoubtedly stronger. He would even appear a year or two older if he stood next to the frail Arius.
This truth, and the fact that the brothers originally came from a warrior family, made the teenage boy feel ashamed of his brother.
Legends spoke of ancient times when the world was inhabited by races and creatures other than humans. To ensure humans weren't left at the bottom of the power hierarchy, they developed their survival skills over time and were endowed with supernatural powers to balance the world.
Other stories proliferated that humans were always born with these abilities and that through disasters and dangers, they slowly discovered and mastered them.
Regardless of the myths and rumors, it was a fact that humans had acquired superior abilities and adapted to this reality over time.
These miraculous powers and abilities were considered an invaluable gift, especially for those ordinary humans who lived a normal life without any power and looked enviously at others. For this reason, those who could awaken their powers were called "the Gifted," and these powers were dubbed "the Gifts."
The Gifts varied from one person to another, both in nature and in power. However, there was no doubt that any Gifted individual was fortunate and blessed from above. Therefore, the Gifted held significant weight within their communities, a weight that reflected over time on their families.
Respecting the strong was a general pattern in this world, and warrior families were an inevitable result of this simplistic norm. Naturally, as some Gifts were more distinguished than others, there were humans who were stronger than others, and this in turn affected the nature of the world and the considerations among humans.
A family that contained a certain number of the Gifted was considered a warrior family, and this was enough to earn them respect and status. Of course, the extent of respect and status varied depending on the individual power of the Gifted and their impact. But generally, warrior families were not entities to be underestimated.
Indeed, the brothers were part of such a family, albeit a banished branch, otherwise they wouldn't be here now in the city of ruins, in this particular situation. But, it was well-known throughout the city of ruins that this banishment was merely a formal procedure, and 'Brashton,' the father of the brothers, always reiterated that they would return to the 'Eastern Mountain City' once his eldest son awakened his Gift. Thus, even the gangs within the city of ruins hesitated; they could afford to terrorize ordinary civilians. But a person from a warrior family—even if their return was not certain—was not someone they were prepared to risk provoking.
"Brother! I told you he hit me with a stone while I wasn't paying attention! It really isn't as you think. This bastard..." The younger brother insisted vehemently, seeming to reassure himself more than convincing his brother. Apparently, being struck by this weakling had dealt a significant blow to his confidence. So much so that when he turned his attention back to the boy who was still ignoring them, his eyes flashed with an inexplicable deep fear.
"This bastard is completely deceitful!"
Yet he still wouldn't accept the truth, and the presence of his older brother beside him gave him a boost of confidence.
"Shut up! Let's finish off that wretch first, then I will deal with you."
Even after seeing that the one who had hit his brother was just a small, weak boy, he was still going to beat him thoroughly. For in this city filled with riffraff, if a story spread that Brashton's younger son, scion of a warrior family, was beaten by a weaker foundling, it would be a damaging blow to their reputation.
The teenage brother was named Pangy. He was tall and slightly plump, with small eyes and a large nose. He was known in the city of ruins as the 'Wild Elephant.' He took pride in that nickname, thinking it referred to his overwhelming strength. But in reality, that nickname was more of a mockery than an honor.
"You... come here." Pangy squared his shoulders and called out to Arius with a haughty tone. He wanted to intimidate him a little and then let his brother do the beating. He wasn't oblivious to the fear in his brother's eyes. Despite his claim that he was injured due to his own inattention, it was clear he was lying.
Pangy didn't like this reality; he felt it was an insult to his noble lineage for his brother to be intimidated by a small, weak foundling like that child. But he didn't dwell much on the reasons that drove his brother to this illogical fear.
Arius didn't respond. He continued what he was doing without even glancing back.
Pangy frowned. Was that child ignoring him? Or was he frozen with fear? Thinking of the latter possibility filled him with a rush of satisfaction.
"Are you deaf? Or have you turned into a scared rat now?" As he spoke, Pangy moved steadily towards Arius, his hands behind his back and a mocking smile on his face.
---
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone