Chapter 21: 21. F*ck he’s Family

"Okay, that should do it." The cloaked man said with indifference and pulled the rapist's hair up for them to see eye-to-eye, "Okay, I destroyed one of your testicles to leave you a reminder of your mistake—ack! Dammit, I told you to stop doing that. It's rude, Titus."

"What did you do!?" shoving the cloaked man away, Titus tried to administer first aid on the injury. He crouched down to get to his level, pried his hands away from the bleeding crotch, and then Titus froze. Seeing the pool of blood, Titus realized he did not know what he should do.

'What kind of first aid do you do when someone's testicles get crushed again?'

Should he strip him down? What then? This was his first time encountering a —sensitive— injury.

"Don't worry; everything is going to be okay. Um, we just need to apply pressur—"

“AAAAAAHHHH! Please… do-don't touch it! I-I apologize… I was in the wrong. Please, stop already…"

The man crawled away to escape Titus' clumsy hands. The pain was too much for him to bear.

"You're still here?" the cloaked man said from behind Titus and then thought, "Oh, are you perhaps worried about tarnishing your name? That makes sense. Remember, the one who crushed your ball is um, Heruzen…."

Tapping the rapist's head with his foot, the cloaked man called out to him, "What is my name? Come on, say it."

The man nodded his head, the pain written all over his face, "He—Heruzen… please, spare my other friend…."

He begged as he cried.

"Okay, good enough. Don't worry; I don't do unnecessary punishment. Be good from now on, don't do anything bad, or I will come for you and then take the other one."

The cloaked man turned to Titus, "Okay, that should do it. If others asks, then you can just tell the name Heruzen. Okay, that is all the time I have to meddle with others. I need to be going now."

Heruzen turned his back on the two and melded into the dark to leave.

"Wait, where do you think you are going!?" Titus stretched his left arm to catch Heruzen.

Heruzen, of course, tried swerving to the left but failed to dodge Titus' hand.

Titus caught Heruzen's mask.

The sound of cloth tearing echoed. The mask ripped on one side and hung on the other, and even after Heruzen's quick reaction to keep his face hidden, it didn't work.

"Brot—"

Fwu!

A hand pressed on Titus's mouth, "Don't finish those words."

Theo looked at Titus' eyes with seriousness, "Yes, it's me, don't fight. Let me explain."

Theo then leaned over to Titus's ears, "Yes, it's me, and yes, I am awake. But I am on an urgent task, and I got sidetracked with saving others. I need to finish this before the night ends, so if you have more questions that need answers, I'll tell you tomorrow."

Theo then moved away from Titus and pulled up his cloak, "Heruzen, was here—go back home and sleep."

He said these words and disappeared into the dark, leaving a dumfounded Titus unable to react. He could not wrap his head around the idea of what he had just witnessed.

"Ahhh…"

The groan of the man on the ground woke his thoughts. Titus watched the man twist and turn, finding a position to relieve the horrific pain.

'I can't blame him.'

Titus understood the pain. Even he winced seeing the pool of blood. He could only imagine the horrors of having one's family jewels crushed to bits.

"I can hear footsteps; the guards should arrive here shortly. They'll treat your injury, so… hang in there." Titus said in a hurry and went after Theo.

'Older brother doesn't have any magia so that he couldn't have gone far….' Titus noted as his eyes reflected the moonlight.

***

"So that's how Titus acts when he's overly agitated by something. Got to say, it's somewhat weird not hearing him shout all the time. Without the smile, he's overly serious and reminds me of people I'd rather forget. But, despite his situation, he's developing to be someone promising."

Theo commented as his cloak billowed with the wind, "His fists were sharp, his eyes even more. Since he's young, the Flames are a little too much for him, but he'll grow to be strong. If he learns how to control his body, and he'll be unstoppable if he can seize a Sacred Blaze—do they have one in this world?"

[99 in total.]

"That's... more than expected. Is the Light Render still the strongest?"

[It is not the strongest, but it is still one of the stronger ones.]

"That so? Maybe I'll search for it in time. Hey, you're a God; tell me where it is."

[I don't know where it is.]

"Even if I tell you that this is an administrative command."

[I still don't know.]

"Tch, just when you thought that a God is useful, then they become one of those "limited" power kind of entities. You know this is the reason why the title of a God is losing its value." Theo cursed as he overlooked into the distance atop the City Rampart.

The City Rampart towered for 10 meters high. It was higher than what could be seen back on earth, but "They didn't have monsters to deal with back then."

Theo said as he scouted the City Periphery as he stood on top of the parapet. His legs hurt from all the running, and climbing the City Ramparts using Divine Energy wasn't easy either. His body was aching all over.

"This body really is too fragile." Now that Divine Energy's been introduced to his system, Theo was in more pain than he previously thought, "It's collapsing my system. Sigh*, this is why I wish I have a secondary Internal System. Should I hunt a Dragon to supplement this?"

[I wouldn't advise it.]

"Yeah, you would do that."

[I'm not telling you this because I don't want you to get stronger. It's for your safety.]

"Safety, my ass, I spent at least a hundred lives massacring Dragons and eating them. It's a natural process of establishing a strong character's scale over others."

[Yeah… I noticed that too. But the Dragons or any Sacred Beast for that matter in the Prime Reality is far worse than any Demon King in the Trial Worlds.]

"You serious? How big is the gap?"

[Easily ten times, and that's on the weaker sides. It can be considered a Deity in the Trial Worlds. There are even Wyrmms, Ancient Wyrms, and more….]

"So, the Dragons of this place scales to their legendary status? It's going to suck to meet one. "There goes the idea of raising and breeding dragons for pets… wait, didn't my father defeat a Dragon? Also, if even Dragons are so strong here, why are you so wea—"

Theo paused his words as he grumbled into the moon, "Why did you have to go after me? Aren't you sleepy like Lyria and Lisa?"

Theo sighed as he turned around.

Titus stood at the opposite parapet opposite of him, slightly out of breath, "It's late; you should be sleeping, Titus."

"Older brother, do you know what you did just now? You have to make this right.

"Huh? Please, don't tell me you're not one of those overly righteous people, Titus."

"Why, is that so bad older brother?" Titus asked.

Theo covered his face with both hands and groaned, 'Dammit, Titus is the annoying type!'

"Righteous people make everything better for everyone. Just like Father and the others, they are righteous people who fight injustice. They protect people from those who wish to harm them without using excessive violence. What older brother did to that man was too much."

'And what's more, is that he's the hypocrite kind.'

Theo wasn't even angry hearing Titus; he was just disappointed.

"Older brother you need t-"

"Okay, don't start any ideology lecture, not a big fan. Also, what you are describing is not righteousness but people with a working moral compass. Listen, people who claim they are righteous is more often than not an overly righteous douche who knows nothing but takes the moral high ground when he was about to beat up the same man I just punished."

Titus' mouth stayed agape in disbelief. Theo did not say any name, but it was clear he was talking about him.

Titus stomped on the ground, "It wasn't me who broke that man's testicles. I didn't do anything excessive!"

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"Well, it's not me who threatened to use his Hellfire either."

And those words shut Titus' mouth from going off any further.

Theo, however, saw it appropriate to continue.

"At your level of control over the Hellfire and his drunken state, we'll be lucky if you accidentally turn his bones black; worst case, he dies. Yes, I did crush his balls, but you could have turned one of his limbs useless. Why do you think did I step in when I could have walked away? It beats the purpose of sneaking if I go around acting like a Hero, doesn't it? I didn't just save the woman; I saved..."

"The man from me." Titus finished Theo's words.

"What? Fuck no, why would I save that guy?" Theo suddenly blurted out.

Titus only grew more confused, "Then, why?"

"To save you from the guilt of killing someone, of course."

"Re-really?"

"I already knew you were on the verge of making a terrible decision, so I stepped in to save the guy. Let me guess, somewhere in there, you know what you were about to do, and all of this aggression and questions is the result of that, right?" Theo explained.

"No, I..." Titus stopped his words and remembered everything that had happened. How he lost his temper and flared his Hellfire, "What if older brother wasn't there? I would have..."

Titus mumbled to himself. His complexion darkened, and he began sweating profusely despite the night wind constantly blowing. His pupils slowly dilated, and his breathing was becoming ragged.

'Huh?' Theo did not miss the changes in Titus.

[The command will result in damaging the eyes. Do you wish to continue? Y/N?]

'Just do it.' divine energy reached Theo's eyes, and after a mere five seconds, his eyes already sustained damage, and he shed tears of blood, 'I hate being right.'

Theo cursed his genius as he wiped away the blood.

Theo reached out to Titus, giving him Divine Energy to quell the flames burning within.

"Huh?" Titus looked at his body and then at Theo; he could not believe what had just happened, "Older Brother, what did yo—older brother, your eye!"

"Don't worry about my eye; more importantly, how do you feel?" Theo asked while as he chose to sit on the parapet opposite of Titus.

"I feel nothing." it was at this time that Titus finally realized what had happened and stared at Theo; questions appeared in his eyes, "Older Brother, how did you know?"

"Did you see the light earlier? I woke up as a Saint, and I can do all kinds of shit now. But more importantly, come on, sit down; we need to address this immediately."

"What? Adress what?"

"Don't act dumb, your flames and what's happening to you."

"...I... can't tell you, Older Brother. Even if you knew you can't hel—"

"From the pits of your stomach there, it burns incessantly without rest. From there, it spread throughout the body through your Circuit, reaching every corner of your body, causing it to heat up, to an unbearable degree, sounds familiar?"

Titus paused his steps as he turned to Theo with shock in his eyes.

Theo just continued talking as if listing his shopping list, "It burns as if you are being cooked alive, and even after running until you puke your insides, swing a sword until your arms fall off, it does not dissipate as it used to."

"How did—"

"From how you look and acted earlier, you must be having glimpses of dark visions, and if that's the case, you are having reoccurring nightmares, now, right? From how strong your flame is, the Hellfire you have must be near the source. So the question is, how are you still in control? " Theo continued his diagnosis.

"Ye-yes, that's exactly how I am feeling… ho-how do you know that? Even Anna—ah!" Titus covered his mouth after a name slipped his tongue.

"Anna, huh, does she know about this? Is she a friend or a foe?"

Titus averted his gaze.

"As I said before, I awakened as a Saint. I won't implicate your little friend in the name of the Goddess. You can tell me who she is. Wait, could it be that she is your…." Theo lifted his pinky.

"Ah! No, no, she's a… friend… to me…" Titus' face turned red from embarrassment as Theo's giggling echoed.

"She's an… I'trixian…"

"…Is that a Polymorphed Beast or something?"

"You don't know about the older brother? Didn't you read about them at the Ancient Library?"

"Haven't been there before, but I guess they are from an ancient civilization. We're getting off-tracked here; just tell me if she's dangerous or not. Like I said before, I don't have much time."

"She's not dangerous, not even in the slightest. She's a sweet girl who cares a lot about her family."

Theo watched as Titus' expression experience lightened, "Sounds like a very kind girl."

"She is! A little strict, but that's also what's great about her. She's also extremely knowledgeable and wise; she's mature and responsible. Her smile is entrancing, and her form when fighting is outstanding as well. Her steps are fleeting and light as though she has wings; it was mesmerizing to watch. She even taught me how to accept the blaze in me and harness its power so I can neutralize the effects of the Hellfire… I said too much, didn't I?"

"No, you said enough, and it appears that whoever this Anna maybe, she's the reason why you are still control yourself. You don't need to tell me about who she is, only the bits about the Hellfire. She's already right about accepting the Hellfire inside. Such knowledge is often a big secret to a big community, like a Clan or a Tribe. This Anna must trust you to let you know of something like this."

"Really!?" Titus' face lit up hearing someone believe his friend and hearing it from his older brother, who also just happened to be a Saint, was more than acceptable. Acknowledgment of something you believe in, especially if you hold it close to your heart, was quickly the most euphoric of sensations.

Titus' wall began to fall, lifting the Flames' effect and Theo's enlightening and kind words.

Titus began telling Theo about what Anna told him. How the Hellfire could be channeled and controlled through meditation and proper circulation, "She said that I am in the early stages of its awakening. That my flames are burning me from the inside and will only settle down when I control it properly."

"How far have you managed to take control of it?" Theo asked, curious about how much has changed after a measly week, 'Last time I saw him, he was still okay. At best, he spent six days controlling the Hellfire; let's see if you have the spark.'

"Not far… it is embarrassingly minuscule. Without anger to ignite it, a candle is more impressive." Titus said as he rubbed the back of his head.

"Why not try summoning your flame right now? Let me see."

"O-okay. But don't expect too much." Titus summoned his ashen flames, and a tiny wick appeared on top of his palms. A gust of wind passed by, and as it wavered, Titus' face twisted—

Fwip!

The flicker disappeared as his breathing became ragged as if he ran for kilometers to no end, "That's… all I have."

"What did this Anna say when she saw this?" Theo asked.

"That, it was good, that I am on the right track." Titus's face reddened from embarrassment.

'That Anna is controlling Titus' ego, I see. She's a good teacher; I guess she is mature.' Theo praised as he laughed, "I see that you are on the right track. If we can get the right ingredients and—"

"Hey! Who's there!?"

A guard called out from below; seeing two mysterious people atop the wall, he quickly pursued.

Theo saw him and looked over alleyways and rooftops. He licked his lips as he smiled.

"Okay, that's my cue to leave. We'll talk more later. I have something to do outside of the City, so Titus, go back home and sleep; kids shouldn't stay up so late, especially you. Also, keep it a secret that you saw me outside, okay?"

Theo turned around and was about to jump off when Titus called out to his older brother.

"Wa-wait, Older Brother, where are you going?" Titus wanted to know.

Even though he was the polar opposite of his sisters, he still regained their ardent curiosity. His eyes shone like sapphire; he wished to understand his brother's action more and witness how he would act on his words.

Surely, he must be sneaking about in the dark for a reason, 'Could it be, he's doing something for the Goddess of Fate?'

Theo looked at his younger brother and smiled.

Titus' hope in his heart began to blossom at the thought of seeing an adventure.

Theo looked at Titus as he said, "I'm going to summon a Demon; wanna come?"