Chapter 653: Oren Protects

Oren could tell that Melania was calm, but not her usual calm. This was a calmness that originated from detachment and apathy rather than self-control. It reminded him of his brother because that was what he did when the fate of their family was thrown over his shoulders.

"Master Melania," called Oren, but she did not answer. "That Jono man said that he was your older brother. Is that true?"

"An older brother who never existed until today," laughed Melania, her voice laced with sarcasm. "Would you call a man you just met an older brother, even if there was blood between you?"

Oren was quiet, but he knew the answer was no. An older brother was someone to rely on, and Arthur was that exactly. When their lives changed and turned h.e.l.lish, Arthur was the one to shoulder everything in his stead.

If not for Arthur dropping out of school and working, Oren would have never met Selena or had a normal life. Although he regrets making his brother shoulder all that responsibility alone, Oren knew that Arthur did it without being asked.

"This is not about him but you, Master Melania. It is unwise to run away from feelings, even those of helplessness. You might think burying them down is the right thing to do, but the things you bury remain forever."

"I know, Oren, but how do I deal with this?" muttered Melania while carrying him on her back. "How do you deal with the family you found but know they have abandoned you? Do you forget everything and run into their embrace?"

"As I said, it does not have to do with them. If you let out your emotions, they will never haunt you. Then, you can talk to me, Master."

"…I feel as if everything is going in the wrong direction," replied Melania. "Father has been my truth all this time. He was the only one I could rely on, but seeing him so weak in front of that woman…."

"Does it make you sad or angry?"

"I feel a lot of things at the moment, and it is hard to say which one is which," smiled Melania. "Are you sure we have time for this? We are soon to reach our destination."

The two ran toward his mother, who was the mission"s primary target. However, Oren knew that he could not move his body even if he got there. Several bones were still fractured, even though Melania tried to heal them.

"That reminds me, Master," said Oren. "What is that thing you did earlier?"

"Ah, just another manifestation of my ability."

Oren never figured out what her ability was. At times, he thought it was offensive, and at other times, it was a movement-enhancing ability. However, one thing was for sure: it was a powerful one.

"Are you curious?" teased Melania, and Oren coughed with a red face. "You know that I have a similar ability to Jono from earlier. We are called trans.m.u.ters of matters, and our ability is also one that belongs to the seven families."

"That cannot be," frowned Oren at her words. "The Seven Families should all be on Earth. I never knew that some of them were on Alka too."

"It is hard to believe, but your father is proof that it can happen. People from both worlds often drift past the split and travel across it. This can also happen to members of the seven families, regardless of their origin. This means that there are lineages in both words that are from the seven families."

"It does make sense, then, but I still don"t understand how an ability can manifest in so many forms…."

"As trans.m.u.ters of matter, we have a versatile a.r.s.enal of ways to use our abilities. Jono can manipulate clouds, condense them, and turn them into a battle. He does not absorb mana but turns mana into clouds. As for me… I control energy."

"…what kind of energy? Like mana?"

"I wish, but no," Melania shook her head. "I can turn matter into energy and use that energy as I wish. It is not mana, but pure energy called plasma."

"That is indeed overpowered…."

"You are not the one to talk, loved by mana," glanced Melania at him. "The more general ability is, the more powerful it becomes. You are a similar abnormality to your brother."

"That is a harsh thing to say, Master," said Oren with a pout. "Wait, go right from here," paused Oren as he looked to his right. Master Melania listened to his words and turned right, and Oren frowned. He could feel a disturbance of mana from ahead, and there were faint vibrations.

"I"m sorry, master, but I have to rely on you more," said Oren. "I still cannot move my body, so please save mom from these b.a.s.t.a.r.ds."

"I never thought you could get mad, Oren," smiled Melania as she stopped to place him down. "You can rely on me. I have to leave you here while I take care of that, so make sure you don"t die."

"You would make a great sister, Melania," said Oren after she placed him down to lean on the wall. Melania was surprised before she blushed and pinched his side. Oren screamed in pain before Master Melania turned into hot energy and disappeared.

The s.p.a.ce she occupied turned into hot air that blew in his face, and Oren smiled while he leaned back. He knew that he should be the one to save his mother, but his body could not move after the earlier fights. Moreover, he did not rest even after going through the spirit"s contract, so he was drained.

"I wonder… what is Arthur doing now?" muttered Oren as he closed his eyes for a short while. "Is he safe, or is he fighting to get here too? I wonder if he would be mad if he knew I chose to save mom. But, after all, bro is the most powerful awakener out there."

Oren was not trying to console himself, but he knew that for a fact. Arthur has become more and more powerful since he awakened, to the point that Oren had to ask Master Ronin about it. Finally, after infinite persistence, the Master gave up and told Oren the truth.

His older brother was the person the world relied on to be saved.  The power of creation, the strongest ability the world has ever seen, belonged to his older brother. There were many abilities out there that could be called strong, but never the strongest.

From the moment he awakened, his brother received the strongest ability in existence that put Oren"s Mana Affinity to shame. However, Oren was not proud or jealous but furious.

What right did the world have to demand saving from his brother?

Arthur has spent his life saving their family, shouldering all that responsibility. No one in the world decided to help them, but now Arthur was also supposed to save the world?

"It must feel unfair, brother," muttered Oren while closing his eyes. "I cannot imagine what you felt when you realized that you had to spend all of your life to save others, but never yourself."

"Have you lost your mind?" asked Jono, who pursued them all the way here. "Where is my sister, Oren Silvera?" he asked with rage.

"But now, I have grown stronger," smiled Oren as he pushed with what strength he had left to stand. "I will protect our family and be the one to save you from this fate. Screw the world if I cannot save my family!"

"A truly selfish fellow," muttered Jono while looking down on him. "You must have realized I was close to getting close to you, but where is my sister?"

"I will not let you meet her, Jono," smiled Oren as his body trembled. "Master Melania cannot fight you without feeling heartbroken, so I will do that in her stead."

"…you stayed to hinder me?" marveled Jono at the stupidity. "With that body of yours, what can you do? You were in better shape earlier but still lost!"

"It does not matter how broken my body is," smiled Oren as he reached for the air in front of him. "I will die here to stop you from taking away my family. This is my life, and I won"t let some villains destroy it!"

"Quit blathering and move!" shouted Jono as his clouds rushed toward Oren. However, armor coated the broken body of the youngster before the clouds struck him, and a great sword appeared in his hand.

"Sword of Protection!" shouted Oren before stabbing the glowing white sword into the ground, making its light blind the world. Jono and the clouds were pushed back by the radiating energy from the blade. "I will… protect everyone."

Jono trembled as he met the eyes behind the iron bars. This weakling has somehow turned into something else, and his determination has materialized into a sword. This was an ability that only those who reached transcendence could have.