The Martial Unity

The four of them conversed for hours before, eventually, Runark began crying in hunger, demanding attention from Kane and Fae. Rui and Amare took the opportunity to give the family some alone time, bidding them goodbye.

“Drop by anytime, ok?” Kane told them with a pointed gaze. “You guys are family as far as I’m concerned.”

“Thanks, Kane.” Rui smiled back warmly. “I appreciate that.”

CLACK

The gates of the Dullahan Manor closed behind them as Amare stretched, reaching for the skies with her arms and standing on her toes. “Ah… sitting for that long has made my body feel stiff. Do you want to spar a bit?”

“Later,” Rui promised. “We have some more people to meet.”

The afternoon sun in the kandrian sky beamed down on them with an uncomfortable warmth. Its heat had reached a much greater level of intensity ever since the Unfolding, leading to immense climate and weather changes that they had yet to fully adapt to.

PAT

He put his hand on Amare’s head, patting her like a child, earning a blank stare from her. “I’m not a little girl.”

Rui smirked. “You say that, but I know you like it.”

“…Maybe a little.”

WHOOSH

They teleported, reaching a familiar town with more modern infrastructure than even the Town of Hajin, with crisp roads above which carriages floated, gliding to their destinations smoothly.

“Man,” Rui murmured. “This place has also changed much in the span of just a year. This is crazy.”

“I wonder how much the orphanage has changed,” Amare wondered with a curious expression.

He turned, gazing at a familiar street with a nostalgic expression. “Let’s find out.”

They walked together through the sidewalk, using misdirection to prevent any attention from converging upon them, enjoying a simple moment together in a simple activity, before arriving at the orphanage.

“Oh, it’s changed all right, but it’s also the same in some ways.”

The architecture and decor were more modern, but it still retained some of its old charm despite having grown larger. The plot of land had also been expanded to ensure that it remained spacious enough for children around them to play.

He spotted dozens of kids outside, indulging in the lawn and even a sandpit that had been made just for them, while other children play-trained Martial Art with some dummies that had been around since Rui’s time, when he trained to get into the Martial Academy.

It felt like it was from a whole different era. And in many ways, it was from a whole different era. It was from two eras ago, when things were simpler, and the family that he had grown up with was alive.

He didn’t recognize almost any of the children or even any of the caretakers that well. Everybody that he had grown up with was long dead, save for Julian, Max, and Mana.

“Speak of the devil.” Rui’s expression lit up as his senses recognized a presence within the orphanage. “He’s actually come out of hiding.”

STEP

Rui entered the doorway to find Julian sitting on the couch, reading a book with a cup of tea at his side in the armchair. The man had aged visibly, looking to be in his late fifties. His hair had grayed considerably while he had chosen to grow out a small beard.

“You aged like you haven’t taken a longevity potion, Julian.”

The man’s eyes widened as he turned to spot Rui in the doorway. “…Rui.”

“In the flesh.” Rui entered along with Amare, nodding to the others in the orphanage living room who recognized him with shock, before turning back to Julian.

“How have you been, brother?”

Julian’s expression softened as a small smile emerged on his face. “Rather good, actually. Especially to have you return home today. I’m glad to see you brought Amare along with you.”

“What can I say, it’s hard to get her off me,” Rui heaved an exasperated sigh and exaggerated shrug, earning a glare from Amare.

Julian chuckled. “I’m glad to see that you two are getting along.”

He turned towards Rui with a deep gaze. “It’s been less than a year for you, but for me it’s been about nine years since we last met.”

Rui’s eyes widened with shock. “…You need to relax with the manifold abuse. It allows you to do more in less time, but it also ages you fourteen times faster than normal. It’s not good for you to spend so much time isolated in the manifold. No wonder you have aged despite consuming a longevity potion.”

“Your words are sensible, but unfortunately…” he shook his head. “I cannot stop. My work has proven to be growing more and more important and vital with each passing day in the real world. And now…”

He directed a knowing gaze at Rui. “The negatron mining rush has increased the importance of my work significantly. We must harness the technology of the true world sooner rather than later if we want to have parity with them in a strategic outlook. This cannot be compensated for by Martial Artists, since you have powerful pathwalkers on the other side who can equalize against you. Our technology, especially our wormhole technology without the negatron matter, needs to be on par with theirs. Our information technology needs to achieve parity with that of the true world. I can’t afford to waste time. Even with the manifold, I don’t have enough time; that’s how tremendous a task I have undertaken. My only solace is that I’m not alone in this journey, and am leading a massive initiative as the Director of the Reverse Engineering Division established by the Emperor of Harmony for this very purpose.”

Rui nodded. “I don’t dispute that what you’re doing is important. Just that spending too much time in the manifold and living out of sync with the real world for that long takes its toll on the mind. Make sure that you’re not pushing it.”

Julian smiled. “As long as I can speak to my family every once in a while, that’s all I need.”