Daniel Fang knew that everything was over when his mask crumbled. He stared deep into Michael's eyes and smiled vibrantly at his little brother before the blazing mythical flames engulfed his entire body, burning him rapidly.
Daniel merely had a second before he would burn to ashes. However, knowing that he was bound to die, there was only one thing he could do. He had to ensure that Michael would be fine – that his beloved brother would survive the next few seconds.
Daniel Fang threw his body in front of Michael and Tiara before he channeled his entire Lifeforce into the forbidden Life Reversal technique. Every bit of strength within his body was used to create a huge silver sword that filled the entire space above them.
Danny coughed up blood, and his legs wobbled horribly, but his eyes never left the dragon flames above them. He released the humongous silver qi sword to cut through the dragon's mythical flames and stall some time for Michael.
After unleashing the strongest attack he could condense, Danny's entire being felt weak. It was as if life was seeping out of him at an alarming pace.
Nonetheless, he turned to his brother, still smiling brightly. His lips parted and he said something, but Michael couldn't hear a single world. Michael was in a trance, staring blankly at his elder brother, flabbergasted and unable to comprehend the situation.
The next moment, Daniel Fang's body shot up in flames and burned in front of him, turning into ashes.
Meanwhile, the scene around Michael and Tiara began to change. The flames engulfing them extinguished and everything turned dazzling white. They were teleported out of the Lord Rift. The Lord Rift had closed.
But it was too late. It had been just a second too late.
Michael and Tiara survived, but Masked Saber…no…Daniel Fang sacrificed his life by using everything he could in a desperate attempt to protect his beloved brother.
"Danny…" Michael let out a shrill cry, tears pouring down his cheeks like a waterfall before the tension accumulated in his body dispersed. The adrenaline coursing through him receded, and the accumulated exhaustion of his body and mind crashed down on Michael at once.
He was about to faint when something unexpected happened.
Strands of memories of the past resurfaced in Michael's mind.
He had never expected to think of them again…those bittersweet memories of the time when everything was still fine. Michael didn't want to recall those memories, but he was too weak to reject them. He was drawn into the memories and recalled everything.
It was a memory from more than ten years ago. A middle-aged woman with a youthful appearance was busy in the kitchen, preparing dinner while humming the melody of the most trendy song that had been released a few days ago. She smiled lightly while listening to the chaos behind her.
Two young boys at the age of 7 and 11 were playing in the living room, brawling with each other to find out who was stronger between the two. The older boy was physically stronger, and he was much taller and heavier, yet he didn't use his entire strength in the friendly brawl. He smiled at his younger brother, who was trying to outwit him, happy to fool his little naive and gullible brother by evading his weak and slow attacks at the last moment.
The boys were Michael and Daniel from a time when none of them had manifested their War Rune. The brothers were oblivious to the dangers of the future and didn't even think about their awakening. All that was on their mind was to continue living this peaceful life with their sweet family.
Their family consisted of five members, who loved each other dearly. They would do everything in their power to help each other whether it was by motivating one another through praises, or by lecturing them when they did something wrong. The brothers would even go as far as to risk getting injured as long as it could alleviate the stress and exhaustion of the adults by distracting them.
The youthful middle-aged woman finished cooking dinner and called the boys to set up the table. Her smile widened as she saw them rushing over to the kitchen to help their mother.
They set up the kitchen table, only to halt in their tracks when they heard the door to their apartment open quietly. The two brothers turned around while listening to the pained groans of a middle-aged man, and the teasing voice of a young woman.
The middle-aged man and the young woman looked almost the same. While the middle-aged man's facial features were a little feminine, his actions and behavior were certainly not. On the other hand, the young woman was a true beauty. Her beauty could compare to the Frozen Duchess – Alice Zenovia –, and she had many pursuers who fancied her.
However, none of them met her standards. She was a little tomboyish, and cold to those who were not ambitious, and those who were weaker than her despite spending several years longer in the Origin Expanse than she had.
Her name was Hesta Fang, a young woman at the age of 20, and the youngest human, who became a higher life form by advancing to the 4th Tier. She was ambitious, powerful, and had survived all kinds of ordeals, and she would never accept someone weaker than her as her lover.
Some would even say that she was cold and unapproachable. Yet, seeing the two brothers staring at her with big, sparkling eyes Hesta Fang couldn't help but squeal excitedly and bend her knees to lower herself on the ground. She opened her arms widely and smiled vibrantly at her two younger brothers, leaving behind the exhaustion she had felt from sparring with her father the whole day.
Danny and Michael rushed into their sister's embrace, hugging her tightly.
It had been a while since they saw Hesta and they worried a lot about her.
"Will you stay longer with us this time?" Young Danny asked, his eyes already filled with tears.
He didn't want to part with his sister anytime soon.
"Tell us more stories about the Origin Expanse!!" Young Michael exclaimed in excitement, happy that his sister had returned from the Origin Expanse without any injuries.
As long as she was fine, everything would be alright.
"Ayyy, my little boys. Aren't you a little bit too clingy? Your poor sister can barely breathe," The youthful middle-aged woman stepped forward. She ruffled through the hair of her little boys and smiled gently at her oldest child. After a brief eye-contact between the mother and daughter, Hesta straightened her legs to stand up.
She held her brother's hands – one of the boys on each side –, and walked over to the dining table. She lifted Michael into the chair, even though he was already big enough to do so himself, and looked over to Danny in hopes that she could spoil him a little bit as well.
However, Danny had already moved into his seat, his eyes flicking restlessly from the dishes to Hesta.
The flashing smile on his face clearly revealed his excitement, causing Hesta's heart to melt.
On that day she swore to herself to spend more time with her family, and to make sure that they wouldn't have a hard time in the future.
Unfortunately, her pledge didn't go according to the plan.
That seemingly ordinary day turned out to be a life-changing event for the two brothers. It was the last night they saw their sister, and it was the last good memory of their parents.
Everything changed after this seemingly ordinary day of a loving family.
The oldest child disappeared, and the two brothers were abandoned, left with nothing more than money.
…
At one point, Michael noticed that the memory of the past he had long forgotten started to get blurry. The memories and the pleasant sensation accompanying them dispersed, replaced by dazzling light, the chirping of birds, and the familiar smell of the densely grown jungle.
Michael and Tiara had returned to the Untamed Jungle.
