Lord Of Martial Arts

"Uncle Reed!" Darren shouted to catch the attention of the beggar. At first, he couldn't believe his eyes, for he wasn't able to recognize his uncle. Wearing a tattered, messy, and crumpled garments, Darren had to take a closer look to ascertain that it was indeed his Uncle Reed.

After all that he had endured, and the battles that taught him hard-learned lessons, the renewed and changed Darren right now was more open-minded. He had learned to forgive and not hold any grudge of what had happened in the past. Yet, seeing Reed in such a situation, he was angry now. It made Darren feel guilty and angry at himself, all at once.

At the mention of his name, Reed looked up and fixed his eyes at Darren. Though his eyes were empty, clearly, it showed that he didn't recognize Darren, nor knew that he was of a close relationship to him.

"P...Please don't hurt me! P...Please..." With a quivering voice, Reed stuttered as he was terrified with Darren's angry shout. He kept retreating and stepping away from the warrior. A frightened and confused expression was drawn on his face.

Judging from how he looked and the way he acted, Darren knew that he wasn't himself anymore. He was out of his mind because of what had happened.

Pitying his uncle's miserable state, Darren soon realized that he could make use of his Spirit Power to get Reed's Spirit Power back. That would, in turn, regain his normal state of mind and revive his sanity.

"Ahhhhh!" The moment the Spirit Power reacted with Reed's body, he was twitching and hollering in pain. The process was so excruciating that it made Reed shout garishly. Darren couldn't almost stand seeing his uncle under such torment, yet he held on to his faith that what he was doing was for his good.

After a few moments, Reed finally stopped shouting. The Spirit Power had done its task, and gradually the gleaming lights of hope were back in Reed's once empty eyes.

to his uncle and the rest of his kin that he would do everything that he could to avenge the fate that was not destined to be met by them.

"That's impossible, Darren. You don't understand. They are the royal members. It's an order from the Holy Lands, and the royals execute it. We are to be slaves until we die. That's final. It is impossible to turn it the other way around. Listen to me, nephew, Darren. Just go away. The elders won't blame you for leaving. Instead, they will be happy that you get a chance to live." Tears kept streaming down Reed's wrinkled face as he insisted on Darren leaving the place. What he was holding onto was not anchored to any principles of martial arts nor any beliefs in battles—fighting or yielding. Convincing Darren to leave right now and save himself was Reed's way of showing his love for a family member, which was what really mattered. Sad for Reed, though, that it was almost too late for him to realize.

"Wait here, Uncle Reed. I will be back soon." Knowing his uncle, Darren knew that any argument would not convince him at all. The only thing he could do right now was to show his real strength so his clan would see it with their own eyes and believe that he could rescue them from the wrath they were enduring all these years.