After Sagan sat down, Hyuk took a deep breath before speaking.
"My brother is a man modest to the point of arrogance, and I'm sure he never told you anything about himself, right?"
"Yes, L—Uncle. He just told me he was a descendant of the Zhuge clan and a disciple of the Wudang sect."
"As expected. You're still as humble as a monk, brother." Jianhong shrugged. "Well then, let me start from the beginning. I won't talk about his childhood—that's up to him—but I can tell you how we met." Hyuk smiled, noticing the curiosity on Sagan's face.
"When I was a kid, my father was a strict man. He forced me to train day and night in the sect. So, as a rebellious child, I used to run away from home now and then. One day, I found my way to a beautiful grove in the middle of nowhere. That's where we literally stumbled into each other. It was an absurd coincidence—he was the heir of a mighty orthodox clan, and I was the son of the Heavenly Demon. But childhood ignorance allowed us to become friends. We were both geniuses in our own right and found a kinship in one another."
"So you kept your family a secret?" Sagan asked suspiciously.
"Well, it was actually much simpler than that."
"Not that we had a silent agreement or anything."
"It just didn't come up in conversation," they both answered and shrugged simultaneously.
Seeing their synchronized movements, Sagan couldn't help but chuckle. Just as he was about to ask another question, his stomach growled deafeningly. He realized that the torrent of news and stories had distracted him from the fact that he hadn't had breakfast.
Noticing this, Jianhong gestured, and a squad of servants appeared from the shadows. They seemed ordinary, yet their piercing, reptilian eyes were filled with wildness. With swift movements, they prepared a large table filled with perfectly cooked dishes.
"Then what happened, Uncle? Did you fight bad guys?" Sagan asked between bites.
"Bad guys? Kiddo, my family were the bad guys," Hyuk said with a grin. "Jokes aside, our first day was interrupted by my father's guards. I got scolded pretty harshly, but that didn't stop me from running away again. We became closer like that. Day by day, time passed, and we both grew—gained more and more fame. I inherited my father's title, and your father became the Grandmaster of Wudang," Hyuk said, lost in old memories.
"Grandmaster of Wudang? You never told me that," Sagan asked his father.
"It's something left in the past. The Wudang sect was disbanded centuries ago. And... you never asked."
"Is it because Qi became scarce that the sects disbanded? Like why you need so many elixirs just for a bath?" Sagan questioned.
"You lucky ba—" Hyuk started, but was immediately silenced by Jianhong's deadly gaze.
"Heavens. Why are you always the lucky one? Why is everyone close to you a genius? First Myung, now your kid. Meanwhile, my descendants are just a bunch of disappointments," Hyuk ranted hysterically.
"It was just a simple guess, Uncle. Nothing big," Sagan tried to calm him, but Hyuk raised his voice even more.
"Simple guess? Simple guess?! It took the idiots back then thirty years to figure it out! Ahhh! Why is none of mine like that?"
With a final sigh, Hyuk finally calmed down.
"Sagan, can you go to your room, please? I need to talk with your uncle," Jianhong asked gently.
"Yes, of course, Father." Sagan obeyed, even though he was clearly curious.
After Sagan left, Jianhong turned to Hyuk.
"So... what are you thinking, brother? Is it really the True Dragon Martial Body?"
"Yes, brother. It's the same as mine. And I checked for the other requirements as well..." Hyuk paused for a moment.
"Tell me, brother. Can he use it? Can we finally see our dream come true?" Jianhong asked nervously.
"Congratulations, brother. Your son is talented enough for it. We finally found it—no, you found it. I can start his training whenever you wish," Hyuk answered with a grin.
"Training will begin only if he wishes to. As much as I want to see our dream realized like you do, I will not force my son into anything," Jianhong said firmly.
Hearing this, Hyuk smiled and patted his shoulder. "You've become a good dad, brother. Elder Zhang would be proud of you."
"Thank you, brother. Thank you for coming here. I know it wasn't easy." Jianhong embraced his last brother.
The two men stayed that way for a while, reminiscing about their youth.
After his father sent him to his room, Sagan slowly walked toward it. He gazed at the familiar, yet still beautiful gardens with awe. He inhaled the sweet scent of flowers and listened to the calm flow of rivers and springs.
When he arrived at his quarters, the first thing that caught his attention was a white wolf with blue, lightning-shaped stripes. The majestic creature radiated an aura of divinity and nobility.
"Ghost! What are you doing here?" Sagan asked, hugging the wolf tightly.
"Alpha had some business with Lord Jianhong, so he brought me with him. I missed you," Ghost answered in his unique language.
"I missed you too, partner. It's been a whole year since we last met. How are you? Did they teach you anything in the pact?" Sagan said, still happy to see one of his old friends.
"They taught me this," Ghost replied, and suddenly turned into a cluster of lightning. He disappeared and reappeared around the room in consecutive flashes. When the light dimmed, Ghost stood proudly, a smug expression on his face.
Sagan looked at his friend in absolute shock—until he burst with excitement. "That. Was. AMAZING. How did you do that?? You were like thunder, and boom—you just appeared!"
"I know, right? It's just so cool to do that!" Ghost said, sharing his excitement. "Well, it's kind of hard to explain, but I'll try. I just imagine myself being lightning really hard—and bam, it kinda just happens."
Watching his friend, Sagan smiled. The memory of how they met flooded back to him…
Six Years Ago:
Little baby Sagan had crawled through the gates of the sacred site into the forest. As he looked around at everything with wide-eyed wonder, the hunters in the area avoided the terrifyingly scented child, fearing they might anger the master of the mountains.
As he crawled further, Sagan came to a fairly high cliff with a spectacular view. Not that he noticed. With all the fearless vigor of a baby, he toppled over the edge.
He cried with all his might as he fell—until, suddenly, a giant white wolf caught him gently before he hit the ground. The wolf examined the baby closely, then lifted him and carried him toward its den.
Sagan laughed with delight as the wolf ran so fast that its figure blurred, and soon they reached a massive cave.
As they approached the den, more than a dozen wolves came into view—varying in size, yet all pure white with distinct stripes. When they arrived, the wolves parted to make way for the largest of them all—a colossal beast so massive it could easily be mistaken for part of the cliff itself.
The baby happily crawled toward the giant wolf, while the one who brought him bowed and growled respectfully:
"This one found the cub near the King of the Mountain's domain. This one suspects the cub belongs to the King's pact. So this one brought him to you, Alpha."
The Alpha studied the child, who was barely the size of its own eye. Its nose twitched as it picked up the scent of the mountain's master. Slowly, it raised its head and let out a deafening howl.
In response, more than a dozen larger and fiercer wolves rushed into the den.
Once his pack had gathered, the Alpha gave his command:
"Protect and feed this cub. This Alpha will speak with the King. Until this one returns, this pack will follow the word of this one's mate."
Then, in a flash of lightning, the Alpha disappeared into the sky.
While he was gone, Sagan was placed beside the pack's only cub. The two looked at each other with curiosity. The little cub enthusiastically sniffed Sagan and started to jump around him. Seeing this, Sagan also crawled to the cub, and with their innate sense as babies, they started to play with each other.
Meanwhile, Jianhong slowly released a sphere of Qi to find his overly energetic son. He wasn't worried, as all residents in the mountains kept an eye on his only child. He suddenly felt a massive and familiar presence soaring in the skies. Immediately after, a giant bolt of lightning shot down and turned into a colossal wolf. The Alpha bowed respectfully and Jianhong bowed back as well.
"This one greets the King of the Mountain," growled the Alpha.
"And this one greets the Alpha of the Raiju. What brought you to this one, old friend?" Jianhong answered in the wolf's tongue.
"This one's pact found a cub that has the King's scent. This one came to ask about the cub," Alpha explained.
Jianhong smiled before answering: "Yeah, he is this one's cub. This one was wondering where he had gone. This one thanks the Alpha for coming. Can this one come to the Den of Thunder?"
Alpha respectfully answered, "No one—not even this one—can refuse the King in the mountains. This one is glad to welcome the King in this one's den."
After that, they both disappeared and reappeared in front of the den and were welcomed by little Sagan fiercely wrestling with the wolf cub. Even though both of them were only babies, they had more power than any normal baby or cub should possess.
As they played, both parents proudly watched and silently cheered for their child. After a fierce (for them) battle (again, for them), little Sagan and little Ghost fell on each other and both closed their eyes not long after.
Jianhong slowly picked his child into his arms and silently nodded to Alpha as his pact came to care for the cub.
After this incident, Ghost (named by Sagan because wolves don't have a naming culture) and Sagan quickly became best friends. They loved to run in the forest and were like a perpetual motion machine. Sagan started to sneak out at night so he could hunt with his friend—which Jianhong turned a blind eye to. They grew like that.
(The present)
Ghost and Sagan sat on the ground as they caught up with each other. Sagan ranted about his studies and Ghost bragged about his newly awakened abilities. As a divine beast—something Sagan had learned in his studies—Ghost had innate powers: not just regeneration and endurance, but the ability to command storms, summon lightning, and even turn himself into it. His fangs and claws were still immature, yet sharper and more durable than mortal steel.
As they chatted, a man in butler clothes rose from the shadows and spoke while bowing to Sagan.
"Young Lord, Lord asks you to come to the training ground." After saying this, the butler disappeared into the shadows. Being used to that, Sagan turned to Ghost.
"I have a feeling this will take a long time, partner. Let's meet again tonight at the gate. We can go hunting again," said Sagan.
"I'll be there, partner. Do not be late." Ghost lay down and closed his eyes.
Seeing his friend make himself comfortable, Sagan rushed to the training grounds as fast as he could. When he arrived, he was stunned to see his father and newly found uncle fiercely fighting—with Qi and real swords, no less.
Knowing his father wouldn't have called him if it were dangerous, he watched the two masters with awe. His eyes barely caught blurs and afterimages as both moved faster than he could see.
Thunder boomed as their swords clashed with inhuman strength. Then, with a shockwave, they retreated to opposite sides of the training ground, and Sagan saw the outline of a transparent barrier between him and them.
As they stood, an ocean of pressure fell, and both erupted with an overwhelming display of fire. Hyuk's purple flames cloaked heaven and earth, while his father's blue flames compressed tightly around his sword. Every movement from Hyuk was followed by a stream of purple flames, while his father cut through them effortlessly.
Sagan realized that their movements were significantly slowed down, probably for him to watch. They clashed for about ten minutes, showcasing the pinnacle of both swordsmanship and Qi mastery. As they retreated for the second time, Sagan instinctively felt that it was about to end.
The purple flames that filled his vision retracted into Hyuk, who compressed them into a sphere in his palm, while his father condensed his own flames so much that his sword shone a bright blue. With one final attack, Hyuk threw the purple orb, and his father rushed toward him, slashing downward. The blade cut through the orb, causing it to explode, filling everything with purple flames.
When the flames finally dissipated, Sagan saw his father's pure white sword pressed to Hyuk's throat, while Hyuk's black and crimson blade was nearly impaled in his father's heart.
They both lowered their blades and bowed to each other. With a gesture from his father, the barrier lifted, and they both walked toward Sagan.
*********
AN: Sorry everyone I forgot to add the an. Wolves speak in third person because they as a consequence of their pact and non-individual life lack the word Me or I basically first person in their language. Sagan speaks English to ghost and ghost made the word himself after learning it from his friend. Jianhong speaks wolf to Alpha because he respects his friend and likes their language. Sorry again for the misunderstanding.