Chapter 284: Opportunity


    "Huh!" Ryu pushed himself back to his feet, ready to face the boy once again. "STOP.. both of you..!!!" But before he could do that a scream stopped him in his tracks. Simrly, Jim too forcibly brought himself to a halt, noticing the redhead running towards them.


    ''Hehe.. look at her, all she cares about is her boy in the end. Hahaha.. my poor Jim, you are too innocent for this world.'' The blonde boy clenched his teeth, watching the woman hug her son while attending to his wounds.


    Disappointed in no one but himself, Jim didn''t wait around. Taking asting nce at the boy in her arms, Jim stepped back, dragging his injured body away to slowly disappear behind the wreckage.


    "What''s is all this?" Amelia tore arge piece of cloth from her dress, winding it around Ryu''s chest in desperate attempts to stop the bleeding. "Nothing. Someone had a mental breakdown, it seems." He looked at the boy ring at him for thest time before stepping back.


    Amelia too turned her head to look back, only to find a fleeting nce of Jim''s body disappearing behind a veil of smoke and ash. "Why would he do that..?" She was confused but the boy in her hands took priority over everything else. Finding the woman almost on the verge of tears Ryu cupped her cheeks with both his hands.


    "Haha.. it''s not a that bad mom. Come give me a kiss." He pecked her lips before she could respond to him. "Come, we are leaving." Ryu can see the concern on her face and decided against arguing with thedy. With his arm over her shoulder, his mother helped him get back to his feet as they walked away from the scene of destruction.


    "How did ite to this?" "Haaahh.. who knows? Just when I thought that the boy was finally back on the right track, he goes around and messes everything up..!" Eric stood high mid-air, with his face in his palm, obviously disappointed in his son''s actions.


    "There must be a reason for this. Try talking to him for once, that will be my only advice." Lyod suggested, standing right beside the chief, watching the mother-son pair walk into the distance. After the incident with James, both of them remained cautious. With their senses covering almost the entirety of the town, it was difficult that they won''t take notice of this brawl.


    "Ahh.. it''s easier said than done, master Lyod. Anyhow.. about Amelia''s kid. I would like to hear your thoughts about him." Lyod put his arms around his chest, mulling over the matter for a good while before gathering his thoughts. "With each passing day, this boy is turning out to be more and more mysterious. I am even suspicious if thatdy actually gives birth to him."


    Eric nodded his head in agreement. While it was entirely possible that some random stranger parented this child with Amelia,mon sense told him that it might not be the case. "Well, that''s not a far-fetched suspicion. Let''s keep this under wraps for now. I am sure Mrs. Emily must have known about this already. She must have her own ns for the kid."


    Lyod didn''t contest his judgment. "Please allow me to take my leave, master. I must go and check on my spawn. Let''s hope this beating thrashed some sense in his dull brain." Both mages separated, flying in different directions.


    ***


    Night descended upon Korua but a boy remained awake. ''I want strength.'' ''Hahaha.. strength to do what?'' Jim stared at his damaged hand with a vicious glint in his eyes. "Strength to make everyone cower in front of me."


    ''Sorry to break your heart kid.. but the strength you seek is impossible to achieve.. with a human body at the very least.'' The voice in his head had his full attention. "What do you mean by that?" ''Huh.. humans... What good this species is for, other than breeding like rabbits? And now they can''t even do that, dying out the fastest from the curse of the demons.''


    Jim agreed with the feminine voice. What she was telling him was the truth. Their race was doomed since the start, the beastmen had only elerated their demise. "Then do you have a way for me to surpass my human limitations?"


    ''Hehe.. why do you ask me that?'' Jim''s face took on a serious expression, seemingly talking to himself. "Don''t y games with me, witch. I can tell that you have a selfish interest in attaching yourself to me." ''Ohh myy.. was I this obvious? Hahah..!'' The woman in his headughed ruefully, certainly not mind that she was exposed.


    "You would not have brought this topic up if you didn''t have a way." ''Hehe.. smart!'' "Get right to it, tell me what you got." ''You are right.. I got a way indeed. It will give to ess to immense strength, easily surpassing the limits of your body. But brat.. as you might have already figured out, the path has its own set of risks.''


    "I don''t care. I can go through anything. There is no value left in this life." ''That is for you to decide, regardless of your decision, I will warn you about the greatest risk.'' Jim kept staring at his raised hand, his attention fully consumed by the seductive voice of the witch.


    ''The extreme pain and agony of breaking out from a human body are a given. But the bigger issue is that you will lose your sense of self.'' "What do you mean?" Naturally, Jim raised his eyebrows, unable toprehend her words.


    The voice remained silent like it was rearranging its thought. The next minute, it returned, albeit heavier this time. ''I mean a portion of your soul will be consumed by my master. Once that happens, you will lose your will. Everything about you will belong to him.''


    "To what extent?" ''Hmm.. it depends how strong your willpower initially is. If your turn out to have a weak personality, your entire consciousness can be swallowed by my master, leaving you as nothing but the husk of your previous self. Then again, it might turn out that you are able to keep a free conscious even after achieving metamorphosis?''


    Even with all the disasters in his life, Jim didn''t jump at the opportunity. His reply came after many minutes of contemtion. "I will do it." ''Careful boy.. you will be disposing of any chance of a normal life. There will be no affection for you among your fellow species.. only hate and disgust.''


    "I don''t care now. What''s left to live for?" A drop of tear appeared at the corner of his eyes. The tear was not for Sophia. Rather it was for his mother. That was the only woman in his life who had loved him without any prejudice. Even today the nobledy cried while attending to his wounds. ''Think again...!'' "No need. Tell me what I need to do."


    ***


    ''What do you want?'' Ryu opened his eyes, finding Amelia peacefully sleeping in his arms. ''Hahaha.. why so rude, brat? All I want is to give you a little warning.'' The boy just scoffed, clearly uninterested in the demon''s words. ''Shoot.''


    ''As much as I would like to see your ass kicked. It will be bad if you end up losing your life over it.'' ''Don''t waste my time. Come to the point.'' The demon was clearly not very pleased with being interrupted. ''You got a big mark on your head, kid. It''s rted to the entity that you foolishly established contact with.''


    Ryu raised his eyebrows, evidently not taking his words lightly. Having experienced the majestic presence for himself, there was no way he won''t be interested in anything rted to that entity. Especially after the Dragon mentioned him as well.


    Supposedly that guy was the one who the Dragon and his allies fought against. Being so closely rted to the lizard, that demi-god is definitely going to be a threat to him. ''Why would that happen? I am just a kid, why do they mark me as a target?'' Though it wasn''t apparent from his voice, Ryu was genuinely concerned about this new development.


    ''Huh.. Idiot. Do you think any ragtag junior realm kid can perform what you did? You don''t understand, you have ended up making the guy interested in you.'' Although it was a piece of bad news, there was nothing that can be done about an ident. He would have never known that just touching the vines will trigger the consciousness contained within.


    ''Hmm? Howe you have not pissed your pants? Hahahaha..'' The demon was the only oneughing at hisme joke. ''Why would you bring this up now? Is that rted to Jim, somehow?'' ''Hehe.. smart. Just be a bit more cautious of that kid. Then again.. you can always contact me.. hehe... I will be at your service.. whenever you need... hahaha..''


    Slowly the demon''s voice died down in his head, making Ryu sigh in exasperation. Surely he would have liked him to give some detail, butmentably that was all this guy was going to tell him. With a swipe of his hand, a small bracelet appeared in front of him. "Hopefully this should be enough for any contingencies."


    The moonlight reflected from the bracelet, giving it a silvery glint. Emily never told him how this is going to help him out, other than alerting his grandmother about his condition. "Hmm..!" Amelia shifted beside him, prompting the boy to gently peck her lips before snuggling into her bosom, albeit painfully.


    ***


    "Are you sure this will work?" ''Yes. Now drop your blood at the center of the summoning diagram. That will allow me to lock onto your location.'' Jim had been blinded by hate and loss, giving Pa the perfect opportunity to strike. The boy didn''t even question why she was making her real body here.


    ''Hehe.. Now chant with me.'' She said some obscure words in his mind when Jim ced his bloody thumb in the center of the diagram. *Rumble* *Rumble* The earth under his feet trembled, the magic circle seemed toe to life, draining almost all his mana at once.


    Extreme fatigue took over his mind and body. The boy shook like a leaf in the wind, right when he was about to fall over face first, a set of hands manifested to hold his shoulders. "Well done kid." With a blurred vision, Jim noticed a beautiful visage before he passed out in his bosom.


    "Hmm??" After a busy day, Eric had finally retired to his bed, holding his wife and daughter in his embrace he had only closed his eyes when dreadful energy covered the whole of Korua, jerking him awake. "What happened?"


    His actions woke up his wife. "Shhh!" With a thought, Eric''s immense mana exploded from his body trying to search for any discrepancies. After trying and failing a few times, he can only attribute it to his extra cautious attitude.


    "Did something happen?" Finding her husband sigh heavily, Nana too got up, concerned. "Nothing. I think I am over-exhausting myself." The woman put on an enchanting smile, pulling her man in a hug. "You can''t keep ming yourself for the deaths, Eric."


    "Ahh.. I know. It''s just.. I don''t want to see some other poor souls lose their life, just because I wasn''t able to help them in time." Nana rubbed his back trying to pass on some of her warmth to him. "I don''t understand why you are trying to do the impossible. A good leader is not someone who takes everything in his hands, rather you need to trust your subordinates."


    Eric was aware of the sincerity of her arguments. "I understand." He returned to his bed. "How is the boy?" Trying to change the topic, he questioned Nana about Jim. "He didn''t divulge the reason for that confrontation, but that''s fine. I believe he will get over it very soon. I am more worried about Ryu. I must visit his parents to apologize on Jim''s behalf." "That will be for the best." Not wanting to mull over the matter any further, Eric closed his eyes.


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