"You're Patricks brother," Idris said through gritted teeth, ignoring the glares he was getting from all around him.
Oddly enough, even though he clearly looked upset, Nero didn't feel threatened by him at all. That was quite a feat, since for a brief moment, Idris had let his aura as an Arcanist blare.
The veins on his neck suddenly became extremely prominent, which was funny to see because the man was clearly trying his best to keep his face expressionless, and failing miserably.
"Now I'm impressed. I didn't think you'd know his name."
"That brat is the reason we put iron grills outside the hostel windows!" Idris glared at Nero, as if he were somehow to blame as well.
"I find that hard to believe," Nero said, a wide, natural smile suddenly on his face. "At home he was the biggest goody two shoes there was. He never broke a single rule, which got me in even more trouble somehow."
"Lies! That brat broke every goddamn rule we had, as if he was doing it on purpose! Do you know he dared precious little Irene to get her first tattoo! He's the reason she was led astray."
"Impossible!" Nero said, even as he chuckled. This was a side of his brother he never knew about. If Irene hadn't told him that she personally tattooed him, he would have found it hard to believe Idris as well.
He couldn't help but wonder why his brother kept it all a secret. Back then, Nero would have been the first to support him if he told him any of this. Well, maybe that was why.
Idris looked at Nero, his expressions clear as day. He was both agitated, as well as relieved. Nero couldn't even begin to imagine what was going through his head, but he could venture a guess.
"When Patrick comes back, you want to beat him up together?" Nero asked, his voice filled with longing. "The idiot never even told me he got married."
Idris' shoulders slumped.
"Irene wouldn't accept our help because she said she had a new family now," Idris said somberly.
"She does," Nero said, plainly. The conversation ended there, and Idris did not mention Patrick again, or Irene.
If Nero or his parents had known about their marriage, they would have never let Irene survive on her own for so long. But what was done was done. The future is what they had to focus on now.
An angry looking soldier came by and reattached Idris' snapped armrest, fixing it as if it was never broken to begin with. He did not say anything, but his glare was more than enough to communicate that Idris should restrain himself.
Nero chuckled.
For some reason, in his mind, Idris' image was cemented as the awkward, angry uncle of the Hammel family.
A while after everyone was seated, several men walked up on stage and began the speeches. Nero listened, even if the speeches were extremely tedious.
They reiterated the history of Kolar, and the warrior spirit that the country embodied and so on. Basically he was just building hype without actually providing any new information. Nero automatically filtered it out as noise.
After one guy finished, another came and they continued to focus on Kolar's strong history to the point where Nero felt like they weren't just randomly filling time. Could they be building up to something?
Nero got goosebumps when the thought occurred to him, and for some reason he recalled Footer's concerned face.
What was Kolar known for? Its remarkable military might, which had proved itself time and time again throughout history. When exactly was military might most relevant? During times of chaos, or war…
The man on stage abruptly ended his speed, and took a step back. For a moment it felt like everyone was stunned by the abrupt end, so the next person in line forgot to step up.
Then Nero saw something out of the corner of his eye, and looked up. From a distance, a flying figure was quickly approaching, and it took only a few seconds for it to reach the sky above the stage.
Sage Haiden had arrived, and he looked out at the entire audience, observing them, before he slowly began to descend onto the stage, right in front of the microphone.
"Ladies and gentlemen, we all know why we are here today," the man said, getting straight to the heart of the matter. "Disaster does not seek permission before it strikes. Challenges do not come with a warning. But whether it be in the heart of winter, or the dead of night, Kolar has always stood ready. When danger comes, our men fight!"
The sky seemed to experience a change under the might of his voice, and red hue began to fill the blue, clear sky.
"When a threat appears, our women kill!"
The aether around the guests, which had been scorching, suddenly began to flow in a different direction, and began circling the sage, causing the wind to mimic its movements. A storm began to brew.
"When a curse strikes, our children strike back!"
There was a rising momentum in the air, and Nero's goosebumps became even stronger. He was in awe of the power of a sage, and he hadn't technically even done anything yet. This was merely the aether responding to the sage's fiery emotions!
"When I was conscripted into the army, at the tender age of 16, I swore an oath in my heart. When I grew strong, the children of Kolar would go to war no more. But here I am now, a sage, and yet the children still fight."
Nero cursed his gut feeling for being right. The reason they seated him right in front was because he wasn't done being a prop just yet. As if on cue, Haiden turned to look at Nero, the youngest in the entire crowd, and with him so did everyone else.
It took every ounce of Nero's will to stop himself from gulping.