Chapter 44: Bran’s Facial Markings

Chapter 44: Bran’s Facial Markings

Zoya looked at Bran on the rocking chair with a little heartache. At that time, Bran had a bruise on his cheek and a black eye. Eileen was also carefully looking at his face, feeling a little happy and excited. Bran explained in a bold and loud voice, typical of the Northlands: “These are Facial Markings, the sign of a Northlander’s adulthood. As you grow, they turn into beautiful and powerful designs.”

Lily pursed her lips beside him. She decided that after the guests left, she would make Bran “more mature” – by giving him another black eye. That day, almost everyone was acting unusually. Bran kept provoking the Little Dragon Boy. As a result, Aiman showed true Knight manners, treating Bran’s words like meaningless chatter.

Lily mediated a bit, saying something like her brother had been frightened as a child and was mentally unstable. So Aiman stepped forward at once, promising he would take good care of little Bran.

Zhuoma stood not far from Bran, humming softly. This showed his mood was quite good.

Bran decided to leave that suffocating place. He whispered to Zoya and Eileen: “I’ll take you around since you haven’t seen the Manor properly yet. I’ll also tell you some secrets of the Northlands.”

The secrets of the Northlands sparked the girls’ curiosity. They instantly sandwiched Bran side by side like old girlfriends. Their small hands rested on his shoulders, showing eagerness.

Bran took the two girls away. Aiman hovered around Lily. Then Zhuoma looked dumbfounded. He realized neither group wanted him to join. So his humming turned lonely and sad.

Bran stood before the screen wall, pointing at the Phoenix there, and began to babble nonsense: “This bird is called a Phoenix. Few outsiders know about it. It’s a secret guarded by us Northlanders. They hide in the Wasteland, acting like Guardians for the Northlands. Anyone who dares to attack this land will face its burning wrath.”

Eileen didn’t quite believe it: “Nothing can’t be killed,” she added, patting the sword at her waist.

Seeing this violent girl, Bran shook his head helplessly: “They are reborn from fire. They are undying beings. On this land, wind, rain, thunder, and lightning come and go. Every flash and rumble could be a start to their revival.”

Looking at the two girls, who were surprised and doubtful, Bran decided to make a deeper impression. He began telling a story: “A long, long time ago…”

…

Just as Bran was relishing the warm joy of telling stories to little girls, two boys darkened by sun and wind stepped around from the other side of the screen wall.

Bran stopped his story. A thrill of excitement shot through his brain. Then he rushed over, jumping to embrace the two boys – his brothers.

The two boys stood there, grinning as Bran spun around them, touching and poking. Bran had never thought his brothers’ return would make him so happy or excited. He always felt distant from them, meeting mainly at the dining table. But a bodily instinct told him these two were very, very important people in his life. It wasn’t about reason; it was a natural, Bloodline connection. It might be overshadowed by events or others, but after long separations and reunions, it returned to its original meaning – family bonds.

“What happened to your face?” the second brother asked with concern.

“Got hit,” Bran pointed towards his sister, completely forgetting his earlier boast but still trying to mislead.

The brothers looked where Bran pointed. They saw their sister and the “fly” beside her. Then, overwhelmed by amplified family feelings after seeing their brother, they grew angry, ready to teach that fly a lesson.

Eileen saw through Bran’s scheming mind and added quickly: “He got hit by his sister.”

Then the brothers’ anger faded instantly. When they looked back at Bran, their expressions turned a bit unfriendly.

Bran ignored his brothers’ looks. He let out a long cry, making the trinkets on him rattle joyfully. Animals in the Mountain Villa sensed Bran’s happiness and joined his cry. So howls of wolves, cries of eagles, and neighs of horses blended together. Birds nearby flew into the sky in a dark, swirling mass.

Lily was drawn by her brother’s cry and looked over. Then she jumped up, shook off the fly beside her, and ran towards the two grinning boys…

…

With his brothers back, Bran stopped worrying about his sister. He believed his brothers could easily crush that Little Dragon Boy now. Tall ones bear the weight when the sky falls. Now that the Duke’s other two little men had returned, he felt relieved.

Or to put it another way, after his brothers left, Bran unconsciously tried his best as the man of the house. Now that two real men were back, he could relax and be less manly.

That evening, Bran still didn’t escape another black eye from his sister. Whenever she trained, she remembered how long it had been hidden. Given the Northlanders’ pursuit of personal strength, she only got angrier. Bran could tell that without soothing her anger, his days would be tough for a good while.

Bran didn’t mean to hide anything. Past ideas about social roles, group strength, and reliance on machines, plus some habits, made him less aware.

Now with two “panda eyes,” Bran stood before his sister in a very proper stance. He didn’t want to give her any excuses then. He tried again: “I didn’t do it on purpose. Can I sit next to you?”

“Stand!”

“I’m a Wizard, and you’re a Wizard too. We must have more to talk about.”

“Go away! It just makes me mad thinking about it.”

“Then should I really leave?”

“Go!”

“Alright, you told me to leave. Actually, I have some ideas that might help improve your abilities.”

“Come back!”

Lily looked at her brother’s grinning, mischievous smirk and burst out laughing.

…

“See, your power works on yourself,” Bran said, drawing a human outline on the ground with his ability: “You need at least a basic understanding of the body’s structure.”

Lily listened to every word carefully. A more detailed view of the human World unfolded before her. She learned about marrow, blood-making cells, and such.

Bran shared whatever he knew with his sister if he remembered it. Watching Bran gesture over the body outline, every movement involved linked groups of muscles. It was about the body’s motion…

Regarding Mana, he could only suggest relaxing as much as possible at first and feeling deeper inside herself. Focusing on tinier and tinier details was key, like skin, muscles, bones, and then even smaller parts that made them up. Bran spoke slowly, in a low, suggestive, guiding tone.

Then he saw his sister crumple to the ground, foaming at the mouth, just as when he first explored the microscopic World with Mana. Her Attendant Lisha rushed over, picked up Lily, and asked angrily: “What did you do!?”

Danny stood beside Bran, silently watching Lisha.

The Little Loli, Xirui, looked on anxiously at both sides.

Bran kind of wished his mother was there. He still couldn’t control situations well. To everyone, he probably seemed like an unreliable kid.