“I am glad you could make it”

“So, what is the reason you asked me to come to this place?”

Doran Tengu asked of his leader, Ren Karatengu.

“Doran…Can you tell me about my father, Ymit Karatengu?”

“I see, so you wish to know, huh.”

“All right, I will tell you all I know, but before that…Why are you sitting on top of a tree?”

“It couldn’t be helped. Yaks are everywhere; the only place safe from them is on top of a tree”

“But you are the one who brought the Yaks here!”

“Yeah, I did, didn’t I?”

Ren felt a little silly. It was a disaster of his own doing that everyone thought was a massive success.

“Oh, might as well”

Doran sighed before jumping up and perching on the branch of the tree opposite to the branch Ren was perched on.

Not wasting time, Doran began his tale.

“When I was a child, just a few months old, my family was hunted down by humans. As a Darkling, my body matured far faster than that of a human, just a couple of months old, I could easily pass for a child of seven or eight. What I remember now is just blurs, memories…of screams, agony, and blood…so much blood….”

Doran proceeded to take off his artificial right arm.

Ren could clearly see that Doran was missing large portion of his arm up to a portion of his forearm.

“You see, humans, view my kind as something like a game to hunt. Our limbs are taken from us, made into trophies and magic items. Luckily I managed to flee, losing only one arm in the process. I ran without stopping…. But in the end, my body gave out, and I found myself in the forest, hiding inside of a hollow tree.”

“And then, Master Ymit found me”

Doran continued.

“At first I thought he was another human that came to claim my limbs as his prizes, but Master Ymit did not wish to harm me. The first thing he did after he saw me was to make this”

Doran showed Ren his artificial hand.

“I can never forget it. He showed such kindness to me, someone who was nothing to him. And yet….What he told me next was ‘Would you like to join me on my journey?’ I couldn’t believe my ears”

“For the next two years, he raised me as if I was his own son. He taught me to fight, to hunt, use magic, and survive. If it were not for his lessons, without a doubt, I would have been long dead.”

“Even to this day, I can’t remember what my real parents looked like; the only face that comes to my mind is that of Master Ymit. To me, he was the ideal father.”

“After two years, I had grown and reached maturity. Master Ymit felt it was safe for me to live on my own.”

“What he left me was my last name, my arm, and a purpose. I owe Master Ymit so much that I could never repay him in this lifetime.”

“Regretfully, I never saw Master Ymit again after that. I only knew of the world of Sulum because of his tales, he used to talk a lot about the clans that resided in the Kalkan kingdom and how he was a crow of the Karatengu clan. More than anything, Master Ymit wanted to go back to his world, to his home, and to his family.”

“He used to often perch on top of a tree, just like you. When he thought none was watching, he would silently weep. I once overheard him saying ‘I already lost everyone I loved; now I am unlikely to ever see them again’. Even with my Master so sad, I could do nothing to help him.”

“It took me a long time, but as soon as I found a way, I transported myself to the world of Sulum, hoping to see Master Ymit again.”

“But not long afterwards, I was captured by the crazy humans that fed on demons. And then, I found out Master Ymit was long dead, but his family lived on. And then, I met you”

“I guess that makes us step brothers, does it not?” Ren suggested.

“Does it?” Doran skeptically asked.

“I don’t see why not”

“In that case, I gratefully accept. Brother”

“Same here, brother” Ren chuckled a little before turning serious.

“In my case, I wish I could remember the face of my father. Until I was eight, my family was whole. I even had a brother of my own. We lived in peace in the village of Sunflower, undisturbed, blissfully unaware what was going on in our world.”

“But one day, an army of knights invaded our village. They massacred everyone. My father fell to their blades. I tried to save him, but for my effort, I was stabbed with daggers, shot with arrows, and thrown off the cliff into a waterfall.”

“By a stroke of twisted luck, I was rescued by a fisherwoman. Without a doubt, if it were not for her, I would have perished then and there. Her name was Shan, she was my master.”

Ren continued.

“Within the months that followed, not only did she nurse me back to health, but she also taught me magic and skills I would need to survive. For a couple of years, until I was twelve, I traveled with her; I used to think of the two of us as some kind of adventurers, out exploring the world. How silly of a thought that was…”

“One day, the village we were staying in was attacked. My master let me escape, but at the cost of her life” Ren’s hand clenched into a fist.

“I don’t remember much what happened afterwards, but somehow I ended up in this world of demons, and after meeting Aijasyl, I joined this clan. I found out I was a crow demon a little later, and as Master Korgan’s grandson, it ended up apparently making me the leader of the clan.”

Ren did not mention the fact that for a few months, he was blissfully unaware that he was the true leader of Tengu clan, and only found out about it recently. While he was honest with Doran, he did not want to end up humiliating himself in front of his step brother.

“From the letters and records left by my father, I found out the true identity of Master Shan. Her real name was Raushan Shin; she was my father’s fiancée and my mother”

After finding out Raushan’s true identity, Ren was confident that she must have been his mother.

“I am so sorry”

“The only thing I wish to do now is to protect this clan, because as far as family goes, they are all I have left” Ren admitted.

“With Master Ymit gone, the only one who can lead his clan would be you, his son”

“I can’t do it alone. Will you help me?”

“Well, if you put it that way, I can’t refuse, can I? Besides, I owe too much to Master Ymit. Helping his son to keep his family safe sounds like a swell idea”

“It is not just my family, Doran. You are now a member of Tengu clan, not just in name, but truly one of us. This clan is our family, help me protect it”

Ren offered his left hand. Smiling, Doran proceeded to shake Ren’s hand with his own.

“You may not know your father, brother, but let me tell you this. You are much like him. To show my gratitude to Master Ymit, I shall do my best to aid you in your endeavor.”

“Thank you, Doran”

On the inside, Ren couldn’t help but be relieved. In truth, before this conversation, he could not trust Doran’s words, even after Master Korgan made sure that Doran told the truth with the usage of magic item. But maybe having a step brother was not such a bad ordeal.

Still, Ren would rather have his real brother back. If he only knew….