Inside an ordinary house, a sound of writing was constantly echoing. Forus Ander was a busy man, and he had been reading and signing reports since dusk. His little business needed his full attention, and he had given it his all. It was his proudest achievement, and it helped him created his foundation.

As the sun began to rise, Forus found himself looking at it with his eyes half-closed, thinking about the earlier days of his life, when he was poor. It was a dark past, but he embraced it with acceptance, as it built him to become strong and independent.

Before he could become a successful merchant, he was once one of the peasants, helping his parents doing labours and watering the fields. Due to his gifted mind, his parents allowed him to study at the school, and that let him develop his intellect, and finally winning a scholarship.

"Dear, you should rest some more. You've been working since last day, and it won't be good for your health." A lovely voice resounded as a pair of hands warped around his back. Suddenly, the person behind him leaned onto him, and her head delicately snuggled with him.

"Just a little more and I'll finish this batch. I'll rest after this, don't worry." Forus stopped his work and kissed his wife, Meria, for a moment before getting back to read his papers. He could hear his wife getting touchy, but he ignored her.

As he progressed in his career, Forus found the love of his life, Meria Ander. She was the daughter of another merchant, and they met accidentally during their travel, and then again during the actual meeting.

Gradually, their feeling matured, and the two decided to embrace each other and started a new family. Once their wedding went successfully, Forus moved out and bought a new house, and they settled there. Everything was going uphill for both him and Meria.

Signing his last paperwork, Forus realised that time passed quickly, and the sun had already risen. The warm light signified a new day, telling various wildlife to wake up and begin their routine.

The fresh sunlight reminded him of his now impossible dream. When he was young, he wished to travel around the world, to see the wonders and landscapes he heard from other travellers. It was also partly why he chose to be a merchant.

However, after marrying Meria, Forus struggled to have that many free time, and for the better future for his family, he had decided to settle down and vanquish his dream. After all, his younger brother was already doing it for him.

Intor Ander, the second son of Ander Family. Although he was not talented in business, he had his way of living and had gone to learn aboard since he was a teen. Nowadays, from the letters he monthly sent, Forus learnt that he was doing well as a renowned architect.

"Daddy, I want to become a merchant like you! Will you be happy if I do?" A high-pitched voice echoed behind Forus, causing his tired face to snap out of his daydream and edge into a heart-warming smile.

"Matia, don't annoy your father. He is working right now." Forus could feel the gaze of his wife as he momentarily stopped working and turned to hug his daughter, Matia Ander.

The only daughter of their family, Matia was an adorable child who inherited her mother's graceful disposition and her father's intellect. Although at times, she would be playful and teasing, as expected of her age.

"Father will play with you after you finish cleaning your room, promise?" Forus extended his pinky toward his Matia, waiting for her to agree to his request. He would take a nap to replenish some of his energy while waiting.

"Yes!" Matia yelled happily as she ran into her room, going back to clean her room after a night of good sleep. It usually took a while for her to do everything, which gave Forus enough time to grab a quick rest.

...

Time passed, and the day went by. Before long, night arrived, and the dim moon moved in. Its soft light brought pleasure to the eyes and signified the regular wildlife to go back home and rest.

"Happy birthday to you, Matia!" After playing with her father, Matia came back home to see a lovely cake placed upon the table, with her mother standing beside it. She had completely forgotten that today was her birthday.

"Daddy, Mommy, thank you!" Matia walked over to hugged her father and her mother respectively. Then, she blew all ten candles and watched as her father cut the cake into eight pieces.

"Look, mommy got a present for you." While eating, Meria spoke as she produced a small wooden box in her hand, grabbing the attention of the little girl.

Matia grabbed it and inspected it joyfully. It was a picture frame containing the portrait of their family, with Matia in the middle and her parents on the side.

"Mom, you're the best!" Matia smiled from ear to ear and turned to look at Forus attentively, revealing a hint of hope in her sparkling eyes.

"This is what your uncle brought for you. He is my little brother. Unfortunately, he couldn't come here by himself, so I have to gift it to you for him." Forus pulled out a necklace that was designed especially for his daughter. As a famous architect, Intor could easily buy Matia some precious jewels.

Just from its appearance alone, one could tell that it was expensive and delicately designed. The gemstone engraved on it was green, and the light it reflected off brought peace and tranquil to the onlookers.

Once the necklace was in Matia's hand, the jewel in the middle shone faintly. As soon as Matia wore the necklace, its gem shone brightly in both green and blue shades.

"Matia!" At that moment, an unseen force exploded out, blasting both Forus and Meria into the wall, causing it to crumble. Pieces of wood and stones flew in every direction and injured them severely.

In the sky, space distorted, and the ground shook. Countless leaves manifested from emptiness, creating a dome of greenery. The land surrounding the house became an enclosed space, sealed by a thin layer of vines, preventing any exchange of information.

"Meria! Matia!" Forus tried to shout, but every time he moved, the pain intensified, and he almost fell unconscious. His body was full of wounds, and blood showed no sight of stopping. In his vision, aside from the ruin of the house, he only saw green.

The vines surrounding the house extended and formed a humanoid figure. It floated beside Matia, who had immersed herself inside a sphere of blue and green light.

The figure, dressed in a green cloak, stood motionlessly before the ruin, revealing no emotions. Its action of almost killing two fragile lives meant nothing to it. It was cold and ruthless. It was supernatural.

The figure looked at Matia for a moment before turning its attention to her father and mother.

"Mortals, for your descendant to become one of us, it is your eternal blessing. A quick, painless death shall be your rewards." Its voice, distorted and emotionless, echoed the ruin. Although it softly spoke, the sound somehow managed to travel to both Forus and Meria.

The figure lifted its hand, and a green light manifested soundlessly. It gathered around at the tip of the figure's finger before slowly moving toward Forus and Meria. It was a tip of Death God, and no mortals could stop its advance.

Sensing the inevitable doom, Forus, with his remaining willpower, turned his head to look at the unmoving body of his wife one last time. She was, although battered and injured, still beautiful in his eyes.

As green light slowly filled his vision, Forus felt his body going numb, and various scenes flashed past his mind. It was hot, then cold, then hot. His mind was in chaos, and only one emotion remained strong during the entire instant. It was unwillingness.

Forus was a stubborn man, and he was unwilling to die here. He wanted to see his daughter becoming successful, and he wanted to see his grandchildren. He wanted to meet his brother again after so long... There were still many things he had not done yet.

Alas, life comes at you unexpectedly, and before Forus could prepare himself, he was already on verge of death.

Before his life was about to end, a minute cracking noise echoed throughout the sealed space, and the dome of vines trembled along with it. Gradually, a hint of coldness spread itself the ruin, freezing everything that came into contact with it, including the moving green light.

At last, the dome of greenery could no longer hold off the invader, and it shattered into bits of frozen crystals and disappeared into thin air. Outside of the dome, a person wearing a blue robe remained floating in the air, slowly descending onto the ground in front of the green-robed figure.

"Long time no see..." Many massive ice spikes appeared behind the blue-robed man and positioned themselves to threaten the green-robed figure.

Responding to the threat, countless colourful flowers bloomed all around the ruin, producing a pleasant fragrance. With their collective power, they created an invisible pressure to weigh onto everything within their surrounding.

"... I only want this girl, so you can have the rest. Deal?" The figure covered in green gestured its hand, and a white wooden box magically manifested before floating toward the icy-cold man.

The blossomed flowers also began to rot away, lessening the pressure that weighed upon everything. The figure had revealed his sincerity with his action.

The man took the box emotionlessly and watched as the figure swiftly departed. Only after a long time had passed that he recalled his ice spikes and looked at the remnants of the house.

Forus could see a wicked smile as the man looked at him, causing his body to turn stiff. However, before he could think of anything, a cool wind blew past him, and his body became frozen. In an instant, Forus lost his consciousness.

...

A figure seated inside his room, meditating and reflecting upon his lessons. He had been doing this for one day and revealed no intention of stopping. With his eyes tightly shut, he comprehended the knowledge of sorcery alone.

A silver ring on his finger lit up in both green and blue colour, causing the man to open his eyes abruptly. He sat in a daze before smiling as a talented had appeared. However, before he could celebrate, the light turned weaker and slowly faded away.

This phenomenon caused the man to stand up, and his face to turn grim. In quick succession, he gestured his hands in a systematic style and chanted an unknown ancient spell. His mind was in the state of anxiety. Something unexpected had happened.

After a while, space in front of him twisted and broke apart, leaving a path toward the darkness opened. Mystical energy flowed into the darkness, slowly revealing the scenery that the path led to.

Without any hesitation, the man swiftly dashed into the portal and arrived in the middle of the ruin. It stood on what was once a lovely house. Now, the ruin was empty, without any sight of life.

The man let out a scream and exploded in regret. His magic swept the surrounding, and the wind blew as if a storm had descended onto the world.

"I, Intor Ander, hereby declare, that as long as I live, I will avenge my brother and his family. If they were still alive, I shall protect them with my life!" His formless soul began to emit a dark and depressing aura. Various complex hexagrams manifested themselves into the physical realm of existence, floating in front of him.

"With my power, I shall curse the enemies of my brother. For them to be dragged into the everlasting abyss and have their soul suppressed!

"With my power, I shall curse the enemies of my brother. For their descendants to have their bloodline rejected them, have them perished by their own bloodline!" The sky darkened, and space distorted. Time slowed down, and evil laughter echoed the whole world. With the price of his blood and precious vitality, Intor sent the curse into the world.

As soon as he finished, Intor felt his body weakening, and he would need years of rehabilitation before he regained his lost power. As for his shortened longevity, although it was not much, he had no ordinary way to restore them.

However, for his brother's peace, it was worth it. To atone his sin, he did not hesitate to do it.

As he gradually struggled toward the portal, he saw a collapsed female buried under a broken wall. She was on the brink of her last breath, unconscious and barely living.

The moment he saw her, his bloodline flared up faintly, and he suddenly appeared before her and injected his mysterious energy into her. He disregarded his pain and let the power nourished the woman, saving her from her critical condition.

"Brother, I'll protect her for you, and I will let her lead a peaceful life, waiting for you to come back..." Intor said softly as his body turned soft and light, and he carried her with him as he departed from the ruin.