...
Boom!
As Berret and David were rushing toward the direction where the commotion was coming from, the old hunter sensed a few familiar auras coming from that place.
One of them was a villager while the other was a guardian beast. The former was in an unstable state, seemingly on the verge of being crazy, while the other was somewhat in a weakened state, indicating that they were heavily injured.
Then there were also two more presences coming from that location.
One of those two was somewhat unfamiliar, but it was not coming from any Mentalists from the villagers, which meant that they were not someone from the village. In the meantime, the other possessed a unique feature that no one could forget. Anyone from the village would be able to recognize such a presence even if they were from miles away.
What was surprising about this was this person was in an unstable state, seemingly on the verge of berserk.
Squinting his eyes, Berret increased the range of his perception technique so that he could see what was happening in that place in a clearer state. His eyes also glowed with a golden light as he used an ocular technique to enhance his vision.
Through the darkness, his eyes seemed to be able to see a series of golden lights. These lights gathered and formed a few figures in the distance, seemingly re-enacting the events in their destination.
The golden figures moved as he watched with a grim look on his face.
"We are accelerating our pace! Erick is wreaking havoc and seems to have lost his mind in anger!" he commanded while enveloping his body with Mental Energy.
Swoosh!
A moment later, he sprinted and flew forward, leaving the rest of the group behind.
In the meantime, the rangers behind him also used their respective Mentalism Enhancements to increase their speed and catch up to their captain.
"Tsk! Tsk! Erick has really done it this time!"
"Banishment from the village will be the last of his worries."
"This is even more serious since the leaders are away to clear the Forbidden Valley."
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!
On the other hand, David remained silent as he ran alongside them. There was a serious look on his face as his Enlightened Eyes could clearly see what was happening in the distance.
He had a bad feeling about this, especially when he sensed the presence of his junior brother in that place.
"Please don't lose it, junior brother," mumbled David worriedly as he increased his speed, overtaking even the adult rangers running alongside him.
Swoosh!
...
Boom!
An ominous storm of Qi was released from Shin's body as he lost himself to the feeling that he had never felt before.
Snap!
There seemed to be a sound of broken glass reverberating in Shin's ears.
Crack! Crack!
Then it was slowly spreading wide while a series of whispers sounded.
"He is a bad person!"
"He hurts your friends!"
"You must punish him!"
...
...
The more Shin heard those words, the more he felt enraged. Then the final words sounded when he could no longer suppress it.
"Lend me punish him for you! I will punish him for you!"
Hearing these words that seemed tempting him, Shin finally lowered his guard and let whoever that person controlled his body.
Boom!
Right after the possession was complete, Shin's eyes became completely red, dark crimson even. It was as if those pupils were dyed in blood.
This 'Shin' did not immediately attack Erick, who was making his way toward the unconscious body of Odin.
Instead, he smiled before raising his head and staring through the darkness. As if he was able to see through everything, he looked straight into the eyes of a person who just arrived at the scene.
This person was the guard assigned to protect Shin. He was neither David nor the chief of the village guards, who were usually watching over Shin whenever he left the village. Those two were currently busy with the task of looking for the clues of the unexpected breach on the outer barrier protecting the village which was why he had sent her to look after Shin temporarily.
This was supposedly an easy job since most of the people living within the village were in harmony. They did not hurt or argue much with each other due to their similar backgrounds.
Odin was successful at snapping Shin from his berserk state, but that was in exchange for something important.
"Ah-... O-Odin-... w-why-... I-..." Shin stared blankly in front of him.
Odin stood before Shin with his arms spread wide while smiling at Shin. "I'm sorry, Shin. It seems like they are right. An outsider like me will only disturb the peace of this village."
Blood was dripping from the corners of his mouth as he maintained his smile.
His original intention was to save Shin. But from the look of it, he had made it worse. "Shin, thanks for being my friend."
"Don't be sad. I am sure that we will meet again someday," he stretched his hand and touched Shin's cheeks. "Don't be mad because of me, you will be a bad kid."
"Promise me that you will be a good kid, alright?"
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!
It was only at that moment when Berret and the others arrived at the scene. They could not help but pause their tracks when they saw the scene in front of them.
They stared with wide eyes at Shin and Odin, unable to move.
Swoosh!
Then they watched as Odin's hand lost its strength and fell.
Shin was staring at Odin blankly, unable to process what was happening due to his very young age. He was confused as a series of overwhelming emotions flooded him. His chest tightened as tears started flowing from his eyes.
"Ahh!"
He then broke down and started crying.
Swoosh!
It was at that moment when David appeared beside him. He pulled Shin to his arms as his junior brother cried hard.
"Senior Brother-... I've become a bad kid-... what I am going to do-... I am a bad kid now-..."
At the same time, Berret walked over to Erick, who was still stunned and unable to move from his position. "Erick, you are arrested according to the first law of Solomon-..."
...
A week after the incident, Shin shut himself inside his room, unwilling to go out.
David was getting worried and did not know what to do. His master and her husband were currently busy dealing with the powerful beasts that were trying to cross the Forbidden Valley alongside the other elders. They would take at least a whole month before they came back.
Berret regularly visited along with the other elders of the village as they were also worried about the situation.
Moreover, David and Shin were still too young to handle the current situation. Even if they were much smarter and wiser than kids around their age, they were still innocent and inexperienced kids, nevertheless.
Erick was held accountable for the incident. He was currently imprisoned inside the village's dungeon, waiting for his verdict when the villager leaders came back.
At the same time, the people of the village started to fear Shin even more due to this incident. Even if he was not to be blamed, the powers of the seed that he had inherited from his father were still something that terrified them.
They even warned their kids to never get near him due to this.
Swoosh!
While David was currently resting in the courtyard, the sliding door of their house suddenly opened. He quickly stood up as he knew that Shin finally come out.
When he stood in front of Shin, he could not help but frown as the little toddler was somewhat different from before. He did not know what exactly it was, but he was sure that something had changed.
Shin looked at David and said. "Senior Brother. The kids don't want to play with me because I am a bad kid, right?"
"Ah-...!" David was slightly taken aback by the question, but he quickly recovered and swiftly shook his head. "No."
Shin shook his head. "No. I know. Shin is a bad kid that is why everyone doesn't want to play with me. Shin even hurt Odin."
David raised his brows while looking at Shin.
Shin was starting to become aware of his powers.
Before David could even respond, Shin added. "Senior Brother. Can you come with me in the forest? I want to play with the uncles and aunties in the forest to say goodbye to them."
"Goodbye? Why are you saying goodbye to them?" asked David.
"Un," Shin nodded. "Shin will say goodbye to them. I will be staying home now. I will not be able to play with them anymore."
"I don't want to hurt them as well," he added with a sad tone.
David fell silent for a moment before agreeing. "Alright. Senior Brother will come with you. But we also have to bring Granpa Berret, alright?"
"Un," Shin nodded while keeping his head low.
David stared at him for a couple of moments before extending his hand to hold Shin. "Let's Go."
......