Chapter 2 - Another World

Within an spacious courtyard filled with beautiful and blossoming flowers, one could see a woman that possesses otherworldly charm and demeanor that far surpassed the beauty of nature itself. She wore a cold look within her face, as it emitted an indifferent impression, which increased her beauty further.

She would move around the yard while wielding her sword. Her moves were graceful to the point that it would put the angels and fairies into shame. Although, it was faint, one could feel an unseen ripple spreading across the air, as she punched softly the air, performing her technique.

She was Xia Qingyue, the goddess genius of the whole Floating Cloud City. While she was still but a 15-year old girl, she's already matured enough to handle some matters about their clan. She was hailed as the strongest teen within the whole city, together with the Xiao Clan's genius.

Her clan is the richest organizations within the whole city, with a foundation and connections far surpassing the other clans around the Floating Cloud City. She was undoubtedly a princess because of her status, grace, and peerless talent.

After she practiced for quite a while, she stopped her practicing routine, as she stood straight while letting the sun bask on her unmatched body. The sweat due to her practice, made the clothes she wore tightened, as it revealed her seductive curves that would make even girls blush.

"Are you done, big sister?"

She heard a man's voice, as she let out a smile. Xia Qingyue slowly turned her gaze at the approaching figure, as she noticed the oncoming towel that was threw at her. She swiftly caught the towel easily.

"Just finished…"

She answered indifferently, as she used the towel to wipe the beads of sweat within her neck and face. Her movements further intensified her seduction strength, as her brother scratched his head awkwardly, yet the guy didn't looked away.

Xia Yuanba was already a customer of his sister's unmatched beauty, and rather shameless attitude whenever she was with him. He was someone everyone would call bulky and full-of-muscles, yet he emanated this childish and naïve impression that made everyone realize that he's still young. Compared to his big sister, he could also be called talented. However, his big sister is more talented than him, just like heaven and earth.

"Big sister, why are you always like this?"

He wryly spoke, as he asked his big sister a question. Xia Qingyue looked at him, and suddenly threw the towel towards him, as Xia Yuanba easily caught it.

"We're siblings. There's no need for pleasantries."

"Well… you're right."

He dryly coughed, as he weirdly stared at his big sister. You're always like that… he inwardly thought, as he stared at his sister's back.

"I'm going to continue practicing…"

Xia Qingyue informed her little brother, as she took a stance and swiftly punched the air. The space before her emitted a faint yet soft cry, as her little brother gasped in surprise.

"You've gotten even stronger, big sis."

"Mm."

She unceasingly punched the air, as she seriously focused on her practicing routine. It was always like this. Xia Yuanba would always watch his big sister practice spontaneously, and it made him wonder why his big sister was so earnest to get stronger…

While he was watching Xia Qingyue practicing her footworks, his ears seemed to have picked something up. He involuntarily stared at the sky, as his jaw gaped because of his evident shock.

"What in the world is that?"

He muttered to himself, as he stared at the faint-yet-significant crack in the sky. He swiftly stood up, as he tapped his big sister's shoulders in agitation.

"Big sister, look at the sky!"

"What?"

Xia Qingyue abruptly halted her movements, as she slowly gazed at the sky. Her entire body shook in shock, as she involuntarily let out a gasp of surprise.

"What in the world is that?"

"How would I know?"

Xia Yuanba thought that his sister was actually asking him, as he answered back loudly. "Ack!" was the sound that he complained out, as his big sister actually smacked his back.

"What was that for, big sis?"

"Hmph. Let's check that out."

"We should report this to father first."

Xia Yuanba who was usually foolish in making decisions actually suggested something useful, as Xia Qingyue stared at her little brother with widened eyes. She nodded her head, as Xia Yuanba wryly smiled upon noticing her excited expression amidst her cold demeanor.

…

Surprisingly, the Xia Clan didn't mobilized any force to check that crack out. Because, the moment Xia Qingyue's father checked the sky to verify whether his daughter and son was telling the truth, the crack had already vanished.

"But, we really saw it!"

Xia Yuanba complained, as his big sister nodded her head in confirmation. They were facing the richest man within the whole city, their father. Their father is the clan head of the whole Xia Clan, and also one of the most influential individual in the city. He was called Xia Hongyi.

The middle-aged man calmly looked at his daughter and son, as he carefully scrutinized their behavior and emotions. He was trying to check whether they were lying or not, or maybe just joking with him.

"Haa… I give up."

He heaved a sigh, as his hand stooped into the table. It was evident that he felt pretty helpless whenever he faced his two adorable children.

Upon hearing his signs of defeat, Xia Yuanba let out a smile, as Xia Qingyue looked on with indifferent yet cold demeanor. However, one can sense a prideful aura coming out of her body.

"So, you permit us to go out father?"

"Yes…"

Xia Qingyue asked her father, as the latter replied back with a confirmation that the duo was waiting for. Xia Yuanba jumped happily, as he unconsciously grabbed his big sister's hands and ran speedily.

Both his children vanished pretty fast, as Xia Hongyi watched them with a helpless look. He heaved a sigh, as he talked to himself.

"Well, with Qing'er together with Yuanba, they should be alright…"

"I wonder, if they were really telling the truth? A crack in the sky, huh."

He asked himself, as he opened the windows within the room, and gazed the sky with a calm gaze. He shook his head, as he rejected such idea.

…

*Boom!* An ear-piercing sound erupted within the forest that was located on the north of Floating Cloud City. Dust filled the air, as debris from the impact scattered around. Some trees were broken, and the ground was cracked like webs.

Blood scent filled the air, as a youth with tattered clothes lied on the center of the crater. His body was deformed due to the impact, as blood continuously flowed out of his body.

However, in the next instant, his body together with his clothes, was all restored to its usual state. The scratches and the wounds within his body vanished into nothingness. Even the blood around him vanished mysteriously.

He was Shiba Tatsuya who experienced how dreadful a blackhole can be. However, he was mentally dead, as his emotions were pretty much nonexistent because of the disaster that had occurred on his world.

[Diminished combat capacity, stuck below the tolerable levels.]

[Self-Restoration Sequence, Auto-Start.]

[Loading Magic Sequence.]

[Reading Core Eidos data from backup.]

[Quintessence can't be found, error.]

It was then that a rustling sound echoed across the perimeter, as two heads appeared from the corner. It was Xia Qingyue and Xia Yuanba that stared at the site with serious eyes. They were filled with cautiousness, as Xia Qingyue stood in the front, and Xia Yuanba in the back.

"Run immediately, if we encountered something, okay Yuanba?"

Xia Qingyue sounded pretty serious, as she instructed her little brother about the situation. The latter nodded back at her with a serious gaze. It seemed that Xia Yuanba has also realized that things were pretty serious.

They slowly walked towards the crater and spotted Tatsuya's body. They looked at each other, as they nodded their heads. They glided downwards the crater effortlessly, and found themselves standing before the body.

"Is he dead?"

"No, I can sense his heart. It's still beating…"

Xia Qingyue answered her little brother's inquiry, as she crouched to the ground and touched Tatsuya's forehead out of interest. It was warm, she inwardly thought.

"Yuanba, I'll stay here, quickly notify our clansmen."

"Big sister, I'll stay here. It will be slow if I'll be the one to run the errand."

Xia Qingyue stared at her little brother with surprised gaze, as she found that her little brother can be dependable sometimes. She nodded her head, as she quickly jumped out of the crater and ran back to their clan in haste.

"Are you the one who caused this?"

He murmured quietly, as he checked out the young man before him. The young man emanated the aura of invulnerability, as Xia Yuanba involuntarily flicked the young man's finger. There were no response, he discovered.

[Elemental Sight, Auto-Start.]

"Wah?"

Xia Yuanba involuntarily jumped backward, as he saw the youth instantly open his eyes. He unconsciously peered into Tatsuya's pure-blue eyes, as he saw an innumerable amount of numbers and letters within the latter's eyes.

However, everything happened in an instant, as Tatsuya's eyes abruptly closed. The fear and shock within Xia Yuanba's heart still remained, as he quickly climbed out of the crater. He stood just before the crater and gravely stared at Tatsuya's body. He was also wishing for his big sister to quickly come back together with their clansmen.

[Quintessence can't be detected, error.]

[Elemental Sight can't link to the Quintessence Dimension.]

[Retrieving the Quintessence, currently impossible.]

That was the words that echoed within Tatsuya's empty soul, as his innate ability, Regrowth, failed in restoring back his soul into its prime state. It seemed that his innate ability, Elemental Sight, failed to support his innate ability, Regrowth.

While such things was happening within his mind, Xia Yuanba finally heard the galloping of horses as he found his big sister together with his father approaching him. He heaved a sigh of relief, as he approached them, while telling the things that had just happened…