Grand Ancestral Bloodlines

Though he was prepared to hear it—or rather, he thought that he had been—Ryu still trembled beside himself. The words shook him to the core to the point it felt like the sky was collapsing.

Most of Ryu's rage wasn't even aimed toward the Martial Gods, at least half of it was aimed toward his so-called great grandfather. At this point, Ryu didn't care what reasons he had. His great grandfather could have chosen not to step in for the benefit of the world and he still wouldn't care.

Ryu felt a throbbing pain in his chest that he hadn't felt in years. He looked down at his chest, suddenly remembering the 'X' he had drawn across it before he reawakened his memories. He had severed all ties with the Agnes Clan, his maternal Clan, due to the actions of his supposed grandfather.

When he Awakened, he had shed everything from that life, purging his blood and even cleansing himself of all the wounds he had suffered. That scar had long since faded that day, and yet the place it had once been was experiencing a searing pain as though his skin was being burnt from the inside out.

Compared to the pain he had suffered at the hands of the Agnes Clan, this hurt far more. All that suffering was taken on by himself. But, this was different. This was the inaction of someone who should have been family resulting in the deaths of people he cared for dearly.

Mistress Kukan sighed, looking at the ring on Ryu's finger. If there was anyone who could practically read Ryu like a book outside of Ailsa, it was her. She could tell that Ryu wanted to keep it together for her sake, but she also understood that after a life of lacking power, the current Ryu still wasn't equipped to deal with the strength he had now.

Ryu's temper had always been fiery, he lashed out at everything and his fuse was short. In the past, it was his tongue that took the forefront, but now that his fist was growing larger and larger, he often didn't even bother with words anymore. Whenever something enraged him, he simply killed it.

Recently, he had had a streak of sparing people he would have killed in the past. However, that was more like a conscious effort than a true change? How could anyone change so quickly? It took deliberate effort over years, maybe even longer, for such a true change to occur.

But right now, all Ryu's hopes and aspirations toward having a more level head were being tested again and again. If not for the fact it was his grandmother before him, he would have long since lashed out.

Mistress Kukan sighed. "… Your great grandfather… I know that what I say likely won't help, but if there's anyone who's subject to the restraints of their bloodline to the greatest degree, it is him. When his wife and your great grandmother died, he cut off all ties with the world. It was his opportunity to finally transcend those bounds, something that is especially difficult for those of us who have Ancient Beast Blood…

"This…"

Ryu shook his head, the trembling of his heart and the aching, searing pain in his chest vanishing.

"Grandma, I'm not interested in hearing about him. Tell me more about what happened."

Mistress Kukan sighed, gently stroking Ryu's cheeks.

"Okay, I guess you can continue to be spoiled for a little bit longer."

Mistress Kukan smiled lightly, pinching Ryu's nose as though he really was still five years old. But, Ryu let her do as she pleased, sitting across from his grandmother and holding onto one of her frail hands.

"Since you already know how this story ends, I won't hold you in suspense. When you disappeared, we learned the story of what happened from Elena and understood that this matter was much larger than we thought. It was just unfortunate that it was far too late to turn the tide in any meaningful way.

"However, thanks to your discovery of the Death Shrine, we managed to place some contingency plans in place, one of which is this Ice…" Mistress Kukan coughed lightly in embarrassment. "… Devil Legacy World."

Despite how he was feeling, Ryu revealed a genuine smile, laughing.

He knew his Grandma Kukan well. Despite one might expect from the descendant of an Ice Phoenix she had a fiery temper. His Grandpa Kukan had learned long ago not to mention it, this was especially so since Mistress Kukan was sensitive due to the matter between Ryu's grandfather and Elena's grandmother.

Clearly, his grandmother had earned this title doing some … less than womanly things in her fury at the number of betrayal they had suffered. This had ended up earning her such a title.

But, for it to carry such a powerful momentum, it was clear that his grandmother hadn't just done a few crazy things. Now she was feeling embarrassed having to expose these things to her grandson.

"What are you laughing about you cheeky little brat?"

Mistress Kukan pulled at Ryu's cheek with her free hand, not giving him the slightest bit of face.

"I give, I give!" Ryu pleaded for mercy. He knew well that this was the only way to get his grandmother to let up, but his twitching lip gave him away.

"Humph, you've grown up enough to tease your grandmother, hm?"

"No, no. Never."

"Humph." Mistress Kukan shook her head and let Ryu go.

"The Death Shrine became a great opportunity for us. Though it didn't allow us to reverse the situation, it played a pivotal role in why we can be here talking to one another.

"Not long after we found the Shrine, your father used its passage to the Nether Realm, pretending as though he had lost his mind in pursuit of you. But, the truth is that this is his chance. If he survives, he will come out more powerful than ever. If he fails…"

Mistress Kukan shook her head but moved on.

"While your father entered the Nether Realm, Little Himari gained acknowledgement of a Dark Phoenix Inheritance that was left behind. Unfortunately, she did not get the best opportunity to use it before we were forced to Seal the Plane.

"As for us four old fogies… We benefitted from the Death Shrine in that we were able to control our deaths. This strand of my soul formed this Legacy World. As for your Grandpa Kukan and your Grandpa and Grandma Tatsuya, they used the help of the Death Shrine to preserve a small strand of their Souls in our Ancestral Lands.

"They are waiting to pass on what remains of their legacies to you."

Mistress Kukan looked toward her grandson with an endless depth of warmth in her murky eyes. Her belief in Ryu was practically tangible.