The Martial Unity

1536 Inducing Drive

Kane narrowed his eyes at those words as beheld his father.

As always, the man more a simple feathered garb covering the lower half of his body, fashioned from the pelt of an Elder Phoenix. Scruffy hair covered most of his upper body and an unkempt beard covered most of his face, making him seem closer to a bear than a man.

His appearance did the cave justice, matching that of a caveman

"I'm not here to return. And this isn't my home anymore." Kane mustered up his courage with defiance, retorting.

The man snorted. "So I've heard…some nonsense about disowning the family. Tell me, boy…"

His eyes narrowed. "Did you really think you could trigger your Martial Heart with such a trivial attempt?"

Kane's eyes widened.

"Did you really think you think that stepping into a higher Realm of power was something that could be triggered so easily?" Sage Damian stared into his son's eyes.

Kane felt transparent under the man's piercing glare. Invisible. The Martial Sage's eyes revealed a raw aggression that was held and bound within him, tempered by his mind.

"I…" Kane faltered, clenching his fist.

"You do not even understand who you are anymore," The Sage snorted. "The very fact that you came here willingly, without political protection, knowing full well that the Arrancar Family's might was more than enough to capture you shows that the desire to escape the Arrancar family is not a part of your Martial drive anymore."

Kane's eyes widened with shock as his father calmly unraveled his actions and decisions.

"In fact…" Sage Damian's eyes pupils pierced through Kane as he studied his son. "…It seems that not only is it not a part of your Martial drive anymore, but it is something you're willing to risk if it means gaining the power of a higher Realm in return."

Kane's eyes flashed a knowing glint.

"Oh? Perhaps you're not nearly as unaware of the changes your Martial drive has undergone…" Interest crept into Sage Damian's voice. "So… tell me, my prodigal son, what drives you? What drives you to greater heights? What drives you to pursue the power of a higher Realm even at the cost of what used to be your greatest desire?"

"I…don't want to fall behind," Kane's eyes flashed with determination. "I don't want to fall behind him. He's my best friend. He's already reached the Senior Realm. But I…am still stuck in the Squire Realm."

"'Him'…Hmmm…" Sage Damian realized who he was referring to. "Him, eh? So he's already become a Martial Senior, shattering the previous record by ten years. Interesting."

"Twelve years," Kane smirked proudly. "He became a Senior two years ago."

Sage Damian narrowed his eyes as a flash of raw aggression from deep within emerged on the surface. "You seem proud of another's accomplishments. You should feel ashamed for falling behind with your talent and potential. It means you weren't as driven as him."

Kane shrugged. "I don't care. He's my best friend. I don't feel ashamed of falling behind. My desire to keep up with him is not because my pride is hurt, it's because I want to stay with him. Because he's my best friend."

"Hah!" Sage Damian snorted with disapproval as his eyes flashed with aggression.

Yet even that simple gesture shook the world.

RUMBLE

Kane stood unsteadily as the very ground beneath his feet began vibrating. The air had already begun dancing into gusts.

"Uh…could you not? You're causing a lot of trouble to a lot of people," Kane remarked.

The Martial Sage narrowed his eyes as he tempered the predatory aggression within him. "Hmph. Know this, my son. A Martial drive that aims to merely keep up and not surpass is not a drive that will take you very far."

"Well, what if I told you that keeping up with Rui would mean becoming one of the strongest Martial Artists in the world someday?" Kane smirked. "One day, he will surpass everybody. I know it. He'll even become stronger than you."

"Will he now?" Sage Damian raised an eyebrow with interest.

"Don't go doing anything just because you're afraid of being surpassed though," Kane narrowed his eyes.

"Hah! Don't dare insult me with an accusation of cowardice. I am not as spineless as a boy who only knows to chase another man's back."

"Yap," Kane shrugged, growing more comfortable in the conversation. "With that out of the way…I do have one last question."

Sage Damian simply stared at him his steely eyes.

"All those years you sent the Arrancar Family after me. All those years I managed to evade them. Yet you never came after me yourself. Or deployed a Martial Senior or Master."

"I'm busy, boy." The man growled. "My pursuit of power. The burdens I bear are beyond anything you could possibly fathom."

"But you could have definitely had me captured if you truly wanted," Kane insisted, narrowing his eyes. "Yet, you didn't."

The man simply stared at Kane with sharp eyes. "I suppose it doesn't matter anymore since you now have a different drive…"

He closed his eyes. "It's simple. Drive is the source of growth. As a boy, you never had the drive to succeed the Family, nor an inherent desire for power, glory, success, or wealth. The only strong emotion you ever displayed as a boy was your growing hatred for the Arrancar Family. That is why I decided to make that your drive by using the Arrancar Family to threaten your freedom. Power was your only solution. Your strong desire to be free from the Arrancar Family fueled your growth tremendously, allowing you to break through to the Apprentice Realm at a prodigiously young age and make rapid growth from there on out."

His tone became exceedingly composed and calm. "…Exactly as planned."

Kane's eyes widened with shock. "Wait, so all this time. All that nonsense about the heir of the family was fabricated."

"A successor for the family is important, even if meaningless since I am not dying. Not now, not ever," The Sage remarked coldly. "The shallow desire of the other members of the family to gain more prestige by having you become the heir was a good superficial reason to justify tormenting you."