The Ancient Genes

Ancestral Hall, Crimson Spatial Pouch.

An eerily silence had engulfed the hall. There were only three people present in the hall. Both the Matriarch were sitting on their throne staring at Old Man Sun who stood in front of them with a weird smile on his face. His face seemed to be twitching for some reason too.

"What did you just say?" Matriarch asked once again feeling she had heard something wrong. The Second Matriarch too gave Old man Sun a weird look. She knew what she had heard, but she still wanted to confirm it.

Old Man Sun looked at the Matriarch and once again forced a smile on his face as he spoke, "I am here to bring Max back with me.."

This time, there was no doubt, his words were as clear as a day..

"Are you in your right mind?" Matriarch asked with a frown. Since when did someone have enough galls to interfere in the inner matters of her family?

"I am in my right mind.." Old man Sun replied with a sigh as he slowly calmed down. There was no turning back now.

"You!!-" Matriarch was about to flip when the Second Matriarch held her hand, and stopped her before proceeding to question Old man Sun herself.

"What has his imprisonment got to do with you? I don't think you two share any kind of relationship?"

Matriarch too calmed down upon hearing that and turned her gaze towards Old Man Sun for an answer. This was indeed something that she was curious about.

"That brat is a little devil…" Old man Sun sighed. He didn't know what Max's actual objective in coming here was and even if he did, he wouldn't have cared for it.. He was going to speak his mind.

"What do you mean?" Matriarch asked with a frown.

"Well, I told you how I managed to discover Erina and got the artifact to her..but.." Old Man Sun spoke as his face twitched a bit. This was now an old story from back when he returned to Ocien, but when he had told about it to the Matriarch previously, he had excluded the fact how he was blackmailed and fooled by Max to save his face and twisted the facts a bit.

But, now, he told them everything that had happened, how a brat had trampled over his face and made him adjust to the conditions.

The two Matriarchs were surprised with all the different revelations. The thing which surprised them a lot was the fact that even the Old Progenitors of the Ancient Families were protecting Max. It could only mean that they had recognized him for his abilities. But, it honestly made sense, they had witnessed Max's overwhelming potential first hand.

But, what left them scratching their heads was the fact that Max hid the artifact from the Old Progenitors and strike a bargain with Old Man Sun in order to let Erina to use it.

'How does this brat knows so much?' Matriarch frowned. The fact that Max had discovered Erina's potential before her was something really surprising too. Not to mention the fact that he knew about the artifacts so well.

'I can see why he aske the this brat to teach the little girl...he had no idea about us..' Matriarch understood that part, and it honestly improved Max's image in her mind. It seemed the guy knew how to care for her friend.

"But, what has this all got to do with you taking him back?" The Second Matriarch asked as she looked at Old Man Sun. No one knew where and how Max had disappeared. So, there shouldn't be any reason to worry.

Besides, even if someone came around to look in the back mountains, they probably wouldn't find anything.

"Actually….the brat had made arrangements outside, and…" Old Man Sun explained the situation helplessly while utterly embarrassed about it.

And, as expected, both Matriarchs couldn't help but feel a little disdain for the guy who was controlled by a junior to this extent. This was just too shameful.

"So, let me get this correct.." Matriarch smiled as she perfectly understood the situation. "You are being blackmailed…and if you go back on your words, you will lose your pride. But, that's just an excuse, and I am sure you are just afraid of the Old Progenitor of August Family.."

Old Man Sun's face twitched as a drop of sweat rolled down his forehead. The Matriarch was terrifyingly accurate in her judgement.

"Then.." Old Man Sun had a little hope awakened in him seeing the smile on the Matriarch's face, but that smile soon turned cold.

"Get lost before I beat the crap out of you, brat!"

Matriarch's thunderous voice rang in the Old man Sun's ear, and he felt as if his eardrums had ruptured from it. He even felt a little dizzy but somehow managed to stay on his feet.

"Calm down.." The Second Matriarch intervened, seeing her sister getting angry again..

"Do you want me to do as he says then?" The Matriarch asked with a frown.

"I am not saying that. But..let's give it proper thought. After all, do you think he will be able to keep his mouth shut when caught by the Ancient Families? The mere face of the Old Progenitor from August House is enough to trigger his PTSD.."

The Matriarch calmed down a bit upon hearing that, and asked, "Then what do you think we should do?"

"Keep him in here or let the brat go.." The Second Matriarch said with a straight face. Both weren't a good option honestly. But, Second Matriarch was right.

If the Old man, Max and Synthia were last seen in the back mountains before disappearing, things would surely get complicated. It might get them attention from some unwanted individuals.

'What to do now..' Matriarch was finding it hard to make a decision. She didn't want to let go of Max this easily, not to mention, there was no guarantee that the brat wouldn't sell them out.

'Hmmn..'

Suddenly, the Matriarch realized something.

The next second her pupils widened as the dot which had just emerged in her mind began to connect with all the other points which were emerging from one place to another. Soon, a picture had emerged in her mind.

Currently, she had no proof to validate it..

But, she felt too confident with it.

"Ha..hahaha…" Suddenly, the Matriarch began to laugh, and it only grew louder and louder leaving both the Second Matriarch in confusion and Old man Sun in confusion.

But, one thing was clear to them, she was not laughing with happiness.

It took a while, but her laughter surely stopped and when it did, a thunderous roar shook the Hall, "YOU DAMN BRATS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"