«Ha ha ha! You are welcome, Kyon! You can come to me every time you need to blackmail someone! I will do everything if you raise the commission rate.»

It took XiaoBai long, painstaking years of fraud and risky financial transactions to earn only three million while Kyon got five million in a matter of weeks! He was a real genius! Xiao Bai's love for his brother grew with each day. Kyon was his soul mate, unlike the sisters.

«When will my order take to get delivered? The qualifier is tomorrow... You said it would arrive just in time…»

«The formacist falls behind schedule, that's why the delivery has been delayed... I'm sorry. You'll get the pill a little later, as agreed.»

When Kyon learned the date of the qualifier for the family tournament, he immediately told XiaoBai to order for him an item, or rather a formation inside an item, that could change the sound (vibrations) of the elements he used. For example, if Kyon released fire, the others would feel a different element, the one he wanted them to. These formations had a rather low demand in the world market, but it was important for Kyon to have it because not everyone should know that he was a master of nine elements.

«Got it. I will wait to hear from you.»

«By the way, Kyon... I've always been sincere in my feelings, as well as in taste preferences. You should know, I'm proud that you are my brother!» - Xiao Bai said emotionally, wholeheartedly. He was holding the sound transmitter between his head and shoulder, counting the spheres he had received from his brother. – «My sister is a rotten stingy c.u.n.t! She won't return my priceless money, can you imagine it?! Grandfather mercilessly beats me up, his hatred chills my heart! More than that, he drove me out of the family... Oh, you are my suns.h.i.+ne after the rain. You're my real family. If you should get another chance to make some easy money, don't hesitate to contact me. I am always here for you.»

Kyon mentally rolled his eyes. If XiaoBai's unique body fed on spheres like Juno's, he would be doomed to eternal starvation.

«Did they kick you out of the family?»

«Well, They didn't take away my name… That's something, isn't it.»

«Why are you staying? At Cornelia's?»

XiaoBai squealed, and the connection was lost.

Kyon shrugged. He felt the weight of five million spheres in his hand and flashed an evil, bone-chilling smile. His eyes sparkled with a devilish light. It took him just a day of painstaking a.n.a.lysis and careful collection of information to dig out the dark details of some families. After that, he made a huge sum of money from blackmail. No one in the Stone family had ever earned so much in their whole lives. He was going to spend this money on filling the body of the void with elements (the pill he'd ordered through XiaoBai). He was getting ready for the upcoming tournament. Any gain in power would come in handy.

The twilight slowly disappeared into the soft morning glow as if a warm spring had followed a long frost.

The qualifier was coming up.

Kyon's sound transmitter rang.

«Where are you, grandson? The qualifier is about to start…»

«I'm going to be late, grandad… Can I fight with number ten? Off the grid…»

«*sigh*. Of course, anything for you... Hurry up! The eager spectators have already crowded the whole stadium.»

Bai wanted to teach his grandson a lesson to prove that he wasn't ready to fight in the family tournament. It takes much more time to reveal a talent. Bai was sure that Kyon couldn't compete with the strongest young people of the kingdom (from non-royal families).

«Thank you, grandad!»

Kyon was delighted. All he needed was to get to the tournament. He would be quite pleased with tenth place. There was no point in fighting everyone to find out who was stronger.

His post arrived THREE hours after the qualifier started. Kyon put on a plain ring with formation inside and dashed off to the main family stadium.

The large arena was located inside the Stone territory and held several thousand seats. All of them were filled now. Every self-respecting Stone should come and see the fight that would determine ten strongest in the younger generation. They would partic.i.p.ate in the family tournament that would decide the fate of the Stones. No one in their right mind was going to miss this exciting performance.

Kyon came in from the back door, where he stumbled upon Bai. The old man's face lit up, relief softened his features.

«Thank G.o.ddess, you've made it…»

«Heroes always come at the last minute.»

«Heroes? Hha, well said.» - Bai smiled. – «Alright, hero. Get ready for the fight. Your adversary is a strong partic.i.p.ant. When I was looking for the right opponent, he came forward as a candidate. And you know what, I agreed at once! He is your perfect rival who will help you know the limits of your abilities.»

«What's his name?» - Kyon asked suspiciously. He had a chance to take a look inside the building through a bird's eyes (the windows were blurry) and study his future opponents. According to the patriarch's instructions, the qualifier implied eight winners. However, there would be ten partic.i.p.ants at the family tournament. Kyon knew who the ninth fighter was: someone who had entered the qualifier on a priority basis. But who was the tenth? It remained a mystery.

«You will find it out pretty soon.» - Bai put his hand on Kyon's shoulder. - «Please, do not use the gun. Remember, even a child can become a terrible adversary with its help. The tournament should prove your personal strength! Use a sword if you know how. Be careful and try not to harm anyone intentionally. I am sure your opponent will treat you as kindly as you treat him. After all, the Stones must respect each other!»

Kyon nodded and followed Bai to the arena that was located in the very center of the building. The audience had already settled in made themselves comfortable accommodated in their seats. People were looking at Kyon with interest. He caught a glimpse of mother Diane, a beautiful, charming woman. All men around fixed their eyes upon her. Kyon also noticed old Flitz and lovely Marina in a cape. Jealous Flitz must be hiding her beauty under the hood from the rest of the world. Sweet little Juno was sitting in the front row, next to the patriarch's seat. Young men could not take their eyes off her angelic face. Too bad that the guise of the sweetest creature was hiding the devil incarnate... Juno's calm eyes looked straight ahead. She was trying to hide her curiosity. In fact, she was dying to know how her a.s.sistant was going to get out of this mess this time?

Eight partic.i.p.ants were standing next to the arena. Lee Stone, number one in the family and the pride of the younger generation, was among them, his head up and chest out. The aura of arrogance and vanity emanated from him. As soon as Lee saw Kyon, he hunched over and coughed like an old man on his deathbed. Stephanie, the role model for many girls, had taken an honorable third place. She was looking at the approaching boy with amazement that gradually turned into flirting. The jerk had never called!

Kyon didn't know the other six partic.i.p.ants. There were only eight of them. Who were the remaining two? One of them was going to be his opponent, and the other was Juno, of course. Kyon was impressed when he heard her (through the nephrite-bug) persuading Bai to let her partic.i.p.ate.

Juno had fully displayed her monstrous talent for manipulation. Even Lovr fell short in this account. Even G.o.d of eloquence and craftiness would envy the sweet little rogue! She was generously endowed by nature with exceptional instincts. Kyon could give her a standing ovation.

Bai kept pounding XiaoBai till dawn for terrorizing Juno with a fluffy cat. Then he pulled it together and returned to cheer up his beloved granddaughter. She was so beautiful in her sadness, sorrowful like a withering paradise flower. She looked like a miserable little rabbit, her eyes welled with tears like raindrops on the emerald gla.s.s, her mournful face turned pale. The patriarch's heart painfully contracted in despair when he saw her like this.

Juno made it clear to her grandfather that she would be much better off if he had not disappeared for such a long time. Bai felt the bitter taste of guilt in the back of his chest. Why had he focused on XiaoBai?! Juno was the joy of his life, the consolation of his old age, after all! Then she tactfully accused her grandfather of breaking his promise. He had lost control of his mean grandson. XiaoBai had broken into her chambers and almost killed her with the terrible cat! The old man's heart was on the point of bursting over his darling little girl. He couldn't stand to see her suffer. Especially not when she was complaining in her sorrowful voice of a dying chick, shedding crystal clear tears.

When Juno realized Bai was about to die of grief and self-hatred, she said that she had always wanted to be in the limelight (like Elsa used to) and gently hinted at the tournament.

The patriarch seized the chance like a drowning man clutching at a straw. He swore he'd do anything for her, promised to warrant her partic.i.p.ation in the family tournament, and begged her to forgive him, the pathetic old man, for his mistake.

Juno asked him: "promise?" Probably, there was no one who could refuse her. Her innocent request sounded so charming like silver bells ringing. Bai would rather sell his soul to the devil than refuse her. That's how the sly fox became a partic.i.p.ant. She had taken advantage of grandfather's unlimited love.

In fact, all of the above is just the tip of the iceberg, lots of nuanced had to be omitted. Juno was a born manipulator. Words fail to describe the depths of her talent. No one could ever refuse her. She had a way of getting what she wanted. Bai had become a defenseless victim of her powerful weapon. Juno was an insidious demon in the guise of an angel. And only Kyon was able to withstand her will, to beat her up and even torture her for misbehaving.

Kyon stepped into the center of the arena. Most spectators couldn't believe he had any special talent. When the patriarch announced that he had adopted the boy, many people could not accept that it was the one who had defeated Tsayan. Judging by the first phase of development at the age of 14, the boy really sucked!

Bai announced:

«Dear Stones! My grandson expressed a desire to partic.i.p.ate in the tournament of the families. Therefore, I have specially selected a worthy opponent for him. First, you'll be able to see how gifted he is despite his development. Second, if he wins, he will be a worthy partic.i.p.ant in the upcoming tournament. His opponent is none other than the most promising, most talented young Stone whose development is at the 4th step of the superior phase. Please welcome Yegorka!»

The audience applauded cheerfully. The girls screamed, greeting the pet of the elite, the next number one. Elder Boe frowned. Yegorka was the first suspect in the murder of his daughter Bilya. He wanted to talk to him in private... The rest of the elders looked at each other puzzled. Kyon was 14 years old, and he had not revealed his talent yet! He should have waited till he was 18 to take part in the tournament. He might have more chance to glorify the Stones then! It was allowed to partic.i.p.ate in the tournament of the families only once in a lifetime. Kyon was about number 5 in strength among the partic.i.p.ants, falling behind Lee and Stephanie... Why did the patriarch let him partic.i.p.ate? Were things with the upcoming tournament going so bad?

Yegorka appeared from the dark corner. He looked nothing like his old self. His eyes were full of darkness, hidden under a thick layer of ancient ice. There was no trace of the once well-groomed, elegant young man. His greasy blond hair was disheveled. He looked like a battered ragtag, his clouded eyes fixed upon the boy in the center of the arena. It wasn't a sight for the faint of heart.