The Ancient Genes

The second class was a practical one. Max took the second furnace to the last starting from the right side of the row at the back. 

Tyler who was at the corner looked at Max with a frown. He knew that the guy was intentionally coming after him. 

"What do you want?" Tyler asked as he looked at Max with a calm gaze.

"Huh? You are talking to me?" Max asked as he looked around. When he found that there was no one else talking to Tyler, he looked back at him and spoke, "When did I say I want something?"

"Woah! What's with this rare sight? You made a friend Tyler?" 

Max turned his head sideways to see a guy igniting the furnace right next to him. The guy had green hairs with bangs covering one of his eyes. He had good looks and stood head to head with Max.

"What are you doing here, Edward?" Tyler asked with a frown.

"What do you mean? I am just here to use the furnace," Edward said as he calmly began to prepare for his work.

"Leave…" Tyler said as a slight breeze began to twirl around his arm and the sleeve of his shirt began to flutter.

Max was surprised at the event. It seemed that Tyler really hated this Edward guy. 

"You are still a crazy b*stard." Edward said with a smile, "You think we are still a kid? Just try me. Even though I am weak in terms of strength, you will pay dearly for a single scratch on me."

Max could clearly sense the mockery and taunt in Edwards's tone. This guy perfectly knew the situation between them yet still took the furnace beside them leaving all the other furnaces aside.

Max really didn't know who was the real villain here.

A vein popped up on Tyler's forehead as he heard Edward's words. He couldn't control himself any longer and threw his fist.

Edward's eyelids quivered and he flinched. That was what you would normally expect from a blacksmith who had never engaged in combat.

But Tyler's fist stopped an inch away from his face as another hand grabbed his wrist at the aim moment.

Tyler and Edward both looked towards Max who had caught ahold of Tyler's wrist.

"No fighting. I may not look like one but I am a member of the Disciplinary club." Max said as he pushed back Tyler's hand.

"You saw that he just attacked me. You aren't going to do anything to him." Edward asked as he pointed at Tyler.

"I clearly saw the whole thing, you are not innocent and had played a fair share in taunting him to strike. Besides, you are not injured. If you really wanna take this matter up, I will gladly accompany you two the Disciplinary Committee." Max replied with a smile as he looked at both of them.

"Tsk…" Edward clicked his tongue as he got busy preparing for what seemed to be a heat treatment for a sword. Max couldn't help but be a bit impressed. This guy was going way ahead of the syllabus.

Tyler on the other hand didn't look good at all, he was extremely pissed. Max could sense his dissatisfaction. 

Within the next two minutes, the Instructor arrived and the class began.

Max followed his steps half-heartedly as he copied the technique which the Instructor taught. In Max's eyes, it was a level or two below of what he learned from the Grandmaster.

Suddenly, Max's eyes fell on Edward and he was surprised. The guy seemed to have prepared what was asked in the class and appeared to be working on his private project. But what surprised Max was his hammering technique.

Even though it was less refined in Max's eyes, Max could definitely identify it. It was his very own. The one taught by his Grandmaster.

'Is this technique available in the public domain? No, most likely not.' Max shook his head, it wasn't possible.

In that case, there was only one thing. This guy had to have some relation either with his Grandmaster, Master, Ryan or Vin. If not, there was no way for him to possess this technique.

It was a technique passed down by his Grandmaster. So, it had to be present with his disciples and Max as well since he learned from him.

So, if this guy knew the technique, he had to have some relationship with them.

Max could ask Master, as for Grandmaster he hadn't met him but he should be in capital. And for Ryan and Vin, he had not heard anything about them, he hoped that they had successfully escaped from Arcane in time.

"Clank!"

Max suddenly heard the heavy metallic noise and looked towards Tyler as he shook his head, "That's not how it's done. Look here."

He then carefully held the ore and swung the hammer exactly copying the Instructor without any flaws in his move.

The moment his hammer made contact with the ore, a perfect metallic noise rang. It might sound just any random noise metal strike to common people but to Blacksmiths, that was a soothing sound. One that would make them feel relaxed.

"Clang!"

Max immediately took a few steps back after striking and left the hammer on the table.

The Instructor immediately turned his head towards the source of noise and found Tyler standing there with a hammer. Max didn't have a hammer in his hands and was observing some other students while Edward was busy crafting a scabbard which didn't require any hammering.

Tyler suddenly felt a bit odd feeling the Instructors gaze. When did the Instructor start looking at him this favorably?

Max smiled as he observed everyone but suddenly his eyes met another pair of clearly icy blue eyes.

'Hmmm? Did she notice me?' Max was surprised, he hadn't expected anyone but the Instructor to react to that. But this was interesting, not only did she react but it seems she found out that it was him as well.

It seems she knew that Tyler was a noob. Well, it wasn't out of the ordinary knowing about one's brother in law, now was it?

….

Edwinson House…

"Bang!"

The door was flung open and Lithiya, Max's mother turned around to see her husband rushing in.

"What's wrong, honey? Why are you here at this hour?" She asked in worry as she gently held his cheek against the palm of her hand.

"He...is...alive.. Our son..is alive…" Zach said with difficulty as his eyes turned red.

Lithiya couldn't believe her ears, suddenly her leg went limp and she lost her strength.

Zach reacted in time and caught her from falling to the ground.

"He is alive?" She slightly raised her head and asked. Tears were flowing out of her eyes.

Zach nodded his head.

Lithiya finally felt her at ease, months of the heavy weight that she had been carrying on her heart had finally been lifted. She had been blaming herself for leaving Max and sending him to death. Only if she was with him, she could have protected him.

She hugged her husband, and cried her guts out. Months of misery had finally found their way out. Her cries filled the room and Zach hugged her tightly as he tried to hold back his own tears.

After 10 minutes, the cries finally started to die down…

"Where is he? I want to see him." Lithiya said as she looked at her husband. "I don't care anymore, I will leave the family even if I have to but I am not leaving him anymore."

Zach sighed as he spoke with a complicated look, "I don't know where he is…."

"What do you mean?" Lithiya asked with a worried face. 

"His Master said that he is alive. But he won't say where he is. It is Max's decision. He said he will find us when the time is right." Zach said with difficulty. Even after he knew that his son was alive, he still couldn't meet him. What kind of fate was this? 

"Why? Is he upset? Obviously he is.... I did him wrong as a mother....its obvious he hates me...."

"He is just a kid honey, I am sure he would understand us..... don't worry, you know how much he loved you...." Zach tried to calm her down.

"Where is his Master? Let me talk to him. I want to meet him. He knows where Max is, right?" Lithiya said as she wiped her tears.

"Calm down, we don't even know where his Master is. Where do you think you are going?" Zach said as he brought her to the sofa and made her sit on it.

"Find him then, I want to see my child." Lithiya said as she looked at him with tears flowing out of her eyes.

"Don't worry, I am already onto it. I will definitely find our son." Zach assured his wife. "Now, don't cry. Our son is alive. Let's thank God that nothing happened to Max, ok?"

Lithiya nodded but her tears still didn't stop.