Chapter 57: Chapter 62: Ninth Patriarch!
Philip J. Wiley stared into his Grandson's eyes and began appreciating his late son and Grandson's resemblance as they ambled just outside of their oath's founders' opened gate accompanied by the sight of a trail leading to his secluded mansion. "A seat at dinner is already reserved for us, I'll wait for you four inside and catch up with the rest of the elders in the oath." Said Grandpa Philip before the sight of their founder staring from above them caught his attention. Derek and Settembre turned their gaze as well. "Alright. Please, don't let old man Throndson rile you up again this year, Gramps." Derek replied with a frustrated tone towards the end as he messages his temples. "I won't forget about that old man perfectly dodging his tornado kick as he suddenly recovered from your grandfather's backhand." Settembre commented with the same awe from five years ago. Philip began ambling away, "No promises kid and I was the easy clear winner in that scuffle." Philip responded, he threw two fingers back at them as he was walking away. Settembre bursted into laughter as Derek held a concerned face on him after hearing his grandfather's response. "Another year, like a routine, right after their gossip session comes more war." Said Settembre as he shook his head but continued laughing. "Yep." Derek responded, shaking his head disapprovingly alongside Settembre. The past seer turned his gaze towards his best friend with a beaming smile. "Back to our important talk. Pick an anime, right now, that's your favorite." Settembre demanded, hoping that his arguments got through to him. Derek looked upwards at Fenella who had decided to rest on his replaced arm. After chuckling following silence as Derek was placed in thought, Settembre noticed Derek's usual expression of embarrassment. "Black Hyacinth, Settembre. Your attempts to sway me will always end in failure because I've discovered the narrative beauty in it." Derek replied with profound confidence. "That just sounds like an invitation to discover its flaws like the protagonist's constant screaming and its inconsistencies like— like— erm." Settembre continued to struggle to rather think of any further issues with the series as he confidently responded until he found himself stuttering. "Hey, it's the guy who single handedly compromised his integrity and the coward of the Williams family, figured I'd find you two doofuses waiting for the Patriarch of lies out here." Derek and Settembre heard from behind them coming from a familiar voice. As the two turned around each with their own face demonstrating their disgust and disdain, Wilel kept a grin on him. "If we don't hear laughter at the biggest joke standing right in front of us, you don't stand a chance in comedy, buddy." Settembre responded with an assertive tone grabbing a chuckle out of Derek before he gestured for a fist bump. "I bullied you growing up, big bro, you don't think I'm capable of far worse?" Wilel responded with a haughty smirk, "And I'll take pleasure doing it in front of the trackstar with no legs, especially." Wilel responded with a smirk yet a calmer tone. "I encourage it if you're feeling like living up to keeping your self-proclaimed bravery of the Williams title." Said Derek assertively as he stood in front of Settembre. Wilel stood in place smirking with his hood on. Suddenly Derek began feeling like his equilibrium was thrown off before remembering the solution of encasing himself in his smoke then proceeding to follow the footsteps he began hearing nearby, formerly transformed as a cloud of smoke, to deliver an elbow into Wilel's gut before he made it in time to harm his own brother, knocking him off his feet and causing him to lose authority over their senses. Wilel groveled in pain on the ground as Settembre and Derek watched over before Derek heard footsteps elsewhere then the heroes heard promises being made. "Expose somebody, yeah, he exposes himself as the worst brother each time he opens his mouth. Glad, I got you." Settembre responded before the duo bumped forearms. "Coward of the Williams family. What we need to do is tell your family more stories of our time unraveling the mysteries of Chaelb while we've got them all here?" Derek commented as he reminisced further with one hand on his chin. One memory came to Settembre which hardly fails to slap an excited grin on his face retelling anyone he's able to reach. "Truth be told, wiping that smudge from my reputation would be way too much work. We could let them know every detail of the mystical escape room that we got trapped in and I saved us from by tapping my senses three hundred years into the past or I defeated a grown mountain troll on my own, only my dad would believe any of it with the proof we've got on our hands, our word." Settembre rejected as he looked at the time. "Fair point. Regardless of that, fully embrace that storm inside you, Set." Derek responded and encouraged with a devious tone towards the end. Settembre deviously grinned and locked his fingers. "The storm's first target and victim will be Haoyu 'Growth spurt' Gao Manchester." The time-seer responded. Hours pass the duo by yet the two they decided to wait on never showed up despite one of their confidence and promise that they were genius at navigation. With two hands on his hips and disapproving head shake, Derek decided to follow Settembre's suggestion. Each of the eight families had gathered and reunited. Each of the patriarchs, matriarchs and the children who were born with an expectation then earned the trust and respect to sit at the grand dining room table were silent as their party's host, the ancient heroic Oath's primary investor and founder greeted his esteemed guests. Derek ceased speaking to Noa's father who were sitting beside him, Noa, though exhausted mustered up some strength and sat her head up while her lower body wouldn't move, Haoyu felt disappointed that Settembre paused his story as he felt like it was only beginning to get intriguing, Ryarah held up her wine glass in a celebratory manner with an ecstatic grin. "I hope that you all have forgiven my absence in the last Quinquennial celebration of our bond but for the new members, I'm A.D.J. The founder. I hope that we can have fun this year and learn, as I've sworn a promise to your great grandparents, maybe even your extra great grandparents, my duty is to help you all reach your full potential. Before this is over, you'll have learned the control that's vital so well that next celebration you'll even be able to come up with a new trick if you can't participate this year. Have a wonderful feast!" A.D.J introduced and announced before he pointed at the food with two fingers, encouraging them to eat through gesturing. As he mentioned the newcomers approved to be a fit as they've earned the trust, the Manchester family's recently recruited teens cheered with zest.
Reynard and Amin arrived at the founder's gates similar to their friends earlier except they were shut and locked. Arriving much later in the evening towards the end of it, the sun was blocked behind the clouds while it was wet and rainy. Amin dropped his duffle bag as he jumped back from a scare by the founder himself appearing out of the blue. "Hmm?" A.D.J noised and squinted curiously as he questioned if Reynard had noticed his concealed presence. "Hey, there fellas." A.D.J greeted as he came into their view out of the blue. Amin surveyed the area for where he could have possibly come from or hid behind but what he saw was trees, grass and utter nature. "The founder?" Amin asked rhetorically, "so sorry that we're this extremely late, sir, and that's an awesome power! Invisibility?" Amin stood back straight as he apologized further. The founder politely gestured for the young mechanic to calm his worrying. "An exceptional kid from the Wiley family barely ever showed up in the past, it'd be tyrannical and unfair of me to force others to be present yet not him. Just know, attending the event is undoubtedly optional, so whether a day early or the final hour, I'm thankful that you decided to show up anyway." The founder A.D.J reasoned with a grand smile. Amin held an awkward expression on his face after realizing he's the most polite boss he's had in his life. "I guess I just don't like to ever be late, Derek Wiley himself did tell us we didn't need to be here." Amin responded as he suddenly looked away. Reynard coincidentally looked towards the founder as Amin turned away. "Thank you, sir." The founder heard coming from Reynard as he reached in for a handshake to greet him. The two shook hands with Amin keeping his awkward expression on him as he scratched his head feeling far more nervous than even he anticipated himself. "Much more polite than I expected from him." The founder concluded in his thoughts after he invited the JinJunyë duo to follow him. As everyone was comfortable in their dinner seats, the room holding the eight families was exceptionally chatty and rowdy as hoped for by A.D.J, far down the hall, mumbling and voices could be heard by the founder, Reynard and Amin. Moments of great friends catching up and bonds as close as family regaining that strength. The dining room fell silent from the Wiley, Jepson, Manchester, Williams, Hayes, Throndson, Pendold and Hyun families present as the three entered the founder's elegant dining room. A.D.J immediately took to his seat whereas Reynard and Amin followed after spotting a few free chairs on the other end of the rather lengthy table. Reynard immediately dug into his meal with tears coming down his eyes as Amin swiftly began encouraging him to take it easy. The founder noticed Wilel William's glowering aimed solely at their newest Patriarch, Reynard Jono, stirring up his curiosity. "Alright, everyone, listen up!" A.D.J shouted and called for the guest's attention. Without any fuss each gave him their undivided attention. "The world is increasingly filling with crazy after crazy, more are born from folks' greed, gluttony, envy, wrath, lust and maybe even sloth. It's filled with more artifact acquirers and collectors, more of the criminal element and morally depraved. This war to prevent as many catastrophes as we've sworn with our unique— areas of authority is far from lost. As our bonds grow deeper and desire to see Justice through grows stronger, let's promise to take full advantage of it in the future against our ever stronger foes. We were truly uncertain of our enemies in JinJunyë and because of that we weren't willing to take much risk which made us look shameful, the council of Enotocin has been understatedly unpredictable and far too powerful in the past with the ability to recruit the ignorant fast to grow their numbers but we should have done more. We congratulate these three young men for their courage, determination and talent for succeeding at bringing an end to the chaotic and vile cult. A war that stretched for a little more than a century." A.D.J speeches before giving a thumbs up to Derek, Settembre, Amin and Reynard. Derek turned his gaze towards Noa who was laying on the table drooling before giving her a warm smile. "Some credit should go towards Noa Hayes, she was a last minute arrival that saved my life but also was vital towards taking down the dastardly and despicable murderers. I don't think collectively we would have stood any resemblance of a chance against the final monster without the progress she had been striving towards." Derek opined aloud as he couldn't stand the idea of one of his best friend's greatness going ignored. "My girl." Noa's father, Caleb Hayes, said in a whisper. "Alright. Then the four of you. Let's welcome the latest Patriarch of the Jono family and his sworn brother Amin. Continue on having fun as you were." A.D.J finished in response before sitting back in his chair. Wilel began contemplating next steps in his plans. "Your Grandson might've been the one to strike the final blow into the cult of Enotocin but my Grandsons like their Ryom and Ryarah here, Ryoh and Ryeh, are now world contenders in the pinnacle human crowning this year, ya fool!" Said the Grandfather of the Throndson family before he began cackling in the face of Philip Wiley. Philip turned his cranium towards his grandson and his old friend that is now the Grandfather of the Pendold family who accepted Derek's request to recruit the heroes who've assisted him in conquering the evil in JinJunyë yet he stood quiet. "Congratulations, I'm proud and wish them the best of luck grabbing the victory." Philip replied as the other old man's incessant mockery and laughter left him the greatest amount of vexed as he's felt in his long life. Duri and Sun-Jin who were invited thanks to Ye-Jun's past alongside Philip prior to retiring much earlier were confused by what was happening after Philip's pained expression caught their full attention. Derek understood the various pain that he could see his grandfather feeling inside and gave him a gesture to unleash himself. "The kid's got that competitive spirit from my side of the family, not any bit of yours, Ye-Jun." Philip thought to himself as he was grinning and cooking up a comeback. "Be proud of them, now tell me, aside from beating the cult at their weakest, what else can I be proud of that wonderful kid for?" Old man Throndson replied then asked with the most disrespectful tone. "Could grab the victory for this year's quinquennial bond tournament and reach the top five best in this room be sufficient, Grandmaster of sag?" Philip answered confidently as the grandfather of the Throndson family proves to be the best at lighting a fire inside of the retired otherworldly continent vanquisher. "Man. It baffles me how an actual grandfather can be exceptionally more immature than his own children and grandchildren like you." Old man Throndson replied scratching his cheek and an unamused expression. "Broccoli calling the lettuce green, answer the question or would you need your hearing aid first?" Philip fired back as he stood up. "Are you two suggesting that this Quinquennial, we ought to move the hand to hand competition farther up to the first event?" A.D.J asked, leaning forward with his chin resting on his left knuckle and an excited grin. Philip and Ryum's glare off came to a draw after he asked and they approved with an ecstatic tone. "Yes." Ryum thought to himself as held a smile staring into the eyes of his rival, due to the pride he felt in his grandsons on his face. "That smug schmucks silly face is going to become a frown after witnessing Derek's improvement." Said Philip in his own thoughts as he glared into the eyes of Ryum. "Well then, obviously it's settled—" The founder announcement was interrupted by the grandson of his most previously trusted friend. "Sir, real quick, give me the chance to be my baby cousin's first opponent?" Duri asked as he lifted his hand for attention. "Duri, interrupting is rude!" Sun-Jin scolded his youngest son for his loud mouth as his other son bursted out into laughter. "It's fine, no worries— but I've got an idea, rather, as I'm curious." A.D.J responded in a calmer manner, "ooh but however a cousin versus cousin from the children of Philip Wiley and Hyun Ye-Jun, two of our finest would be epically entertaining!" A.D.J kept the revelation in his mind. Duri nodded his head while massively struggling to reel his excitement under control.
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