A month had passed since the destruction of Silver City. Few knew anything about the battle against the fallen, but word that a dangerous creature was sealed at the Silver City spread throughout the Five Cities Region, now referred to by its original name, Four Paths Region. This led to many families escaping the region, but the four cities were still relatively prosperous thanks to the ancient clans and organisations that supported them. Fatty Zain was from one of these ancient clans.
Serina hadn't known what to do when the mayor ordered them to evacuate Silver City. She thought about going to live with her brother, but she was worried about Shui, so she was hesitant to leave the region without seeing him again. It was at this time that Fatty suggested that she come with him to Pemacreba to wait for news from Shui.
He went by Fatty Zain when he was in Silver City, but after moving to Pemacreba with him, Serina discovered that he was from the Riot clan. She had never heard of this clan before, but it was one of the leading clans of the Burning Stampede Sect, the strongest force of Pemacreba. She wondered why he chose to leave such a prestigious clan to be an inner-section disciple in Storm Sky Manor, but it seemed like a delicate issue for him, so she didn't bring it up. When Fatty Zain led her to the impressive mansion that was home to his clan, he was soon beaten up by his five siblings for running away, but Serina was welcomed with open arms.
As she looked at the garden from the pathway next to the room she was given, Serina recalled how vibrant the family was during dinner. Fatty was part of the main branch of the Riot clan, so his family had heavy responsibilities, but their home was warm and comforting, fit for the title 'Hearth of Pemacreba'. She was grateful that they were willing to welcome her into their home, but their warmth reminded her of her own family.
"Serina."
Responding to her name, she turned and found Fatty Zain approaching from the end of the pathway. He didn't look much different from before, but he seemed more at ease than he had been inside Storm Sky Manor.
"Zain, is it already time?"
Both Fatty Zain and Serina were wearing red outfits with the symbol of bull horns on fire on their backs. Since it was no longer possible for them to return to Storm Sky Manor, Fatty Zain's family had them admitted to the Burning Stampede Sect, though for Fatty it would be readmission. Their entry had been delayed by the chaos surrounding Silver City, so this would be their first day. The clan itself had no trouble supporting their cultivation, but it would be better for them to grow through joining the sect.
"Yeah, are you ready?"
"Yes. Let's go."
The distance from the Riot clan's estate to the Burning Stampede Sect was short, so they chose to make the trip on foot. On the way there, Serina sneaked glances at Fatty Zain's face. He had seemed fine when they were in the mansion, but now she could tell that he was feeling nervous.
One of Fatty Zain's older brothers, Kane, had told her the reason why Fatty left Pemacreba. Kane explained that though the Riot clan held strong influence and had few enemies in the Burning Stampede Sect, the few enemies they did have were comparable to them in status. The one that stood out the most among these enemies was the Stucho clan. While their means of confronting the Riot clan were normally indirect, they wouldn't hesitate to knock them down a peg the moment they found a weak point. For example, the youngest child of the Riot clan's main branch.
"So he was bullied by people from the Stucho clan?"
"Yes. From birth Zain was always a chubby kid. We knew that it was because he had a special physique, but it was easy for outsiders to make fun of him because of it. Of course, we wanted to help, but if one of us got involved in a problem between small children, then it would only make things even worse."
After hearing Fatty Zain's past, Serina felt sympathy, but she knew that he wouldn't want her to show such consideration, so she decided not to bring it up or treat him any differently. Still, that didn't mean she wasn't concerned.
"Are you okay, Zain? You look nervous."
"Ah, do I? I'm just really excited to be back. Still, I must look really lame. What would Boss say if he saw me like this?"
Fatty Zain tried to laugh it off, but even his laugh was soaked with anxiety.
"If you need more time, I could go by myself. It's hard to miss after all."
The site of the Burning Stampede Sect had many tall buildings and a powerful and hot atmosphere, so it was already possible to see it although they were a couple of minutes away.
"No. I won't run again. And if I let you go off by yourself, forget Boss, my siblings are gonna kill me."
Fatty Zain couldn't completely shake off his trauma, but he had the courage to step forward in spite of it. Seeing this courage, Serina chose to believe in him and grabbed his hand.
"Okay, let's go then."
Fatty Zain felt ashamed that he made her support him like this, but he didn't let go of her hand.
"Yes."
On the way to the sect gate, Fatty Zain remained on the lookout for his former bullies and anyone else from the Stucho clan, but fortunately, he didn't encounter any. The front gate of the Burning Stampede Sect was very crowded, as there was ongoing disciple recruitment thanks to the influx of residents from Silver City. Those who had been accepted into one of the three major forces of Silver City had already found their places inside the sect and other prominent forces of Pemacreba, so few gems would be left among those that were left.
Since both Serina and Fatty Zain had badges showing their statuses as inner sect disciples, the outer sect elders guarding the gate let them through without issue. The inside of the Burning Stampede Sect was less decorated compared to Storm Sky Manor, with a greater emphasis on steadiness and simplicity. Though there were many tall buildings, they were all of the same dull red colour, and the only greenery was trodden grass. There were some restricted areas, but for the most part, disciples weren't separated by rank, so it wasn't odd to see both outer sect and inner sect disciples in the same area.
Fatty Zain planned on giving Serina a tour of the sect, but soon after they entered, murmurs surrounded them.
"Hey, is that…?"
"It must be; he looks the same."
"So he came running back, huh?"
Over a year had passed since Fatty Zain left the sect, but his name still frequently came up in jokes told by the younger generation. Many had heard of the coward of the Riot clan even if this was their first time seeing him in person.
"Zain, they—"
"It's fine. Let me show you around."
Their mocking gazes were annoying but not enough to truly shake Fatty Zain. However, a familiar face soon blocked his path.
"Hehe, so the rumours were true. This pig really came crawling back."
The young man who stepped in front of Fatty had an average face at best, but he was still a member of Stucho, albeit a side branch member.
"Javier."
Serina felt a light tremor run through Fatty Zain's hand before he let go of her and took a step forward.
"So the pig remembers my name. I saw you waddling around with this cute little girl, so I was worried I had the wrong person. Did you get your family to buy her for you, or did you kidnap her yourself?"
Fatty Zain tightly clenched his fists, but he knew there would be trouble if he made the first move, so he opened his hands and released his restrained breath.
"She's a friend. I'm showing her around the sect, so I'll talk to you later."
Fatty Zain then grabbed Serina's hand and tried to evacuate the scene, but Javier wasn't willing to let that happen.
"Hold it right there!"
As he had done numerous times in the past, Javier grabbed Fatty's shoulder and squeezed it. He smirked as he waited for Fatty Zain to oink in pain, but all he received was a confused look.
Fatty Zain had tensed up when he first felt the hand on his shoulder, but after Javier made his move, the sensation was different from what he remembered, and he could tell it wasn't because Javier was holding back.
"Were you, always this weak?"