In another two days Mahaansh, Vishok, Ben & Azurbaan exited the forest. Their role was over there. Now it was time for the big guns to come into play. By now the pressure in the forest was palpable. All the creatures knew chaos was imminent & they were preparing for it as much as they could. The weather itself had changed considerably. All the creatures were on edge. The really small creatures had found safe spots they could think of in the forest. The more daring ones were still out in the open.
Ben & his party did not linger much & went back. They were going back to the civilization after 30 long days. Ben had a lot to think about. Now that he was not on edge and was getting out of the forest, many things he had not considered came into his mind. Inside the forest his first kill happened. Inside the forest he discovered the innate properties of his martial seed. Inside the forest his meridians penetrated deep inside his body. Inside the forest his martial identity penetrated deep inside his psyche.
He drew his first blood here. He saw a glimpse of his future path here. He experienced what battle was. He found out what being weak could to him and his dear ones. One by one many things were coming in front of him with more clarity. Seeing Ben silent like this Mahaansh could not help sigh. This was something which happened always when a martial knight was growing. He had to be properly guided now.
Mahaansh: "Ben. How was it? Your first outdoor activity.
Ben: I don't know. I learned a lot. But I also understand that there are a lot of things I don't know. I am not fond of many things I did."
Silence descended on the conversation. Vishok & Mahaansh were experienced in such situations. But for Ben it was the first time.
Vishok: "Ben. These are all part & parcel of life. Especially for a martial artist. You will have to face such situations in the future. It won't be the first time or the last time you will be facing someone who is overwhelmingly stronger than you. You cannot be inflexible. I know what you feel because we have felt it too.
Mahaansh: Also, be careful about that old geezer's offer. He may make it difficult for us to acquire it or may completely renegade on the promise. Don't do anything rash.
Ben: He will do that. Doesn't he want to protect his face?
Mahaansh: I know that guy somewhat. He is a very pragmatic man. Who knows what is going on in his mind.
Vishok: Yes, after all that man might have lived for centuries. It is not right to fight him directly.
Ben: Alright, I will keep that in mind."
It was decided that Ben should wait till his exams are over. By that time Mahaansh & Vishok would try to get their benefits. If there are no issues with that, then Ben can proceed for his reward. Ben was reluctant. But he had no choice. He needed to consider the safety of his parents as well.
Soon Ben found himself in front of his house. His parents had come back after work. His sister was the one who spotted him first. She shouted "Mom, Dad brother is back!"
Saying this she ran towards him & punched him in the stomach "Hiya big brother! What did you bring for your sister?"
Right when her punch only connected, she cried "Oww Oww, what the... what is on your stomach". His mom & dad came & saw her, his sister crying. His mother asked him sternly "What did you do now Benjamin?"
Although Malina was happy to see her son, discipline was important to her. The same was true for John. He did not speak anything, but his face said it all. Ben was a bit flustered. He told them, "I did not do anything. She punched me & then started to cry. I did not do anything."
Hearing this & John raised an eye... when he sensed Ben's aura he was stunned. Because he had a sensory meridian seed and because he was in the combat unit of the army, John was particularly sensitive towards power. It had risen significantly. The stability of the aura was also extremely high. Overall he could see that Ben had gotten stronger. Even he, a middle level martial noble was feeling a kind of threat from him.
Such an edge for aura will only happen if the person has gone through life or death situation. John wondered what happened in the forest. He said "Now, now, Miraya you should be careful when punching a martial knight. Your brother has become strong. And you, Ben, don't be on the edge, you are back home now. Calm down"
Malina was also stunned. She was a peak martial knight who reached 99% penetration rate. If she wished and had time she could promote to the martial noble rank. But now she was feeling threatened form the power of her son. She had an informational type of meridian seed. Bu it still had some sensory capabilities. With those and he deduction skills, she guessed that his penetration rate should be more than 90%.
She pinched Ben's cheeks hard and said, " You have become really strong, haven't you?" Ben was not having it. " Afiii am FNott a little cshild anymore…!!! Stop it!!!" Somehow, Ben got out of his mom's grip. His father patted his shoulder and said, " Indeed my son you have become strong." Miraya was still reeling from pain. So she did not like the fawning over Ben's return. But Ben had bough somethings for her and his parents as well.
When she received her presents, she was happy. Soon the family had good time together. When Miraya was with them, he told them all the colorful stories, describing the beauty and variety of animals and trees in the forest. The stories were pretty mundane but could still interest a child.
When she went, he told them about other things. He told them about the terrorist attacks and how he managed to kill them. He also told them about the dangers he faced. His parents were really worried now. No matter how battle hardened you are, no one wants their children to suffer. Ben had not told them about the meeting with Whalon still. If He told them that they would never let him outside.