The Kugo clan specialized in martial arts, a legacy they'd sworn to protect since the Red Day. They bore the principles of discipline and responsibility to help each other grow. Hence, the Zheng family's philosophy made them sworn enemies.
The Zheng clan specialized in cultivation, embodying the weight of carrying the world's burden on their shoulders.
Unlike the Kugo, who mostly trained their bodies and minds, the Zheng clan believed in spirituality, honing their spirits before anything else.
This had them often setting off on journeys to the mountains for meditation, worshipping deities and spiritual beings from ancient times.
The Zheng clan refused to learn combat until their spiritual bodies had matured to a certain level.
The Kugo valued self, individual strength, and discipline. The Zheng believed something existed beyond humanity, something pure and beautiful, not grotesque and corrupted like the Akumas'.
The conflict had raged for ages… should've ended decades ago when V, the Zheng prodigy, nearly wiped out the Kugo clan.
But now the Kugo saw a chance for payback against the Zheng. The person connecting them all? Purple Vey, sixteen-year-old genius and current head of the Vey family.
At the head of the long table sat Purple, the high seat.
The table bore a glowing purple emblem in an arcane style. It depicted a hand reaching upward, wrapped in bandages and pierced by broken blades trying to restrain it. Or perhaps the hand was breaking free, ripping through its bonds.
Sixteen chairs lined opposite sides; twelve were occupied. The faces: admiration, fear, respect, anger, and jealousy.
None of it affected Purple, though. She stayed silent and composed, face unreadable as always and Julien standing guard behind her.
Purple exhaled in disbelief.
Most of the people around refused to look her in the eyes. Not because they were afraid… well, they should be since she was the head of the family, but because of her purple eyes.
Thread of Souls was the Vey family Inheritance, and its wielder bore purple eyes. These eyes represented royalty, mystery, creativity, wisdom, and power, everything the Vey family valued. To look into those eyes as a Vey meant the wielder commanded your absolute loyalty.
Purple cleared her throat.
"It is no secret… I was named for these purple eyes. I lead you now, and I was chosen before I even took my first breath. The least courtesy you can show is to look me in the eyes."
Eyes turned toward those who wouldn't meet her gaze. Purple's own mother was one of them.
One of the elders present clicked his tongue.
"Why would we? I said this ritual must end. I refuse to have my memories given to some arrogant child, and I won't let my soul become a thread. And to top it off… the audacity to wear a uniform in front of your elders!"
The moment he spoke, chaos erupted. His words insulted Purple, and her loyal followers wouldn't tolerate it. Insults flew. What should've been a peaceful meeting devolved into a verbal brawl.
Julien stood behind Purple, his face contorting with annoyance.
He shouldn't have been allowed off campus after losing his duel. Purple got him a pass anyway, though it came with penalties waiting for him back at the academy. He still hadn't received punishment for the loss itself. Worse, he hadn't slept. Purple called it payback for his defiance.
His legs trembled where he stood.
An annoyed stretch. Purple cleared her throat again. The conflict stopped immediately.
"John, your opinion is of little concern to me. Let's move on to the reason I called you here."
She gave her words a beat.
"For generations, our family has been overshadowed by the events surrounding our Inheritance. Over time, we nearly lost everything to the Inheritances, the Spirits of the Lords, and the Soul of Converse… to be specific, at the hands of the Heart and Voss families.
"Four of ours died by their hands last week. And in seven years? More than 200 gold coins are gone. How much more are we supposed to lose?
"Save your jealousy for another time. We have real problems to deal with."
She exhaled deeply, but before she could speak, her mother spoke:
"Purple… please. I know you're the head of the family, but I don't want you to die. Not like this. Not to them."
Her mother hadn't looked her in the eye for a month. When she finally did, tears pooled in her eyes.
Purple smirked.
"So this is about how I look, isn't it? You married a brown man, Mother. I exist because of that choice. If I am different, it's by your design."
When she spoke, something broke in her mother's eyes. The tears she'd held back finally spilled. Her face drained of color, and she looked like her soul had left her body.
Of course, Purple knew the truth.
Her mother genuinely worried, and had worried since Purple awakened her Inheritance.
With the Vey family's trademark pale skin and brown hair, Purple had always been different. Every insult directed at her, Vivian rushed to take it instead. That was the kind of mother she was.
This was Purple's way of keeping her mother quiet and finishing the meeting without emotional interference.
"I'd be surprised if you haven't heard by now. V, the Zheng clan's so-called prodigy, is making quite the spectacle of himself in the Supreme Academy. If this is news to you, consider yourself updated."
Purple's eyes narrowed, her fists tightening in a white-knuckle grip.
"I plan to use this to our advantage and finally get ahead of our enemies. As for the details? I'll keep those to myself. I'm not naive enough to forget what some of you are capable of… and I'd hate to experience my first great heartbreak so soon.
"What I want from you is simple: your support, and your readiness. I may have provoked something beyond us, but this is how the Vey family survives. We remain relevant, and our threads grow stronger. Brace yourselves. The worst is coming."
Marvel stood the instant she spoke, the one most people actually wanted leading the family. She flipped her brown hair, a deliberate snub.
"You know the Kugo clan has already summoned their Four Wings, right? And Aina Zheng, the head of the Zheng clan, is preparing everything she needs to destroy V herself. You're well aware of how powerful they are. So tell me… why would they need you?"
Purple shook her head in frustration. Marvel's charisma was powerful enough to ensure victory for the Vey family if they'd cooperated. Too bad her pride wouldn't allow it.
Purple had planned all of it. She knew exactly how formidable Aina was. The woman was old but appeared mid-twenties thanks to clan cultivation techniques. Purple even recalled seeing her face down in her memories. When she disgracefully defeated a Moon Killer, nearly killing them, even.
Arguably, the Kugo clan's four wings were at her level, possibly even stronger.
But they were all trapped in Purple's web. The threads she'd wrapped around them weren't something they could escape with brute force.
She didn't even bother to answer Marvel's question.
But her silence struck a nerve. Before she could process what was happening, Julien had manipulated his blood into two blades, pressing them against Marvel's neck and an elder's.
"Sit. I'd rather not be on your bad side… but try anything against Purple, and I'll end it before you can blink." Julien said, and the malice in his presence made everyone around sweat buckets.
Watching Marvel's terror made Purple smile. Totally worth the silence.
"It's okay, Julien. I think they've learned their lesson."
With an annoyed sigh, Julien returned to his initial position. He was so exhausted he even wondered how he'd managed to move that quickly.
Maintaining her cocky smirk, Purple spoke:
"That's it. Just trust me, I'll fix what's broken in the Vey family. For now, I should return to the academy."
For the first time, every person in that room stared into her purple eyes.