Conflux System: I Can Merge Anything

Don’t own so much clutter that you will be relieved to see your house on fire.

Zane didn’t know if the burning house beside the Lumen Reservoir had clutters. But he did know that they had a couple living inside them along with Xavier, his first Ashbearer and possibly, his first friend.

He shot up from his seat in the carriage, making Milo struggle to keep her feet on the floor as she was on his lap.

He caught Milo instantly and seeing she almost fell, another thought struck him and he hated his mind for that.

Milo didn’t have to sit on his lap at all.

He was already paying for all the seats, so Milo could sit beside him.

I am such an idiot!

Even if Milo sat on a seat, the fare won’t rise. He had to pay twenty bronze lumens one way or another.

"Sit in the seat, Milo. You were right. Your brother is an idiot."

"Forget the seat, brother. Why are you looking so worried? Is something wrong? Do we have to hide?"

"No. You sit down. I need silence. Please."

Milo didn’t argue and sat on the seat beside him.

In front of Xavier’s home, a crowd was gathered.

They weren’t on the road so the carriage moved at its usual speed but Zane’s mind stayed on the burning spot.

No one was throwing water on the house. No one called the security or Wardens with water skills to subdue the fire.

They were simply watching the house burn.

Zane’s pupils danced left and right, his heart didn’t know whether to burst or beat.

His palms found sweat.

Is he dead? Will I be notified if one of my subordinates dies?

[ No. But the connection between you and your Ashbearer would break upon their deaths. ]

The system answered and Zane instantly focused inside his mind.

When he had made Xavier his subordinate, a thread with four knots had appeared inside his mind.

He knew where it was and heaved the heaviest sigh of relief when he found the thread perfectly alright.

Also, he looked at the black marking on his wrist and it was fine too.

Looking at the round marking around his wrist, Zane figured such markings would only appear if he made more Ashbearers. He won’t get markings for normal subordinates. Otherwise he would have ten thousand markings by now.

So he is alive. But what about his parents? If they were his parents. I have to help them. I have to check.

Zane had taken the carriage to save time but the situation demanded otherwise.

"Stop the carriage!" He shouted.

SNAP!

The sound of a hunter snapping came and the carriage stopped.

The driver opened the small window placed behind his head.

"What?"

"I have to help them. There must be people inside the house."

The driver’s eyes bulged. "Are you out of your mind?"

Zane frowned. "What?"

"Do you think the house was set on fire by mistake?"

"It’s not?"

"No. Did you not hear what happened yesterday?"

"What happened yesterday? Why are you wasting time talking?"

The carriage driver gritted his teeth.

"The man who lived in this house, he had dared to question the First Flame yesterday. He had questioned the authority and His sacrifice for us yesterday right inside the church and outside as well."

Zane gulped.

"Are you saying..."

"Yes. The Flame believers would not tolerate that. The same Flame that he questioned, that same fire engulfed his house. That’s what you get for questioning our God."

Zane’s breath quickened.

He couldn’t understand the extent of hatred.

Simple questions would turn houses into ashes.

What has become of this world?

"Do you want to save the house now?" The driver asked and Zane would have answered yes right away but his survival instinct woke up.

The driver was testing him.

The driver had no mourn on his face and he had clearly stated our god while he was talking.

He was a rigid believer of the First Flame as well.

If Zane said yes and went to help, he would be branded as an infidel as well and instead of his small hut, it would be him and Milo burning down to their last embers.

He was between two roads.

He could either save Xavier’s parents or he could save himself and Milo.

The driver stared at him for an answer and Zane couldn’t take more time. Him taking time would mean he had suspicions on the faith.

"... Are you really alright, brother? I am scared."

Milo’s voice cut sharp towards his heart and her sulking voice was enough to shatter his doubts.

"No. I don’t want to save the house. Let the infidels burn."

The carriage driver smiled. "That’s like a true Flamer. Hail the Flame."

"Hail the Flame."

Zane repeated the greeting and sat back down on the seat.

His face was calm, not showing any discomfort as he closed his eyes and rested his head at the back of the seat.

The driver also turned forward and snapped the bulls to move the carriage forward.

"Everything is fine, Milo. Don’t worry. Let me rest for a bit."

"Okay." Milo agreed and went silent.

But she snuggled closer to him, leaning her head on her brother.

Zane’s eyes were closed but he wasn’t resting. Far from that.

The driver had thought that he was taking a nap but he had closed his eyes to stop the light of fire entering his vision.

At the same time, he was thinking.

Xavier is alive. His parents or whoever they are, I am not sure about them. They might be burned to death or they might have escaped. Only Xavier could answer that if he came to the Citadel today. It’s good that I didn’t jump in to help the fire. If they were already dead, it wouldn’t have mattered and I would have been at risk. And if they were alive, then helping would have put me at risk anyway.

He had also stolen candies from the Offerings, this might be the countermeasure Horum was talking about. Also, the carriage driver remembered Xavier from yesterday, but I was also there. Did he not recognise me? That could be. I was covered in blood after all.

Zane ran scenarios in his head and also the events that could take place in the Citadel with him. And he was also worried about Xavier because if it was the church who was behind burning his house, then they would try it again after seeing that Xavier wasn’t dead.

Zane pressed his head from the sides as too much thinking gave him stress.

But the carriage kept on moving and amidst his thoughts, the carriage stopped and the driver’s loud voice cut through his racing mind:

"You have reached your destination, young man. The Citadel has arrived."