OLD-WORLD EXTRA-Chapter 232: A Brother

"So, who are you?"

Emir brought up the question that remained bubbling in his mind for a while.

Ragnar didn't appear to be surprised and simply answered:

"Well... You could say that I'm someone who fell from grace..."

Emir's face, which had been calm for the past hour, finally showed a smile.

"Ah... I see."

"Shouldn't you be comforting me?"

"No."

"No? Well, I guess, as the kids say, rip bozo."

"...What the fuck does that even mean?"

"I don't think anyone knows. It's a new trend for the kids these days."

Ragnar subtly changed the subject, and Emir played along.

"And what's the trend?"

"I ain't sure, but I think they pulled up on some archives of the old world, like a time capsule of how they talked, and this trend was the result."

Emir tilted his head to the side.

"Were they retarded?"

"The kids?"

"No... Actually, yeah, but I meant those from back then."

Ragnar chuckled.

"Who knows... I sure don't."

Emir let out a yawn.

"Whatever man... I'm bored; just how long is this going to take?"

"I don't know."

"It was a rhetorical question, you idiot!"

"I know."

They argued back and forth, their voices increasing in volume, until the supervisor signaled for them to quiet down.

...

The bus arrived at its destination point.

It was-

"I told you that it was going to be a ruin!"

"Nah, I don't believe it, mate; the academy is better than that!"

"But it's a ruin! Are you blind?!"

"You'll see, when we go in, it'll all be different and shit!"

"No, I win the bet; give me-"

"Shut up, you loud pieces of crap!"

Ragnar had finally snapped.

He was controlling himself only because of Emir, but he couldn't take it anymore; hearing their loud and useless drivel fried his ears.

'Weren't we the same on the bus?'

Emir inwardly questioned, but he didn't bother with that and followed after Ragnar.

"And who the fuck are you to tell us what to do?"

The trio stepped up towards Ragnar, their faces burning with anger.

"My ears are melting because of you lot! I demand compensation!"

'What the fuck are you on about?'

Emir inwardly questioned once again, but like before, he joined his new friend.

"He's right, you know, you fuckers are too loud."

His words were cold while Ragnar's were hot, a contrast that perplexed the trio.

"How are you two all buddy buddy? You're like the exact opposite." The quiet one of the trio asked.

Emir chuckled.

"No, we're more alike than one would think."

Ragnar repeatedly nodded his head.

"That's right!"

"Suurree.... Anyways, I'll make these guys stay quiet, so chill; we won't bother you anymore." "Who are you to tell them what we'll do?!"

"Yeah!"

Even though they complained, the loudmouths complied, appearing scared.

Only absolute retards would willingly fight someone that looked like Emir.

Or so they might've thought.

Ragnar and Emir silently looked at each other.

They couldn't help but laugh.

But their laughter took pause when someone angrily approached them.

"You two gotta shut up! You motherfuckers are even louder than them!"

"Hah?!"

"What did you just say?"

The hot and cold duo reacted aggressively after hearing the word 'mother.'

Ragnar was about to slog the guy a new one, but Emir held him back by the shoulder.

"Let me go! This kid dared bring my bitch of a mother into this!"

'... What? You just called her a bitch, though?'

Emir, who had just shrugged his shoulders, didn't reply, and his eyes searched the crowd until

they landed on one of the supervisors.

The elderly man gave him a nod.

That was all that he needed.

"Hah? You're gonna fight? You're not that guy, man—"

Emir walked forward and pushed the guy back a few steps.

"Oh, yeah?"

"Trust me, mate, you're not that-"

He raised his hand and 'face slapped' the guy to the ground.

"Agh!"

Not allowing him a moment to breathe, a laughing Ragnar held the guy by the neck and threw

him back at Emir.

Just as their victim reached him, Emir's right hook found itself crashing into the man's head.

"...You're him-"

A spree of punches followed: a jab, straight, uppercut, and a another right hook, which ended

in a face kick.

Vomit left the man's mouth as his neck cracked to the left while he fell, now rolling on the

dusty floor.

"Augh... You're that guy, man!...You're the guy-"

Emir kicked him in the groin while lightly empowering his right foot with Aether.

Crack!

The man was knocked out cold in an instant.

"АНАННАНААН!"

Ragnar's laugh echoed in the sandy wasteland as his feet kicked out, hitting the man square in

the ribs.

'...More? Sure!'

Emir joined in the fun and began kicking the ever-living shit out of their victim.

The trio, who were staring warily at the two, had finally figured out that they meant them no

harm...

So they joined in as well.

...

The man didn't die; he was given a few old-world medicines and was sent to relax on the bus.

Those supervisors didn't intervene until the end; actually, some of them even seemed to

enjoy the spectacle.

After the whole debacle was over, the supervisors each picked out a group of candidates they

had their eyes on.

Emir and Ragnar were under different supervisors, so now they were having their last talk

before going in.

The supervisors allowed that, as most of those who entered wouldn't return with a sane mind

intact.

"Akhi... We ain't on the same team." Ragnar's tone was sad, but his face didn't show it.

"Akhi?"

"Ah, I think that's what you Arabs called each other or something. I ain't sure; it's ancient

language, mate."

"Well, fuck off, Akhi."

"Sure, and oh, yeah. I gotta ask... What are we now?"

Emir scoffed.

"You my girlfriend or something?"

"I've got a fiancé, I'll have you know."

"May God bless her."

Ragnar chuckled.

"We're brothers, mate, brothers."

"Are we now?"

"Yes, we are."

"Sure."

Ragnar laid his back on the ground, his blue eyes staring at the bright sky.

"So, you've got any interesting stories to tell? I'm sure you met a lot of hot chicks; you're the

infamous leader of Azazel after all."

"So you did know of me."

"Of course I did; that's how I figured 'it' out."

"I see... Well, I guess I got one, though I'm not one for love, not yet at least."

"That's sad."

"I've got trust issues, so I need to trust my girl fully if I'm ever going to fall in love."

"Hoh, well, for me personally, I think the most important thing a woman must have is her

heart."

"And why is that?"

"Think about it. A human's heart is within their chest, so for your heart to be welcoming, you

gotta have a chest large enough to support it!"

Emir blankly stared at him.

"Hah?"

"I like chicks with big boobs!" "No, I got it the first time you said it."

"Actually, I don't just like them; I LOVE-"

Emir punched him in the shins, shutting him up.

"If I wasn't sitting, your head would've been kicked in... Now quiet down. Do you want your

supervisor to kill you?"

Ragnar showed a toothy grin.

"Don't worry, I'll be fine."

"Also, keep saying shit like that if you want your fiancé to leave you for a better man."

"Fuck off."

"I didn't know your girl's name was off."

They silently stared at each other for a while until their loud laughter echoed around them.

But they didn't disturb anyone, as Emir had already set up an isolation barrier.

"...Oh, I didn't know that you're a spell weaver too."

Emir shrugged off Ragnar's comment.

"I'm not, but you can just say that I'm built differently, in a literal sense."

"You are; you should think about those eyes of yours; they scare even me. Think of the kids."

"Fuck those kids; they can cry for all I care."

"It's not only that, though; you've got a scar too...."

"I do."

"I'm telling you, man, the kids won't like you."

Emir wasn't surprised that Ragnar noticed the scar on the left side of his head.

While it was hidden underneath his hair...

The man was Celestial, even if he didn't act like it.

"As I said, I don't care, but don't tell me you want to coddle them? They're students, sure, but

they're training to be soldiers."

"Yeah, I get you. I get you. But I gotta ask..."

Ragnar paused for a moment, his face uncharacteristically serious.

"Why don't you heal it?"

Emir's calm gaze remained on his friend for a moment, until he sighed and looked away.

"It's badass, you know."

"...And what's the truth?"

"Heh... It's a reminder."

"Of what?"

"A reminder that... the line between life and death is ever so thin."

Ragnar's blue eyes darkly flashed, something that Emir didn't fail to pick up on.

The man appeared to know that feeling well...

But his happy-go-lucky attitude returned soon after.

"Chill out, man. You'll cut me with all that edge."

Emir gave a pitiful chuckle at that overused joke.

"I don't need your half-assed laughs!"

Ragnar took his shades off his head and threw them at the grinning Emir.

Emir easily caught the flying object and looked at his new brother.

"For free?"

"We're brothers, mate; don't mind it." "Alright then, whatever you say."

[...Ly, check them for me. I can't trust this fucker; it's too convenient.]