A Dragon's Homecoming

Zhang tilted his head as Calypso paused and stared back at him. Had he said something wrong? His worry was quickly dissuaded when she posed a question. Had he ever been to Zian-Zi? Zhang stroked his chin as he gazed around the edifice. He surmised that though many of these things held faint memories or glimmers in his mind, he was something akin to a born-again Christian. He had never lost his pride in his martial prowess or the admiration he held for the Wulin.

However, when the relationship between him and his father grew strained - to a point where two men fought and Zhang nearly put him at his death bed - he viewed himself as a monster and left his family behind. Zhang knew that, given the skills he had cultivated, he could've taken the position by force but he chose to run away. In running away, he wanted to forget everything about where he came from.

In hindsight, he was young and foolish. He knew that. His mind was not fully capable of accepting the cards fate had dealt. His mother died from disease and Zhang developed the perception that his father was a heartless man who didn't grieve when she passed, choosing to only make things harder on him as a result.

Had he ever tried to understand him? He wondered. To have the weight of an entire clan on your back, did he fully grasp that concept?

Whatever the case, his desire in the present demanded that he right his wrong. He didn't want to be labeled as the renegade who abandoned his family. He owed it to his mother's memory to follow through.

With a soft sigh, he spoke.

"I'll be honest with ya - it's very likely that I don't remember much because I wanted to force myself to forget about everything here, in spite of all the pleasant memories. For a few years, I didn't think I'd be welcomed back. I fought my father, nearly killing my old man in a violent fit of rage. There was no honor in it. No joy. It wasn't the type of duel where one could wage their life, and force the other to give something in exchange for sparing their life, either. At that moment, I wanted him dead."

He would rub the back of his head as his gaze returned towards the young cultivator.

"Sorry, you need to take a shower and clean yourself up. I didn't mean to drop that on you... I'll just sit down and wait. We can drink something on the way."