Alden yawned widely as he sat in the audience seats, watching the matches of other participants. Today marked the fifth day of the tournant and not much of note had happened over the last two days.
After his battle with Rexica, he had been paired with soone from the dwarven academy who wielded a hamr nearly ten tis the size of his own body and the guy barely lasted a single kick from Alden...
Another match had been against soone from his own academy, who surrendered shortly after it began.
All of his friends were currently in the waiting room as cruel fate had paired them against one another. Amyra was set to fight Aziel while Nyx had been matched against Cecilia.
Judging by how Aziel had practically begged Alden to ask Amyra to go easy on him, Alden doubted the guy was even planning to fight, especially since Alden had responded with an evil smirk that clearly said, Yeah, buddy. I’ll make sure you get crushed thoroughly.
As for Cecilia, she was far too smart not to realize that she was currently too weak to face Nyx. Alden doubted that match would even turn into a real fight.
anwhile, Zephyr had finally been discharged from the hospital but unfortunately... his father had refused to let any "bad influences," or as he had called Alden and Aziel, bugs, wander anywhere near his son.
Like most parents, he blad them for Zephyr neglecting his training and growing weak. So he took Zephyr back to the family for so "personal training."
Zephyr had looked back at Alden helplessly before being taken away...
Just then, the match between Amyra and Aziel began as Alden watched them walk toward the arena.
He waved at them as Amyra cheerfully waved back, while Aziel shot him an angry glare.
Alden responded to the glare by casually slicing his finger across his neck which sent shivers down Aziel’s spine.
"That guy is way too easy to scare." Alden muttered with a chuckle but before he could say anything else, a voice spoke from beside him.
"You were like that once too."
Alden shifted his head slightly.
He hadn’t sensed anyone sitting there so the voice caught him off-guard and when he looked, he saw a man with features similar to his own, lounging casually beside him.
The face was familiar except for the long scar stretching from his eye down to his lips.
It was none other than Alaric Draven or as Alden had once thought of him, his father.
"Well, what would you even know about it," Alden replied flatly, without a hint of emotion, "since you were never around."
Although Alden now knew that Alaric had been deceived by his mother into believing Alden was his son when in reality, he wasn’t but Alaric himself didn’t know that truth and yet... he had still let one of his children get bullied to death.
It was a selfish thought but back then, Alden hadn’t known the truth either. He had cried through countless nights, hoping that soday just once his father would appear with a smile, praise him for enduring everything and save him out of that hellhole but it never happened and on the rare occasions Alden did see him, all he received were cold glares and never a smile.
There wasn’t a single fond mory of this man in his mind and on the day Alden had finally learned the truth, sowhere deep in his heart, he had felt relieved that this pathetic man wasn’t his father.
Alaric, anwhile, forced a smile. "You have made many friends, huh?"
He tried to steer the conversation elsewhere but Alden wasn’t one to let it go. "Well, it’s easy to make friends when they aren’t trying to kill you."
"But why are you here...?"
A smirk tugged at his lips.
"Oh? Don’t tell you’re here to bully yourself now, since your sons are incapable of doing it?"
He leaned back slightly, his eyes cold.
"Or are you here to kill for daring to be born as an illegitimate son?"
He didn’t hold back.
Alaric shook his head. "I know. I was never a great father and I was even a pathetic man... but you don’t need to be afraid of anyone anymore, Alden."
He took a breath.
"I have finally freed myself from the burdens that held back from caring for you. I know it won’t be easy for you to accept this... but can you give this pathetic old man of yours a second chance?"
Alden looked at him for a mont.
Honestly, for just a brief instant, he did feel bad for him.
Trying so hard for a boy who wasn’t even his real son... What an irony.
Still that didn’t an he had any intention to be a happy family with that guy just because he felt bad or because the guy realised his mistake so late.
"No." He replied coldly. "You see, Mr. Alaric, I don’t want anything to do with you or your little family as I am happy exactly where I am."
Alaric let out a bitter smile. "I understand..."
He said nothing more before standing up and rging into his own shadow, reappearing far away.
Alaric had been stranded in the Demon Realm for the past few months ever since a Demon General from the black market had used a teleportation ritual at the very last mont. He had struggled to survive there, clinging to the hope that one day he would et his children again, especially the boy he had neglected since childhood.
Only a few weeks ago, had he managed to return and soon after, the Emperor had sent him to the Artificial Island to keep an eye on everyone’s safety.
He had accepted the mission willingly.
All of his children were on the island, and monitoring safety from afar while disguising himself as a civilian gave him the perfect excuse to stay close.
He had watched Alden dominate match after match, waiting patiently, hoping to speak with him once the tournant ended but when he saw Alden smiling in the audience stands...
He decided to speak then and there.
Still, he wasn’t disheartened by his son’s cold response as Alden had every right to be angry but Alaric, as his father, wasn’t going to stop trying.
He would make sure Alden never had to suffer again and the first step was ensuring there was no filth left in the Draven family.
He had heard how they had disowned Alden in his absence and he was going to make sure that everyone responsible paid the full price.
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