Alden's POV
Staring at the ceiling of my room, a sigh unconsciously released from my mouth.
It's been two days since my duel with Cedric, and nothing much happened contrary to what I had thought.
I was sure that the family elders would keep pestering about my sword art, but it seems they already had so knowledge regarding it previously.
They even decided to grant the Family's official Shadow Mana To ---Noctus Grimore.
Well it was just a cheap knockout of the shadow elental phase of Eclipse Codex. Sa thing just without forming shadow core. According to it the user have to convert ambient mana into shadow mana everyti they want to use shadow related spells.
I just throwed it in my storage ring. Why would I bother learning that cheap copy when I have the original.
Another thing I found strange was Isolde; why had she not done anything to yet, or is she really as kind as she shows outwardly?
No, that can't be. I am sure she was scheming sothing. According to what I know from novel she is similar to Seles in that departnt. Always scheming and manipulative. I only have to worry about it for so ti, I guess.
I don't have to worry about Isolde after next week because I will be at academy by then. My eyes wandered off to the letter of Astralis Academy.
Astralis Academy was one of the most prestigious academies of the human continent, although there were so other academies too, but they paled in comparison to Astralis Academy.
The academy did not just give anyone the admission, and the letter I have currently was only for eligibility to give the entrance test. I would have to pass the admission test before I could even get admitted.
I unfolded the letter as I looked at the intricate seal of the academy on its top right side. The symbol of the academy was a five-pointed star with a blue ring surrounding it. It didn't have any particular aning. It was just sothing the founder of the Academy decided on a whim.
The letter was simple, just ntioning my na and asured rank and a simple ssage saying you are eligible for an academy entrance test.
The academy wasn't just a place to learn; it was a battlefield of its own kind. Every rival, every test, and every hidden agenda would shape the plot ahead. And I have no intention of letting the 'protagonist' dictate the outco of this world.
Why shouldn't I interfere if the world is already set out to be dood? I am going to do my best to divert the outco.
I would have said sothing like, I will take all the protagonist's treasure, but, well, I can't do that. Because in this accursed novel there was no major and powerful treasure shown.
There were treasures like artifacts, powerful skills, and abilities, but none of them were ntioned properly, as most of the things the protagonist had were from his system.
There were so minor treasures shown, though. But how could I rember every small detail? I loved reading that book but not to the extent I could rember every small detail.
I was lucky that I could even rember sothing about Eclipse Codex and find it. But it was only due to how I found the concept of using Eclipse Elent attractive.
Now that I think about it I was always curious about Eclipse Codex back then when it was ntioned in the novel. I comnted relentlessly to ask that author to show more details about it. But as always, that f*cker didn't respond to any comnts. He was a real piece of shit.
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After just cursing the author for a while, I suddenly heard a knock on the door to my room.
"Young Master, ummm…" It was Alice, but she sounded hesitant. "Young Master Cedric has co to et you."
My eyes widened slightly. 'What the hell?' I couldn't believe the great Cedric, for once, instead of barging directly into my room, was asking for permission.
"Let him in." I ordered, curious to what this is all about.
Just as I ordered, the door to the room opened and Cedric entered with slow steps. He was looking completely different, his cheeks were sunken and his eyes had glaring dark circles. His posture was also completely different from how he usually carried himself. He looked hollow, but his eyes shone with sothing…sothing I knew very well. It was the resolve.
Cedric's usual smirk and arrogant attitude were missing, replaced by a determined expression.
My mind was swirling with many emotions, but I didn't break my impassive face. I felt a multitude of emotions looking at his current self. I have heard rumours about how Cedric is discarded by his own mother. But I didn't know Cedric would be so broken...
I felt joy... satisfaction... hate, anger... but there was one more emotion I felt that I didn't want to accept.
I felt pity for him…I didn't know where this pity was originating from…or why I was even feeling it. He was not soone worthy of pity. He was a scumbag through and through. He was soone who had beaten from my childhood, bullying without even a trace of pity. So why was I feeling pity for such a bastard?
No, it wasn't pity for the pathetic, arrogant fool he once was. It was pity for the man who had been abandoned by his own mother, just like .....
"Why are you here? Huh, Cedric?" I asked, my voice calm almost without any emotions, barely suppressing the urge to curse at him. Although I did feel pity, it was not enough to overpower my hate towards him.
"I...I..." He just stamred, his eyes darting all around.
"I don't have all day, you know?" I said in an impatient voice.
Cedric took a deep breath, calming his mind. As if he finally made up his mind he looked straight into my eyes.
"I'm sorry, Alden." Cedric spoke, his voice steady this ti without any stamr.
The first emotion I felt at his apology was disbelief. 'Did I mishear that?'
"Hahahah, sorry for what, huh, Cedric?" I asked, my voice still calm as a smirk appeared on my face. "Sorry for beating or sorry for making my whole life hell…"
"Do you think your sorry can erase your wrongdoings?"
"Do you even have the right to ask for forgiveness now?" I demanded answers from him.
Cedric listened to quietly, keeping his head down... Only after I finished my words did he raise his head back up.
"I know Alden; I know I don't deserve forgiveness, nor am I asking for one." He spoke his voice a bit loud.
"I've realized things about myself, Alden… things I'm not proud of. This isn't about asking for your forgiveness, but it's about acknowledging what I've done before. That's all I wanted to say"
As if done whatever he was doing he turned around, not even looking back as he walked out of my room.
I blinked my eyes as I could not believe what just happened 'That f*cker, what was all that about.'
Although I felt happy he was suffering but that just didn't feel okay to …I wanted him to be like before, arrogant and self-absorbed so I could have made him suffer more to break him as he had done to …but now? That just feels pointless now. Cedric was already broken and it's not fun breaking people who are already broken.
This wasn't the sa person who'd mocked for years. What was going on with him?
I had already made so many plans to make him suffer in the future ... .but he just had to change and put them all down in the drain.
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