Standing at the pier, Adam and Brigham gazed at each other with a flat expression on their faces.
The seagulls soared above, the fish swam under the water. The traders hawked their wares, and the sailors prepared to set sail to the other side of the world.
The Harbor Quarter was as bustling as ever, yet at this mont, all the sounds around the two n on the pier seed to have faded away.
"What do you an by that?" Brigham asked with narrowed eyes.
Adam intently looked at the old man, the wrinkles on his face, his receding hairline, and his murky eyes that had seen the vicissitudes of life.
Instead of answering his question, he asked a question of his own, "How old are you, Lord Flynn? The Mana Liquefaction Rank grants a lifespan of 200-300 years. A Mana Vortex Magus like you, if practiced to the peak of this rank, should have had close to 600 years of lifespan, eh?"
His lips ford a smirk and he added, "But you never did reach the peak of Rank 3, did you?"
The following mont, he closely observed Brigham's emotions and continued, "Despite having a mana extraction technique that allows you to practice till the Mana Core Rank."
For a split second, Brigham's eyes flashed with ferocity—sothing that didn't go unnoticed by the Adam. The next mont, he spoke with a dark expression, "Why bring up such a sensitive topic? Are you perhaps…"
"Heh," A chuckled filled with ridicule escaped Adam's lips. "What? You think I want your mana extraction technique?"
Seeing the contempt in the youth's tone, Brigham's eyes narrowed. "Then why bring it up?"
"Nothing, I…" Adam paused for a mont, his eyes turning deep as he gazed at the distant sea. "I found myself wavering, so I needed to resolve myself. Again."
He shook his head, sighing to himself, Living more than two hundred and fifty years inside of that illusion in the Raven Inheritance has made soft…
"Anyways." He looked at the Flynn Patriarch and continued, "So I'm guessing you've lived for about four to five hundred years, yes?"
Brigham looked at him with a frown, choosing not to answer. He wasn't able to understand the youth's motive. It was unsettling.
"Co on, Lord Flynn, entertain for a little, will ya?" Adam chuckled lightly.
"Would you say that it was a life well lived?" He asked.
Brigham exhaled a deep sigh and nodded. "Yes, Adam, it was a life well lived. It had its ups and downs, the goods and the bads, but that is what life is supposed to be."
Adam nodded. "And what would you say is the most important thing in your life?" His eyes narrowed and he continued, "Would you say it is your family?"
"Undoubtedly," Brigham spoke without hesitation. He gazed at Adam, his eyes gleaming with a strange light. "For my family, I'd be willing to do anything."
Adam smiled. This ti sincerely. "You know, Lord Flynn, in this aspect, my father was very similar to you."
He paused for a mont, turning his attention back towards the sea, and his mind towards the past.
"Well, he wasn't as rich as you, and he wasn't as powerful as you. He was a mortal. He was a farr."
Adam's eyes turned dim as he recalled his father's face. "He was a simple man, but he fiercely loved his family and would do anything for them."
He turned to look at Brigham and gestured, "Just like you would."
"The son of a mortal farr, now a proud Count of Ravenfell," Brigham praised from the bottom of his heart. "You have co a long way."
He ant those words. He truly admired Adam.
The raven-haired youth didn't care about the man's praises. He continued where he left off, "In order to take care of my mother and , my father chose to participate in a war resulting from a land feud between two nobles.
"The man had never held a sword in his life, yet he went to fight anyway. For his family. That is how much he loved and my mother."
Adam paused for a mont, his tone turning deep. "My father put his life on the line so that my mother and I didn't sleep on an empty stomach. That's how much we ant to him."
"…Where is he now?" Brigham asked.
Adam's lips curled up into a smile, but there was no happiness in his eyes. "My father never returned from that war, and my mother passed away shortly after."
Brigham remained silent, gazing at the youth, wondering why he would tell him his life story now.
Adam pointed his finger at the old man and faintly smiled, "You are just like my father was—willing to do anything to protect his family, to ensure that they survived. No matter the cost!"
He paused for a mont, his smile deepening. "And that is why I respect you, Lord Flynn. I respect the decisions you've made and will make. If my father was in your shoes, he would have probably done the sa. If I were in your shoes... I'd probably do the sa too."
The next mont, Adam's eyes narrowed and he spoke his final words, "That is why I want you to know… that it was ."
With that said, he turned around and walked away, slowly disappearing amidst the crowd.
Brigham gazed at the youth's disappearing back with complicated emotions, wondering to himself, Why would he suddenly say all those things to ? What did he an by that?
The more he thought about it, the more confused he beca.
He had never heard the youth talk about his family before. Neither had he ever told him that he respected him. So then why did Adam say all of those things to him now?
It doesn't make sense, Brigham thought.
He turned around and gazed at the Galestine Ocean, watching the ships disappear into the stormy horizons.
Recalling Adam's words, Brigham surprisingly found it in him to strengthen his resolve even further.
"That's right," he murmured as he clenched his fists, his eyes flashing with a determined light.
"For my family, I am willing to do anything!"
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