Why do I even have to deal with this right now .
"Father, he's severely injured. You can't..."
Darius didn't even finish before the sound of flesh eting wood echoed through the hall.
Aureon's hand slamd against the table. "So?" he said quietly, his tone calm—too calm. "It's part of strength, there is no ti for rest"
I stood at the doorway, my head still pounding, my body screaming. Every nerve felt like it was vibrating from that migraine. My limbs were heavy, my mind sluggish. I could barely think straight. Why am I even here…
Aureon's gaze turned toward . Cold. Calculating. He didn't even look like a father anymore. Just a disappointed god staring at a broken creation.
I forced myself to stand straighter, every movent a battle.
"What exactly did I do wrong this ti, Father?" I asked. My voice was dry, detached. "What exactly did you want from ? Did you want to die?"
He said nothing, but the flicker of irritation in his eyes told I'd already crossed a line.
"You wanted to get rid of so badly, right? I'm weak. I know. Pathetic. I know that too." My hands were shaking now not from fear, but rage. "But I survived a Transcendent as an Expert. What did you expect to do? Miraculously defeat him? Break down the do alone?"
I could feel my words echo through the hall, bouncing off the cold marble walls.
"If you fought him yourself, no matter how strong you are, you'd have failed too! If Mother were still here, our family wouldn't even be this broken...."
The slap cut off.
The sound cracked like thunder. I didn't even feel the pain at first. I just felt the air leave as I hit the wall. My vision blurred, stars exploding behind my eyes. Then the sting burned through my cheek, sharp and hot.
"Don't you ever speak to in that tone, boy."
Aureon's voice was low, venomous. He took a step closer. "You want to be pampered? You want to be cuddled?" Another step. "It doesn't work that way in this world. The weak get consud. The weak die."
He towered over , his aura pressing down like gravity itself. "You expect to congratulate you for your pitiful attempt?"
His tone dripped with contempt. "You're a Valecrest. Act like one."
Sothing inside cracked right then. Not my ribs this ti sothing deeper. The part of that still expected warmth.
Before I could even stand, Darius and Aria moved blades of instinct, stepping in front of .
"Enough," Darius said, his voice like steel. Aria's eyes were cold, defiant, her magic already flickering faintly at her fingertips. They didn't say it, but the ssage was clear: You'll have to go through us first.
For a mont, silence. The room felt like it was suffocating.
Aureon's expression didn't change. "Leave," he said finally.
They didn't move.
"I said—leave."
The weight in his voice made the air vibrate. They both flinched, then turned toward . Darius crouched down, muttering, "Co on," and lifted onto his back. My vision was spinning again. I didn't protest. There was no point.
As they carried out, I could feel Aureon's gaze burning into my back. Not hate. Not love. Just that sa cold, empty expectation.
We walked through the long corridor in silence. The sound of our steps was the only thing keeping grounded. My cheek still stung, my head throbbed, but what hurt most was the realization that no matter what I did, I'd never be enough for him.
When we reached the end of the corridor, I heard another voice behind .
Soft. Controlled.
"Lord Valecrest," Alfred said.
****
Aureon didn't answer. But Alfred didn't need him to. He'd already seen it all. The fury, the pain, the ghost of a man who'd never truly recovered from Clara's death.
Alfred lowered his head. "He's not himself anymore," he whispered to the empty hall once we'd gone. "Not since that day."
And in that silence, with the air heavy and the light fading through the windows, the Valecrest estate felt less like a ho and more like a tomb.
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