On his way back to the Skyshard Mansion after killing the Twelfth Elder, Leo felt his aura being in a plete disarray for reasons he could not yet understand.
He could feel this plex web of emotions growing inside him, that were being suppressed by [Monarch’s Indifference] but it was almost like [Monarch’s Indifference] was no longer functioning for him at all.
Ever since he had unlocked intent and had walked further down the road of mastering [The SevenFold Revelation Codex], it was almost like [Monarch’s Indifference] was no longer as effective as a passive skill as it used to be, as it did barely anything anymore to regulate his emotions.
’It’s weird, I’ve never seen my body give off so many colors in such a short time–’ Leo thought, as he observed how his body’s color went from red to maroon to blue to golden and back to red again in an extremely short span of time.
’Why is this happening? What’s going on?’ He thought, as he paused and pulled over to a side, before pulling out the [SevenFold Revelation Codex] from his storage ring.
"It’s blank, there are no new lessons here." He observed, as contrary to his expectations, no new lines of wisdom appeared inside the book, as apparently this wasn’t a phenomenon worth guiding according to the book.
’I guess I’ll just ask Charles about it when I see him....’ He concluded for now, as he closed the Codex and continued walking alongside Dupravel, Su Pei, Mu Fan and Gimli.
—--------------
Once he arrived back at the Skyshard Mansion, Leo found his aura stabilizing as a joyous blue, as he once again became his jolly old self, that wasn’t obsessed with chasing revenge.
He then pardoned Mu Fan, and gave her the antidote to her ailing poison, while also granting Dupravel a week long leave to visit his son, as suddenly he started to feel magnanimous for no explainable reason.
It was like a massive weight had been lifted off his shoulders and he felt like the world was fine once again.
But even when he felt that calm, that magnanimity, he somehow did not feel plete.
It was as if his body was suddenly able to quantify emotions, and he was just realizing that, ’Happiness’ was probably not as important of an emotion as he had believed it to be.
That although he was happy at this moment, with his family, and although he was happy to see them safe, it wasn’t as satisfying for him on a personal level as the time when he was chasing that same revenge.
’Is my head straight? What is this clarity I’m feeling all of a sudden?’
Leo wondered, as for the first time in his life, he began to question whether he could ever turn into the next version of his retired father?
Walking hand in hand with his mother in the garden, tending to the little joys of home and hearth.
He loved his family, yes, and he knew he could give everything up for them in an instant, but deep down he knew he was not the man who wanted to spend a lifetime inside these walls.... Doing nothing but tending to flowers or playing the role of a dutiful son.
Because that wasn’t him!
He was not a domestic man, and at his core he now understood that he never could be.
He saw the truth about himself now.
The truth about how all his life, he had always mistaken his hunger for growing stronger as a duty, because only if he was strong could he protect what he cared, when in truth, he just enjoyed the process of getting stronger.
It was an instinct for him.
It was an identity.
He did not fight and train so hard only because he had to protect, but because without it he felt inplete..... Because although he was happy when he was home, he was only ’alive’ when he was a warrior.
Alive in the chaos, alive in the blood, alive in the never-ending struggle to grow sharper, stronger, faster than the world around him.
And as that realization settled into him like iron, Leo understood why even though he was happy today, he did not feel plete.
Because while for his entire life he had believed that it was his family that pleted him, it was only today that he realized that it was not.
And it was quite a shocker for him to accept.
’Why today? What’s going on today that’s making me feel this way?’ He wondered, as he accidentally pletely zoned out, being self-absorbed in his thoughts.
Amanda, walking quietly beside him, tilted her head as she noticed the faraway look in his eyes.
"Leo?" she called softly, her voice careful, almost like she was afraid of pulling him out of something important.
But when he didn’t respond, she only let out a small smile and slipped her hand just briefly against his arm before pulling away. "You’re somewhere else again... I’ll wait until you e back."
She chuckled faintly under her breath, though her eyes lingered on him with warmth rather than frustration, before moving a little ahead to give him space.
—----------
(Meanwhile Su Yang’s POV, The Interstellar Circuits)
"This is it folks, the last match, Captain Su Yang from Rodova against Rookie Yu Lei of Geneva.
Can Yu Lei turn around Geneva’s 4-1 deficit?" Derek asked, as Lee clicked his tongue in disagreement.
"Looks unlikely Derek, Captain Su Yang is unstoppable today, three wins already and this might just be his fourth in a row." Lee said, as Su Yang began with his ever domineering performance.
*SHING*
*SHING*
[Indomitable Slash]
*KABOOM*
"OOH! WHAT A MIGHTY BLOW—"
"I don’t think Yu Lei is getting up from that.... It’s a victory for Rodova! Su Yang wins it all the way for them!" Lee said happily, as Su Yang raised his fists in glory.
SU YANG! SU YANG! SU YANG!
The crowd chanted his name, however, Su Yang did not care for them, as he just closed his eyes, and imagined how Leo was standing here just a year ago, basking in the attention of the same crowd.
*Clench*
He clenched his fists, his anger flaring, as he opened his eyes and looked towards the sky.
"Academy’s over my friend..... I guess I’ll see you soon," He muttered, before turning to face the flood of teammates that were running onto the arena to congratulate him.
—------- xxxx —-------
End Of Volume 5, Chasing A Shadow.
See you all in Volume 6 :- The Second Great Betrayal.
—-------- xxxx —-------
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