Chapter 254 - 250 — Talk

"Dude... the Lightning Prince is actually terrifying."

"Right? Who the hell would’ve guessed it was Kaelith? That asshole."

"Apparently the Lightning Prince. You saw how he got the guy to confess."

"Man, I got goosebumps. He’d been running circles around Kaelith from the very start."

"He really is scary..."

A moment of silence passed before a hesitant voice broke it.

"Honestly... with how much everyone hyped up our young lord, I always thought he’d be the scarier one."

"Same. Lord Ociden practically called him the greatest genius to ever exist. I honestly thought he was better. Even after he lost to the Lightning Prince during the Proving, I kept telling myself it was just a fluke."

"Well... clearly it wasn’t. These past few months settled it. The Lightning Prince’s just better than Young Lord Vaelor."

"So... what now? We start kissing the Lightning Prince’s ass?"

"You make it sound easy. We belong to House Ocren. The second we ditch the young lord, the family’s gonna blacklist us."

"Ugh... what a pain. Honestly, I think he broke after the settlement. Guy barely says a word anymore. He’s basically dead weight. Greatest genius my ass."

"Doesn’t matter. We still can’t abandon him. Best we can do is stay on his side while quietly getting into the Lightning Prince’s good books."

"Man... our luck seriously sucks. Imagine getting stuck with this useless bum. We should’ve been born Calderalths."

"Oi! Keep your voice down! What if he hears you?"

"Tch. What’s he gonna do? Glare at me until I start crying?"

"...Damn. That’s cold."

The group burst into laughter.

Clench!

Vaelor’s eyes were so intense they would’ve burned if such a thing were possible. Blood dripped from his tightly clenched fists, while the grating sound of his teeth grinding together echoed through the silence.

Hidden behind a massive boulder, he listened as the Ocren cadets laughed without a care, freely running their mouths. Yet Vaelor heard none of the insults. Nor did he care that the Ocren cadets no longer believed in him.

Only one name burned in his mind.

’Zephyrion Calderalth.’

It was because of him all of this was happening.

These cadets had once revered him, worshipped even the ground he walked on. But now they mocked him. Laughed at his expense. He was no longer the greatest genius in their eyes, no longer someone worth following.

And though his father would deny it, Vaelor had no doubt he thought the same way. He had seen it in his eyes, in all of their eyes.

"It’s all his fault..." Vaelor growled, his gaze like that of a cornered beast. "Zephyrion Calderalth."

He repeated the name as though trying to grind it beneath his heel.

Vaelor turned and strode into a secluded part of the forest. Stopping before a massive, ancient tree, he drove his fist into it.

Bam!

"Fuck!"

Vaelor’s bellow swallowed the crack of exploding bark.

"Why?! Why?! Why?! Why him?! Why did he have to be better than me?! Why did he have to be more talented?!"

He kept punching the tree relentlessly.

Bam! Bam! Bam!

He didn’t reinforce his fists with the metal element. His knuckles split open, crimson blood splattering across the shattered bark and the dry leaves carpeting the forest floor.

Eventually, when his hands were so battered that bone peeked through torn flesh, Vaelor collapsed to the ground. He threw an arm over his face, trying to hide the tears spilling from his eyes.

"I’m the genius! I’m supposed to be the genius! So why?! Why... why did he have to exist?!"

Vaelor wiped the tears from his face and sat there alone in utter silence for several long minutes.

His expression shifted from anguish... to hopelessness.

"Why did he have to exist...?"

He repeated the words as though searching them for an answer. Then, slowly, the light returned to his eyes.

Hopelessness gradually gave way to anger.

"I see..." he muttered, a frightening light settling in his eyes.

That was right. The only reason people compared the two of them... the only reason Zephyrion was better than him... was because he existed.

’If he no longer exists... the problem will be solved.’

Vaelor let out a short laugh, exhaling through his nose. The solution had been so simple that he was a fool for not thinking of it sooner.

He slowly rose to his feet, dusted the dirt from his clothes, and walked away with a smile on his face.

Yet the coldness rolling off him seemed enough to chill the air itself.

...

It was nighttime.

Several cadets had already gone to sleep, while the few still awake patrolled the camp for signs of danger. In the silence, Zephyrion moved through the camp like a phantom, arriving at its edge where a small jail cell stood.

Two cadets stood guard outside it. Their heads occasionally drooped before snapping upright again as they fought to stay awake. That Zephyrion walked right past them, neither of them noticed.

He stopped before the cell, his gaze settling on the figure within.

The cadets had been brutal in carrying out their punishment.

Kaelith had seen better days. His face was swollen beyond recognition, as though it had been inflated. Blood trickled from several wounds, dripping onto the ground even now.

Heavy metal shackles bound his arms and legs, forcing him upright. Small spikes protruded from each shackle, occasionally digging into his wrists and ankles, sending fresh waves of pain through his body.

It was a safety measure. An Ascendant needed to think to wield their elements. Pain was an excellent way to prevent that.

After a moment of silence, Zephyrion spoke.

"Hey."

Kaelith slowly opened his eyes. The moment he recognized Zephyrion, his expression twisted.

"What the hell are you doing here?" he growled.

He violently yanked at the chains, making them rattle. The clatter rang through the silent night like thunder, but Zephyrion remained unmoved. After all, he’d already blocked every sound from escaping. Even the cadets standing behind him couldn’t hear a thing.

"Summon your inheritance. I want to talk to him."