“What difference does it make, Father?” Damon asked with furrowed brows, trying to make sense of what his father had just said.
“Basically, if he’s truly dead, then we didn’t kill him. The Forest of Twin Disasters did.” Lord Terrace said, stressing the word “truly” as though he thought otherwise.
Listening to his father’s explanation made Damon almost explode. ‘You sent him there to die and now you’re claiming you didn’t kill him?’
Lord Terrace seemed to notice the anger seething beneath Damon’s skin and quickly added. “He’s my son and even if it’s just a little, I regret doing what I did.” Inwardly though, he thought. ‘He would’ve ended up tumbling the family if left so I did it. Can’t have you influenced by his words instead of mine.’
Even as he spoke, claiming to regret doing it, his face remained straight as if he’d read it off a script.
“Now that I’ve answered why I came here, can we skip to the next phase?” Lord Terrace inquired of Damon with one brow raised slightly.
Damon nodded without uttering another word. He would listen to what his father had to say next and decide if he wanted the conversation to proceed.
“Happy Birthday in arrears.” Lord Terrace’s words caught Damon by surprise, his eyes widening for a brief moment.
Lord Terrace took off one of the rings in hand and tossed it to Damon. “Your birthday letters, wishes, and gifts from your family are in that void key.”
There was a subtle smile on the Lord’s face and Damon could almost tell the man seemed happy. Damon didn’t want to ruin the mood so he had to reciprocate. “Thank you, Father.” He said with a slight bow to show his appreciation.
Damon held the ring in one hand staring at its silver shape and gold outline. There were a few gold writings on the ring and upon closer inspection, Damon noticed his name had been written on the ring. It was custom-made for him. ‘This won’t change a thing…’ Damien thought, wearing the ring on his middle finger where it fit perfectly. He refused to check the ring for the gifts.
“You won’t check to see what you’ve received?” Lord Terrace noticed his son wasn’t activating the ring as he’d expected. “You should know, your mother’s gift is stored there as well.” His father was hoping he’d open it.
“No Father, I’ll just check them out later.” Damon shook his head. He had no plans to check them out. At least not while he was here with his father.
Lord Terrace, refusing to persuade the boy any further, nodded and backed off. “Glad to see you’re doing alright. How have you been faring these last eight months?”
Damon thought of how to answer for a moment and then he spoke. “Well, I happen to fit in quite well and I’ve become close to a few other students as well. All in all, it’s been good. Would have been better if I had my twin here with me though.” His last words reminded his father that he wasn’t done with that discussion, promising to bring it up in whatever way possible. It would be a recurring topic for them in the future.
“I see. It is indeed sad that your brother couldn’t be here with you.” Lord Terrace lightly tapped the dusty table a few times as he spoke.
‘And whose fault is that if not yours?’ Damon thought, his eyes still fixed on the ring he now wore on his middle finger.
“However, it’s great that you’re fitting in really well. I expected nothing less from the heir of our great family.” The Lord’s statement was laced with pride well deserved and for a brief moment, Damon found himself smiling.
Realizing that he was smiling, he immediately switched back to a frown. ‘No way in hell!’
Lord Terrace acted like he hadn’t noticed and instead switched topics. “You need to know this. The incoming Demon War might arrive sooner than we expect and while I do not wish to pressure you, I want you to grow stronger within this remaining time frame. The stronger we are, you especially, the better our chances are at surviving.” His father’s tone was eerily serious which made Damon’s brows furrowed.
Damon had heard the Demon War being mentioned a few times in history class aside from the teachings he’d received back at home and so he had an extensive knowledge on the war.
Still, he didn’t think his father would reveal such information to him. ‘The war doesn’t begin for another two years and a few months, right?’
Curious to know why his father chose to earn him in advance, Damon asked the question in his mind. “How long before the Bloodied Sky Transformation is complete?”
“Two years at most and it could get shorter as we go forward.” The man’s expression told Damon that his father was serious. Scarily so.
“I understand, father.” Something told Damon that during the coming war, they—his classmates and many others—would be joining the battle. Thinking about it, he sighed. ‘How would Damien have fared in this coming war?’
“I think that’s all I have to say.” Lord Terrace’s words shook Damon out of his thinking and he blinked to see his father standing. “Once again, I’m proud to see you’ve grown so well. Already a bronze rank, huh?”
“Uhm… Yeah.” Damon answered with a confused nod. He hadn’t even revealed to his father that he’d been officially given the Bronze Rank and yet his father seemed to know.
‘Well, he probably gauged my Essence Core. A battle-hardened figure like him could probably gauge me with a simple look.’ Damon also stood up and nodded. “I’ll do better.”
‘So I can kick your ass for what you did.’ Damon walked toward the door following his father behind his back. ‘I’ll stay put for now.’
As the door swung open and they walked through, they returned to the Dean’s office. Dean Godsthorn remained seated on his seat and the Terrace father and son found Lord Acheon and his son walking out of another door as well.
Just then, there was a knock on the door and a voice followed. “Dean Godsthorn, I’m afraid we have guests!” It was Ace and his voice sounded tense.