An elder slammed his cane against the marble floor, his voice booming. "This is getting too much! What do you think of our Flamecrest family?!"
Before the elder could finish, Ronan stepped forward, a sly smirk tugging at his lips. "The Flamecrest family is great. Truly. Its power is second only to the Viridion family." His tone turned cold, sharp. "But if I were to join you, it would only hurt your reputation. A single-element user with low mana—imagine the ridicule you'd face."
Gasps and murmurs rippled through the elders. One stood up, red-faced with fury, but the Flamecrest family head raised his hand, silencing them.
"Enough." His voice was commanding, firm. "Ronan is not entirely wrong. If you don't wish to join us, so be it. That is your loss. However..." His eyes narrowed. "You've shown blatant disrespect to my family elders. That cannot go unpunished. While you are not a member of our family, you are a student of the Academy. As you know, every year Flame-element students train under us and receive our resources. As of today, you are disqualified from receiving anything from the Flamecrest family."
Ronan fell silent for a moment, his face unreadable. But in his mind, he thought, "Good. Greedy, power-hungry lot. It's better this way."
Kael stepped forward, his eyes blazing with protest. But before he could speak, a sharp voice cut through the tension.
"Hmph! Who needs your resources anyway?"
Ms. Amara, Samantha and Ms. Rose. Their presence shifted the mood immediately. Kael's father blinked in surprise. "Amara? What is she doing here?"
Ms. Rose went to the family head and asked, "Why don't you ask me anything? I could testify that the sword was a gift from Ronan."
The family head said, "We'll talk about this later."
Ms. Amara, arms crossed, smirked. "So? How's your little interrogation going?"
Kael quickly stepped in. "He has nothing to do with any of this. We were just about to head to the academy."
Ms. Amara strode confidently to Ronan's side. "Then I'll be taking this brat with me."
The family head frowned. "And what relation do you have with Ronan? I understand why Samantha's here—they grew up together in that orphanage. But you still had no reason to come."
Samantha said nothing, her eyes cold, defiant.
The family head turned to Ronan. "What did she offer you to come here?"
That insult toward Samantha and Ms. Amara pushed Ronan to the brink. His fists clenched, lips parting to fire back—
But before he could speak, a hand grabbed his ear and twisted it.
"Ow—owowow! Ma'am!" Ronan yelled.
Ms. Amara tugged harder. "Ronan is my student. That makes him my responsibility. We're leaving."
Kael moved closer. "I have something for you. I'll meet you tomorrow morning."
Ronan nodded. "Got it."
He turned to Elenor, who still looked stunned by everything. With a soft smile, he waved at her gently, like they were parting after a simple conversation. Elenor blinked, then smiled faintly back.
"Okay, okay, go already!" Ms. Amara snapped, yanking his ear.
"Ahh! My ear! It's going to fall off! Samantha, help me!"
Samantha turned her head with a huff. "You brought this on yourself."
"Ma'am, I'm injured! Can't you be a little gentle?" Ronan pleaded, eyes wide like a scolded puppy.
"Exactly why I'm angry!" she growled—and tugged harder.
"Aaaagh! Ahh!"
As Ronan wailed, Elenor laughed quietly—a rare smile gracing her features.
Meanwhile, Kael turned on his heel and started walking toward the family's treasure hall.
"Where are you going now?" the family head demanded.
"I heard about your recent expeditions," another elder said. "You brought back high-grade monster materials, but there's a complaint. A five-tailed fox was hunted, yet nothing was submitted to the family?"
Kael didn't pause. "Yes, we hunted it. I sold most of it to acquire better equipment for my team."
One elder scoffed. "The family should've come first."
Kael turned, his eyes like frost. "You were a war veteran once. You know the value of good gear. I still need to evaluate something. If I'm not compatible with it, I'm sure the family will take it from me, too."
An elder growled. "You—!"
Another elder, keeper of the treasure hall, raised a hand. "Let's see what you brought."
Kael took out a sheathed sword.
"Hmph. A broken sword? I can't even sense its grade, how worthless—"
But the treasure hall elder froze mid-sentence. His eyes widened. He stepped forward, trembling.
"Kael... do you know who this sword belonged to?"
Kael looked him in the eye. "No, but I'm its master now."
The elder nodded slowly. "No need to evaluate. Keep it. Your Mist element is perfectly attuned to it."
The family head had a thought, echoed with awe and disbelief, "Is this... the legendary Enmu?" He narrowed his gaze. "Where did you find it?"
"In the abandoned mine at Voidedge," Kael answered.
The family head frowned. "That mine belongs to the Viridion family. You'd better speak to them."
Kael nodded. "Mr. Alaric already said—if the sword chooses me, they won't interfere."
With a respectful bow, Kael turned to leave. As he passed Elenor, he paused and gently ruffled her hair.
"Don't let today weigh you down. Use it to grow stronger. Strengthen your heart. You're the kindest among us—don't lose that. See you at the academy."
Selena watched him go, then glanced at Lyra. "Kael seems... different."
Lyra didn't look back. Her voice was low. "Can we talk about it later?"
Kael didn't answer and disappeared from view. Lyra thought to herself, "Are you really going to leave us, our family, behind, Kael? Is this your answer?"
As everyone went their separate ways, the family head turned to Ms Rose and said, "When we tried to forcefully break the bond between Mei and Elenor's sword, Mei just disappeared out of nowhere. We couldn't identify what really happened. That's the reason we had to interrogate Ronan." Even Ms. Rose did not make out what really happened.
Under a blanket of stars, the flying boat glided silently across the night sky, its sails catching the whispering winds. The academy was still hours away, but the journey felt longer, heavier. Ronan lay stretched across the boat's rail, his gaze lost in the vast expanse above. The cold metal beneath his arms grounded him, but his thoughts drifted far.
Behind him, Samantha exchanged a quiet glance with Ms. Amara. They could feel the weight pressing on Ronan's heart. Without a word, they approached him. The night air was cool, and the only sounds were the soft rustling of sails and the rhythmic creaking of wood.
Without looking up, Ronan spoke, his voice low and conflicted. "Did I make a mistake... giving that sword to Elenor? I just wanted her to be safe. She's kind—too kind—for this cruel world. She calls me 'brother.' As her brother... can't I want her to be safe? Was I wrong to think like that?"
He turned then, his eyes searching the faces of Samantha and Ms. Amara, pleading for an answer he didn't want to admit he needed. Doubt and guilt warred in his gaze.
"Why would her own family try to take the sword from her? Did they want to give it to someone else? Or use it for their own gain? The sword's already in the family—why force her like that? Is it greed? An internal power struggle? Elenor's still a child... did she really have to be dragged into all of this?"
Ms. Amara sighed, folding her arms as she leaned against the rail beside him. Her voice was calm but edged with sorrow. "You're not wrong, Ronan. Wanting her to be safe is never a mistake. Never stop thinking like that. But this world... It's messier than we want to admit."
She looked out into the night, her eyes clouded. "Power brings control. And those who crave control will do anything to tighten their grip. We teach at the academy that power must be handled with responsibility, but only a rare few live by that. Most... seek gain. The great families—Elenor's family—they're no different. Greed, pride, ambition... it twists people. This whole mess with the sword? It's just a spark to ignite old feuds. A tool to shift influence. Elenor got caught in the middle of it. But none of that is your fault."
Ronan didn't respond at first. He just stared up at the stars as if they might somehow offer forgiveness. "But I still feel guilty... If I hadn't given her the sword, maybe she wouldn't be suffering now. I'm the one who handed it over. I'm the reason she's hurting. What am I supposed to do with this guilt?"
There was silence for a moment, then Samantha stepped closer. Her voice, when it came, was gentle—steady, like the anchor he needed. "You feel guilty because you care. That's not weakness, Ronan—that's love. And love... it doesn't always mean making the easy choice. You believed in her. You trusted her. That sword—it wasn't a burden when you gave it. It was a sign of your faith in her."
She placed a hand on his shoulder. "Elenor's not alone. You're still here for her. And she knows that. That's what matters now. Guilt can weigh you down if you let it. But if you turn it into resolve... if you use it to keep protecting her, to be the brother she believes in, then it becomes strength."
Ronan looked at Samantha, eyes glistening under the moonlight. The knot in his chest loosened slightly.