Outside the Axarel manor, a little boy stood and reached out toward the door, his hand trembling faintly. After a long while of hesitation, he sighed, then reached out and opened it.
"Might as well face the scolding that comes with it."
Upon stepping inside, his body froze. Seated on the main seats were his parents, their faces extremely gloomy as they stared at him.
Although his mother's expression was somewhat relieved, his father's face held a hint of coldness. Modret felt his heart tighten slightly. He let out a wry smile, then glanced at the two and said lightly,
"Mother, Father… sorry, I… uh, just took a walk outside."
Hearing his words, his father's face darkened once more. "Not attending classes and making your mother and I worried? Where did you learn such behavior?"
Donald's heart was slightly angered as he stared at Modret.
Modret touched his nose awkwardly. "I uh… just wanted to have some fun…"
"Fun so late in the night?" Donald barked in return.
Seeing this, Anna's face showed a worried look. "Don…" she called out softly, but Donald ignored her words.
"Anna, you're going too easy on this boy. He is a noble, and he should behave like one—conforming to the rules and laws of the nobles. If he's already beginning to be rebellious at such a young age, then what will happen when he grows?"
Modret understood where his father was coming from, but still…
He let out a sigh, then bowed apologetically. "Father, please forgive my impudence…"
Anna also chimed in, "Let go of it, Don. It's only this one time." Then she glanced at Modret. "It should not repeat itself again, right?"
Modret hesitated briefly, then replied passively, "Yes, I'll not be late again." He answered calmly; however, it didn't mean he wouldn't go out to increase his strength. On his path to greatness, who could stop him?
Donald's furrowed brows relaxed slightly. He was silent for a while, then nodded and decided not to press on the matter, only giving Modret a cold look.
Modret flashed him a cute smile, causing Anna to chuckle lightly. Donald shrugged, then walked back to his room, leaving the two.
"Come…" Anna called out softly. Modret took a few steps toward her, and she ruffled his hair slightly. "You stink! Go and take a bath while I prepare something for you to eat…"
…
After the whole ordeal, Modret lay on his bed, staring peacefully at the ceiling. The flickering light from the lamp above cast a few shadows across his face.
Modret exhaled slightly. "Thankfully, because of Mom I'm still alive. Fathers are truly too hard to deal with."
{Surprisingly, your parents are actually taking this quite well.}
The fairy floated gently from Modret's body and spoke lightly.
Modret shrugged. 'Are you expecting them to ground me or something? Pull up the system panel…'
[Name: Modret Axarel]
[Status: Injured. While unborn, you were poisoned. Though you survived, the effects crippled you. You are currently unable to awaken an ability. Your health may seem stable, but it is merely a façade.]
[Ability: SS-grade Null Fire, F-grade Agile Steps, D-grade Enhanced Agility.]
[Bloodline: Unknown]
[Shadow Fragments: 627/1000]
[Remark: A pitiful soul cast into a terrifying world of deception and manipulation. The world has abandoned you, but the shadows embrace you without question.]
[Monthly Remark: After wasting 5 years, you successfully stepped onto the path of an awakened. However, you didn't realize that by doing so the surging undercurrents are getting tumultuous…]
Modret was slightly amused by the remark. 'Still so bad?' He shrugged at the thought, then turned his attention away from the system's message, feeling a wave of fatigue as he gradually drifted off to sleep.
…
The next morning came by calmly. Feeling the golden rays of sunlight drifting in through the window, Modret gradually squinted his eyes and became wide awake.
Upon waking up, he recalled the events of the previous day and couldn't help but grin. He stretched his fair, small hand, and on his palm a cluster of black flames appeared. A wave of heat spread instantly, causing Modret to smirk once more, then quickly get dressed for the lesson.
Since the events of the previous day, he knew his parents would be on alert should he skip classes. "It seems I have to delay heading to the woods for a bit."
Modret thought with a frown, not liking the feeling of delaying his growth.
{If that's the case, why not send Xara to the woods to capture animals for you? It's basically something any normal human would think of…}
At that moment, the fairy offered a suggestion that caused Modret's eyes to widen drastically. 'Why didn't I think of that?'
Modret was stunned by the thought, and he couldn't help but look at the fairy as though she were a piece of treasure. 'What could I possibly do without you, my love…'
Hearing his shameless words, the fairy just giggled lightly, not dwelling on it.
'This way, my parents will think I'm their good, responsible, noble child, while hidden in the shadows I will continue to increase my strength!' The thought made Modret's smile widen, looking almost maniacal.
"You… young master!" At that moment, a nervous voice cut through Modret's thoughts.
Modret turned around to see Axel looking at him with a hint of nervousness on his face. When he woke up yesterday, Axel was stunned to realize he was back at the manor. He couldn't help but toss and turn throughout the night, quietly wondering if Modret had also arrived safely.
For a moment, he even doubted all that had happened. However, in the end, despite being a life guard, he was still a servant and couldn't head to Modret's house at night. He could only pass the night silently.
Now, seeing that Modret was alright, Axel finally felt a weight lift off his heart. He had been fearing the worst!
Modret shrugged. "You don't have to look so tense. Come, let's head to class…" he advised lightly, then turned around and began walking to class.
After they arrived, Modret excused himself for a bit, then summoned the shadow servant and gave him the order to gather the beasts. With his awakened ability, Modret felt that it shouldn't be a problem.
After everything was done, Modret returned his gaze back to the classroom and entered, commencing his classes for the day.