*****Gaping at Xavier in utter disbelief as he calmly eats his meal and savors each bite as though he hadn’t a single care in the world, entirely indifferent to the devastating revelations that had just shaken the room, everyone’s jaws couldn’t help but nearly hit the floor.‘He… he actually still has the mood to eat, enjoying his food like nothing has anything to do with him?’ they thought in an absolute stupor, glancing at one another in stunned silence.After a moment, the family exchanged wry smiles and shook their heads, dismissing their fears. Clearly, Xavier did not care in the least about their family’s ‘huge secret that could turn their entire world upside down, which they had long been safeguarding.They were lost in these thoughts for a moment until eventually, the old man resumed, undeterred by the brief interruption. “According to the pattern that helped me uncover this truth,” he said calmly, “each of our ancestors' decline followed the same path as mine. First, the
*****A thick, impenetrable silence filled the hall at this moment, leaving everyone seated in stunned stillness, struggling to process Darius’s words.They continued sitting lifeless, looking as though they had just received the most tragic news of all time, the atmosphere so suffocating that if an ordinary person were to enter right now, they would faint even before they took their second step.This continued for what felt like an eternity until finally; “Third… third brother, what happened? What’s going on?” Aldric, Cassandra’s father stammered, his shaky voice cutting through the oppressive stillness that had settled over the hall. And at his words, everyone quickly turned to Darius, the second most tragic-looking person in the room right now other than the old man.“I…” Darius’s mouth opened, a look of difficulty appearing on his face before he eventually shook his head. “If I told you I understood what went wrong, it would be nothing but a monstrous lie,” he responded with a
***** Although they had clung to hope, thinking that since Xavier fully understood their plight in such detail, there was a probability that he might also hold the answer to save them, none of them had truly expected that he would actually have the solution. And with this, a long, stretched moment passed, with everyone sitting motionless, staring at him with dazed expressions, as if their minds had short-circuited, lost in a whirlwind of disbelief. 'Is this… could this be a miracle? Another chance for my family, for my son?' The old man felt a chill creep over him, his hands trembling and eyes turning crimson red with unshed tears as he looked at Xavier, his heart both hopeful and afraid. This continued until finally, after a while of turning Xavier’s response over and over again in his mind, his aged face, which had been worn beyond his years just a moment ago seemed to return to normal and eventually, he could no longer hold himself back again. “Young… young friend!” he cri
***** “I*… ignorantly poi—poisoned him?” The frail Blackwood patriarch stood trembling, his once-commanding presence having faded to a ghostly shadow, weak and visibly terrified as he stuttered in absolute disbelief, swallowing hard as Darius’s words sank in. “We…” The three brothers stood frozen there, their faces deathly pale and eyes wide with shock as they stared at Xavier’s unmoving body on the floor. Like the old man, their minds were also paralyzed with disbelief right now, having forgotten what they had done due to the recent turn of events. It was as if their very souls had abandoned them at this moment, leaving them hollow for what felt like an eternity before finally, they comprehended the magnitude of what they had done—the plotting, the poison, and the twisted thrill they’d initially felt about Xavier’s downfall. Before long, a heavy silence blanketed the room, the brothers unsure how to react for a moment until finally; “You fools!” The old man roared in rage, thick
*****The Blackwoods hadn’t just assumed Xavier had died when he had slumped to the floor a moment ago. They had come to this conclusion after feeling every trace of vitality slip away from his body, leaving behind only a lifeless shell that seemed far beyond salvation which was why they had not bothered seeking treatment for him. Now… now, however…'How… how is this possible? Aldric, who had supplied the poison that Xavier had ingested, thought in absolute shock after a long time had passed, feeling as if his senses were betraying him.He had gone to extraordinary lengths to obtain the deadliest toxin he could find, a venom rumored to be unstoppable in all of Riverton. Yet here was Xavier, not in any way looking like someone who had just eaten a whole lot of it.Like Aldric, everyone else remained lost in their thoughts, still dumbstruck by the sight of the emotionless eyes fixed upon them. And just like that, the enormous dining hall remained shrouded in breathless silence, with
***** Moments ago, the three brothers had been filled with questions about how Xavier had managed to survive such a potent poison, but now, none dared to ask. They clenched their fists, frustration, embarrassment, and regret bubbling beneath their skin after hearing his spiteful words, something no one had dared to utter before to them. The tension lingered in the air, thick and suffocating for a long time. But then suddenly; “Thud!” An unexpected, resounding thud echoed through the hall, jolting everyone from their silence. Upon tracing the sound, they realized it came from Darius who had fallen to his knees before Xavier, his expression a mixture of desperation and anguish as he pleaded. “Young master,” he began, his voice trembling and thick with remorse, “I know forgiveness is too much to ask, especially after we had nearly taken your life without hesitation. But… but please, could you in your mercy put all the blame on me. I misjudged the truth due to checking the wron
*****“If luck and fate are truly on your side,” a calm, detached voice resonated through the eerily silent dining hall, where the pile of dishes on the large dining table lay untouched. Every gaze, every flicker, and ounce of focus, riveted on the speaker—a lean, tall, and incredibly man of unwavering composure, Xavier."Reaching the final stage of this technique is remarkably simple," he continued, his tone devoid of warmth as ever. "The benefits are twofold. First, the practitioner would gain unparalleled spiritual and physical strength, able to surpass ranks and defeat opponents far above them. And second..." Xavier's words floated out with the authority of a grandmaster imparting ancient wisdom rather than someone facing people whom he currently felt an unprecedented level of disgust for. He paused, his expression impassive, before resuming."The second benefit is that the practitioner would essentially become immune to aging and death." His words hung in the air, deepening th
*****As soon as everyone in the huge dining hall heard this emotionlessly cold voice, they instinctively turned their gazes toward the source of the sound, and upon seeing the speaker: Xavier, their hearts skipped a beat, and it felt as though they had been doused in cold water, each of them trembling for a moment as they subconsciously recalled what they had done to their savior.If before Xavier had given them this technique, they had felt guilty and apologetic, that was merely because of misunderstanding and betraying him. Now, however, feeling the insane level of the technique given to them by him and knowing how priceless it was, they felt a massive level of shame, remorse, and regret.'Aish, why didn’t we even give him a moment of doubt? Would someone with such a valuable resource that could bring all the first-rank powers in the city to their knees even need any reason to turn my father into a puppet and seize the family’s resources?' The three brothers couldn’t help but th