42: The True Vision

"LEARN YOUR FUCKING PLACE WORM!"

These were the last words Silver heard before his vision and mind went blank. Before Silver could find solace in this temporary rest, his body collided with a wall.

BANG!

"Garrh." 

A weak groan escaped Silver's lips as he remained on the floor like a corpse.

'It hurts.'

Silver thought while struggling to keep his eyes open. He wanted to move, he wanted to get up, but the familiar taste of iron in his mouth made him realize that his condition was terrible.

'I can taste so much blood in my mouth. I have never tasted this much blood even when I got badly injured during training with the Spartan guards and soldiers.'

'I can feel some parts of my body, but I can't feel my face.'

'Am I going to die?'

As Silver heard these thoughts, he felt his vision grow dim and his body wanting to shut down to ease the pain he was currently going through. But just as his body was about to give up on him, he heard the sound of calm and unhurried footsteps.

'Na- Nath- Nathaniel?'

Silver weakly guessed, and a few seconds later, his body turned.

"Guurgh."

Silver groaned once more, and he used all his strength to open his eyes.

If his brother wanted to kill him, he wanted his brother's face to be the last thing he saw before his death. He wanted to engrave his brother's face into the deepest depths of his soul so as to never forget his brother's face even in death and after death.

But the instant he opened his eyes, his eyes widened in surprise when he saw the person who was holding his body.

"Sszuuwrr Pssood-"

As Silver subconsciously tried to speak, he felt a finger on his lips.

"What a mess. Half of his face is gone, and he can't even speak properly. It's a miracle he's even alive. I guess the Morningstar bloodline in him is enough to keep him alive from such injuries."

A voice that did not belong to Nathaniel flowed into Silver's ears. Silver tried to speak, but his body became weak, and his vision dimmed. The sudden burst of adrenaline he got due to his surprise at the appearance of the new figure disappeared.

"Prince Nathaniel, although you have gained more merits and you're also more valuable to Sparta, I highly doubt that your father would be pleased to know that you have injured your younger brother to the point of death."

"You can't really blame me for my actions Lord Zephyr. You also heard his absurd and ridiculous words."

Nathaniel's familiar voice flowed into Silver's ears, but Silver was too weak to react. His eyes closed, and he barely retained his consciousness.

Just as Silver was about to drift into a deep sleep, he felt a liquid enter his throat.

'Bitter.'

Corey had this thought before he felt his body erupt with a surge of energy. His eyes snapped open, and he exhaled deeply and roughly.

He sat up, and his eyes darted around. A second later, he felt his face squirm and move like it had worms in it.

Squirm

"What the-"

Before he could touch his face, a hand grabbed his arm, and he looked at the owner of the hand.

"Don't touch your face. Your face and body are currently healing."

Silver blinked in surprise and slight confusion. He briefly looked around before his gaze shifted back to the person who had saved his life.

"Thank you for saving my life Lord Zephyr, I am immensely grateful."

Silver bowed, but Zephyr Proclides shook his head.

"I don't know if I should call you brave or foolish for your previous words. No…" Zephyr shook his head once more and stood, "... Your previous words were born out of a foolish desire to gain fame and respect from your peers."

Silver looked down and said no words.

"You said you'll bring a savage beast from your rite of passage. But do you know what exactly a savage beast is?"

Zephyr Proclide's voice flowed straight into Silver's ears, and Silver nodded calmly.

"I do."

"Fool."

Nathaniel immediately scoffed out loud, and Zephyr Proclide also shook his head with a slightly disappointed expression.

"If you say you're aware of what a savage beast is and also what your talents are, then I can only agree with your brother and call you a fool."

Silver calmly gazed at Zephyr Proclide before glancing at Nathaniel, or to be specific, behind Nathaniel.

"I don't care whether you people think I'm a fool or not. I've said I'll bring back a savage beast as my trophy, and I'll do it."

Silver's gaze moved to the seven family heads who stood at the end of the corridor, behind Nathaniel. He clenched his fists.

"As a Spartan and a Morningstar, I'll keep my word and become a man."

With those words, Silver calmly walked away.

"Young prince, I do hope you value your life so that your father and mother would not be sad. Don't do anything reckless."

Zephyr Proclide's voice resounded in the corridor, and Silver paused briefly before he continued walking away.

"A Spartan who is not ready to risk his life to get what he wants cannot be called a Spartan. How much less a Morningstar?"

With those words, Silver left, leaving behind the family heads and his brother with various thoughts.

-----

Meanwhile, as all of these was going on, Abel Morningstar and Eris Demeter had intrigued expressions as they watched Silver leave after saying those last words through a holographic image that hovered on top of the table in the Grand Hall.

"What a good grandchild. He has the courage of a true Morningstar."

Abel Morningstar remarked with a light smile as he watched his grandson leave behind his brother and the eight family heads.

"Most of your family members lack his courage and determination." Eris Demeter with an intrigued smile as she twirled her hair with her finger.

"But I'm curious, would you have allowed him to die if none of the family heads tried to save him?"

Eris Demeter glanced at Abel Morningstar, and he raised his brows.

"Of course not. He has still not undergone his rite of passage. I have to see whether he can truly live up to his words and bring back a savage beast."

Abel Morningstar grinned with an expectant glint in his eyes, and Eris Demeter raised her brows.

"Don't tell me you believe he'll be able to bring back a savage beast? He doesn't have the talent to make up for the large gap between his strength and that of a savage beast."

Eris Demeter questioned with an extremely curious tone, and Abel Morningstar shrugged.

"I don't know if he can. But, won't it be really exciting if he could accomplish such a feat?"

Eris Demeter shook her head while waving her hand nonchalantly.

"You know what, that's your problem you maniac."

Abel chuckled, and then he waved his hand, causing the holographic image to vanish.

Eris Demeter twirled her hair a few more times, and for the first time since the meeting between the pillars of Sparta started, she stopped twirling her hair.

She looked at Abel, and all the indifference and nonchalance in her vanished as she spoke,

"Abel, I hope you took my words and warning seriously. I would hate it if you took it lightly."

Abel Morningstar glanced at her for a few seconds, and then he looked up. A wry smile instantly appeared on his lips as he spoke with a dry tone,

"Nine stars revolving around a large and bright star, and a pot darker than night poured its liquid on all the stars."

Eris Demeter gazed at him for a few seconds, and then she spoke with a severe tone,

"Abel, the pot did not just come from thin air… The pot was born in the largest and brightest star… It grew in the star, and then it consumed a large portion of the star before pouring its liquid on the remaining stars."

"I know." Abel rubbed the space in between his brows with a tired and frustrated expression. "You've told me this so many times, Eris, and I know what that means."

"A Morningstar would be the one to cause the downfall of Sparta."

Abel Morningstar chuckled dryly, and then he slammed his fists on the table with an immensely frustrated expression. A loud shockwave spread out from the table, and the hall trembled slightly.

BANG!

"I have carried out private investigations on every member of my family, but I have found nothing that could lead to the fall of Sparta."

BANG!

"Do you know how much stress I've gone through just because of this stupid vision!"

BANG!

Abel Morningstar slammed his fist on the table once more. Just as he was about to slam the table once more, a hand held his arm.

"A king such as yourself should not be this frustrated and stressed out."

Eris Demeter smiled with her eyes closed. She then placed Abel Morningstar's hands under her dress.

"Isn't that why you told me to stay behind your Majesty? To relieve you of all your pent-up stress and frustration?"

Abel Morningstar gazed at Eris Demeter for a second, and in the next second, he pushed her onto the table and climbed on top of her.

On this night, the grand hall was used for a grand sex.