Chapter 6: Arlan Byrax
The echoes of the awakening ceremony still rippled through the streets, woven into every conversation and every tavern tale.
The festive air lingered in the capital ,laughter, awe and ambition coloring the lives of commoners and nobles alike.
But for Derek, there was no joy.
He stood at the edge of the training courtyard behind his estate, arms crossed, eyes distant. His heart was a battlefield, torn between two unrelenting truths.
He knew, deep down, that sending Kaelen to the Special Academy was the best option. No other place could provide the resources, protection, and guidance needed for a Black System child.
And yet... it felt like betrayal.
That academy, dressed in noble ideals, was nothing more than a forge where children were hammered into weapons, tools to fight monsters, to die in dungeons, to protect a world that didn’t even understand what they were.
Was it right to send his son to such a place? To a place where innocence was sacrificed for strength?
As a father, Derek wanted to shield Kaelen from the cruelty of the world ,for just a little longer.
But the impending doom , and the burden of the Divine Cleric class, wouldn’t wait.
He was caught between reason and love.