Chapter 10: Departure
"The first step is always the hardest, but you must take it. It is only by taking that step that you truly begins your journey toward achieving your goals." — Nero Adams.
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As soon as he left the dining hall, he quickened his pace, fleeing the mansion as if escaping hell. It wasn’t until the giant structure vanished from his sight that he finally stopped to wipe away his sweat.
"Sigh! That was nerve-wracking."
He might have appeared calm on the outside as he uttered those words, but inwardly, he was anything but. He had feared that Azariah might refuse him, but fortunately, he hadn’t. Everything had gone smoothly. From now on, he had no ties to this family. The road ahead would undoubtedly be filled with hardships, but that was precisely what he needed for his growth.
It was time to start packing and leave this place. He strolled back to the Annex building, his home for seventeen years. It was time to bid it farewell.
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Azariah departed after Nero left, making his way to his meditation room where he settled onto the meditation mat. Just as he did, a shadow materialized beside him—his right-hand man, someone who had grown up with him, with whom he had forged an unbreakable bond through thick and thin.
A gray-haired man bore a long scar that ran across his face, his light green eyes sharp and attentive.