NOVEL NEXT Chapter 102: Free will
My body froze in shock as grandmother clicked her tongue in annoyance while glancing at my father who was downed to the ground. After a few seconds, a soft sigh escaped her mouth as she shook her head before the pressure that she was emitting suddenly disappeared completely, the wind pillar also evaporated turning into a gentle breeze instead.
Father's body then slowly rose with a groan as he tapped the side of his head a few times with a somewhat pained face. This time, however, his expression was respectful as he kept his eyes lowered while speaking to grandmother.
"I apologize, mother," He said to which grandmother nodded seriously before she replied. "Now then, tell me, I heard from that old lizard that little Aether's rite of passage was left to you to handle?" She asked with a strange glint flashing through her eyes causing me to involuntarily gulp, she was talking about me as If I wasn't there, yet I didn't dare move as her wing still laid around me.
'That old lizard? Is she talking about-' I wasn't able to finish my train of thought before my father replied confirming my suspicions. "Yes mother, father was right, I was the one to handle his rite of passage," He said with a nod before lowering his head with a tense expression on his face.
Seeing that, grandmother squinted her eyes in a probing manner as she asked. "And? What test did you give him?" faced with her questioning tone, father lowered his head even deeper as he refrained from speaking acting almost like a child that had been caught by his parents doing something bad.
"Boy, what did you make little Aether do?" Grandmother's tone slowly turned more and more aggressive, yet father's mouth remained tightly sealed as he refrained from speaking.
Seeing that, grandmother suddenly turned towards me and asked in a gentle voice, a stark contrast to how she addressed my father. Hearing her question my eyes unconsciously darted towards his giant figure, although I have seen how powerful my grandmother was, I still could not bring myself to expose my father, I was still living with him after all, so the last thing I wanted was to offend him.
As If sensing my reluctance to speak, grandmother gently pulled me closer to her using her wing and spoke in a soothing voice. "Don't worry little Aether, your father isn't going to do anything bad to you so trust your grandmother and tell me, what was your rite of passage' mission? It's only a matter of time before I know either way," She said encouragingly with a hint of a smile.
My eyes subconsciously drifted to my father who still had his gaze lowered before I mustered my courage to speak. "My mission was to destroy the Piya kingdom in the lower continent," I answered honestly. As soon as she heard my answer, however, grandmother's body froze for a second as she slowly turned to look at my father.
It was but for a second but my body instantly froze in fear, my heart felt like It was about to burst out of my chest as a deep primordial aura leaked out of my grandmother's body. In that second, I felt as If her body looked as big as the tallest mountain while she stood there by my side.
Father must have sensed her sudden change in the mood as he dared not say anything, and instead chose to remain silent with his head facing the ground. It took a few breaths before grandmother finally reigned in her terrifying aura, she then looked at my father with a gaze full of disappointment as she mumbled to herself.
"That damned old lizard, I know he never let go of his old grudge against the humans." She shook her head as a tired sigh escaped her mouth. "I thought I at least raised you to be better than that, and not to follow his foolish footsteps, yet here you are, you have become so blinded that you even try to drag your son into this,"
Grandmother looked deeply into father whose body shuddered lightly, yet he still did not speak. "The grudge between your father and the humans should have long since been resolved," Clicking her tongue in annoyance, she added. "It's not even the humans who are to blame for what happened to Amanita and you know that!"
It was then that father finally raised his head and looked back at grandmother with mixed emotions, I could sense his rage, and helplessness as he replied. "No mother, they still played a part in It all, If not for them Amanita would have never fallen to those bastards that call themselves Gods," He spat out, his eyes full of resentment.
Seeing that, grandmother shook her head once again as another sigh escaped her mouth. "What does all of that has to do with little Aether? Did you ask him for his opinion before sending him to flatten an entire country? A country that has no relation whatsoever to what happened a long time ago? Did you actually tell him the truth? Tell me, boy, do you not feel any shame at using your child to exact your pity revenge?"
Coldly harrumphing father replied, "No relation? None of the humans are innocent, mother! So what If a country is destroyed, another one would quickly rise from its rubbles, besides, It was a good exercise for Aether," He said in a cold tone.
Hearing that, grandmother shook her head, the disappointment she felt was quite visible on her face. "We are not the ones who decide whether a race lives or dies, no matter if they are inferior or not, you should know that boy. The humans you forced your child to kill were sinless when It came to Amanita's matter, that is something you should also know, I thought I taught better than this, every life matters to someone boy, just like how Amanita mattered to you, and to that damned old lizard,"
Pausing, grandmother gently caressed my back using her wings before she continued. "This pity revenge is not right, and you know that. Don't breed hatred into the younger generation, It is not your nor is It my job to do so, instead gently guide them as they make their own choices and judgments. Boy, I always tried to teach you that, to make you understand, yet you were always closer to your father. I'm not going to make the same mistake with this child, It's not up to you to decide for him, whether he wants to follow on your path of revenge, or perhaps chose another one, Is ultimately up to him."
Grandmother's face was firm as she added. "He is free to decide his own path!" Hearing that, father paused for a second, his eyes moved between grandmother, and then me before he silently turned around and jumped to the air as he turned into a blur that disappeared into the distance. Grandmother surprisingly didn't stop him this time and instead let out another deep sigh as she pulled me closer to her.
'Well damn, this entire situation seems more complicated than I expected,' I inwardly muttered as I recalled their conversation.