Chapter 610: Tearless Child
Chapter 610: Tearless Child
It might be the first time that Arthur saw what made Sier himself. Life in the court was as cruel as the one he spent digging through the dirt, if not more. Even though his mother was harassed before she gave birth, it worsened when Sier was born.
Sier was carried toward his father's room without him screaming or crying. The infant was quickly cleaned and dressed before presenting him to his father, who did not bother to visit his mother.
"A child with her skin," muttered the king's mother with disappointment. "I told you never to marry a foreigner. This world will never forget that with his skin."
"That does not matter as long as he has what it takes," said the king as he stood up with a smile. "Welcome to this world, Sier. It is time to prove that you are the one worthy of inheriting my throne."
"Hmph," his mother snorted as she looked away. "I doubt that this child has any potential to be anything with his mixed blood."
"I looked into countless possible potentials to find this child," the king smiled. "Everything has been set in stone. His eyes must be..."
Arthur and Sier stood beside the bookshelf as the king carried his child. They could see his frozen face in shock as he looked at Sier. Then, the king's eyes began to glow violet before his mouth gaped.
"There is... not a hint... of divine aura?" his father frowned as he placed his child on the desk. "This shouldn't be true. Every child of Yalen had a hint of divine aura within them because of their blood."
"This is what happens when you marry someone from a lesser blood," the king's mother turned toward him. "I will arrange for a second marriage starting this instant. There is no need for you to choose because I will do that."
After that, the king's mother left the room to leave the disgruntled father alone with his firstborn. The king pressed his hands against the desk as he stared at Sier. His eyes betrayed the disappointment he was feeling.
"How did I make such a mistake?" his father muttered. "I made all the calculations. This child should be the greatest candidate to be a vessel, but yet..."
"I guess he considered me a mistake since the beginning," muttered Sier while standing beside Arthur. As he turned to look at the seer, Arthur found him smiling. "This illusion will only serve to strengthen my hatred."
"Why did he think you lacked potential?" asked Arthur.
"I am unsure myself, but it might be similar to your case. A vessel is one chosen to receive the powers of a deity. As that amount of power can kill a normal human, their awakening happens later in one's life."
"I am not a vessel," said Arthur with a frown. "I don't have a voice telling me what to do."
"You should get one. It's quite comforting," smirked Sier. "You are a vessel of Gaia, Outsider. You are nothing but a puppet for this world's core."
"Maybe," refrained Arthur from denying or arguing. "Let us go through this illusion so I can leave these ruins."
"I have no control over how fast this illusion will unfold. But, as I understand, it is a one-time attack that triggers the most buried memories of the mind," said Sier before the scenery changed. "We are entering another memory."
Arthur then watched the room turn into a bedroom, where Sier was sitting with his mother. He seemed to be six years old, but there were bruises on his dark arms and legs. His mother was the one bandaging them, silent and tired.
"Is this from the training?" his mother asked without looking at him. "How did you end up getting bruised from basic training?"
"Yes, mother," nodded the young Sier, his expression downcast. "I failed to see the attacks coming, so I couldn't block them," a silence followed. "Father says... that I have no talent to be a king... is that true, mother?"
"Don't ask me," said the woman while gritting her teeth. "Everyone asks me about that, but I don't know. I have no idea what I did wrong other than giving birth."
"This is cruel," said Arthur with a frown. However, Sier did not flinch or seem affected by the memory. "I can try and end this illusion."
"I won't ask for your help," said Seir as he stared straight ahead. "This is the consequence of failing to kill you. There is no need to feel sympathy, Outsider. That is weakness."
Arthur didn't know whether he was talking to Sier or the guardian, but he didn't feel like he knew this person regardless of the answer. The circumstances seemed to build a wall between them, as they couldn't treat the other the same after what happened.
"I just wanted a good life for us, but... because of you..." the woman grabbed Sier's arm, and her nails dug deep into his skin. The boy didn't make a sound, but Arthur could see the fear in his eyes.
"It seems that another thing that my eyes cannot do is cry," smiled Sier. "It gets a lot darker from here on now. Prepare yourself."
Arthur watched as the memories unfolded, and the hell kept going. His mother didn't realize she was hurting Sier, and she tried all kinds of experiments to get him to awaken. As Sier reached the age of ten, most of his body was scarred.
During those years, his father remarried. It was common sense that for the seven families, the age of ten was the last year a person could awaken. Their early awakening was because of their divine bloodlines, but Sier showed no signs of awakening.
The last memory revealed was Sier waking up on his eleventh birthday and visiting his mother's room, as was their routine every morning. However, his mother wasn't there for another experiment or beating, and only her dangling corpse remained in her bedroom.
Even as he stared at his mother's corpse, the boy didn't cry. Instead, his yellowish-green eyes were akin to vacuums that took everything in but expressed nothing. Then, for the briefest second, his eyes turned violet.
The illusion crumbled after that memory, and Sier was silent. He did not express a single emotion ever since the two of them entered this illusion, and even until the end, he didn't cry over what happened.
"My mother thought she was doing me kindness. I don't remember most of the memories we witnessed, but somehow, they weren't new to me. I guess that is why I didn't want to be used by someone else."
"But here you are, accepting the power of the guardian and his wishes."
"I realized I was being an idiot," said Sier. "I can find a method to retain myself even as I receive his powers. I hated this power because it was why I suffered, but I don't know anymore. Maybe her death was why I awakened, and maybe that is her final gift to me."
"We can find a way to erode that power," said Arthur as he reached out toward Sier. However, his hand was slapped away with a smirk.
"You want me to give up the power that allows me to have revenge on that man?" asked Sier. "I know that we are the same. You said it yourself. You are fueled by hatred, which is the only emotion you can feel. I am the same, and I will kill that family with my own hands."
Arthur was silent as he watched the memories crumble. Then, after enduring the jerk in his consciousness, Arthur found himself staggering back in the arena moments after he reflected the attack back.
Sier was covering his eyes with his hand while standing far away. Arthur was about to attack again in his moment of weakness, but he hesitated. Knowing the past made Sier like that made it more difficult to accept their end.
"Seeing my memories made you flatter, Outsider," said Sier as he removed his hand. His eyes have turned two violet gems glowing with a dangerous light. "Let me raise the stakes for you. As we speak now, dungeons are breaking in your beloved city."
"...what?"
"In a few minutes, it will be infested with countless mythical monsters wanting to do nothing but devour the world. This is the punishment that has been arranged for you."
"How do you know that?" frowned Arthur as the chains materialized. "Who is the person helping you to..."
"It does not matter, outsider," grinned Sier. "Show me your resolve. You were willing to help me moments earlier, so what are you doing now?"
"I won't hesitate anymore, Sier. Surrender yourself and let me leave this city. Otherwise... I will kill you."
"History is repeating itself, then," smiled the vessel. "Come forth, Outsider. Let us end this fight already," said the seer as his aura exploded, lacerating the arena.