When Valric Solan entered, his expression was unreadable. But based on what Louskas knew about his past nature, he could tell that the leader would explode at any moment.
Louskas braced himself for a potential escape at any time. The shard that Elderon had stored for him was related to teleportation; when Louskas focused on a specific location, he could teleport there in the blink of an eye. Of course, he could only teleport up to a hundred meters at most, which would put a tremendous strain on his body. However, he knew that he couldn't use the shard right now because his core was already dry from the Sea of Spirit, meaning he couldn't use it even if he wanted to.
On the other hand, Valric Solan was in the second stage, which meant his aura alone could freeze Louskas in place. Moreover, he had already marked Louskas with the mark of slavery. Activating it by someone in the second stage was incomparable to what his little sister could do.
Louskas gritted his teeth, and the possibilities raced through his mind. He was truly in an unenviable position.
Louskas stood up and bowed slightly.
"I'm sorry, sir, I can explain the situation," he said, his voice tense, and even trembling slightly. He was truly a talented actor in hiding his emotions.
Valric looked at him with unreadable eyes, then turned his gaze to his little daughter.
"Anna, stop this. Go to your mother. I have work with Louskas."
Louskas was surprised. How could the leader know his name? Was this really possible?
Anna suddenly stopped, glaring at him with anger, but she left the room without saying a word, slamming the door behind her.
Valric sighed heavily and then looked at Louskas, who remained bent low in respect.
"Come on, stop bowing. There's no one else here. Take a seat, and let me talk to you."
Louskas slowly sat down, and silence filled the room. He didn't speak.
After a moment of staring into Louskas' dark eyes, Valric felt something strange. The aura surrounding Louskas was overwhelmingly powerful. It was an unfamiliar sensation for him.
"Impossible! You've awakened your shard… No, wait. You never had one before."
Valric said, his voice low but filled with shock.
Louskas didn't reply, remaining silent and in his position.
"Why aren't you talking? Ah, yes, I've heard about your argument with the Grand Elder and Kailos, but I didn't find the time to speak with you due to the competition and the advisor. I'm sorry, but you'll have to endure more. I'll do what I can."
In that moment, Louskas confirmed his suspicions. Rage surged inside him, but then he burst out laughing madly, clutching his stomach from the force of it.
Valric stared at him, bewildered, not understanding what was happening with his son.
"I'm sorry… Hahaha… I'm really sorry, I couldn't control myself."
His laughter died down, and he began wiping tears of laughter from his eyes.
"Let me tell you the truth… I've forgotten two years of my memories. I woke up suddenly and found myself a slave to my family. Do you know what the first thing that happened to me was? A slap from my mother, whom I was expecting a hug from. I even thought I had come from another time… but all of this was your thinking, you truly are something else, haha."
He laughed again, but this time it was a heavy laugh.
Of course, he didn't tell him about his time travel. He didn't need to. He could just say that the new shard he found by chance was what caused him to lose some of his memories.
Valric's expression darkened. He felt a deep sense of guilt, clearly affected by what Louskas had said.
Louskas continued:
"You turn your son into a slave because of what others might say. You're in the second stage, the leader of the clan, but you couldn't even protect your own son. All this for his protection? This is your best way?"
Louskas stopped laughing and looked at Valric with disgust and anger.
"Valric, you're weak. You're a hypocrite. You hide behind this mask, but you have no character."
Valric lowered his head slightly, and guilt filled his heart. Louskas' words cut deep, his voice interrupted by the emotions he was feeling.
"I'm sorry, but this was all for your protection. You don't see how others look at you, nor hear the words of the elders. You were really in danger, and because of that, my position was in danger, and the family's as well."
Louskas shouted in anger, standing up to face him:
"At least something you said is true. Your position was in danger, that's why you did all this. You're afraid for yourself. I was never one of your priorities. I was always last."
Louskas' voice trembled with sadness as he continued:
"Since I was little, you've always avoided me. I never had a childhood. You never treated me as your son. I was always an outcast, inside the family and outside. And after all that, you make me a slave."
Louskas stood up and turned to show him the mark of slavery.
"Is this something you put on your own son? I used to make excuses for you, but not anymore. I know your truth now… you're a hypocrite, just a dog who follows the strong. No matter how powerful you become, you'll always be this way."
Valric lowered his head, his hands trembling. He agreed with everything Louskas had said deep down, but his intentions had always been to protect him. He never wanted to do this, it was all for his protection from others, but it had only made things worse. His heart ached terribly.
Valric had a shard that related to power, doubling his strength, and now that he was in the second stage, it made him four times stronger.
But his flaw was that everything he felt was quadrupled, feelings, wounds, injuries
Now his heart ached with a supernatural pain because of this.
'I deserve all of this,' he thought to himself, and the pain hit him again.
He wanted to stand up, hold his son, ask for forgiveness, kiss him, and show him the tenderness he'd never felt before. But he didn't move. Every word he'd said only quadrupled the pain, and in his mind, he knew he deserved this, at least after all he had done.