Chapter 116: Misguided Path
After everyone enjoyed their lively al, the maids swiftly cleared the table, replacing the leftovers with fresh plates of fruits and milk.
Arix assud they’d leave after eating, but when no one moved, she stayed put, curious.
Krylak, the tiger clan patriarch seated at the head of the table, spoke up with a serious tone. "Now that we’re all here today, I’d like to make an announcent. The annual family bloodline test will be held three days later, at noon ti. Please bring all your untested clan mbers from each territory to participate."
Everyone except Arix seed to expect this and nodded calmly.
While Arix wondered how the bloodline test would be conducted, Krylak continued. His voice now carried a chilling edge that sent a shiver down Arix’s spine.
"There’s sothing else you might not know yet," Krylak said, his tone mixing anger and complexity. "My nephew, Scion, the pride of our tiger clan, nearly died on the battlefield due to soone’s vile intervention."
Krylak’s words struck like lightning, shocking everyone into a flurry of whispers.
"My god, soone tried to harm Scion? Are they trying to make an eternal enemy of our clan?"
"And Scion is the future Pontifex! Who would be so foolish to target him, risking the wrath of the Moon Goddess Temple?"
"Exactly! Do they even realize how crucial the Pontifex is to the Empire? He’s vital for our cubs’ transformation into their beast forms. The audacity, it’s unimaginable, lawless!"
The hall buzzed with disbelief. No one could fathom soone daring to target the future Pontifex.
If this news spread, it would incite the entire Empire of Sacred Moonlight to fury.
Arix could understand; it was like trying to harm a revered veteran in the old world; the whole nation would erupt in rage.
So of the more protective tiger clan mbers were furious, banging the table and demanding to know which clan dared plot against their pride.
"Krylak, tell us who dared to harm Scion. We’ll grab our weapons and take them out now," one hot-tempered mber demanded angrily, barely restraining himself from flipping the table out of respect for their family.
Krylak had anticipated the clan’s fury, but the real tragedy lay in the fact that the mastermind wasn’t an external enemy, but a traitor within their own ranks.
Krylak’s eyes grew dim for a mont before he turned his gaze towards the fifth elder, who had been sitting silently in his chair.
"Uncle Velkor, you tell them," Krylak said, then closed his eyes wearily.
At these words, the entire hall fell silent, as if soone had collectively gripped their throats. Everyone turned their incredulous eyes towards their revered Velkor.
"Impossible! It can’t be my grandfather. He’s dedicated his whole life to the clan. How could he possibly harm Cousin Scion?" Velkor’s grandson, Torvak, stood up in a frenzy, furiously denying the accusation.
He couldn’t believe it. He knew better than anyone how much his grandfather had sacrificed for the clan. There were countless tis when Velkor had risked his life but said that his injuries were worth it, that they were honorable.
Such a man, who had devoted his entire life to the family, would never be the one to plot against Scion. Even in death, Torvak wouldn’t believe it was true.
"Sit down, Torvak. What Krylak said is true," Velkor, in contrast to his agitated grandson, accepted the situation calmly.
When he had made his move against Scion, he had already prepared himself for the consequences, even if it ant dying alongside Scion.
The only thing he couldn’t let go of was his innocent and naive grandson, which was why he had endured the pain of betraying the clan and clung to life.
"No! No! This isn’t true! It can’t be true!" Torvak felt as if the very essence of his existence had been ripped away upon hearing his grandfather’s words.
Stumbling, he fell to the ground, shouted one last denial, and then turned and ran out in a daze.
"Tarvok!" Targon called out, worriedly watching his friend run off in distress. He then turned to his grandfather. After receiving a nod of approval from the elder, he imdiately chased after Torvak.
Velkor watched his grandson’s despairing expression, feeling as though a thousand knives were simultaneously stabbing his ordinary, tender heart. The excruciating pain in his chest made him open his mouth several tis, yet no sound erged.
Finally, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Then he turned his gaze to Krylak and said, "Krylak, I will accept whatever punishnt you deem fit. I only hope that, considering my lifelong dedication to the clan, you can show rcy to Torvak. He has only a month left to live."
Velkor’s face had always carried a look of grim determination, but now, as he spoke his final words, tears stread down his cheeks.
"Who gave you the poison?" Krylak asked, cutting straight to the point, not ready to agree to anything just yet.
"The ninth elder of the Dragon clan," Velkor confessed without hesitation. "He has a cure for my grandson, Velkor. If I eliminated Scion, he promised to treat him. I couldn’t resist the temptation."
"You made a very unwise move, you know that?" one of the elders said. He closed his eyes in anguish, unable to bear the sight of his brother’s downfall.
The other three elders also closed their eyes, powerless to change the fate of the fifth elder. The cri of plotting against the clan’s prodigy carried only one sentence: death. Even an elder was not exempt.
Everyone in the hall already knew the fifth elder’s fate. Many began to sob quietly, the weight of the situation heavy on their hearts.
But none of them would plead for the fifth elder. It wasn’t out of cold-heartedness, but because forgiving him would an betraying Scion, who was utterly blaless in all this.
Krylak took a deep breath, his face somber as he looked at Velkor. "You knew the consequences. Yet, for your grandson, you chose this path."
Velkor nodded, his tears still flowing. "Yes, I did. And I accept my fate. But please, consider my grandson’s innocence in all this."
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