The arena was quiet.
Lucas lay crumpled on the cold floor, completely still. His limbs were limp, his chest barely rising and falling with shallow breaths.
His eyes were shut—unconscious. No twitch. No reaction. No awareness.
Just silence.
Mr. Grayson stood a few feet away, arms tightly crossed, his jaw clenched so hard the muscle near his temple twitched.
He stared at his son for several long seconds before muttering under his breath.
"Idiot."
His voice echoed in the empty training center.
He stepped forward. The barrier had dropped when Halden left. As he entered the arena, the silence remained undisturbed. Lucas didn’t move. Still trapped in unconsciousness.
Mr. Grayson crouched beside him, staring at his own flesh and blood like he was looking at a stranger.
Then, his voice low and trembling with more than just anger, he spoke.
"You useless little brat..."
No reaction. No flinch. Not even a change in breath.
Mr. Grayson looked away, lips curling into a bitter smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes.
"I can’t believe this. All these years. All that training. All that money. All that effort... for this?"
He stood and began pacing, his boots clicking sharply on the tile floor.
"I gave you everything," he said, waving one hand toward the unconscious boy. "Tutors. Gyms. Weapons.
Even that damn anti-gravity field I had installed in the basent. You had every advantage a young super could ask for."
His voice rose.
"And for what? You can’t even beat a boy who looks half-asleep all the ti and doesn’t even try?!"
He kicked a bench at the side of the stage. It crashed over with a sharp bang.
"Do you know what this was supposed to be?" he shouted. "This was the plan, Lucas! I mapped it out years ago!"
Lucas didn’t move. Just lay there, lifeless like a discarded puppet.
Mr. Grayson took a shaky breath. He wasn’t just angry. He was unraveling.
"This wasn’t just about you. It was about ."
He ran both hands through his hair, letting out a hollow laugh that echoed through the empty room.
"When I found out Ethan was transferring to this school, I pulled every string to get you in, too. Out of all my sons, I picked you. You were the sa age. I thought you could crush him.
Make a statent. And when you did, I’d step in—offer support. Play the gracious adult. Slowly earn his trust. Make him believe I was soone he could rely on."
His breathing grew heavier.
"And then I’d get close to his mother. Lilith."
He whispered her na like a prayer.
"The most beautiful woman in the world. Everyone says it. And they’re right. The way she walks, the way she talks... like she stepped out of a dream."
His voice drifted, caught in a fantasy that was never his to begin with.
"I saw her true face once. Just once. At a Superpower Association event. She was singing. And I knew—she was the one."
Another bitter laugh.
"She didn’t even glance at . But I saw her smile. That smile was everything. And in that mont, I swore I’d have her.
I would do anything. Even sacrifice all of my sons."
He looked down at Lucas again.
"That’s where you ca in. You were supposed to beat him. Humiliate him. Make him look weak."
He stepped closer, voice low and harsh.
"And then I’d show up. Be the good guy. Help him. Comfort him. Maybe even protect him. She’d thank . And with ti..."
His eyes lost focus.
"She’d fall for . That was the plan. And you ruined it."
He started pacing again, hands gesturing wildly as if reliving a failed performance.
"You didn’t just lose a match. You embarrassed yourself. You embarrassed . Do you even understand what that ans?"
He froze, staring down at his son.
"Do you know how many people were watching? How many eyes were on that fight? They’ll say my son’s a joke.
That I must also be a joke. That I couldn’t even train my own blood, despite my position in the Superpower Association."
Mr. Grayson was starting to imagine things as if he could see the looks of others and the way they look at him, as if he is a piece of trash, sothing that needs to be discarded.
He crouched down again and grabbed Lucas by the collar. The boy didn’t resist—his body limp, unconscious.
Mr. Grayson shook him once, more out of spite than concern.
"I told you, didn’t I? I told you Ethan was the reason the girls avoided you. I drilled it into your head for years! I told you to crush him! To wipe him out! So that I could have her."
His voice cracked.
"I did it all for Lilith..."
He stared at Lucas for a long mont. Then, slowly, he let go of the fabric and stood, brushing invisible dust off his coat.
"Now look at you. A sweaty, unconscious ss."
His lip curled into a sneer.
"Do you even realize what you’ve done to ?"
Still, Lucas didn’t stir.
Mr. Grayson turned and walked toward the edge of the arena. At the nearby control panel, he tapped a few keys, activating the override.
The lights dimd, and the caras powered down. The room sank into darkness.
He returned to Lucas and sat down beside him, back leaning against the wall.
"I suppose I should thank you," he muttered. "You helped see the truth."
He exhaled slowly, voice quieter now.
"It seems I’ll have to visit your older brothers. See how far they’ve co. Or if they’re just like you... worthless."
He stared up into the dark ceiling above.
"And when I do... I’ll make sure that Lilith sees only . Thinks only of ."
Silence returned to the arena.
No light. No sound. No purpose.
Only the faint rhythm of Lucas’s shallow breathing remained.
One broken by defeat.
The other is consud by delusion.
Neither realizing—
They never truly understood who they were facing from the start.
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