Ignatius stared into the mirror, his reflection a stark reminder of his recent mistake. His expression was grim, his eyes and nose swollen. He examined the physical toll of his failure - bandages wrapped around his wounds, charred strands of hair clinging to his scalp, and a large bruise marking his hand. The pungent odour of blood hung heavy in the air, thick and overpowering, assaulting his nose with its metallic tang.
The echoes of General Aldric's harsh words reverberated in his mind, each sentence a dagger to his already wounded pride.
"Such an absurd technique! Look around you! If you were a commander, more than half your troops would be dead! And your injuries! You would just be waiting to die on the battlefield as well!"
Thud! He slammed his hands on the bathroom sink.
"If you can't even see the issue with your useless technique, then you are just suicidal, completely unfit to take part in the Succession Trials."
Bang! His fist shattered one of the bathroom tiles. A little blood oozed out.
"Tsk. Fitting for a disgrace of the Emberhearts."
General Aldric's last remark hit like a dagger to the heart, branding Ignatius with shame and failure.
Frustration and anger boiled within Ignatius. Despite his pureblood status, he found himself trapped within the cursed walls of the castle, his time ticking away with no hope of qualifying for the Succession Trial. In a surge of fury, he lashed out, his fist colliding with the unforgiving wall once more, further crushing the broken tiles.
Regret gnawed at him as he reflected on his lack of discipline during physical training back in the main castle, berating himself for neglecting the mastery of fire sword magic. Had he devoted himself more diligently, perhaps the wall wouldn't have stopped his fist, and maybe he would have been braver during the Succession Trials.
Instead, he wasted precious time on impractical explosive magic, only to find himself mired in a pit of hopelessness. His life was already over. Why was he even complaining now?
He punched the wall again.
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Knock! Knock!
The sudden knock pulled Ignatius back to the present moment.
"Big bro Ignatius, are you there?"
"Aria! Give me a moment."
Hurriedly, he wore an oversized shirt and wrapped his fist. Washing his face and combing his hair, he attempted to conceal his sadness from Aria. With one last glance in the mirror to ensure he looked composed, he opened the door to welcome Aria.
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"Big bro, I didn't get to see your special move, but I bet it was cool. Everyone was talking about it!"
She must have heard some rumours already. After all, that explosion definitely killed some people at the scene.
"Haha, thanks," Ignatius replied with a strained laugh. "It was cool, huh. But unfortunately, it was not enough."
Though Aria's attempts to console him were well-intentioned, Ignatius found little solace in her words. Her praises felt hollow, unable to fill the void in his heart.
"Eh? But I heard it was really powerful!" Aria remarked, her finger resting on her chin.
"Well, it was powerful, but it was also dangerous," Ignatius explained, gently stroking Aria's hair as she sat on his lap. "Endowing fire into an immovable object is a completely pointless application of magic. It destroys everything around, including the caster themselves. Truly ineffective."
His strained smile wavered slightly, and he sensed a tinge of anger beginning to seep out.
"Hmm, then what if you made it even more powerful? Then, even if it is dangerous, wouldn't it be worth it?"
Ignatius couldn't help but chuckle at Aria's naive suggestion. She had not fully grasped the gravity of the situation, simply offering any idea she thought could help him.
“Hahaha, certainly makes sense, but the risk is greater as well.”
There's no use in even attempting anymore. I'll never make it into the Succession Trial regardless of what risks I take now. General Aldric has already made that abundantly clear. And it's not like anyone else believes in me.
"So what if it is risky? Doesn't big bro only have one day left to enter the Succession Trial? I want to see big bro succeed!"
Huh? Succeed now? Ignatius sprang to his feet, pushing Aria off his lap. Something ignited within him.
What do you know about the Succession Trials anyway!
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I messed up.
As I stood before Ignatius, his gaze bore into me with an intensity that sent shivers down my spine. His previous warm expression distorted into something unsettling, a mixture of anguish and frustration evident in his eyes.
"Hey Aria, remember that time you were crying about wetting your bed and I told you I wet myself during a fight as well. That was the Succession Trials qualifier."
He smashed his torso repeatedly with his fist.
"The library accident just a few weeks ago was me as well! All me"
A subtle moisture glistened in his eyes.
"I am a disgrace to this family, a weakling, a coward."
"And my strongest technique I have used so far was just shut down and treated like garbage. Completely impractical and foolish."
I gritted my teeth and struggled to voice an objection.
"No, big bro Ignatius isn't a coward."
Marine's instructions was to motivate him to attempt a larger explosion. It was a dubious directive considering it was the same explosion that harmed her, but I couldn't bear to disappoint her.
"Hahaha, do you really think so!"
His hands landed on my shoulders as he leaned in closer. The face of a madman. I gulped, feeling a sense of unease creep over me. The overpowering scent of blood and medicine intensified.
"Big bro will certainly succeed if you believe in me, Aria. Believe in me!"
His grip tightened, clamping down painfully on my shoulder.
"I belie...ve you... big... bro."
My voice strained as I suppressed the urge to cry out in pain.
"So what if it's risky, for Aria, I will do anything! I will show them my power!"
Scary.
His hand abruptly yanked my arm as he dragged me out of the room without a second thought, causing me to stumble along.
As my legs struggled to follow Ignatius's pace, I realized that following the instructions this time would be impossible. I could only hope that Ignatius's newfound resolve wouldn't lead him down a dangerous path.
Sorry, big sis.