I recognize that voice. Or at least, Ryn does.
It's Sadie, my maid. She was one of the few people in this house ever kind to him. She was with him every day, comforting him from the constant torment he faced.
And today is no exception.
"Ahem. Young Master, please come quickly," she calls. "The Lord won't be happy if you're late."
Hah. He wouldn't be happy even if I were early.
"I'll be out in a sec!" I call back—then pause, realizing I'm not wearing anything.
Whatever. Let him wait. He can't possibly get any angrier anyways.
He does this often, Ryn remembers. Every month Victor trains his children one on one for an hour, then has a meeting with them after.
Ryn never trained. Every time he went out, his siblings tormented him. Eventually it got to the point where he straight up quit. So when Victor has these one on one sessions, it never ended well.
I stroll across my room into the massive walk-in closet. Clothes line the walls, and the closet is an array of colors. I pull out a pair of jeans and a T-shirt. Simple.
There's a mirror at the back of my closet, and I look into it, checking myself out.
I have dark black eyes that seem to mirror the abyss itself. The longer I look into my eyes, the deeper they seem, like a sea with no bottom. There's no end. Only more depth.
My wavy white hair spills over my eyes, covering them slightly.
I'm not exactly skinny, but definitely on the thinner side—no sign of actual exercise.
I mean, not a bad look.
Definitely need to start working out, though.
"Young Master! Please, come quick," Sadie calls again, more urgently this time.
"Coming now," I say, grabbing the door handle and striding out.
I'm met by a maid just a hair shorter than me.
She has long brown hair frames and a pair of green eyes. She dyes her hair often to try and make herself look younger, but everyone knows she's at least sixty.
Seeing her in person, it's obvious why Ryn relied on her so much. She has that quiet, familiar aura of a mother. Quiet, but calming, and empathetic.
"Come quickly, young master," she says, grabbing my hand and pulling me down the hall. "We mustn't be late."
The hallway stretches across the entire second floor in a straight line. Victor's study is at one end, and my room at the other. This hallway contains the rooms of my siblings, with Eric, the first son in the room next to Victors.
Other hallways connect, stretching across the second floor, leading to the eastern and western wings.
The western wing hasn't been used in years though, and is said to be haunted, but I've never believed those rumors.
Meeting a ghost would be cool though.
A maroon carpet stretches along the hallway, its edges soft underfoot. Portraits of past ancestors line the walls, watching in silent judgment.
The lighting is dim, casting a yellowish glow that feels refined yet faintly warm.
The closer we get to Victor's study, the newer the portraits become. Victor himself comes next, surrounded by his five prodigious children. Of course, I'm not among them.
The final stretch of the hallway is bare, no portraits at all.
Waiting, I guess, for the next generation to come.
We arrive at Victor's study.
Sadie steps forward and opens the door for me.
"Thank you," I tell her, and she nods her head.
"It was nothing, Young Master," she replies.
I step inside, greeted by a familiar sight.
The study is twice the size of my bedroom, lined wall to wall with towering bookshelves. A dark navy carpet covers the floor, soaking up the dim light from above.
Victor sits behind his desk at the center of the room, neat stacks of papers spread before him. His face is clean-shaven, giving him a sharp, ageless look. He could pass for thirty, though he's well past fifty.
His aura radiates power, and I can't help but flinch under its pressure.
He has an Illuminated aspect, silver, and his heroic defense of the city Arcanea, the capital of the southern continent, earned him the title, "The Wall Will Never Fall," putting him nearly at the strength of a Peak aspect holder.
Noticing my entrance, he stands, and I can feel his presence pushing down on me.
His aura is perfectly controlled, and yet I still whimper under its pressure.
"Ryn von Veylor," he says, his voice low and cold.
"Father," I reply, customarily bowing my head.
Then, the pressure relaxes, his eyes weary.
"Ryn," he says quietly. "Every time I look at you, I think of her. I think of what she devoted the last few years of her life to."
He pauses, his voice tightening. He glances away from me, as if embarrassed to look a failure like me in the eyes.
"And every time, I'm disappointed. No. More than disappointed. I'm infuriated."
His voice is calm, and that scares me.
"Do you know why, Ryn? Do you know why?" he continues, his eyes hardening.
"Because I see nothing of her in you. None. Not her kindness. Not her strength. Not even her resolve. You took her love, took it away from me, and then wasted it."
He takes a slow step closer, the weight of his presence pressing down harder.
"All I see is weakness. A boy too scared to stand beside his siblings. A boy who has thrown away not only the beginning of his life, but the end of another's. You as good as killed her. She spent her end with you, and you wasted it. And now, she is gone."
He cocks his head back and laughs quietly.
"If only I knew the killer of my wife, the one who took her away would be the worthless child she brought, that rainy day.
His gaze flickers toward the window, as if looking anywhere else would ease the sight of me.
"She wanted to save you. I wanted to tell her some things aren't worth saving."
He exhales softly, the words more like a hiss than a breath. "But she begged, and I—I was foolish enough to honor her wish."
Victor turns his eyes back to mine, colder now.
"You know… I tried," he says, voice low but sharp. "I gave you opportunities, and you wasted all of them. Every single one."
He takes a step closer, each word deliberate.
"So here you stand. Living proof of my greatest mistake. I despise you. And if I see you again, I fear I won't be able to contain myself."
He exhales softly, and for a moment, the silence hurts worse than his words.
"As a final favor to her, I'll let you stay. But don't misunderstand, Ryn. If I hear even a whisper about you, heads will roll."
His eyes lock onto mine, cold and unblinking, piercing straight through.
"You will eat in isolation. You will live in isolation. And if you decide to leave…" he pauses, his lip curling, "we will all be grateful."
Then, raising his voice slightly, he says, "Sadie. I know you're standing out there."
The door opens almost instantly. Sadie steps in, tears welling in her eyes.
"Move him to the west tower," Victor orders, calm as stone. "The highest room we have. If he wishes to leave, let him. I won't have his face tarnishing the Veylor name. Oh—"
He extends a hand, palm open, eyes glinting.
"Give me your ring. You are no longer part of this family."