Killed Me? Now I Have Your Power Chapter 479: A Grandfather and a Grandson, and Life’s Greatest Lesson [2]

"Why and how are you here?"

Seated on an oddly sculpted wooden chair opposite his grandfather, Kaden finally voiced the question, while the elder himself lounged back lazily in his recliner.

Raven’s nearly bald eyebrow lifted sharply at the unexpected query, his gaze landing firmly on the young man.

By this point, Kaden had regained his composure. No more tears like a bewildered kid. He straightened up a bit more, his gaze less vacant than earlier, as though the simple company of a blood relative had eased his wounded soul and thoughts.

Raven grinned, satisfied, spotting the impressive Will in his grandson right away.

Suddenly, his expression twisted. A violent fit of coughs seized his throat, doubling him over, with phlegm and dark blood spraying from his lips to splatter the ground right in front of Kaden’s feet.

Shocked, Kaden leaped to his feet.

Raven’s trembling finger pointed frantically in one direction.

Stunned, Kaden whipped his head that way and spotted a jar of water made of wood.

Instinct kicked in before his mind could process. He stood up without thinking, his body screaming in agony, yet he gritted his teeth and pushed on.

In two quick strides, amid the relentless hacking from his grandfather, he snatched the jar, spun around fast, and rushed it over.

"Here!" he croaked, voice hoarse from suffering. "Drink!"

Disregarding the bubbling pool of black blood and saliva below, he aided Raven in taking a sip.

The elder chugged it desperately — as if his very survival hung on it — his coughs gradually easing until they ceased.

"Ahh... ahhh..." He panted hard, chest rising and falling. "My boy," he whispered gruffly, eyeing Kaden’s anxious expression with a faint, weary smile, "I’ll explain why and how I’m here after we finish this."

"Rest first." Kaden murmured softly.

"That would just make our limited time even briefer." Raven refused with a shake of his head. "I won’t let that happen, my boy."

He settled back, breaths coming shallow, and flashed a smile. "Oh, right... I neglected to inquire. How’s home?"

Kaden stayed quiet briefly, jaw tightening, before replying. "Home... it’s different now, grandfather."

"Oh, I’m aware of that. The Red Crown and the Three Silver Crowns." He let out a chuckle. "How could that worthless fool of a son dream that up? I didn’t raise him to be clever."

"Perhaps it wasn’t him." Kaden attempted a smile but couldn’t manage it. "Could be Lady Ouroboros or Lady Heavens. Or maybe even my mother."

"Highly unlikely." Raven dismissed with a headshake. "Your mother’s cut from the same cloth as your father. All they care about is fighting."

"I’ve heard that’s just how Warborn are." Kaden shrugged. "Doesn’t that describe you too?"

"Endless fighting grinds you down eventually." Raven replied, staring at his hands. "You only grasp that truth when it’s too late. When retreat’s impossible, when you can’t retreat to a tiny cave to pen your verses and whittle your wood. By then, young one, you’ve gathered too many foes to rest easy. And thus..."

He halted, eyes on Kaden.

"...halting becomes an option you no longer possess."

The word sent a shiver through Kaden.

"It’s tough, right?" Raven continued.

"I’m not sure I get it, grandfather."

"Let me spell it out." He adjusted his posture, sitting up a touch straighter to face Kaden squarely. "Doesn’t it feel difficult, Kaden? Realizing the path you craved so much is now out of reach?"

"But what if it’s still possible?" Kaden shot back, fist clenching. "What if that path remains open to me?"

"Ah. A deception. Or the mirage of a decision." Raven gave a sorrowful smile. "Life sometimes dangles several paths before you, boy. Not from kindness. But to muddle your thoughts, to break your inner harmony by challenging your very being. Yet deep down, you know it, true? There’s only one true path left."

He bent forward a little, peering closer at Kaden’s face.

"That’s what has you so conflicted now." He let out a sigh. "You’re fooling yourself into peace of mind while chasing a path you realize you can’t take."

"I’ll lose her otherwise, grandfather." Kaden’s voice cracked. Then, in a desperate murmur, "I’ll lose her."

"So you’d sacrifice yourself... to keep from losing her?"

The statement struck Kaden like a blade’s pierce. His eyes widened, mouth gaping silently.

Those faded red eyes locked onto Raven, revealing the resolve and power lurking in the elder’s identical red gaze, despite death’s blade lingering so perilously close.

"W-what?" Kaden stuttered, then shook his head furiously. "No, I won’t—!"

"You know you will." Raven shook his head. "You're attempting something that defies your core existence, my boy. Your very Self. If you go through with it, you'll lose who you are along the way—turning into someone your family, friends, and loved ones won't even recognize."

Kaden dipped his head a bit.

"And here's the irony?" Raven let out a weak laugh. "The chance of losing her grows bigger if you break yourself in the effort to hold on. I figured you understood that, or has this ordeal clouded the wisdom you fought so hard to gain?"

He stopped to draw breath, his frame trembling enough to make the chair groan, his face slick with sweat from the strain of speaking. Yet he mustered a grin and pushed forward.

"You can't hold onto someone you love by pretending to be someone else."

Kaden's gut twisted, icy cold, with no solid comeback to any of it.

Finally, he managed only a faint murmur.

"Then what should I do?" he whispered. "Just accept whatever she turns into, even if it means losing her?"

"That's life itself." Raven replied. "Change. We all transform, even you, my boy. Some shifts are huge, others quiet, but they happen to everyone. Certain changes bring intense pain and fallout, yet like so much in life, you embrace them, grow from them, and press on—or crumble to nothing. That's how it works. And you—"

"—can't halt nature's course."

Worry filled Kaden's gaze toward him. Raven dismissed it with a grin and went on.

"Forget those other questions you need to ponder. The real one, Kaden, my boy..." his eyes sharpened on his grandson, "Do you want to watch her transform and still decide to stay by her side?"

Kaden hung on his words, stare unfocused.

"Yes." Raven flashed his broken teeth. "Life thrives on choices. And choices bring duty and weight. That's all real. But it's exactly what keeps us truly living, right? What defines us as unique. Our decisions mold us. I want yours to mold you rightly. Not simply the simple path. The correct one."

"It's tough, like so many things. But there's always a bright side."

His gnarled hands stretched out to seize Kaden's. Burning with fever, but firm enough to leave Kaden in silent wonder.

Their gazes met, and Raven spoke deliberately, as though fearing Kaden might miss it—or that his strength would fail before the end.

"The true test," he gave their clasped hands a gentle shake, "isn't fearing the act of choosing. It's picking the path that builds your strength, not the one that reduces you to ashes."

"So tell me, my boy... which choice builds you up? Not the one you crave. The one you require to advance as a man."

Kaden parted his lips.

"Hold onto it for now." Raven interrupted with a grin, eyes shutting. "Give your answer after five days. For now, my boy..."

He grinned boldly, rubbing his smooth chin.

"Grandpa has to use the bathroom."

Kaden's expression crumpled at the abrupt mood switch.

"Want to lend a hand? I'm about to soil myself."

—End of Chapter 479—