My Living Shadow System Devours To Make Me Stronger Chapter 1051 - 1053: Falling Out

A few words were exchanged between Damon and Xander, each retort escalating the tension that simmered between them. The back-and-forth continued, every syllable adding to the sharp divide forming between them.

Then, Damon uttered a phrase that definitively crossed a line.

Enraged, Emilia overturned the entire table.

Plates, cups, and food went flying across the pavilion, the violent scraping of wood against stone echoing in the sudden silence. She rose, her feet planted firmly, a tempest of fury erupting from her that even the nearby knights found intimidating. Faint embers danced at her fingertips, a silent threat to engulf the pavilion in flames.

Damon's expression remained utterly unchanged.

Luna and Lilith, quick to react, immediately stepped forward, offering apologies on Damon's behalf and attempting to placate Emilia before her fury consumed her entirely. In time, Emilia recognized that her anger had outpaced her reason, despite the weeks of mental preparation for this very meeting.

Damon merely inclined his head slightly, acknowledging the ease with which he had provoked her.

Xander pressed his fingers to his temples, a gesture of weariness. He, too, harbored a healthy fear of his wife’s formidable temper, and Damon had relentlessly needled her without pause.

Not long after, Damon found himself on a balcony, engaged in conversation with Xander. They discussed the ongoing war, both conspicuously avoiding any mention of Xander’s child.

"Our advance toward the city of Lysithara has progressed. However, we are currently encountering a peculiar entity within the forest, posing another obstacle to our march," Xander admitted, placing a hand over his chest as if burdened by its weight.

"A part of me is beginning to suspect this entire endeavor might be insurmountable," he added.

Damon remained silent for a beat, his gaze sweeping over the capital city spread out below.

"Yes, I understand that sentiment. What appears impossible can often be achieved, while tasks that seem simple can feel insurmountable."

He let out a soft exhale.

"Much like your becoming a father, or even my own situation. I never envisioned any of this just a few years ago. To be completely honest, I fully expected to be dead by now."

Xander fell into a period of pensive silence, then bit his lower lip.

"So did I. However, I did envision myself in this precise moment. My upbringing was as a nobleman, so my life hasn't truly deviated from its intended path. There have been unusual circumstances, but this is where I was always meant to be. Right here."

Damon found himself pondering this. Did Xander genuinely harbor no doubts, or was he so firmly entrenched in his convictions that doubt found no purchase?

"What is this ideal you hold so dear, and is it truly worth sacrificing everything? Xander, Emilia appeared so incredibly happy. This child represents her entire world."

Xander paused.

"Is it worth giving up everything? No. I am not discarding everything. I am exchanging one thing for another. It is a fair transaction. I understand you no longer desire it." He looked slowly towards Damon.

"A man's promise is his word. You made a vow. An oath was sealed that day. I would give you my firstborn child the moment he uttered his first word, and in turn, you would uphold your end and grant me a fair opportunity to slay Amon."

Damon drew a deep breath, the gentle breeze of the capital rustling through his hair.

"We were young then. You were young as well. We know better now. Just let it go."

"No!" Xander exclaimed sharply. "I will never let it go. I will never cease pursuing my brother's faceless killer. Forgiveness is not in my nature, nor is forgetting. You yourself said it: 'An eye for an eye.' So what if the entire world becomes blind? At least I won't be the only one missing an eye."

Damon closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Yes, you are right. I comprehend that. Even I cannot abandon the pursuit of revenge at this moment. I wish to eliminate an outsider named Morticai. He is immortal and possesses immense power. He could obliterate me as easily as crushing an ant."

He fell silent, realizing as he spoke the words aloud just how insurmountable those odds were.

"But I would never undertake such a task if the price was my Ranar. Even if it meant handing her over to someone for merely an hour, let alone a day or even years. I simply could not bring myself to do it."

Xander's eyes narrowed.

"What are you attempting to convey?"

A heavy silence ensued before Damon finally broke it.

"I wish to annul our contract. If we both agree, we might be able to dissolve—"

CRUSH.

A deafening crack ripped through the air as a section of the balcony gave way, stone fracturing and plummeting to the ground below amidst a swirling cloud of dust.

"You will honor your word," Xander stated with icy finality.

"We had an agreement. Should you breach it, the retribution I demand will be horrific. If you insist on breaking this contract, then I require the apple of your eye. Place little Ranar's head in a box and deliver it to me."

Damon's hand shot forward, seizing Xander by the throat and lifting him effortlessly into the air. His eyes had turned glacial.

"You will not speak of my daughter."

Tendrils of shadow writhed around them, spreading like an encroaching frost. A profound chill permeated the entire palace. Every soul within felt the unnatural cold as Damon's dark eyes fixed intensely upon Xander's.

"Your arrogance will be your downfall. You have become conceited, Xander. You've grown selfish. More so, you lack backbone. I can hardly believe there was a time I looked up to your strict principles, but now, I see they may have eroded."

He shoved Xander backward, towards the edge of the shattered balcony.

"I am delighted that I am taking your child. No child deserves to be raised by a parent like you."

Damon slowly turned his back, his receding footsteps causing more of the fractured stone to break away.

The true nature of their discussion that day remained unknown to all. Those who witnessed it could only recall Xander's sorrowful visage and his final declaration to Damon as the latter departed.

"Do not disregard your vow. I shall hold you to it, no matter the circumstances. Remember the repercussions of violating that promise."

Damon spun around to face him, venom gleaming in his eyes.

"I pray you do not come to regret this decision. When you finally achieve your ambition, I hope your expression and your demeanor remain unchanged."

Luna and Emilia were unaware of the conversation's subject. Disputes between Damon and Xander were commonplace, almost a routine aspect of their interactions.

Nevertheless, this particular altercation carried a distinct weight.

Despite Emilia's persistent efforts, Xander refused to divulge the cause of their argument.

Caressing her abdomen, she reassured herself it was nothing, even as a chilling premonition began to take root in the depths of her heart.