"I'm sorry, Big Brother, it's all my fault. Leria is innocent." Aran replied, his eyes welling with tears. "I let pride get the better of me."
"Pride?" Lith echoed, and Leria tilted her head to one side in confusion.
"Erkin may be of our blood, but he's still Meln's son." The young boy tried to stay calm, but there was an edge to his voice. "I know what I did was stupid, but I needed to check Erkin wasn't better than us. Than you."
Those words hit Lith hard, but they hit Leria even harder.
"When I read that Erkin has better chances of bloodline awakening than us, I thought I would die of envy. It's not fair!" Aran raised his eyes, and Lith noticed the blind rage in them. "That's why I asked Val for help. I can't stand the idea of being less talented than Meln's son!"
Lith said nothing and hugged Aran, who started to cry softly.
