Before Daniel's black sword could clash with his father Maximus's blade, the air suddenly hissed. A bright white sword, decorated with gold threads, dropped from the sky like a lightning bolt and pierced the ground, separating the father and son in a split second.
Time seemed to freeze. Then, a deep, calm voice filled the room with a firmness that shook everyone present:
"Maximus... have you fallen so low that you are bullying children now?"
The speaker was Ryan, dressed in elegant white clothes with flowing blonde hair and deep blue eyes that seemed to see through secrets. Walking behind him was George, with short brown hair and bright green eyes. He waved at Daniel with a playful, annoying smile and said in a deep voice:
"Ooh! Who is this little dwarf?"
George tried to put his hand on Daniel's head, but Daniel gave him a look as sharp as a blade. George quickly backed away with a nervous smile, raising his hands. "Alright, alright... I get it! You aren't the joking type."
Louie, boiling with rage, interrupted the scene and shouted: "What are you two doing here? Members of the Axe Guild?!"
George yawned and replied coldly: "What do you think? We are here to take this 'brat' with us."
Maximus looked shocked. "Oh? Do you know him? Since when does the Axe Guild recruit children?"
Daniel exploded, shouting fiercely: "I am not a child! Watch what comes out of your mouth!"
The tension between Daniel and his father sparked again, but Ryan raised his hand to stop it. He gave Maximus a cold stare and said: "I want him in my squad, and that is none of your business. Besides, tell me... why were you raising your sword against him? As far as I know, that is against the law."
Louie growled, defending his father: "He was being disrespectful!"
Daniel replied coldly: "You are the ones sticking your noses where they don't belong... you bastards!"
The argument was cut short by the sound of firm, rhythmic footsteps. Rosie, Maximus's wife, walked in with pride, followed by young Kai and Mark, who was dressed in clean white.
Rosie said in a superior tone: "You are very late, Maximus. What is going on here?"
Suddenly, young Kai's eyes locked onto Daniel. He cried out: "Mother! This is the boy I told you about!"
Rosie took a few steps forward. When she saw Daniel, the blood froze in her veins. He looked exactly like her late son—the same features, the same way he stood. If it weren't for the different hair and eye color, she would have thought the dead had returned. She didn't realize at that moment that he was actually the son she thought she had gotten rid of.
She studied his face and said: "Hmm... so this is the strong boy everyone is talking about?"
Ryan broke the silence with a mysterious tone: "We met him in one of the dungeons. He is the one who wiped out the human trafficking organization that was terrorizing the area."
A heavy silence fell over the room, especially among the Eckard family.
Then, George decided to drop a truth bomb with a mocking smile: "By the way, Maximus... I heard you knew your late son was connected to that gang. Do you really believe he died by accident? I suspect he was sacrificed to be food for monsters. You knew about that gang from the beginning, yet you didn't do anything to warn or protect him."
Those words hit Daniel like a poisoned dagger to his heart and soul. His eyes widened in horror as he whispered to himself: "They knew? They knew I would end up in that horrible way and they just left me?"
Maximus turned his face away and replied with disgusting coldness: "It was simply fate. Fate wanted that to happen to him, and there is no need to dig into the past. Like I said, he just became food for monsters."
At that moment, something terrifying happened.
The veins on Daniel's forehead bulged, and his eyes turned blood-red with rage. Everyone felt a massive pressure in the air, and the walls of the hall began to crack under a scary aura.
Daniel screamed with a voice full of pain: "Dogs are more merciful than you! What kind of monsters are you? Even wild beasts show mercy to their children!"
He turned to his mother, his gaze piercing her soul: "I heard that even female monsters fight to the death to protect their young, but it seems the only monsters here are you... humans who throw away their children just because they have a disability you couldn't protect!"
The mother lowered her head in shame or fear. Louie tried to draw his sword to defend his family's honor, but Ryan stopped him with a single grip on his hand. Ryan said: "What? Does the truth hurt? This boy who died was his friend, and he took revenge for him with his own hands. But you... his family... didn't lift a finger. What monsters! I thought monsters were those who ate humans, but today I saw human monsters who eat their own children!"
Before Daniel could destroy the entire hall, George moved like lightning and struck the back of Daniel's head, knocking him unconscious.
Ryan picked up Daniel and placed him on his shoulder. Before leaving, he looked at the Eckard family one last time and said:
"If you cannot take care of your children, it is better not to have them. That is better for you than making their lives miserable and their end a tragedy."