Chapter 3708: No Mercy (Part 1) "Go!" Valeron angrily pointed at the door. "Go! Go!" Tyris and Leegaain complied without saying a word. Lith didn’t move, waiting for his judgment. It took Elysia’s chirping to remind Valeron there were still more people who had hurt him. "Go!" He pointed at the baby girl and then at the door. "Go! Go! Go!" Lith, Kamila, and Solus were next. Valeron resented Solus because she had helped Lith to kill his parents and deceive him the whole time. As for Kamila, he resented her for the same reason he resented Elysia. Because they represented what he would never have. Lith nodded and walked away, whereas it took a bit longer for the two women to recover from the shock. Solus felt as guilty as Lith, but she had spent even more time with the baby boy. Whenever Kamila and Lith left for a date night, she would take care of the children. Solus had come to love Valeron deeply, to the point of enjoying the common misunderstanding that he was her son. The violent rejection shattered that illusion and tore her heart to shreds. Kamila, instead, was nailed to the floor by Valeron’s gaze. It was full of rage and pain, the complete opposite of the happy and kind child she knew. The stark contrast was worsened by the resemblance between the current Valeron and Lith in his memories from Earth. ’Gods, what have we done?’ She thought. ’Did our attempt to protect Valeron’s heart make him a monster? What if he never recovers?’ "Go!" Valeron yelled again, snapping Kamila out of her daze. She grabbed Elysia from the crib and walked away. The baby girl was hurt as well, but unlike everyone else, she had no idea what was happening. The Guardians had shared none of the connection with her to spare at least one child from the madness of that day. "Wah!" She called for Valeron in confusion, but he didn’t even turn to meet her gaze. "Wah! Wah!" Elysia started to cry, but Valeron didn’t hear her. He was too busy keeping his heart from exploding to care about anyone else. "What about me, sweetie?" Elina asked. "Do you want me to go?" Valeron was about to ask her and Raaz if they knew the truth as well when Surin started to cry out of hunger and boredom. She had no idea what was happening, nor did she care. "No." Valeron shook his head, extending his little arms. "Stay. Please." "Don’t worry, little guy. We are not going anywhere." Raaz took the baby boy out of the crib and embraced him. Raaz’s warmth and Surin’s cries allowed Valeron to stop fighting his emotions and cry again. This time, not for help or rage, just to vent the pain that was ravaging him. "It’s okay, sweetie. Everything is fine now." Raaz cradled the boy, and Elina joined him as soon as she managed to calm Surin down. Nothing was okay or fine for Valeron. His entire life had just fallen apart, and he didn’t know how to put the pieces back together. His mind was a mess, and so was his heart. All those he trusted had betrayed him, and his beloved parents, all five of them, were lost forever. Yet even while drowning in pain and sorrow, Valeron couldn’t blame Elina, Raaz, or Surin. They were weak. They were silly. They were innocent. What could they have possibly done to change anything? They were like him, ants caught in a storm conjured by cruel beings. Their weakness absolved them from their involvement in Lith’s ploy, or at least that was what Valeron told himself. The truth was that after losing his parents and every hope of happiness for the future, he couldn’t stand the thought of being alone. Elina and Raaz had always been good to him, and Surin was like a sister to him. Valeron needed to believe there was still someone who loved him. He needed to believe that at least Elina and Raaz would have helped him, if only they had the strength to. *** Lith walked in furious, long strides as he moved towards his private office in the Mansion. He clenched his hands and teeth, his fury barely repressed below his skin. "Where are you going, Lith?" Kamila asked while trying to keep up with his pace and pacify the desperate Elysia. "This night is not over, Kami." He replied with a low growl. "It can still get worse." "What does he mean?" Kamila turned to Solus since Lith refused to elaborate. "The Royals, Kami." Solus said. "We need to alert the Royals. It’s unlikely Meln sowed discord only among the Awakened. He might have contacted the nobles of the Kingdom as well." "Oh, farm!" Kamila cursed. "That’s the last thing Valeron needs right now. If his identity becomes public knowledge, he won’t be able to take a step out of the mansion without being harassed by an angry mob." "Exactly." Lith exhaled sharply. "Kami, sit behind me with Elysia in your arms. Solus, please go back inside my ring. I need you with me, but the Royals can’t see you." 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞 "Why?" Feeling rejected for the second time in the span of a few minutes achieved what Solus believed impossible. Making her feel even worse than she already did. "Because without you, I’ll lose my mind. Yet if the Royals see you in such sensible circumstances, the misunderstanding Kami created will become much worse." "What misunderstanding?" Solus asked in confusion. "I might have said something about sharing Lith and Elysia with you." Kamila blushed in embarrassment. "Which is true, but not in the way those who don’t know about your unique situation would think." "Oh!" Solus blushed up to her ears. "How could you say that, Kami?" "It was a spur of the moment thing!" Kamila turned to a deep shade of purple. "Also, how was I supposed to know Syrah would tattle to the Royals?" "What’s done is done." Solus let go of her physical body and entered the stone ring as Lith sat behind his desk and pressed the contact rune belonging to King Meron. "Magus Verhen." The King answered almost immediately. He could tell by the settings and Lith’s dour expression that it wasn’t a social call. "Your Majesty." Lith nodded politely. "I bring dire news." He explained everything that had happened and how the Awakened Council was dealing with the current predicament. "Awakened are the most dangerous enemy, but they are more easily dealt with." Lith said. "They don’t like showing off and don’t attack unless they believe they have good chances of victory. "The people of the Kingdom are much weaker, but also much more stupid. If Meln has revealed Valeron’s identity to the public or reveals it in the future, things could spiral out of hand and fast." "One moment." King Meron called Sylpha to join them and brought her up to speed with a mind link. "Damn." The Queen cursed. "Sadly, you are right. Hazing is actually the least of my worries. We are talking about potential riots, stupid nobles riding on the hate for Thrud to gain popularity, or the love for her to challenge our right to rule. "After all, Valeron the Second Griffon is a direct descendant of Valeron the First."