Chapter 248 — A Debt That Cannot Be Repaid

Chapter 248: Chapter 248 — A Debt That Cannot Be Repaid

Chapter 248 — A Debt That Cannot Be Repaid

Valkor looked at Victor for a long moment before smiling. He stepped away from his family, approached Victor, and bowed deeply.

Victor’s eyes widened.

"Please, don’t."

Valkor didn’t move.

"I’m sorry, Victor, but I have to express my gratitude."

He slowly raised his head.

"As a man and as a Shadow Fox warrior, you don’t understand what you’ve given me."

Victor remained silent.

"You’ve given me back everything."

Valkor glanced toward Lyra.

"The day I lost my daughter—no. The day we lost our daughter..."

His eyes moved toward Sierra.

"Something inside both of us broke. We didn’t know if we would ever see her again. We didn’t know if we would ever become whole again."

Victor nodded quietly.

"And you’ve given me something more precious than anything else." Valkor smiled. "Even more precious than my freedom."

Lyra suddenly froze.

Her eyes dropped toward her father’s wrists, then moved to his neck.

The cuffs were gone.

So was his collar.

She quickly turned toward Sierra, searching for the same restraints.

Nothing.

"Father... Mother..."

Her eyes widened.

"You’re free!"

Sierra smiled at her daughter.

"It seems Elder Benton worked some magic rather quickly."

"When did he take them off?"

"The moment we left the Graveborn estate. The quartermaster met us on the Third Floor and removed our collars."

Lyra’s entire face lit up.

"That’s amazing!"

She threw her arms around her mother again.

"I’m so happy."

Sierra held her tightly while Victor watched from across the room, a small smile on his face.

Valkor turned back toward him.

"You have to understand something, Victor."

The warmth in his expression remained, but his voice grew more serious.

"The Shadow Fox Clan was betrayed by a human in the past. Because of that betrayal, our clan wanted nothing to do with humanity."

Victor knew enough about Lyra and her people to understand how much those words meant.

"But today..." Valkor stepped forward. "I’m going to make a vow to you."

Victor immediately shook his head.

"Valkor, sir, please. You don’t need to do this."

Valkor smiled.

"But I do."

Before Victor could stop him, Valkor lowered himself onto one knee.

Victor stared at him.

"The Shadow Fox Clan owes you a debt," Valkor said, lowering his head. "A debt that can never truly be repaid."

His voice remained steady.

"But perhaps through our service, we can begin to repay it."

"Valkor—"

"I, Valkor, once patriarch of the Shadow Fox Clan, vow to serve you."

He bowed his head further.

"Young Master."

Victor stared at him.

Again?

At this point, it was almost becoming ridiculous.

First, there had been the Sacred Pond Tribe and the Lava Rock Monkeys. Now the Shadow Foxes were joining them.

And then there was the Order of Samal.

No matter where Victor went, someone seemed determined to place him on a pedestal. And every time they did, the weight of their expectations grew a little heavier.

He had entered this world as a slave.

Back then, his goals had been simple: survive, get stronger, and earn his freedom.

For so long, everything he’d done had revolved around those three things.

Eventually, he’d accomplished them.

His collar was gone. His chains were gone. No one owned him anymore.

Victor had thought that meant he was finally free.

Yet somehow, another kind of chain had begun wrapping around him.

Not the chains of slavery or servitude, but responsibility.

People were beginning to place their trust in him, along with their hopes and futures.

And Victor wasn’t sure he deserved any of it.

Who am I to lead these people?

Who was he to become their Young Master? Who was he to become Samal’s chosen successor?

Victor didn’t know.

A few months ago, the idea would have seemed absurd.

But as he looked at Valkor kneeling before him, he realized something.

Whether he felt ready or not no longer mattered. Running from responsibility wouldn’t make it disappear.

His life was already tied to theirs.

Lyra, Valkor, Sierra, the Shadow Foxes, the people of the Sacred Pond, the Lava Rock Monkeys, and the Order of Samal.

One connection after another.

And beyond all of them was humanity itself.

Rakasha’s words returned to him.

The fate of alchemy.

The fate of humanity.

Victor still didn’t know how he felt about carrying something that enormous. Perhaps he wouldn’t for a long time.

But one thing he did understand.

If people were going to rely on him, he needed to become someone they could depend on.

Stronger. Smarter. More capable than he was now.

Because his life was no longer the only one depending on his strength.

Victor released a slow breath.

"Valkor."

Valkor raised his head.

"You don’t need to call me Young Master."

A faint smile appeared on Victor’s face.

"But I also understand that I can’t keep running away from my obligations."

Valkor studied him for a moment before smiling.

He had expected resistance, perhaps even outright refusal. Instead, Victor had found his own way to accept the meaning behind the vow without demanding the submission that came with it.

For someone so young, there were moments when Victor seemed considerably older.

Valkor rose to his feet and returned to Sierra and Lyra, wrapping an arm around each of them.

Lyra, meanwhile, remained focused on Victor.

She didn’t need him to explain what he was feeling. Through their Soul Bond, she could sense his uncertainty and the pressure weighing on him.

There was still a part of him that wanted to push all of this away before it became another cage.

But underneath that uncertainty was something stronger.

Acceptance.

Not of the titles or even the position, but of the people who had placed their trust in him.

Lyra smiled.

"Don’t worry, Victor."

He looked at her.

"You’re not alone."

For a moment, Victor simply stared at her before smiling.

He appreciated those words more than she probably realized.

Just then, footsteps sounded from the staircase.

Everyone looked up as Valseer made his way downstairs.

"It seems you all are finished?"

Victor nodded.

"Yes, Master."

"Good, good."

Valseer reached the bottom of the stairs and looked around at them.

"Then we still have a few things we need to discuss."

Grace and Elder Benton followed him down.

The moment Grace reached the bottom, she moved toward Victor and positioned herself directly behind the couch where he was sitting.

Victor glanced back at her.

She had put her white mask on again.

It made sense. Valkor and Sierra weren’t members of the Order, and Grace’s identity as the Space Witch wasn’t something she could casually reveal. Even within the Order, keeping her true identity concealed seemed important.

But that wasn’t what caught Victor’s attention.

It was the way she stood behind him.

Her back was straight, her hands rested calmly at her sides, and she was positioned just close enough to react if anything happened.

Like a guard.

Grace noticed him looking and smiled behind her mask.

Victor stared at her for another second.

Seriously?

Apparently, calling him Young Master hadn’t been enough.

Now she was standing guard over him too.

Victor turned back around and sank slightly deeper into the couch.

He had a feeling this was going to become normal very quickly.

And somehow, he was just going to have to get used to it.