Chapter 152: A Little Pride

Chapter 152: Chapter 152: A Little Pride

The representatives continued.

"Your Zone Heart is stable now, but Tempest Hollow is still sending unstable Aether through the connection."

"So if we don’t stop the source..."

He looked around the room.

"...it could eventually reach Frostveil again."

Caelia’s eyes narrowed.

Cornelius’s expression became serious.

The elders exchanged uneasy looks.

Damon remained calm.

The representative nodded.

"That’s what we’re afraid of."

"If Tempest Hollow keeps spreading, other zones could become involved too."

"And once enough zones are connected..."

He didn’t finish.

Nobody needed him to.

Damon understood.

This wasn’t just Haven’s Edge’s problem.

It wasn’t just the Calloway family’s problem.

And it wasn’t just Frostveil’s problem.

The mutation could keep spreading.

Damon finally spoke.

"I understand."

The representatives looked relieved.

"Then..."

"But that doesn’t mean I’m going."

Their expressions froze.

Damon leaned back in his chair.

"I can stay here."

He pointed casually toward the ground.

"Frostveil is already stable, but I can continue helping with it."

He looked at them.

"You have your problem."

"I have mine."

The Calloway representative frowned.

"But..."

Damon continued before he could finish.

"I don’t have to leave a place where I’m accepted to return to a family that already decided I was a failure."

The room went completely silent.

Caelia’s expression softened.

Cornelius said nothing.

Neither did the elders.

But the tension that had been hanging over them since the representatives arrived finally disappeared.

Deep down, every Winterbourne elder felt relieved.

They had never treated Damon like that.

They had trusted him.

And now they knew how easily things could have gone differently.

Cornelius quietly looked at Damon.

He was glad they had never given him a reason to see Winterbourne as another Calloway.

The representatives weren’t relieved.

Their faces had become even darker.

They had expected Damon to jump at the chance.

Instead, he had rejected them without even raising his voice.

The Calloway representative gritted his teeth.

"Young Master Damon, you misunderstand."

"Do I?"

Damon smiled.

"You just offered to let me return to a family that called me a failure."

The man opened his mouth.

Nothing came out.

Damon shrugged.

"Maybe I’m missing something."

Nobody answered.

He leaned forward slightly.

"But..."

The room became quiet again.

Damon looked directly at the representatives.

"I could consider it."

Their eyes immediately lifted.

Hope returned.

Then Damon smiled.

"If you go down on your knees."

The smiles disappeared.

Damon continued calmly.

"Apologize for calling me a failure."

His gaze moved from one representative to another.

"And apologize for calling me a reject."

The room was so quiet that even the movement of their clothes could be heard.

Damon leaned back.

Then he added,

"And beg properly."

The representatives stared at him.

Their faces slowly turned red.

Damon didn’t look away.

He wasn’t angry.

He wasn’t shouting.

He wasn’t even trying to intimidate them.

He was simply giving them a choice.

Accept what they had said about him.

Or swallow their pride and admit they had been wrong.

Caelia covered her mouth.

Her shoulders moved slightly.

Damon glanced at her.

"Are you laughing?"

"No."

She quickly looked away.

Damon smiled.

Cornelius also lowered his head for a moment.

The elders exchanged looks.

None of them dared laugh.

The representatives, meanwhile, looked like they were about to explode.

But they couldn’t.

Because beneath all that anger was one simple truth.

They needed Damon. And Damon knew it.

He calmly folded his arms.

"So..."

He looked at them.

"What’s it going to be?"

The representatives looked at one another.

None of them wanted to do it.

The anger was obvious on their faces, and even as they exchanged glances, they seemed to be silently asking each other if there was another way.

There wasn’t.

They needed Damon.

So, one by one, the most respected representatives of the great families lowered themselves to the ground.

Their knees touched the floor.

Damon watched quietly.

Then came the apologies.

"Young Master Damon, we apologize for our words."

"We shouldn’t have called you a failure."

"We also shouldn’t have called you a reject."

Their voices were much more humble this time.

Their faces, however, told a completely different story.

Some looked furious.

Others looked humiliated.

The Calloway elder looked like he would rather fight a powerful beast than say another word.

Damon couldn’t help smiling.

Even Caelia was enjoying it.

She stood beside him with a small smile on her face as she watched people who had looked down on Damon only moments ago swallow their pride.

Damon understood something from this.

In this world, strength really did matter.

People could talk about family, status, honor and reputation, but when someone possessed enough strength, the situation could change very quickly.

The same people who had mocked him were now kneeling in front of him.

Damon smiled.

Then he turned toward Cornelius.

"I’ll leave the rest to you."

Cornelius nodded.

"Of course."

Damon turned around and started walking away.

Caelia followed behind him.

He didn’t look back.

Only after they had gone far enough from the representatives did Damon speak.

"I’ll consider it later."

He paused for a moment.

"For now, go back and help your people."

He didn’t wait for a response.

He simply kept walking.

Behind him, the representatives remained on their knees.

Their anger had only grown worse.

They had no choice.

Damon was right.

Tempest Hollow needed more people now.

They couldn’t keep waiting for some miracle to appear while their defenses continued to collapse.

Their hopes were now resting on the very person they had insulted.

The thought alone made them sick.

One representative clenched his fists.

"That bastard..."

Another lowered his head.

"He actually made us beg."

"And he didn’t even look back."

"I’d remember this, we’ll settle this later."

The Calloway representative gritted his teeth.

"Later."

He forced himself to stand.

"For now, we return to Tempest Hollow."

The others nodded.

They had swallowed their pride, but for now they needed to survive.

Soon, the representatives left Winterbourne and began preparing to return to the zone.

Meanwhile, Damon and Caelia had already reached his room.

Damon opened the door and stepped inside.

Caelia followed.

A/N:

If you enjoyed this Chapter, please leave a review, Send Powerstones n’ Tickets. Also Gifts and unlock Bonus Chapters with next update.