Chương 55: End of a Cycle

A white-hot virulent fury coursed through Levi as he gazed upon the form of his father, molten lava flowing through his veins. The emotions amplified the swirling storm of magic raging within and without him. He barely even had to exert any conscious control over his magic by this point; emotions acted as both a source and facilitator of magic, and right now they were so heightened that he needed only the faintest thought for his magic to respond.

Currently, Levi wasn't even using any spell or curse on Lord Ironwood to restrain him. He didn't need to. His raw unmitigated magic was downright overflowing into the room, filling the chamber and bearing down on Lord Ironwood with an incredible pressure. The air was so laden with his magic that the entire room could've been classified as a magical hotspot. He had to actively channel a substantial amount of willpower to prevent his magic from ripping Lord Ironwood to shreds altogether.

Needless to say, Levi was furious. Ever since his conversation with the maid, Levi had been struggling to maintain his composure. He'd put on a smile for Ayla's sake, he'd coaxed his turbulent magic into healing her, he'd asked her what she truly wanted – all while trying his best to resist the urge to commit a violent patricide. It had surprised Levi at first, that he was reacting so strongly. He'd thought that he'd seen far too much over the years to be this affected by physical abuse.

It was reprehensible, of course, but it wasn't on the same level as mass murder or genocide. As horrible as it sounded, in the grand scheme of things, this was not the worst that could've happened. And yet… Even now, Levi could still feel a certain weight in his pockets. The potions Ayla had made for him right before the Ascension Trials. He'd kept them with him all this time. It had been a small gesture, but… it had been the first kind thing anyone had done for him in years. It had shown she cared.

Levi wasn't used to people caring. However, that didn't fully explain what he was feeling right now. He had been angry before when he first discovered Ayla's bruises a month ago, but he hadn't been this furious. Was it because he'd seen Lord Ironwood break Ayla's ribs in front of his eyes? No, that didn't account for it either. The emotions he felt right now were too strong, too potent. It was almost as if… Levi stilled. Oh. The emotions currently coursing through him… Levi glanced over at Ayla.

She was watching him with wide eyes, and as his gaze landed on her, he felt one particular emotion grow and intensify, stronger than all the rest. The emotions weren't all his own, were they? The soul might be Levi's, but the body… The body would always be Levi Ironwood's. Levi should've known. A brother's love for his sister couldn't be wiped away by death so easily. It was etched into every fiber of the body, so deep and immanent that it was capable of affecting the occupying soul itself.

These emotions he felt right now… They were Levi Ironwood's. … And now, they were Levi's own. Well. If that were the case… He'd better make his next words count for the both of them.

"It confounds me, really," Levi said, his voice a hiss.

"Did you have no other outlet? You couldn't have gone for a drink, or cleared out some dungeons, or hell, even just wait for me to get back? I realize my actions were insubordinate and probably deserved a lashing of some kind, okay, fair enough – but they were my actions. Take it out on me." A flicker of guilt shot through him.

"Why her?" Before he left on the vampire investigation mission, Ayla had warned Levi that skipping the graduation ceremony would anger Lord Ironwood. Levi had brushed it off at the time. He hadn't expected Lord Ironwood to take out his anger and frustrations on her. He had miscalculated, and she was the one to pay the price. Despite the hole in his abdomen, Lord Ironwood looked back evenly at Levi.

"I don't know what you are talking about. I was merely emphasizing to Ayla the importance of not becoming a delinquent like you. I couldn't have her thinking she should ever follow your example, after all." He nodded at her, and she flinched.

"Better curtail the thought before it has any time to fester and develop. Rebellion must be quashed early – as I've learned." Levi's magic begged to lash out. He allowed it. There was a loud, revolting crack, and Lord Ironwood hissed as his right arm twisted, turning over itself multiple times like a towel being wringed.

"I see," Levi said, his expression darkening.

"So you don't believe you did anything wrong."

"Of course not," Lord Ironwood said, his teeth gritted.

"It is a father's job to discipline his children, just as it is a father's job to ensure his children not stray onto the wrong path. I failed with you, but I refuse to fail with her." Even tinged with the pain of his wounds, his voice was unflinching.

"Such is my duty as a father." Levi stared at him for a long moment. He admitted he never had a father before. He had no experience with what it was like growing up with parents, and he certainly had no children of his own. He didn't know what a father's job was meant to be. But… Several memories flashed through his mind. Amy's father, saying he cared not for honor or success but only wanted his daughter to be happy.

Hawke, hugging Emma tightly after trying to reach across the sacred border of life and death to bring her back. In that moment, Levi knew in his heart and soul that Lord Ironwood was terribly, terribly wrong.

"No," Levi said, his voice low.

"That's not what a father ought to be. You're supposed to guide and protect your children – and in that, you are right. You have failed."

"What do you mean?" Lord Ironwood asked. He sounded genuinely puzzled.

"That's precisely what my lessons were for. To guide and protect her." Levi blinked, taken aback for a moment.

"You beat her savagely like some beast to guide and protect her?"

"It's tradition," Lord Ironwood said calmly.

"It is what my father did to me, what his father did to him, and so on. It is what I tried to do to you as well, but…" He shrugged.

"You lacked the potential." Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.

"The potential for what?"

"The potential to attain the Concept of Resolve, of course." Levi felt as though a cold wind cut right through him.

"... huh?" It took several seconds for him to comprehend the words, and another few seconds for him to fully grasp the implications. A person's Concept was tied to their fundamental being. It encapsulated the essence of who they were at their very core. The gods were supposed to bestow the Concepts naturally to those who embodied the ideals in body and spirit. But Lord Ironwood's training… No, House Ironwood's tradition as a whole hinged around forcing the Concept to manifest through brutal training.

Constantly dealing out savage beatings, refusing to allow a healer to alleviate the injuries… all of it was meant to intentionally change a person's innate nature, strengthen their resolve, and in turn artificially induce the Concept of Resolve. A fresh wave of rage rushed through Levi.

"That's malformed," Levi spat.

"This 'tradition' – it goes beyond just guiding someone. It's forcing their very souls to conform to a precast mold. You can't just – you shouldn't manipulate a person's fundamental being like that. It's a violation of who they are, and it prevents them from becoming who they should be." Lord Ironwood scoffed.

"What inane drivel are you going on about now? This world is a harsh and dangerous place. For Ayla to survive as heiress, for her to succeed in defending the southern border like every generation of marquis has before her, I must prepare her to face and withstand everything."

"Including yourself?" Levi asked quietly. Something flickered across Lord Ironwood's expression, too fast for Levi to interpret. But for a fleeting moment, Lord Ironwood looked almost sad. It was gone nearly immediately though, replaced by a dispassionate expression.

"Including myself. That is what it means to be an Ironwood." His eyes flashed.

"I don't understand where your dissent stems from. I underwent the same training, and so did my father, and my father's father, going all the way back for hundreds of years. This was necessary!" He shook his head.

"Despite all of your power, you really are just a child, aren't you? You know not of the dangers out there. What would you say if Ayla didn't survive because she didn't have the Concept of Resolve to protect her–" Levi's expression shifted, and in that moment, he wasn't Levi Ironwood but rather Levi, the former servant of Death itself. Lord Ironwood immediately fell silent, his body going very, very still.

"Trust me," Levi said, his voice cold.

"I know far more of what's out there than you could ever imagine. And to that end, I ask you – what would you say if she didn't survive because she didn't have the Concept she was supposed to have? What if she could've had some other Concept, one that better suited her, one that was even stronger? It should be her journey and hers alone to discover who she is at the core – but instead you commandeered it, tried to twist it, and in doing so you've caused her an untold amount of suffering."

"And?" Lord Ironwood said.

"Do you think I didn't suffer in my youth? That I didn't go to bed in pain every night? That I didn't have to hide my injuries from my peers at the Institute, that I didn't spend nearly every waking moment in some form of agony—?"

"That's the whole fucking POINT!" Levi roared." Of course you suffered! Of course you were in pain! That's exactly why you should've done everything in your power to ensure your children didn't have to go through the same!" Lord Ironwood froze.

"You had a chance!" Levi continued, slashing his hand across the air.

"You could've stopped this, you could've been the one to end this cycle of suffering after hundreds of years! You had a fucking choice! But instead, you chose to uphold the cycle, and in doing so you left your daughter battered and bleeding and your son–" He cut himself off abruptly. The image of a burning note flashed across his mind, and he shook his head, partly in disgust, partly in sorrow.

"But I suppose I shouldn't have expected anything else," he said, his voice quiet.

"You may possess the Concept of Resolve, but it's obvious you lack the real thing. Else, you would've had the will to stand up to the centuries of tradition and spit in its face." At that, a conflicted assortment of emotions flickered across Lord Ironwood's face, and for a moment, Levi thought he'd gotten through to him. Then, Lord Ironwood's entire visage shut down, his expression becoming icy.

"You're naive." Disappointment settled over Levi.

"You can call me whatever you want. I can see now that there's no point in talking to you. Very well, then." His expression became steel.

"It seems I'll have to break the cycle myself." The magical pressure on Lord Ironwood suddenly doubled, tripled. Lord Ironwood groaned in pain as his bones creaked.

"Let me make myself perfectly clear," Levi said.

"You will never lay hands on Ayla – on my sister ever again. You will not touch her, you will not harm her. If I ever find even the barest hint of a bruise on her – no. If I ever find even a single strand of her hair out of place, I will feed you your fucking spleen before breaking every single bone in your body. Am I understood?"

"You dare talk to me like this–?" Levi simply pointed at Lord Ironwood's left kneecap. He didn't even have to consciously shape his magic into a spell; it responded to his emotions automatically, practically bursting out in its eagerness. Lord Ironwood's kneecap shattered like glass with a resounding crack, and the man let out a groan of pain.

"I said, am I understood?"

"You won't get away–" Another crack. And another. And another. And another. And another.

"I said," Levi repeated once more, a terrible, forbidding look in his eyes, "am I understood?" Lord Ironwood laughed even as blood trickled from his lips.

"There are only so many bones you can break before you run out," he rasped.

"Go on, do your worst." Levi regarded him idly.

"Ah. Did you forget already?" He reached out and jabbed his hand into the hole in Lord Ironwood's abdomen. Lord Ironwood hissed in pain as Levi withdrew his hand a second later, flicking off the blood with some wind magic. Then, Lord Ironwood's eyes widened as the magic Levi injected into him began healing his wounds. Within several seconds, he was fully healed. His bones had reformed, the hole in his abdomen had sealed up. His eyes suddenly filled with wariness as the realization hit.

"Hey, Ayla?" Levi said.

"Do me a favor and cover your eyes." Off to the side, Ayla hesitated. Then, her eyes hardened. Levi nearly blinked at her expression. It was the same one he had on his own. They truly were siblings, huh?

"Thank you, but I'm good," she said.

"I think I'd prefer to watch." Levi stared at her, not knowing how to respond for a moment. Then, he smiled. It appeared she had a vindictive streak in her after all. Well. They did say brother-sister bonding time was important…

"Very well," Levi said, turning back to Lord Ironwood.

"So," he said.

"The only question now is…" He smiled.

"How long do you think it'll take before my magic runs out?" It became a vicious cycle. Break. Heal. Break. Heal. Break, heal, break, heal, break heal break heal break heal break breakhealbreakhealbreakhealbreakhealbreakheal–"Fine!" Levi paused in his casting.

"What was that?"

"Fine," Lord Ironwood croaked out.

"I understand. You…" His entire body sagged, and the only thing holding him up was Levi's magic.

"You win. I won't touch her. On the Ironwood name, I promise." Levi regarded him for a long moment. Then, he nodded.

"Good." Finally, he withdrew his magic. Lord Ironwood slid against the wall to the ground. He didn't try to get back up; instead, he slumped over, the very image of defeat. Several of his bones were still broken. Levi didn't bother healing them this time.

"I think we're done here," Levi said, turning to leave.

"Come on, Ayla. Let's go." After a moment, she nodded and followed him. They made their way over to the door to the training chamber. When they reached it, Lord Ironwood suddenly called out after them.

"What if she isn't strong enough?" he asked softly. He didn't lift his head up; he was still staring at the ground before him, but his voice rang clear.

"The Ironwood bloodline has relied on the Concept of Resolve for centuries. Whenever we falter, whenever we fall, it is that Concept that keeps us going. What happens if she faces a foe she can't defeat, and she doesn't have the Concept to keep her alive?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Levi asked.

"If she falters, I'll encourage her. If she falls, I'll protect her until she gets back up. If she encounters someone she can't defeat…" He smiled.

"Well. That's what an older brother is for, isn't it?" Next to him, Ayla shifted, standing a little closer to him.

"I see," Lord Ironwood said.

"Oh, and Levi?" There was a strange note in Lord Ironwood's voice. Levi turned around, curious – and he blinked. Despite having just been broken and beaten, Lord Ironwood didn't look as wrathful or hateful as Levi had expected. Levi didn't recognize the expression on his face. But just for a second, he could've sworn it almost looked something like…

"You've grown strong," his father said.

"Haven't you?" Levi looked back at him, his expression unreadable. Then, he inclined his head. Without another look, he turned and left the training chamber, his sister by his side.