Black Phoenix Heir

Chapter 18: Chapter 18 — Gravius Graveborn

Chapter 18 — Gravius Graveborn

In another part of the Tower, far from the market and the quarters where Victor now rested, Alex walked through a quiet stone corridor.

His footsteps echoed softly against the walls.

The anger he had displayed in the market was gone.

There was no arrogance in his expression now. No smugness. No trace of the confidence he had carried when he stood before Victor.

Instead, his face was unusually pale.

Alex knew exactly where he was going.

And he knew what waited for him behind the door at the end of the corridor.

The Graveborn Estate was usually filled with servants, guards, and members of the family moving through its halls. Yet the closer Alex came to his father’s study, the quieter everything became.

He finally stopped in front of a large wooden door.

An attendant stood beside it.

The man glanced toward Alex and bowed slightly.

"Good afternoon, Young Master."

Alex nodded.

"The Patriarch will see you now."

"Thank you."

The attendant opened the door.

Alex stepped inside.

The atmosphere changed immediately.

The study was large, but there was nothing particularly extravagant about it. Dark wooden shelves lined the walls, filled with scrolls, records, and thick books. A large desk stood near the center of the room, covered with neatly organized documents.

Behind it sat a man.

At first glance, the resemblance between him and Alex was obvious.

He possessed the same crimson eyes and the same deep red hair, though his hair was much longer, falling past his shoulders. A thin scar ran across one side of his face, passing dangerously close to his eye.

He looked to be in his early forties.

Yet there was nothing youthful about him.

His face was hard and stern, carved by years of cultivation and responsibility. His eyes carried none of the warmth one might expect from a father looking at his son.

This was Gravius Graveborn.

Patriarch of the Graveborn Family.

Alex stopped several feet from the desk.

He didn’t sit.

He simply stood there.

Gravius didn’t acknowledge him.

His eyes remained fixed on the documents in front of him as he continued reading.

Silence filled the room.

Alex waited.

A minute passed.

Then another.

He didn’t dare speak.

He knew better.

Eventually, Gravius placed the document in his hand onto the desk.

Only then did he raise his eyes.

The moment Alex met his father’s gaze, his stomach tightened.

Disgust.

That was what he saw.

Not disappointment.

Not concern.

Disgust.

"You stupid boy."

Alex lowered his head.

"Father..."

"Do you even understand what you did today?"

Alex remained silent.

Gravius slowly stood from his chair.

"Do you understand how much face you lost for this family?"

His voice was quiet.

That somehow made it worse.

"All because you are weak."

Alex’s fists tightened at his sides.

"None of your brothers or sisters are this useless."

Gravius stepped around the desk.

"When I was your age, I was already proving myself worthy of becoming the heir of this family. I was cultivating. I was building connections. I was learning how to command those beneath me."

His eyes narrowed.

"And you?"

Alex swallowed.

"You managed to embarrass the Graveborn Family in front of half the market."

Alex lowered his head further.

"I’m sorry, Father."

"Sorry?"

Gravius scoffed.

"Do you think an apology fixes this?"

He walked closer.

"Do you understand what makes this humiliation even worse?"

Alex didn’t answer.

"You weren’t defeated by some powerful young master."

Gravius stopped directly in front of him.

"You were embarrassed by a slave."

The words struck harder than any blow.

"How?"

Gravius stared down at his son.

"How can someone carrying the blood of the Graveborn Family be beaten by something that belongs at the bottom of the Tower?"

Alex’s jaw tightened.

"I didn’t lose to him."

Gravius’s expression darkened.

"Don’t lie to me."

Alex immediately fell silent.

"You were grabbed by a slave."

Gravius’s voice grew colder.

"Then you failed to hit him."

Another step.

"Then you were forced to draw your sword."

Another.

"And when you were finally about to kill him, another child had to step in and defeat you."

Alex’s face burned.

Gravius watched him.

"You didn’t simply lose."

His voice dropped.

"You made yourself a spectacle."

Alex’s hands trembled slightly.

Inside, anger was beginning to boil.

He hated Victor.

He hated Zach.

He hated everyone who had watched him fall.

But none of that mattered here.

There was only one person in this room who could make Alex feel small.

His father.

And Alex had known that feeling since he was a child.

Gravius raised his hand.

Alex barely had time to react.

Smack!

The slap struck the side of his face with enough force to send him flying.

Alex’s body crashed into the wall.

Pain exploded across his cheek.

He dropped to one knee, one hand pressed against the stone as he struggled to steady himself.

Gravius stood where he was.

"You are thirteen years old."

His voice carried no sympathy.

"And already you have become an embarrassment."

Alex slowly raised his head.

"If you weren’t carrying my blood, I would question whether you were even my son."

Alex’s eyes lowered again.

The words hurt.

Not because they were new.

Because he had heard them before.

Many times.

"Do you know why I have so many children?"

Gravius turned back toward his desk.

"Because useful children are valuable."

He picked up another document.

"Talent is valuable. Strength is valuable. Intelligence is valuable."

His eyes moved toward Alex.

"Uselessness is not."

Alex remained silent.

"You have one month."

Gravius’s voice was final.

"You will enter the family’s training grounds and remain there until I decide you have learned your lesson."

Alex’s eyes widened slightly.

"Father—"

"Did I give you permission to speak?"

Alex immediately shut his mouth.

Gravius continued.

"You will train until your body can no longer move. Then you will recover and do it again."

His expression remained cold.

"Every day."

Alex’s face paled.

The Graveborn training grounds were infamous.

Even among the younger members of the family, few willingly entered them.

Gravius looked at him for another moment.

"Perhaps a month of suffering will teach you what your father’s words couldn’t."

Alex clenched his teeth.

Then Gravius returned his attention to his paperwork.

"You will not leave until the month is over."

Alex slowly pushed himself away from the wall.

His cheek throbbed.

His pride had been crushed.

But he didn’t argue.

He couldn’t.

"Yes, Father."

Gravius didn’t respond.

Alex turned toward the door.

His hand reached for the handle.

"Alex."

He stopped.

Gravius didn’t look up.

"There is one more thing."

Alex waited.

"Whatever happened today ends with you."

His father’s voice was calm.

"I don’t care who you blame. I don’t care what excuses you have."

A pause.

"Fix your mistake."

Alex’s eyes narrowed.

"Yes, Father."

He opened the door.

"And Alex?"

Alex glanced back.

Gravius finally looked at him.

"If you embarrass this family like that again..."

His crimson eyes hardened.

"You won’t receive another warning."

Alex nodded.

Then he stepped out and closed the door behind him.

The moment the door shut, his expression changed.

The fear disappeared.

The humiliation remained.

And beneath it was something darker.

Hatred.

He hated his father.

He hated Zach.

But most of all, he hated Victor.

The image of that slave standing between him and the girl returned to his mind.

Then came the memory of Zach’s sword.

The laughter.

The eyes watching him.

The humiliation.

Alex’s hands slowly curled into fists.

One month.

He could endure one month.

He would endure anything.

Because when he walked out of the training grounds, he would make sure the humiliation of today was forgotten.

And Victor would be the first thing he dealt with.

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