1306  No Control

The training resumed the next day. Arthur followed Nyx"s lead without conversing with her. If they got distracted by conversation, the training would lose its purpose. Arthur cleaned the clan and descended the mountain before jumping into the stream. This time, he did not relive the memories he had suppressed. Instead, he chose just one and tried to accept what had happened.

The memory was distant, but one of the first that changed Arthur. It was the moment Jin betrayed him to ensure Hazel and he maintained a good relationship with the berserk from Ilios. The fury he felt at Jin"s betrayal manifested in his changing character following that event. Arthur could never understand how Jin could do that to him. Even as enemies, a basic level of decency should have been maintained. Erin tried to a.s.sault Hazel, and Jin wanted to make amends? "What a spineless man," Arthur thought.

His wrath erupted again, pushing the stream back. But this time, Arthur did not leave the waters in fury. Instead, he worked to digest that what happened was also his fault, but ultimately something he had no control over. The betrayal would have occurred regardless of the events, because Arthur was naïve at the time.

Growth was part of the process too. Arthur accepted that he was responsible for many things that happened to him, not because he desired them, but because he wasn"t strong enough to prevent them from happening again. If he had killed Erin when he had the chance, none of the terrible things would have happened to Ivy later.

In the end, Arthur survived and destroyed the Ilios Empire. Their empyrean was killed, as was their emperor. Only Erin remained at large, but Arthur was not concerned. In fact, he vowed to make Julia find him so they could kill him once and for all.

Once he processed the memory, his wrath stopped erupting and boiling his blood. It became a simmering fire in his chest that Arthur focused on suppressing. This was harder than sealing Eragon and releasing the seal when Arthur needed it. He wasn"t fighting external wrath but his own memories.

Arthur did not escape this time. He did not seal the memory away in the back burner of his mind, but faced it and relived it. The stream was still uneasy because of his wrath, and the fish did not approach him. However, he no longer cared. He wanted to improve and become more disciplined.

Five hours pa.s.sed before he managed to accept the memory and subside the wrath inside. Arthur expected that he would succeed in catching a fish like Nyx did, but it was still a difficult task to blend in without his runes. The fish still saw him as an outsider, and he had to leave in the end.

The rest of the day went as normal, and Arthur did not change a thing about his routine. He did the same thing the next day but still failed. At this point, the ch.o.r.es became nothing more than labor. Arthur had expected to enjoy cooking, but it soon became dull, borderline boring. Nyx noticed his sulking but did not offer any help. Arthur went through the motions, hoping to understand what Nyx understood, but felt nothing but boredom and frustration.

Benjamin still helped him where he could, but Arthur found it hard to follow his grandfather"s vague ideas. He understood what Benjamin meant but found it harder to believe in them. The days slipped through his fingers as the trial date approached, with zero progress made.

One memory followed another, and Arthur worked to accept them. He made progress in accepting what had happened to him, but how could he process enough tragedies to break a man in just a few days? Arthur could not move on from what he believed he had already moved on from.

On the fifth day of his training, something happened. Arthur returned to the clan to find Benjamin waiting for him at the gates. His grandfather was frowning, and the unease on his face surprised Arthur. One look told him something was wrong.

"Someone arrived at the clan today," Benjamin said, his fists balled. "A woman dressed in a blue dress and a man dressed like a pirate. The man said he knows you and was allowed entry. Diana has been injured during battle."

Arthur understood before his grandfather finished speaking. He rushed through the clan"s gates straight to his pavilion where he resided. Diana was here, brought by Alaric, but something was wrong. Benjamin told him she had fought against Deluge alone.

His heart beat loudly in his chest, almost bursting through his ribs. Arthur found the pirate standing outside his courtyard, sitting with his head down beside the pond. The moment he heard Arthur approach, Alaric rose before being seized by Arthur.

"What happened? Where is Diana?" Arthur asked, concerned. But he already knew the answer; he could feel her presence inside his own bedroom like the brightest sun. Yet, he wasn"t ready to walk inside and face something his heart couldn"t handle.

He would break.

"Diana fought against Deluge and won, but she exhausted herself in the process. We found Valeria inside the palace after saving the sand thieves, but lost her once the guards ganged up against us. I had to leave Valeria behind and bring Diana here, escaping the clutches of the pirates and guards."

"And how is Diana now?" Arthur asked, worried. "Is she alright?"

"She is unconscious after using a spiritual creature to defeat Deluge," Alaric said, pointing toward a small house. "She has been resting there for days."

Arthur let go of the pirate and rushed into the house. He pushed the doors open to find her sleeping in his bed, breathing softly. Her face was a little bloodied and her cheek had a small scar. His relief was short-lived as he saw the wound on her body, wrapped in bandages under a torn dress. Seeing her harmed, Arthur lost all control of his wrath.