Chapter 672: Weighted Words
After all of that was done, to avoid raising unnecessary suspicions in Aster, Northern copied his talent and upgraded it. Then he tethered the copied talent to him.
The result was bizarre, leaving Aster's eyes widened in that instance, his mouth slightly opened but words frozen on his tongue by the shock of how powerful his lightning talent had become.
Aster's talent permitted the physical generation of lightning like a rod and using it as a weapon by itself.
Besides the fact that in its upgraded version, the boy found himself being able to hold the rod for longer duration, his physical power also felt charged by this lightning rod.
The rod was like a generation of power that gained a physical form and charged his body, increasing his physical capabilities by minute milestones.
He could also charge any electrical-powered device and much more that he could not do because of his low essence; he found himself being able to do it all.
It made him genuinely happy. The boy for the first time in his life wielded the true extent of his power. It was like a flood of happiness broke out of a sealed mountain in his heart.
Nothing could calm how great he felt, and how thankful he felt towards Northern. He committed his life to him!
Northern, however, in that minute informed that there was no time to play around. He wrote something on a piece of paper and gave it to Aster to go to the authorities.
Since then, he was not sure how things had gone because he had immediately fallen asleep after he returned to his room from the private forgery where all this happened.
And now that he was awake, although he still felt a little weak, he had important things to do. Northern opened his wardrobe and grabbed the white wooly towel that was hung in it. He threw it over his cold shoulder and lazily pulled his trousers before walking into the toilet wearing just bear-patterned boxer briefs.
Afterwards, water rushed from the showerhead, a steady rhythm echoing in the tiled room, drowning out the silence.
After a while, Northern walked out of the bathroom, drying his body. He grabbed a white body hug and slid it over his body, wore fitted trousers, and sat on his bed to wear his knee-level boots.
When he was done, he took one last look around and walked out of his room, making sure to lock his door before trekking down the hallway.
As Northern stepped out of the dormitory, a sharp voice cut through the still air.
"Brother! Brother!!"
He paused mid-step, his brows knitting together as he turned. His gaze was immediately shadowed by irritation as he saw who it was.
Aster ran towards him, beaming with a cheerful smile.
"Brother, I have done as you asked me, and like you said, it was indeed possible. How did you know about the White Law? Even I did not know such a thing existed in the academy. The administrators were shocked."
The irritation on Northern's face got darker, crumpling his facial expression. He looked away from the boy, saying before he continued his walk.
"I happened to find it when studying about the history of the academy."
"You studied? Where did you find the time to do that? You were always either in the forgery or in your room. I don't recall ever seeing you go to the library."
Northern paused and turned back with a cold frown.
"Am I supposed to report every one of my movements to you?"
Aster immediately responded, shaking his hands and head.
"No, no, no, no, that's not what I meant. I was just very concerned-to be able to find time to study with how busy you've been, it had me questioning where exactly you found the time and when. But I guess I overstepped my mark."
His voice and gaze went low.
"I am sorry. I did not mean to upset you like that. Ever since you have helped me, everything has changed about me. I feel stronger and better. I want to know more about you, get close to you, be someone you can depend on. Is that too wrong to ask for?"
Northern's gaze lingered, shadowed and still, as if it held secrets too heavy to surface.
Then after a few tense beats, his voice cut through, cold and plain.
"It's useless... you cannot be someone I can depend on. Dependence is a weakness I can't afford—not now, not ever. Stop having useless emotions and focus on beating the leader of the disciplinary committee."
Northern turned away afterwards and continued trekking.
All the words Northern had said wrenched Aster's throat and were like a huge blow to his chest. However, something pronounced he heard had left him utterly confused and unable to focus on the pain of Northern's crude words.
"...eh?" After processing it a couple of thoughts over, the sound escaped his lips.
Immediately, he ran after Northern who had not gotten too far. When he eventually caught up, he grabbed Northern gently by the arm, his voice tinged with urgency.
"Brother, what did you just say now?"
Frowning with irritation, Northern pulled his hand away from the boy's grasp.
"I asked you to worry about winning against the disciplinary committee. Do you have a problem with that?"
His voice was cold, cutting like a blade.
Aster flinched, his hands balling into fists at his sides.
"No... No... No, Brother," he stammered, his gaze darting to the ground.
"It's just―" He hesitated, his voice trembling as he added, "I can't fight the disciplinary committee leader. He's the leader of the disciplinary committee! How could I possibly win against someone like that?"
Northern's frown deepened, his eyes narrowing dangerously.
"If you're already defeated in your mind, how exactly do you plan to make yourself useful to me?"
The words struck Aster like a blow. His shoulders slumped as his face burned with shame. He stared at the ground, a tumult of emotions flickering across his features-frustration, helplessness, and something darker. Finally, he looked up, still frowning but now resolute. "You don't understand..." he protested, his voice rising with a mix of desperation and anger. "This guy is in his fourth year. He's from a prestigious family, has an S-class talent, and is one of the few Savants in this school. He's a walking disaster-the reason the disciplinary committee is so feared! I'm just a Nomad, barely even that, with a new talent I don't even fully understand. In terms of experience, rank, and ability, I'm nothing compared to him. He'll crush me before the fight even starts!"
Northern's eyes blazed with anger, his presence almost suffocating as he stepped closer. Northern's voice was sharp, his tone like a whip cracking in the air.
"And what do you think excuses like that will achieve? Do you think your enemies will care about your rank or your inexperience? Weakness isn't forgiven, Aster-it's exploited."
He took a step closer, his gaze piercing.
"If you've already decided you'll lose, then you've lost before the fight even begins. But if you want to stand anywhere close to me, if you want to survive in this world, you'll stop thinking like a coward and start acting like someone who deserves a place here."
Northern paused, his expression hardening further.
"S-class talent, Savant, fourth year-none of it matters. He's still human, and humans bleed like anyone else. The question is, do you have the guts to make him bleed?"
He did not wait for Aster's reply. He cast him a sharp, assessing look, one that seemed to weigh Aster's worth in a single moment, then turned on his heel and walked away without
another word.
Aster remained rooted to the spot, his fists clenched at his sides.
The weight of Northern's words pressed down on him, each one striking like a hammer blow.
His mind churned, battling with the harsh truth they carried, and his chest tightened with a mix of frustration and determination.