Chapter 228: Drowning
"Big Brother... are you going to leave us?"
Priam was standing on the mansion’s balcony, watching the sunset and enjoying the gentle breeze, when Meien’s quiet voice broke the silence.
The twin sisters were lying in his lap, cuddled up against him while taking a nap.
Meien stared straight at him.
Her large red eyes shimmered with deep sadness and melancholy, an expression far too heavy for a little girl who was only seven years old.
"Unfortunately, I have to go back. You already understand that our race is in danger, don’t you? I need to become stronger so I can protect all of you," Priam answered honestly.
Looking into those innocent little eyes made it impossible for him to lie.
Meien bit her lower lip, and tears began welling up in her eyes.
"Hmm? Sis... are you crying?"
Suien suddenly woke up, rubbing her sleepy eyes as she looked at her sister’s tearful face with a confused little expression.
Priam let out a long sigh, unsure of what to say.
Then Meien took a deep breath, wiped her face, and gripped his hand firmly.
"Bro, I’m going to become a Mage too someday. I want to help you!"
"Yeah! Me too!" Suien exclaimed right afterward, innocently getting swept up in her sister’s enthusiasm.
Priam gently shook his head.
"Just wanting it isn’t enough...
Even I almost died countless times. I’ve felt true despair over and over again, and I’ve cried because I thought I was a failure."
Instead of backing down, Meien grabbed both of his hands with surprising determination.
"Bro, Dad said I have talent for learning his work. I like studying, and I’m going to work even harder!"
She spoke with astonishing conviction for someone her age.
’Damn...’
Looking into those determined eyes, Priam realized that the little brat truly wasn’t going to give up.
"Wait... Dad’s already taught you some alchemy?"
Meien nodded proudly.
"Yep! Whenever he refines pills, I help him as his assistant!"
Priam let out a quiet chuckle and shook his head.
Well, there was no harm in giving her a chance...
But...
Looking at Suien, who still seemed a little lost about the whole conversation, Priam became certain of one thing:
Once she got older and truly understood the situation, seeing her sister studying so seriously, Suien would never accept being left behind.
In the past, Flora had been innocent and lacked natural talent.
However, in one of her previous lives, she had once been an Archmage—which meant that, deep within her soul, she still carried the drive to become someone truly extraordinary.
In this life, Suien possessed an incomparably greater Anima and Wheel of Fate.
If he gave her the right opportunity, her potential would truly be limitless.
---
When night fell, Priam gathered with his family for one last meal before his departure.
Knowing her son would be leaving soon, Seien broke the silence in a gentle voice filled with motherly concern.
"Priam, you’re exhausted. I can see that heavy exhaustion in your eyes. You need to find a way to recover regularly. If you keep going at this pace, with your nerves constantly stretched to the limit, you’ll never be able to lift that burden. Your mind will gradually close itself off, and when difficult moments come, you won’t be able to make the right decisions. Even though I don’t know everything you’ve been through, I can feel the crushing weight you’re carrying on your shoulders. If you stay like this for too long, it’ll eventually destroy you."
Boey and Seien looked at their son with painful concern.
Even after three full days of absolute rest in that safe haven, the signs of exhaustion on Priam’s face hadn’t disappeared.
He had spent more than a year living at an insane pace—running, training, fighting, and walking the line between life and death every single moment.
The results had been incredible.
Reaching the Mage Master realm so quickly was an unbelievable achievement.
But the price his mind had paid was overwhelming.
"It’s a little hard to catch your breath in the Divine Plane..." Priam murmured with a helpless smile.
"If you’re tired, stop for a while. Sometimes, all it takes is one intense night..." Seien paused halfway through her sentence, feeling that wasn’t the right way to put it.
Priam gave a bitter smile, his eyes drifting into the distance.
"But I can’t stop."
"Why can’t you stop? Do you still remember the first time you learned how to swim?" Seien asked gently.
Priam frowned.
"How could I forget? Those little brats threw me into the river. I swallowed half the river and almost drowned."
Seien sighed, remembering those days.
Right after recovering his health as a child, Priam had an incredibly hard time socializing with the boys in town.
In the end, when one of them called Flaris a filthy half-demon, Priam flew into a rage.
That fight ended with him being thrown into the rushing waters of a river.
Naturally, he didn’t know how to swim.
"Some things can’t be learned step by step. That’s why you learned to swim in just a few days. I believe you remember what happened afterward," his mother said.
"Of course I do. You found me right afterward, and then spent the next few days forcing me to jump into the water every single day! You only reached out your hand to stop me from drowning at the very last second..." Priam grumbled.
Seien smiled faintly.
She loved her son unconditionally, but when it came to teaching life-saving lessons, she knew how to set aside her motherly compassion and be as strict as necessary.
"Even so, it seems you’ve forgotten the most important lesson," she said, shaking her head.
"Do you remember what I told you back then?
Life is like drowning. The more you panic, the greater your fear becomes. The more you thrash around blindly, the faster you move toward death."
Priam’s eyes widened slightly.
A memory buried deep within him suddenly resurfaced.
"Your current situation is exactly the same. You’re drowning in a sea of responsibilities," Seien continued.
"You’re desperately fighting just to keep your head above the water for another moment, but you can’t escape the storm. You can’t see the shore, or even an island on the horizon.
That’s why you’re exhausted.
In a situation like that, thrashing around blindly only wastes the little strength you have left.
Do you remember what you did to learn how to swim?"
Priam thought quietly for a few moments, his eyes fixed on the table.
"You told me that in the middle of a crisis, when there’s no one there to reach out a hand, the first thing you need to learn is how to breathe.
Only after catching your breath can you steady your body and face the current instead of panicking and struggling.
What you’re saying is..."
"Exactly," Seien replied with a gentle nod.
"Just like back then, you need to find your own way to breathe.
Your nerves are stretched to their limit every single moment.
That won’t make you stronger.
It’ll only destroy you faster.
Saying, ’I don’t know how to relax,’ is just an excuse to keep punishing yourself.
You need to relax so you’ll be able to face the next storm."
She paused for a moment before looking her son in the eyes with gentle motherly affection.
"When you’re drowning, you have to master your breathing before you can swim to shore.
Only by controlling your breathing can you endure the waves long enough—whether it’s until someone comes to rescue you or until you finally spot land.
So, my son, don’t be in such a hurry to keep running blindly.
Sometimes, you need to stop and admire the scenery.
Look back and see the path you’ve already walked.
Don’t let yourself be dragged along mechanically by the current of fate."
Priam swallowed hard.
A chill ran down his spine as he realized that the insane pace he’d been maintaining wasn’t turning him into an invincible hero.
It was dragging him straight toward a mental collapse.
"I’m glad you understand," Seien said with a smile as she noticed the change in her son’s eyes.
"If you want a simple, practical way to start ’breathing’...
Why don’t you invite that young lady, Dandara, out for a walk every now and then?"
Priam narrowed his eyes, completely dumbfounded.
"...Go for a walk?"
"Yes, go for a walk!" his mother answered seriously, looking him straight in the eyes.
"Find out what she likes to eat. Ask where she likes to go.
Don’t overthink it.
Just go and do it.
I’m sure you’ll discover something valuable that you’ve been overlooking until now."
Priam fell completely silent, his thoughts tying themselves into knots.
’Wouldn’t that be unbelievably weird? She’s my Vice Leader... and she’s a woman! If I suddenly start taking her out for walks for no reason, not only is everyone going to get the wrong idea... but how on earth is that supposed to help me relax?!’
Seeing the completely cornered and confused look on her son’s face, Seien let out a quiet, knowing giggle.
Beside her, Boey simply shook his head at his wife’s painfully obvious attempt to give their son a push.