The silence of the board was calming to Magnus.
All eyes were on him, many curious, others filled with lethal intent, and some… worried. He held on to the latter.
Once again, his stubborn nature had gotten the better of him, forcing his grandson into allowing him to fight an impossible battle.
The image of his late wife rose unbidden in his mind. This was exactly the kind of thing that used to earn him a scolding.
A slight twinge settled in his chest. He'd thought of her again. No matter what he did, he always found a way back to her. Magnus exhaled slowly and steadied himself.
The Ascension Games had been a constant reminder of his weakness. The world had grown far larger than him, to the point where he now stood at the bottom of the food chain.
The grandson he had once sworn to protect had surpassed him in every imaginable way, leaving Magnus struggling to find any use for himself.
He could accept that he would never catch up to Atticus.
