Chapter 60: A Strong Ally.
Aiden froze for a moment as William's calm voice echoed through the office."You can try to escape, but you know that you can't escape from me."
Aiden had already shifted his weight forward, gathering mana into his legs, ready to use Burst and disappear instantly. But William's words struck him like a heavy force.
The confidence in William's tone wasn't arrogance—it was a simple truth. Aiden knew, deep inside, that escaping a real stage 5 mana cultivator was impossible. No matter how fast he was, William was on a completely different level.
Aiden slowly relaxed his muscles and sat back down. His eyes narrowed slightly as he stared at the old man in front of him."How do you know about me?" he asked, his voice low and guarded.
William smiled gently, almost as if he had expected that question. " I know everything that happened to you," he said calmly. "And I also know how you ended up here."
Aiden's heart tightened. A strange uneasiness spread through his chest. Everything? That one word made him feel exposed, as if all the walls he had built around himself were suddenly gone. He leaned forward slightly, tension rising in his shoulders.
Aiden asked, "What do you want from me? If you really know who I am, then why did you call me to your office?"
William smiled again—not mockingly, but with a soft warmth as he said, "You don't have to worry about anything, Aiden. I will not tell anyone about your true identity. In fact, I will hide it even more."
Aiden didn't believe him. His fists tightened slightly as he said coldly, "Why should I believe you?
William nodded, as if he fully understood Aiden's thoughts. Then he replied, "It's only natural for you to be suspicious, but think about it—if I had bad intentions, wouldn't I have already reported you to the Draconia family?"
Aiden's suspicion weakened a little. William was right. If he wanted to give Aiden away, he could have done it easily. Aiden then asked, "Then why are you helping me hide my identity?"
William leaned back, his eyes turning soft with memories. He said slowly, "You don't know this, but your grandfather was my best friend. And your father… Jonathan… he was my best student. I was very fond of him. When I heard that he died, I felt a deep sadness. But soon after, I learned that he had a son who had escaped. So I sent people to look for you."
Aiden stayed quiet, listening.
William continued, "I knew Jonathan would send you to Victor. So I sent someone to watch his house. It didn't take long to discover that a new child had appeared there and had been living there. I immediately knew it was you."
Aiden felt the tension inside him ease. What William said made sense. It was reasonable. He relaxed a little more in his chair.
William noticed this and said, "But you and Victor made one mistake. Do you know what it was?"
Aiden thought for a second, then shook his head.
William sighed. "Everyone from the same year as Jonathan knew that Victor was his best friend. Even Michael knew. So tell me—who would they suspect first when they learned someone from Jonathan's family was still alive?"
Realization hit Aiden as his eyes widened slightly. He thought to himself We were careless, too careless.
William continued, "But you don't have to worry anymore. I already changed your recommendation from Victor's to mine. And the two professors who knew the truth have already been told not to mention anything."
Aiden took a slow breath as the tension inside him eased even further. Then he looked at William seriously as he said."Sir… you didn't call me here just to tell me that, right? There is something else."
William blinked in surprise, then chuckled lightly as he said, "You really are a smart kid. Yes, there is something else."
Aiden leaned forward a little, listening carefully.
William's calm expression turned stern as he said, "First, I want to tell you that you acted foolishly today, even if you had managed to kill Joshua… what then? The entire Draconia family would have come after you. You wouldn't have survived even a single day. Is your revenge only against Michael and his son… or the whole Draconia family?"
Aiden lowered his gaze, realizing how rash he had been. He had acted out of emotion. He didn't even think about the consequences. He clenched his fists slightly.
William continued speaking in a serious tone."I will get straight to the point. You can't hope to defeat the entire Draconia family in your current state. Even if you become a stage 5 mana cultivator, you still won't be strong enough. They have four other stage 5 mana cultivators in their family—and those four are real stage 5 mana cultivators, not like Michael, who advanced using his family's resources. They are much stronger."
Aiden's expression darkened. Four-stage 5 cultivators? He always believed that once he reached stage 5, he could kill Michael and crush the Draconia family. But now, there were four people even stronger than Michael. His hope sank for a moment.
Aiden asked quietly, "So what do you want me to do?"
William's expression hardened even more as he continued."To be honest, I am also against the Draconia family. They are completely corrupt. People like them do not deserve to rule Eldoria. If they continue holding power, this continent will fall soon. So I began gathering people who wish to fight against their injustice. And I want you to join us."
Aiden looked at him silently.
William leaned forward."I want you to become strong enough to defeat Michael within ten years," he said. "After ten years, I will begin the coup against the royal family. By then, you must at least be strong enough to face Michael."
Aiden's eyes began to flicker with hope. For the first time, he felt a path forming in front of him—a path to revenge. William was a true stage 5 cultivator. He was far stronger than Michael. If Aiden joined him, he wouldn't be alone in his revenge.
But he didn't immediately trust William. Trust was not something Aiden could give easily.
But he also knew that if William wanted to harm him, he could have done it long ago. He could kill Aiden instantly. But William hadn't—he was talking to him, helping him, warning him.
Aiden made up his mind as he said firmly."I will become stronger than Michael within the ten years you gave me, but I have one question. Who will fight the other stage 5 cultivators of the Draconia family?"
William smiled gently."You don't need to know about them for now," he said. "When the time comes, you will meet them."
Aiden nodded. He didn't push further. He already knew William wouldn't tell him more.
William then leaned back as he warned Aiden."Remember this, Aiden. You have already made Joshua your enemy. I can only protect you inside the academy. Outside, I can't protect you openly, so you will be on your own. You must become strong enough in these four years so that their hunting teams won't be able to find you. And you also have the artifact I gave your father. It will help you a lot."
Aiden blinked for a moment as he asked."You gave this necklace to my father?"
William nodded as he said."Of course I did. How could two stage 4 mana cultivators who ran away from their family possess a stage 5 mana artifact? I gave it to him as his teacher."
Aiden lowered his head slightly as he said. "Thank you."
William waved his hand."No need to thank me. I gave it to your father because he deserved it."
Aiden nodded once again.
"You may go to your dorm now," William said. "And try not to start too many conflicts. If you do, the Draconia family will notice you, and they will make your time here very hard."
Aiden replied softly, " Okay."
He stood up and left the office. His mind was full of thoughts. William's words echoed in his mind as he thought. How much can I trust him? How much of what he said is true? But he had no answer.
He walked down the hallway slowly, replaying the entire conversation in his mind. His thoughts were deep and heavy.
Before he knew it, he was in front of his dorm room.
He knocked gently, then opened the door. Inside, a boy wearing the academy uniform turned to look at him. He had blue hair, blue eyes, and a shy expression. He was a little shorter than Aiden in height."H-hello," the boy said softly. "My name is Aaron Anwell."
Aiden nodded at him as he said. "Julian Cross."
Then he began to scan the room. There were two beds on opposite sides, two study tables, two chairs, and a bathroom to the side. The room was clean, wide, and simple.
Aiden walked to the empty bed and sat down cross-legged. He closed his eyes and began absorbing mana from the surroundings.
The moment mana entered his body, he felt something different. The mana here… it was thicker, heavier, much denser than anything he had ever absorbed.
Then Aiden remembered that this academy was built on a high-density mana zone.
He thought to himself If I had absorbed mana here when I was stage 1, I would've advanced twice as fast.
Aiden opened his eyes slowly. Determination burned inside him. Now he understood the true power of the Draconia family. And William had given him ten years to surpass Michael.
It was an almost impossible task.
I have no time to waste, Aiden thought.
He closed his eyes again and continued absorbing mana. For the first time in a long time, he felt a small hint of relief.
Here… he could get twice as strong, twice as fast.
And he would use every second of it. Aaron saw this as he didn't ask any further. He had already seen Aiden's fight with Joshua and knew how strong Aiden was so he was a bit scared.
Author's Note: Aiden has found his first ally in revenge as his path towards revenge becomes even clearer.