"Do you hate me, Ethan?"
His grandfather asked, sitting on the damn chair Ethan hated with all his blood. He held a small piece of blackwood and used his finger to carve it. No average Knight would be able to make a dent in that wood even with a proper sword, but the old man's finger was enough. It wasn't even Ki carving that wood, just raw strength.
Ethan, an eight-year-old boy, didn't know what to say. It had been a month since he had been declared the heir to the house, and honestly, he didn't agree with it.
No one in the family agreed with it, even if they didn't show it. It was simply palpable. The entire continent of Vakuma didn't agree with it. They wanted Alicia to be the heir; they wanted the heir of Rakaru to be a prodigy.
William silently waited for the boy to gather his thoughts, his sole focus at the moment on the piece of wood in his hands.
"...No."
Ethan finally answered in a hushed voice, and William let out a faint chuckle. Finding some confidence, Ethan continued.
"But it's wrong... Grandpa, Alicia should be the one. Rakaru deserves to be led by a genius."
William stopped carving and turned to look at Ethan. His face was... odd. There were wrinkles in some places, but others were smooth, although pale as snow. His hair at his age should be white, but it was as black as ebony, and one eye was dull, the other full of wisdom and life.
A young Ethan didn't pay attention to this, occupied with notions he thought to be more important.
After all, he knew he wasn't fit to be heir.
"Alicia isn't a genius. She's a girl who wants to play with bunnies and cats. Sure, she can hold a sword well and possesses a monstrous amount of Ki, but she doesn't want to do anything with it."
"It is still better than me..."
"Why do you think so?"
"Alicia is better than me at the sword, she has a strong body, she has a Ki rating of 6. Almost all of the Knights don't even want to spar with her, simply because a single strike of hers can end them. She is better than me in every aspect, she is a genius... Grandpa, please. Make her the heir."
William turned silent at this, looking down at the piece of wood, and continued to carve it with his finger.
"Alicia cannot be the heir, simply because the Rakaru Throne is unfit for a woman."
Ethan turned his brows up, confused at his grandfather's words.
"Did you two have a fight?"
He asked.
"Haha!"
William laughed, for only a moment, before a dull look took over his face again. He answered with a hearty tone.
"No, nothing like that. I can't possibly fight with such a cute child."
"Then please, ma-"
"Ethan."
A stern voice resounded, and William asked.
"Why do you think I am making you the heir, and why do you think your father allows it? Why do you think no one questions it? Why do you think everyone stays silent? Why do you think I am so insistent on Alicia not being the heir?"
He stood up from his chair and approached Ethan. The boy stepped back, afraid. He had thought his Grandpa had snapped.
But a part of him held on, and Ethan answered.
"I don't know why... I don't know why I'm to be the heir... But I do know why no one questions it, because everyone is afraid of you and Father."
William knelt on one knee and placed his hand on Ethan's shoulder, gently. It was hard to control his strength, especially for someone of his level when dealing with a child, but he had managed to do it, in his weak state.
"Ethan. I am called the Disgrace of the Rakaru Family. It was I who kept us from going to war; I am the reason you are called the Cursed One. I am the one who is considered to be the first failure we have ever produced, and yet, I stand at the pinnacle of the continent. If I wanted to, I could raze this entire continent to the ground by myself; it would take me a week at most.
They fear me, but only those who do not know me. Those who do, those who actually matter, both in terms of family and the continent, respect me. Because I am the first person to put an end to the worst part of the invasions. Nobody questions me, because I have always brought results.
No one questions me, because I am the sole man who has ended the true thousand-year-long war. I am the man who stopped the worst-ever scenario from happening.
I stopped the war."
Ethan didn't understand, for the invasions still happened. Every year, thousands of Alapurians, thirsty for Vakuman blood still invaded.
So what war did he stop?