Chapter 46: Chapter 43 - Banished

The doctor approached the door leading to the grand duke's room and stopped beside the nurse. "Has he woken up yet?" he inquired with a concerned tone.

"Fortunately, he has," replied the nurse, turning to face the doctor. "However, his wounds aren't healing as fast as we anticipated."

The doctor sighed and nodded gravely. "I see. I shall go in and take a look once more."

With that, the doctor pushed open the door and walked into the grand duke's room. "My lord," he greeted the bandaged figure lying on the bed, looking out of the window with a peaceful expression.

"It has been a while, Winston," the grand duke, Dante, acknowledged as he turned towards the doctor.

"Can I take a look?" Winston asked, sitting beside the grand duke on his massive king-sized bed.

"Feel free to do as you wish," Dante said with a nod.

Winston examined the duke's wounds carefully, channeling his mana into the body to evaluate his condition. "Hmm, it seems as if the mana from the barbarian chief's attack is still stuck on the wounds," he observed.

Confusion clouded Dante's face. "What do you mean?"

"Well, exactly as I have said. The wounds won't heal as long as they are agitated by the residue mana from the clash," Winston explained, pulling away his hand from the duke's burnt left half.

Dante's expression soured at the news. "Is there a way to heal this, then?"

"I believe the residue will leave once you start gathering mana once more, and the wounds should heal then. But unfortunately, they will leave scars," the doctor replied with a serious expression on his face.

"If that is all, then it is fine. I will take it as a parting gift from that barbarian bastard," Dante nodded, his voice calm and collected.

Dante shifted the topic away from himself and turned to the doctor, Winston. "Now tell me, how is John?" he inquired, his tone gentle.

"While his vitals are stable, he seems to have entered a sort of vegetative state, and weird black streaks have appeared all over his left arm," Winston replied with a deep frown.

Dante's expression turned sour with confusion. "I'm sorry, what? Explain in detail what you mean," he demanded, his voice laced with concern.

Without further delay, Winston proceeded to explain John's situation in detail, his words heavy with worry. Dante listened intently, his mind racing with thoughts and emotions.

"I see," he muttered after taking a moment to absorb everything the doctor had said. "So, when will he wake up?"

"It is hard for me to say anything for certain at this moment," Winston replied, shaking his head gravely.

"I Understand," Dante said, his voice tinged with bitterness. "You should leave… I need some time to think for myself."

Winston lightly bowed towards the duke and turned to leave the room, leaving Dante alone with his thoughts. The grand duke stared outside the window with a melancholic expression, the peaceful landscape beyond doing little to soothe the turmoil in his heart.

In the dark room, the cloaked man paced back and forth, his head held in his hands, his brow furrowed in frustration. Caelum knelt before him, trembling with fear, while Pollux watched from the side of the room, his arms crossed over his chest.

"You failed, again?" the cloaked man spat, stopping in front of Caelum with an agitated expression. "And this time, you lost to a child? A task that no one asked you to do?"

"I have no words to describe how ashamed I feel, my lord," Caelum stammered, his voice barely above a whisper. "But please, show mercy. The child exuded a dangerous kind of energy, and my instincts took over. I felt I needed to inform the table-"

"Excuses!" the cloaked man interrupted, his voice rising in anger. "I have forgiven your incompetence time and time again, but no longer. I shall leave your fate up to Father."

Caelum's eyes widened in terror at the mention of the cloaked man's father. "Mercy, your majesty, mercy," he pleaded.

The cloaked man turned to Pollux. "Get the portal ready. It's high time I meet Father."

"At once, my lord," Pollux replied, running out of the room without a glance back at Caelum.

"There's no use in asking me for mercy anymore," the cloaked man said, annoyed at Caelum's continued begging. "Your fate depends solely on Father's whim."

Caelum cried out in despair as he felt his life slipping away from him. Pollux returned to the room shortly after, reporting that the portal was ready.

"You look after things while I'm gone," the cloaked man told Pollux. "To Father, a subordinate's incompetence is a show of the leader's competence. I'm not sure how I'll be punished this time."

"Understood, sir," Pollux replied. "I wish you a safe journey."

The cloaked man left the room, dragging a chained Caelum behind him, his heart racing with panic as he headed towards the portal room.

High up on a mountain, a wooden pagoda stood surrounded by a lush forest filled with colorful trees that created a stunning view. Inside the pagoda, three men sat sipping on hot tea, enjoying the peace of the scenic surroundings.

The two suited men, with their fedoras by their sides, sat in perfect posture while the third man, with jet black hair, lay in a comfortable robe on his bed, puffing on his churchwarden pipe. His godlike body showed not a single imperfection, and his face held a serene expression as he listened intently.

Suddenly, the black-haired man's ears perked up as he heard a sound. "Puff-puff-puff, it seems as if my son is here to visit me…my friends, I hope you can forgive me for this inconvenience," he said as he rose from his bed to show his guests out.

The suited men got up from their cross-legged positions and picked up their fedoras from the tea table. "Worry not, sir, Theodore. Even the table understands the importance of family," one of them said as he nodded in agreement.

"I thank you for your understanding," Theodore said and led them out of the pagoda. As they stepped outside, they were greeted by the beautiful scenery that surrounded them. The leaves rustled gently in the cool mountain breeze, and the colors of the trees seemed to change with each gust of wind.

"It's truly breathtaking," one of the suited men said as he looked around, taking in the view.

Theodore smiled. "Yes, it is. I hope you visit me sometime in the future, if not for business then perhaps just for a cup of tea," he said as he bid his guests farewell and watched them descend the mountain path.

As the shrouded man emerged from the swirling portal, he found himself standing amid a dense forest, surrounded by majestic mountains looming in the distance. Suddenly, a deep and rumbling voice echoed across the landscape, causing him to freeze in his tracks.

"Jordan, why have you come here?" the voice boomed, seeming to emanate from the very heart of the mountains.

Jordan's heart pounded in his chest as he stammered out his reply. "I must speak to father," he said, his voice trembling with fear.

There was a long pause before the voice spoke again. "What for?" it asked, the words rolling like thunder across the landscape.

"It's regarding the grand duke and the youngest prince of the imperial dominion," Jordan replied, his eyes darting nervously around the forest.

Another moment of silence followed before the voice finally spoke again. "His majesty has agreed to meet with you. You know where to find him," it said, its tone inscrutable.

Jordan nodded tightly, his mind racing with thoughts of what lay ahead. With a final deep breath, he turned and plunged into the lush, verdant forest, with Caelum, shuffling slowly behind him

Jordan stepped cautiously into the small tea house, trying to control the shaking in his hands. The scent of tea wafted through the air, mingling with the aroma of the forest outside. Theodore stood with his back to the entrance, staring out at the serene pond in front of him.

"Puff-puff-puff, beautiful isn't it?" Theodore spoke, taking a drag from his pipe. Jordan nodded silently, his heart racing in his chest. He was here for a reason, but the sight of his father was enough to fill him with dread.

"But you know something is ruining this beautiful sight, can you guess what it is?" Theodore asked, still not turning to face his son.

"I am sorry sir, but I'm not sure, what you are talking about," Jordan stuttered, his palms slick with sweat.

Theodore shook his head slightly, disappointed. "I see, it is understandable for you not to understand such things. You, unlike the rest of your brothers, lack competence in any regard."

Jordan tried to speak up, to explain himself, but Theodore cut him off. "Explain what? The incompetence of your subordinates, or your own in failing to manage them properly?"

With every word, Jordan's anxiety grew. He stepped forward, clenching his fists tightly, but it was useless. Theodore had already made up his mind.

"Leave the beastman here, the inquisitors will take care of him… as for you… you will be stripped of your position as the head of the imperial branch of the table. I have already informed Pollux of your next role."

"FATHER," Jordan shouted out in protest.

"DO NOT TEST MY PATIENCE," Theodore shouted back as he turned to look at Jordan with his blood-red eyes dripping with anger, "I have already done enough for you, because of your mother's requests, and you have failed time and time again. Now leave, I have nothing more to say to you," he continued after he turned away from his young son.

"I understand, sir," Jordan said as blood dripped from his palm and he turned around to leave.

"Jordan, if you disappoint me in the new task that has been given to you, don't bother showing your face to me again. I have already banished you from the family. You are no longer welcome here," Theodore said as he heard Jordan's footsteps getting further away from him.

"Yes, sir," Jordan replied with tears dripping from his face and blood dripping from his palms. He left the tea house and walked away from the pond, feeling defeated and alone in the beautiful forest.

CREATORS' THOUGHTS
themusicaddict

holy fuck john wick chapter 4 was excellent...if you folk hadn't seen it what the fuck are you doing, not going to lie I only saw the rest of the series soon before the marriage because such movies aren't precisely to my taste, but hot damn, this movie just made my tastes change. anyhow, there will be another chapter tomorrow as well, and well soon after that it will be one chapter a day, I will give a proper schedule in tomorrow's chapter. anyhow, if you have any questions or see any issues leave a comment.

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