I Refused To Be Reincarnated

Chapter 99: Tensions in the Manor

Three weeks slipped away like grains of sand through an hourglass. In that span, Julius turned twelve, a milestone eagerly anticipated and celebrated with fervor among his friends.

Asha had lovingly prepared the birthday cake, adorned with twelve colorful candles that danced with each breath of air. The room echoed with laughter and chatter, a symphony of joy that enveloped Julius in a comforting embrace.

As he leaned forward to blow out the candles, he made a silent vow to embrace the year ahead with courage and determination. And so began his journey into the uncharted territory of adolescence, eager to see what lay ahead.

After those three weeks, the group of four stood on the precipice of a new chapter, a single day remaining before the beginning of this academic year.

Julius woke up, his heart filled with anticipation at the prospect of discovering new things and maybe finding a solution to help his brother overcome his peculiar condition. As he rose from his bed and walked to the dining room, the weight of this mission rested heavily on his shoulders, yet his determination burned brighter than ever before.

'I'm sure we'll find a solution.' He thought, glancing at his still-sleeping brother. After failing to wake Adam up for three weeks, he began to understand that there might be more to his brother's decision to sleep than he initially thought.

That is when he remembered a conversation from years ago, in what seemed to be a distant and foreign life they once had in the Riverwood manor.

He recalled how the ghost had jokingly changed the subject when asked if he ever felt lonely. At that time, he had been too young to understand that his brother's mind had already been burdened. However, he now understood that his state was only growing worse as time passed.

As Julius pondered his brother's condition and their shared past, the creak of the front door interrupted his thoughts. Turning, he saw a figure holding a one-meter-long wooden briefcase stepping into the house. Julius's brow furrowed in confusion; he didn't recognise the newcomer.

"Hello?" Julius called out tentatively, his voice echoing through the empty hallway.

The figure turned towards him, revealing a somewhat familiar face framed by a cascade of dark curls. "Julius?" the newcomer said, scanning the boy with his green eyes, a hint of uncertainty in his voice.

'How does he know my name?' Julius thought, squinting his eyes. He couldn't explain why but felt that the man was extremely powerful. 'His life force seems to meet the tier two standards, but that feeling of danger... He must be a high tiered mage!'

After coming to that conclusion, Julius asked respectfully but on guard, "And you are, sir?"

The man laughed loudly in response, making his luxurious clothes flutter and his pieces of golden jewellery clinking against each other before answering by asking another question. "You have been living in this house for close to a month. Yet you don't know who its owner is?"

As Julius' eyes widened after realising the man's identity, Arun, who had been alerted by the loud laughter, walked out of his room and, upon seeing the man, said excitedly, "Good morning, father." Then, he shortly introduced him to Julius. "That old man is my father, Vikram Aurelium."

"Who are you calling an old man?" Vikram said, his brow twitching at his son's poor presentation. Then, he turned to Julius with a fake smile and said, while walking towards the dining room. "Let's have breakfast together. I'm dying to learn more about you."

Julius nervously gulped in response, his heart pounding in his chest. His instinct screamed at him that Vikram didn't invite him out of politeness. If he committed the slightest mistake, his situation would become dire.

As he entered the dining room after a short moment of hesitation, he noticed Vikram greeting Louise and Asha, who were already eating.

After exchanging small pleasantries with the two ladies, Vikram pointed at a nearby seat while looking at Julius, ready to press him for answers about the sabotage incident.

Julius shivered as Vikram's gaze became razor sharp as he asked commandingly, his voice reverberating inside the room, "Where do you come from, and why do you want to join the College of Alchemy and Transmutation?"

The air distorted under Vikram's magic pressure, almost forcing Julius to his knees. He wanted to make the boy despair after realising how wide the chasm between their strength was before obtaining his answers.

'It's like how Lucus questioned me back then.' Julius remembered while resisting the pressure with a frown.

Vikram gazed at Julius, his eyes sparkling with a hint of astonishment. He wasn't going all out, but the boy's ability to somewhat stand firm against his magic pressure was still shocking. After all, he was three tiers higher.

Through gritted teeth, Julius fought against the pressure. Slowly, his back straightened. However, as he was about to answer the powerful man's questions, his eyes met Vikram's playful gaze.

Before he could utter a word, the pressure weighing on his body suddenly increased by twenty per cent, making his legs tremble under the weight. Then, with each passing second, the intensity kept increasing.

'He is much stronger than Lucius! What does he want to know so much to make me go through this?' Julius thought, angered by the man's forceful method and his own powerlessness.

In the meantime, Julius' friends watched the scene in shocked displeasure. What was Arun's father's objective? Why was he tormenting their savior?

"What are you doing, old man? Let my friend go!" Recovering from his stupor, Arun dashed to stand by Julius' side, hoping to make his father stop. However, he crashed, face first, with a surprise yelp on a solid wall of mana that suddenly appeared.

As Arun rubbed his painful nose, sprawled on the ground, he heard his father say, "Stay put until I ascertain he isn't playing a role in the traitor's plan."

As the pressure increased on Julius' body, almost forcing his knees to touch the ground, Vikram failed to anticipate the unforeseen ramifications his actions might provoke, unknowingly triggering a cascade of events beyond his expectations.