Sitting in the electric cab, Nicos looked back at the city gate with a mixture of pain, anger, and bitterness. His face kept shifting from one expression to another as he watched the city grow smaller and the distance between them widen.
Silversky Shelter used to be governed by the Silvermoon family, with his mother serving as the shelter leader. She was not only the strongest member of the Silvermoon family but also the strongest individual in all of Silversky Base.
But everything had changed.
After his mother's mistake and his father's betrayal, the family elders decided to make them sacrificial lambs to redeem the family's reputation. They stripped them of their identities as members of the Silvermoon family, allowing the family to preserve its status as one of the Human Alliance noble houses.
Nicos looked away from the distant city. Its outline had already become too faint to distinguish, and staring back at it would change nothing. They had been banished—not just from the city, but from civilization itself.
They were now heading toward the Forgotten Region, a land sealed off from the rest of the Human World. It was where the banished, the forgotten, and those deemed to have no potential were cast away to rot.
Ever since it was discovered that his Spirit-Root had decayed, he had been completely alienated by almost every member of his family except his mother and his two siblings.
Though it wasn't as if they weren't angry with him as well. They simply never forgot that he was still their brother.
Nicos clenched his fists, bitterness filling his heart.
Chloe, Nicos' mother, looked at him before gently patting his shoulder.
"Don't blame yourself too much for this. It's not entirely your fault. I also played a role in all of this. After all, I'm the one who was banished from the kingdom and dragged all of you into this because of it," Chloe said, trying to comfort him.
"I'm sorry, Mum. If you hadn't been trying to find a way to cure my decayed Spirit-Root, you wouldn't have fallen for his schemes and lost your connection with your Spirit Avatar," Nicos replied, his eyes reddened. He had cried over this matter so many times that it felt as though his tear ducts had long since run dry.
When he was twelve years old, during the Spirit Affirmation Ceremony, it was discovered that his Spirit-Root had decayed for no apparent reason.
The revelation caused a massive uproar throughout Silversky Base and the entire Mesopotamia Territory.
As the first son of two powerhouse individuals, enormous expectations had been placed upon him. Given the exceptional bloodlines of both his parents, everyone believed he had a high chance of becoming a future powerhouse himself with sufficient resources and proper nurturing. He was expected to become one of humanity's future pillars in the Spirit Realm.
As a result, every possible investigation and diagnosis was carried out to uncover the cause of his decayed Spirit-Root.
In human history, his case was the first of its kind. It prompted scientists from across the territory to unite once more for the first time since the Great Calamity three thousand years ago. Advanced technology and countless research resources were pooled together in an effort to unravel the mystery behind his condition.
After undergoing countless examinations by numerous high-profile scientists, along with endless tests and experiments, it was eventually discovered that his Spirit-Root had actually begun decaying when he was only five years old without anyone realizing it.
The entire base was mobilized in search of a cure.
Even the current Territory Leader of Mesopotamia, Sosthenes, personally dispatched aid and resources to assist with the research. Yet despite everyone's efforts, every attempt ended in failure.
Various organizations also offered their support, for solving the mystery behind the decayed Spirit-Root carried implications far greater than helping a single individual gain access to the Spirit Realm. It could potentially reshape humanity's understanding of the Spirit Realm itself.
For three years, countless attempts were made without any positive results.
By the time Nicos reached the age of fifteen, nearly everyone had given up on him—including his own father.
Only his mother refused to surrender. She continued searching for a cure alongside the scientists and the various organizations.
And that persistence had ultimately led them to the situation they found themselves in today.
"At least you have enough self-awareness to admit that it's partly your fault, unlike a certain old man who betrayed his entire family for his own selfish interests," Tabitha said from her seat inside the electric cab before letting out a disdainful huff.
"That's enough, Tabitha. You've been speaking ill of him this entire time. Don't you think your words are enough to wither him away?" Chloe gently cautioned her daughter.
Ever since the chain of events that had led to their banishment began, Tabitha had done nothing but curse her father whenever his name came up.
"I don't care if he withers away," Tabitha retorted. "What good is a man who can betray his own family without batting an eyelid? It would be better if he died and became fertilizer for the soil. At least then he'd finally be useful by nourishing the plants for those who are still alive."
"I might even offer a burnt offering at the Holy One's altar if he really withered away from all her curses," Nicos' younger brother added with complete seriousness.
"And you think the Holy One shares your thoughts?" Chloe asked, giving him a helpless look.
"That's exactly why I keep wondering how all of this happened without Him doing anything," Tabitha muttered in frustration.
"Maybe the Holy One took a sleeping pill before everything happened and is still enjoying His nap," Barnabas said.
Chloe looked at her two children speechlessly before letting out a long sigh.
Her gaze then shifted toward Nicos, who had remained silent ever since Tabitha spoke.
She knew exactly what was weighing on his mind, and her own heart ached just as much. Unfortunately, there was nothing she could do for now.
"We'll be fine," she said softly.
Then, silently, she prayed to herself.
We will definitely be fine. The Holy One will not forsake His people in times of trouble.