Dance Of The Dragons
Chapter 457 : Xie Jianyu’s Dark Past (2)

Chapter 457: Chapter 457 : Xie Jianyu’s Dark Past (2)

Xie Jianyu saw no difference between his sixteenth birthday and a cataclysmic day.

Rightfully so, for his differentiation started without delay at the end of his sixteenth birthday.

Curled up on his bed while he battled the searing changes that took place within his body, he prayed fervently for one thing and one thing only.

Please, please.

Please, let him differentiate into an alpha.

He could not afford to become an omega.

Everyone in his clan wanted him to become an alpha.

Everyone needed him to become an alpha.

His father, a pillar of unwavering ambition, expected nothing less from him.

His elder brother’s faith in him stood firm as a storm-battered boulder. The weight of their expectations pressed down on him, suffocating him.

He couldn’t let them down.

He wouldn’t.

He had worked so hard on both his cultivation and swordsmanship.

Years of hard work and relentless training already made him the strongest swordsman across the nine layers of heaven.

Every decision and every sacrifice was done in preparation for this very day.

Today, the veil would be lifted, revealing the inscription carved upon his fate.

Today, the path untrodden would stretch before him, etched with his future.

And yet, once the differentiation process came to an end, heavens rained down a storm of ruthlessness upon Xie Jianyu.

"I don’t know what you two are talking about," the Heavenly Emperor remarked.

His words were devoid of sympathy, of love. He didn’t even bother looking in his sons’ direction.

It was as if they did not matter to him.

Xie Jianyu trembled from head to toe.

No amount of apologies could offset this utter failure.

And yet, there was nothing he could do to reverse the result of the differentiation.

Everything was over. He had single-handedly ruined the Xie family’s claim to the Dragon Throne.

"Imperial Father, I beg your forgiveness," Xie Jianshen lowered himself in a profound kowtow before the Heavenly Emperor. This display of uncharacteristic humility stunned both his father and younger brother. Never before had they seen the fiercely proud Xie Jianshen bend the knee in such a manner, not even when he himself underwent the life-altering transformation into an omega.

"This is not Little Yu’s fault. Little Yu had done everything he could do to become a prim and proper, respected Crown Prince of the Heavenly Realm!"

An icy dagger of pain plunged into Xie Jianyu’s chest, twisting and turning, mimicking the way his hopes had been torn apart.

"Big Brother, I am sorry," he choked out, tears falling from his beautiful almond-shaped eyes. "I am sorry. It is all my fault. Please do not beg for forgiveness on my behalf."

"Little Yu..."

Xie Jianshen wrapped Xie Jianyu into his embrace.

"Little Yu, I am so sorry. I wish I could do more for you. I wish that you never had to be born with these impossible expectations."

"Hmph!"

The Heavenly Emperor slammed a hand against the throne’s armrest.

"Are you saying that I ask too much of you two?" the ruler of the entire Heavenly Realm glowered at his sons.

"No, Imperial Father, of course not," Xie Jianshen snapped. "We are the ones who fail to meet your fair set of demands. That is why I ask for forgiveness in the first place!"

"You dare...!!!"

The Heavenly Emperor, fury contorting his features, erupted from his throne. In a heartbeat, he was airborne, claws bared like butcher’s knives, lunging at Xie Jianshen with the intent to tear him limb from limb.

"No, Imperial Father, please!!!"

Xie Jianyu threw himself between his father and his elder brother.

"I am the one who failed you and Big Brother. Please do not hit Big Brother. Hit me if you must!"

"Hmph!"

With a flick of his sleeve, the Heavenly Emperor sent both brothers tumbling to the floor.

"Jianyu, go to your bed chamber and reflect on your wrongdoings. You are not allowed to leave without my permission. You are not to speak about the result of your differentiation to anyone.

Jianshen, follow me to my study."

Xie Jianyu shook his head at his elder brother.

"Big Brother, don’t go..." he mouthed, but Xie Jianshen merely shot him a grim smile.

"Little Yu, I can take care of myself just fine. Go to your bed chamber, please."

A crushing coldness coiled in Xie Jianyu’s gut as he watched his brother, head bowed, haul himself off the floor and vanish into the study after their father. Rebellion, a tiny ember hidden beneath years of obedience, began to flicker in his chest.

What had his unwavering compliance ever given him? His father’s affection, always held at arm’s length, had shattered like brittle glass upon the first hint of failure. Even his beloved elder brother, a constant presence since childhood, had been dragged into the crossfire.

The pointlessness of it all gnawed at him, leaving a bitter taste in his mouth. What was the use of anything, anymore?

Gritting his teeth in defiance, Xie Jianyu rose to his feet and headed toward the stall. Unlike his Imperial Father, his loyal heavenly steed did not care for his secondary gender. Unaware of his master’s bad mood, Wangshu happily neighed when he saw Xie Jianyu.

"Wangshu, let’s go for a ride," Xie Jianyu murmured as he pulled at Wangshu’s reins.

He wanted to go. Far, far away from the Golden Dragon Palace. Far, far away from the Heavenly Realm. From everything.

Two hours of relentless riding brought no reprieve, only the bitter sting of the wind and the bitter taste of truth.

Without being an alpha, he was nothing.

Without his Crown Prince position, he was nothing.

Without the Dragon Throne, he was nothing.

Without the Heavenly Realm, he was nothing.

Xie Jianyu buried his face in the warm nape of his horse’s neck, willing himself to be brave. But the tears, hot and bitter, escaped his control, tracing salty tracks down his cheeks like miniature streams.

It would be great if he could just disappear.

Then maybe he could stop being the disappointment that he was.