Chapter 130 - Chapter 130: Chapter 124 Self-blame (1/2)

Chapter 130: Chapter 124 Self-blame

Chris, Vanessa, and the others exchanged glances before all turning to leave, leaving only Irene, Byrne, and Darren, who lay comatose on the bed.

Irene stared at Byrne’s anxious eyes for a long while before finally speaking:

“Darren tried to reveal the existence of the Lord of the Lost, but he met our Master’s gaze, and so, unable to withstand such a great and supreme vision, he fell into a coma.”

“What are you talking about?”

Upon learning the true reason behind Darren’s coma, Byrne was stunned for a good while, a bit slow to react.

He still remembered the state of that old servant from years ago, knowing that even a mentally strong adult, if glanced at for a moment by the displeased, great Lord of the Lost, would be unable to rise due to immense fear, and would likely be haunted by it night after night.

For an ordinary child, such a mental burden was simply unimaginable!

“Irene…”

Byrne took a deep breath, seeing his son shivering continuously in his sleep, his face pale, and suppressing the emotions welling up inside him, he asked:

“Irene, did you know this was going to happen?”

“Yes.” Irene didn’t hide anything and calmly nodded her head.

“I told him a lot, and Darren indeed almost failed to keep the secret.”

Byrne clearly sensed something odd; the Irene before him was increasingly different from the one he remembered. The Irene of the past, knowing such a thing could happen to a family member, would never have allowed the situation to progress to this point!

“Why didn’t you reveal the family secrets little by little, starting with the smallest, or maybe, test Darren just as you do with the orphans…”

Byrne hadn’t finished speaking when he was interrupted by Irene without hesitation.

“No need to test him; he’s definitely not qualified!”

Byrne was dumbfounded, Irene shook her head, and continued.

“And what’s the purpose of testing those orphans at Daybreak Orphanage? It is to filter out unreliable people and prevent them from entering the core of the family.”

“But don’t forget one thing, Darren doesn’t need to be tested!”

Byrne clearly understood what Irene meant and took a deep breath.

She said calmly, “Because even if he’s unqualified, he must eventually enter the core of the family. It’s a destiny contained within the Fischer family’s bloodline; as a member of the Fischer family, there is simply no escaping it, and that applies not just to him but to Lilian as well.”

“Darren is just an ordinary child in personality. He’s a simple-minded aristocratic kid, and it’s not impossible for him to grow up as an ordinary noble, but he will surely be unable to bear heavy responsibilities in the future.”

“I think a significant lesson could potentially prompt unprecedented growth in him. Real, lived experience is always better than repeated verbal warnings.”

Byrne gazed silently at Irene, knowing deep inside that her words made sense.

Darren was utterly different from the two of them, having never experienced even the slightest hardship or difficulty since childhood, and being playful, gluttonous, and never learning to respect others.

He truly needed some hardships.

Byrne sighed, bent over, and slowly stroked his son’s face with his hand, his eyes betraying apologies and guilt.

“As the head of the Fischer family, I lack the spare energy to properly educate you, Darren… I understand this is not an excuse a father should make.”

“The great suffering you bear now is ultimately because I failed to fulfill my responsibilities. If only I could bear it for you.”

He closed his eyes, praying in his heart to the Lord of the Lost for forgiveness and hoping He would protect his child in the future.

A few days later, Darren finally woke up.

His eyes were full of fear, he would scream whenever someone approached, and for a long time, he couldn’t speak a complete sentence; he cried day and night, and Byrne even thought his son had completely lost his mind.

Are you not afraid that doing this could make Darren truly insane?

Byrne had wanted to question Irene when he suddenly remembered something—that she couldn’t feel fear anymore.

He recalled how Irene, ever since losing her fear, had become completely unafraid to let Chris join battles.

So that was it; because Irene could no longer feel fear, she might lose caution in her judgments and no longer fear causing harm to her loved ones.

In the following nights, Byrne put aside his work on researching medicines and silently accompanied his son, who lay trapped in fear.

He felt deep inside that Darren was pitiable, having lost the care of his father and mother during his growth, and thinking that he would have to take on more of Irene’s burdens in the future; she had already sacrificed too much for the family.

From beginning to end, Byrne never felt Irene or Darren had done anything wrong; he just felt an innate guilt.

“After all, it was I who did not do well enough…”

After more than ten days, Darren gradually came to his senses, and Byrne finally breathed a sigh of relief.

At night, he still shivered, afraid to remember the deep shadow in his heart, needing someone present to fall asleep.

One night, Darren suddenly felt very strange. Aunt Irene said she too had been gazed upon by Him, the great God of Lost, in her youth. Why didn’t Aunt Irene faint like he had?

He suddenly figured out the reason: was it because the gaze Aunt Irene received didn’t contain that displeasure?

His will filled one with endless fear!

Darren deeply felt it, the moment when all things were to be destroyed, and he himself was about to vanish in the collapse, he felt like he had gone through multiple deaths, terrifying beyond measure, and the next moment, he collapsed and lost consciousness.

“Great Lord of the Lost, I, I won’t be careless with my words anymore; I’ll be forever loyal; as your follower, I beg you not to destroy me, please! Please!”

He cried incessantly, tears streaming down, only hoping to receive the Lord of the Lost’s forgiveness. That deep fear was planted in the darkest recesses of his heart, never to be dispelled.

The next day, Darren was taken to the courtyard by Byrne, puzzled as his father thrust a rough wooden sword into his hands.