Supreme Warlock System : From Zero to Ultimate With My Wives-Chapter 179: Philosophy

Warlock Ch 179. Philosophy

"I'll do it," Damian said finally, his tone firm despite the uncertainty lurking in his eyes. "I want to know what happened between Kaelan, her, and her husband. I need to understand why… why did things end the way they did."

Cassius watched him closely, his sharp gaze searching for any hesitation, any cracks in Damian's resolve. He found none.

Damian continued, a wry smile tugging at his lips. "Besides, this might be a good way to get away from Aria for a while. She's not exactly subtle with her suspicions."

Cassius chuckled, his smirk widening. "You're not wrong. She's persistent, I'll give her that. But what about Evelyn? Will she give you permission?"

Damian hesitated, his expression softening. The mention of Evelyn brought a flicker of warmth to his eyes, but it was tempered by the weight of what he was about to do. "I'll talk to her," he said finally. "She'll understand. She always does… even if she doesn't like it."

The room fell into a brief silence. Cassius broke it with a sharp exhale, pushing off the wall and gesturing toward the door. "Come on, let's eat. You're no good to anyone if you collapse from hunger before making your big decisions."

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Damian smirked faintly, following Cassius toward the exit. "Didn't think you'd be the type to encourage food breaks, Cas. What happened to your 'warlocks don't need rest' philosophy?"

Cassius glanced back at him, his smirk laced with a hint of nostalgia. "Even warlocks need fuel, Damian. Besides, you've earned it. For now."

They stepped into the dining hall, the scent of roasted meat and freshly baked bread wafting through the air. Damian's stomach growled audibly, and he rolled his eyes at the timing.

Cassius arched an eyebrow, his smirk widening. "Looks like your body agrees."

"Shut up," Damian muttered, though the faint grin tugging at his lips betrayed his amusement.

They sat down to eat. Damian picked at his food absently, his thoughts far from the table.

"You're thinking too hard," Cassius remarked, breaking the silence.

Damian glanced up, meeting his gaze. "You would be too if you were about to dive into a mess like this."

Cassius leaned back in his chair, his expression calm. "Maybe. Or maybe I'd just focus on the task ahead. You can't change the past, Damian. But you can shape what comes next."

Damian exhaled heavily, leaning his elbows on the table. "Easier said than done."

"Most things worth doing are," Cassius replied, his tone oddly gentle. "But you've got the strength to face this, whether you realize it or not."

Damian stared at the table, his fingers tracing idle patterns on the wood. He exhaled slowly, the weight in his chest refusing to lift despite Cassius' words.

"I know," he muttered, his voice quieter than he intended. "I just… I'm afraid."

The admission felt heavier than he expected. It wasn't something he said often—ever, really. To admit fear, especially to someone like Cassius, felt like peeling away a layer of armor he wasn't ready to lose.

Cassius scoffed, leaning back in his chair with a faint smirk. "Now that's a fancy word coming from you. The Kaelan I knew never said it."

Damian's lips twitched into something that wasn't quite a smile. "I never said it, sure. But that doesn't mean I never felt it. Even back then."

Cassius' smirk softened slightly, his gaze sharpening. "So what are you afraid of now? It's not her, is it? Not Victoria. Or even Varak."

"No," Damian admitted, his voice steady but tense. "It's not them."

Cassius tilted his head, studying him with the same piercing intensity that had unnerved so many over the years. "Then it's the truth, isn't it? The truth about what you did in the past?"

Damian huffed, running a hand through his hair. He nodded reluctantly. "Yeah. I'm afraid of what I'll find. I hope… I really hope all of this is just a misunderstanding. Or maybe—" He paused, his jaw tightening before he forced the words out. "Maybe it was Victoria. Maybe she wanted to get rid of me."

Cassius raised an eyebrow, his expression twisting into something between disbelief and annoyance. "So you prefer the possibility that Victoria orchestrated this entire mission just to eliminate you? That she's no better than the councils or any of the others who've hunted you?"

Damian opened his mouth to respond but faltered. He looked away, his gaze fixed on the wall as if it held the answers he was searching for. Cassius leaned forward, his tone sharper now.

"Think about what you're saying," Cassius pressed. "You're so afraid of feeling guilty, of finding out you killed her husband out of envy or ambition, that you'd rather pin this on her? You'd rather believe she's some master manipulator playing the long game just to see you fall?"

"I don't know," Damian snapped, the frustration in his voice cutting through the tension. He dropped his head into his hands, his fingers threading through his hair. "I don't know, Cas. I'm in denial and I know that. Yet… None of it feels right. It never has. "

Cassius pinched the bridge of his nose, exhaling a long, weary sigh. "You're reaching, Damian. Or Kaelan. Or whatever name you prefer today. Do you hear yourself?"

Damian shot him a glare. "I don't need your judgment right now, Cas."

"Then what do you need?" Cassius countered, his voice sharper now. "Validation? Reassurance that this mission will magically fix everything? Because it won't."

"I know that," Damian said in a much bitter tone, shoving his chair back and standing abruptly. He paced to the far side of the room, his hands flexing at his sides as he tried to rein in his emotions. "But I don't know what else to do. I'm grasping at straws because the alternative is facing a truth that could break me."

Cassius watched him silently, his sharp gaze softening as he saw the turmoil Damian was trying so hard to hide. After a long moment, he spoke, his voice quieter than before. "Damian… you're not the same man you were as Kaelan. Maybe that's a good thing."