Black Phoenix Heir

Chapter 15: Chapter 15 — A Meal and a Moment

Chapter 15 — A Meal and a Moment

Victor, Zack, and Jacob stepped into the establishment together. The first thing Victor noticed was the noise. Laughter echoed throughout the room, dishes clattered against wooden tables, and conversations blended together into a constant hum. The smell of roasted meat and herbs filled the air, mixing with the sweet scent of something being baked near the back. The commotion from the market outside seemed to have disappeared entirely. Whatever had happened, the people inside had already returned to their meals. The Tower continued moving as if nothing had happened.

Zack led them through the crowded room until they found an empty table toward the side. The three of them sat down, with Zack taking the seat across from Victor. For a moment, he simply looked at him.

Zack found it difficult to believe that Victor was only rank 4. Alex wasn’t weak by any means. Among the younger talents in the Tower, he was easily considered one of the top ten. His cultivation, combat training, and family resources had placed him far ahead of most people his age. Yet Victor had still managed to dodge his attacks several times. He had even survived Alex’s Spiritual Stab.

Zack’s eyes narrowed slightly with interest. That kid has talent. Victor’s movements were rough and lacked the refinement of someone who had trained properly, but his instincts were different. There was something almost primal about the way Victor moved when his life was threatened. He didn’t hesitate. He adapted. And then there was the part Zack found most interesting. Victor had stepped in to protect someone he didn’t even know.

That was the kind of mentality Zack understood.

Zack leaned back in his chair with a faint smile. He was genuinely curious to see what kind of person Victor would become. Before he could think any further, a voice interrupted him.

”Are you ready to order?”

The three boys looked up. Victor’s eyes widened slightly when he recognized the girl standing beside their table. It was the same girl he had stopped Alex from hitting. Now that he had a chance to see her properly, he realized just how pretty she was. She had a natural beauty that didn’t seem to require any effort. Her delicate features were framed by soft hair, and a faint rosy color rested on her cheeks. Her eyes were bright, though there was still a hint of nervousness in them.

The girl glanced at Victor. Their eyes met for a moment before her cheeks became noticeably red and she quickly looked away. Zack noticed it immediately. Of course he did.

The girl lowered her menu slightly. ”What would you like?”

Zack immediately sat up. ”We’ll have three orders of steak and potatoes. Three drinks. And whatever today’s special is—one for each of us.” The girl quickly wrote everything down.

”Don’t worry about it,” Zack added. ”This one’s on me.”

The waitress nodded before turning to leave, but she hesitated for half a second. Her eyes drifted back toward Victor. Victor happened to look up at the same moment, and she immediately looked away.

Zack noticed the girl’s lingering glances and a small grin tugged at the corner of his mouth. He was usually the one who received that kind of attention after playing the hero, so seeing Victor get it instead was amusing. Apparently, his new friend had already stolen some of his usual spotlight without even trying.

Zack leaned back in his chair, quietly entertained by the situation. Looks like I’m not the only one who enjoys saving damsels in distress.

Victor, completely oblivious to Zack’s thoughts, simply watched the girl walk away. He still couldn’t figure out why she kept looking at him, and honestly, he wasn’t sure what to make of it.

The food eventually arrived. The steaks were thick and covered in fragrant herbs, while the potatoes were roasted until their edges were crisp. Steam rose from the plates as the three of them began eating. For a while, the conversation remained light. Zack did most of the talking, telling a few stories about the Tower, complaining about some of the food vendors, and somehow managing to turn nearly every subject into a joke.

Victor found himself relaxing. It was strange. Only a short time ago, he had been fighting for his life. Now he was sitting at a table, eating dinner.

Then Zack’s expression changed.

The joking smile faded slightly as he looked directly at Victor. ”Honestly, what you did earlier was commendable. But you also stepped on a pretty big landmine.”

Victor raised an eyebrow. ”Alex?”

Zack nodded. ”Alex. More specifically, the Graveborn Family.” His voice became more serious. ”The Graveborns are known for being like snakes. They don’t forget insults. They don’t forgive easily, either. If someone crosses them, they wait for the right opportunity to strike back.”

Zack leaned slightly closer. ”And Alex? He’s definitely inherited that part of the family.”

Victor was silent for a moment. ”So he’s going to come after me.”

”I’d count on it.”

Victor nodded slowly and looked down at his food. ”I understand. But there’s not much I can do about it now. The die has already been cast.”

For a moment, Zack simply stared at him.

Then he burst out laughing. ”Hahaha! I knew I would like you!”

Victor looked at him strangely.

Zack wiped a tear from the corner of his eye. ”Most people would spend the next week worrying about what they should have done differently.” He shook his head. ”But you just accepted it.”

Victor shrugged. ”What’s done is done.”

Zack’s grin returned. ”Exactly.”

The rest of the meal passed without much more discussion about Alex. For a while, there was only food, laughter, and conversation. Victor slowly found himself enjoying the company. Zack’s personality made it difficult not to, and even Jacob seemed more relaxed than he had been since arriving at the Tower.

Eventually, the three finished eating and stepped outside. The market was still lively, though the crowds had begun to thin. Zack stopped near the entrance and looked toward the other two.

”I guess this is where we split up.”

He extended his hand toward Victor.

”I had fun,” Zack said. ”We should do this again soon.”

Victor shook his hand and gave him a small smile. ”I’d like that.”

With that, Zack turned and disappeared into the crowd.

Victor watched him leave for a moment before turning toward Jacob. The two began walking back toward their quarters. The market slowly disappeared behind them, and the further they walked, the quieter the Tower became.

Victor’s thoughts began to wander.

Twenty-four hours.

That was all it had been.

Only twenty-four hours since he had opened his eyes on a laboratory table. Twenty-four hours since he had become a prisoner in a world he didn’t understand. In that single day, he had been bitten by a giant lizard, discovered his strange Black Flame, nearly died in a cavern, and then almost had a sword driven through his chest by a furious young master.

It was almost too much to process.

This world isn’t going to be easy.

Victor remembered Elder Benton’s words.

The weak don’t survive here.

At first, he hadn’t truly understood them. Now he did. Strength wasn’t some distant goal. It was survival. If he wanted to remain alive in the Tower, he needed to become stronger.

Quickly.

Victor was so lost in thought that he barely noticed Jacob slowing down.

”Victor.”

Victor looked over and found Jacob watching him. ”You know what you did today?”

Victor waited for him to continue.

Jacob smiled faintly. ”It reminded me of my boy.”

Victor’s expression softened slightly.

”He was thirteen when he died,” Jacob continued, his voice quieter now. ”He was always like that. If he saw someone weaker than him being hurt, he’d try to protect them. Didn’t matter if it was dangerous. Didn’t matter if he was afraid.”

Jacob looked ahead as they walked. ”Sometimes I used to get angry at him for it. Probably because I knew one day that kindness was going to get him hurt.”

Victor remained silent, listening.

”Something I always taught him was that if you’re going to make a decision, you make it with conviction.” Jacob looked at Victor. ”Don’t spend your life wondering if you should’ve done something differently. If you believe something is right, then stand by it. You shouldn’t look back every five minutes wondering if you made the wrong choice.”

Jacob placed a hand on Victor’s shoulder.

”What you did today... you should be proud of it. You didn’t do anything wrong by protecting that girl.”

Something inside Victor shifted.

It was small. Almost imperceptible. But for the first time in a long time, something cold inside him loosened. A tiny piece of the wall he had built around himself cracked.

In less than a day, this old man had somehow become more than just a roommate. More than a friend.

Victor couldn’t quite explain it, but there was something familiar about Jacob. Something that made him feel like he could trust him.

Like family.

And that realization surprised him more than anything else that had happened that day.

They eventually reached their quarters. Jacob entered first, walked over to his bed, and collapsed onto it.

”I’m exhausted.”

Victor chuckled quietly. ”Goodnight, Jacob.”

Jacob barely managed to respond.

”Night.”