Weakest Beast Tamer Gets All SSS Dragons

Chapter 400 - Tamers War - The Immortal (2/2)

Laura had been born with the strongest will to see the world and had inherited Selphiraʼs love for ”living to the fullest,” the philosophy the long-lived woman had developed after seeing so many people regret, at the end of their lives, not having pursued their dreams.

That philosophy, along with that innate love for exploration and adventure, had been what had finally cost Laura her life.

Selphira had been left in charge of Liora... the small three-year-old granddaughter, and Leonel had become her absolute priority. But unlike Laura, who had thirsted for adventures, Leonel thirsted for power.

And Selphira knew it. She had known it for years.

She constantly found herself in a dilemma that ate at her from within:

Give him what he wanted like Laura, respecting his autonomy and desires?

Or learn from Lauraʼs loss and deny him what could lead him to ruin, even though that also meant denying him the opportunity to fully experience his life?

”Help me climb the last rungs,” Leonel continued, his voice taking on a more pleading tone. ”Make me the new family leader. Take me to war to earn indisputable merit. When we return victorious, no one will be able to question my position.”

ʼHeʼs already an adult,ʼ Selphira reminded herself, ʼbut not really.ʼ

She had spoiled him, perhaps too much. Perhaps he had lacked a father figure, someone to set firm limits when she couldnʼt do it. Perhaps he had lacked having less authority and more experience of suffering under it, of understanding what it truly meant to earn othersʼ respect instead of receiving it by grace of being the son of such an imposing figure.

But it was too late for him...

Leonel had already grown up, had already been formed under her influence, and the patterns were too established.

Selphira could see it clearly: the subtle arrogance in his posture, the expectation that the world would bend to his desires, the inability to understand why the ”old foxes” of the family didnʼt automatically recognize him as leader and why his selfish desires couldnʼt be the priority every time.

And she blamed herself for it. In the end, she was responsible for this outcome.

”Leonel,” she said finally, her voice loaded with the weight of centuries of experience, ”leadership isnʼt taken by force. Itʼs earned through...”

”Time?” He interrupted bitterly. ”Patience? Iʼve had patience for too many years, mother. Iʼve worked, Iʼve demonstrated my power, Iʼve shown my loyalty. But while youʼre here, while youʼre the undisputed matriarch, no one else can truly shine.”

The words hit Selphira like a physical punch. There was truth in them, a truth she had been avoiding facing.

Her longevity, her power, her dominant presence had effectively created a shadow under which her descendants struggled to define themselves... and failed.

Each generation had to live with the knowledge that they would never be truly independent while she was alive.

”Itʼs not your time,” she said softly, though the words hurt even her.

”When will it be my time?” The desperation in his voice was palpable now. ”When Iʼm forty? Fifty? When youʼve lived so long that even your current great-grandchildren are elderly?”

ʼItʼs what happened with Lothar,ʼ Selphira thought, remembering her first son. ʼHe lived 240 years under my shadow, always ”Selphiraʼs son,” never really his own man.ʼ

Leonel moved closer, and for the first time in years, Selphira saw genuine vulnerability behind his mask of confidence.

”Laura had fun,” he murmured. ”She found her place. She didnʼt need to be in the center of attention. But I...” he placed a hand on his chest, ”I need to know that my life has meaning beyond being ʼthe immortal matriarchʼs adoptive son.ʼ”

Selphira felt tears she hadnʼt shed in decades threatening to fall. How had she reached this point? How had she failed so completely in understanding the needs of someone she loved so much?

”War isnʼt a game, Leonel,” she said finally. ”Itʼs not an opportunity to win glory. Itʼs blood, pain, loss...”

”I know!” He shouted, and his beasts manifested partially in him. ”Do you think I donʼt know? I lost my first family in the last wave! I saw what violence really means!”

His voice broke slightly.

”But I also know what it means to live in a golden cage. I know what it means to have power but not authority, respect but not genuine recognition. Iʼd rather die fighting for something real than live my whole life as an extension of someone elseʼs shadow... Even if itʼs yours!”

Selphira remained silent for a long moment, feeling the weight of every year she had lived, every decision she had made, every life she had touched and possibly ruined with the best intentions.

Laura had died pursuing her dreams. Leonel was willing to die pursuing his.

When had protection stopped being protection and become prison?

”The promise Iʼm going to fulfill,” she said slowly, ”is personal. Itʼs between Kharzan and me. It wonʼt be a battle where you can win easy glory.”

”Then let me make my own promise,” Leonel replied immediately. ”Let me find my own battle. But donʼt leave me here, waiting once again for someone else to decide when Iʼm ready to live my life.”

Selphira looked at her son, because thatʼs what he was, regardless of blood or family politics, and saw so much of herself reflected in him. The determination, the fierceness, the inability to accept limits imposed by others.

ʼMaybe,ʼ she thought, ʼthe real cruelty isnʼt letting him suffer. Maybe the real cruelty is continuing to keep him in a cage Iʼve built with love but thatʼs still a cage...ʼ

”If you come with me,” she said finally, her voice barely a whisper, ”I canʼt promise youʼll return. I canʼt promise you glory or recognition. I can only promise you that youʼll have the chance to prove who you really are amid violence and pain, without my shadow protecting you.”

Leonelʼs eyes lit up with a mixture of triumph and terror.

”Itʼs all Iʼve ever wanted,” he said simply.

Selphira nodded slowly, feeling as if she were signing a death sentence... his, hers, or maybe both.

”Then prepare yourself. We leave in an hour.”

As Leonel ran off to prepare, Selphira remained alone with her thoughts and the overwhelming weight of a decision she knew she might regret for the rest of her very, very long life.

ʼIf there is a rest of life to regret,ʼ she thought grimly.