"Please just kill me… Dad."
His last sentence hit the hardest.
Theo told them not to consider him their son anymore because he didn't want to know parents like them.
Yet, he dropped a bomb by calling Ray "Dad" instead of his name like his brother. And the words that accompanied it were to kill him.
Even Ray's body started shaking as his original intention in doing all this was to protect Theo. Valerie couldn't contain her tears anymore as she could see Theo's words were not out of anger. He truly meant it.
Unfortunately for them, Theo didn't give them more time. He punched the floor to stop his anger and closed his eyes before getting up.
"You have done your job from the Griffith Family… It's time for both of you to leave." His feet became limp as he stumbled on the table and instinctively jumped up to let him fall on the couch instead of the table.
Ray and Valerie instinctively raised their hands as if they wanted to catch him, but they knew they already had no place in Theo's life.
"Leave!" Theo shouted once more while openly showing his anger.
Ray and Valerie looked down and rose from the floor.
Before leaving, Theo said one last piece. "From this point onward, I am an orphan. My parents… My parents have died since I was two years old. I know nothing about both of you, and if you are in my way, I will… kill you."
"…" Ray and Valerie halted for a moment before walking out of the house, with Valerie helping Ray to walk.
The moment they disappeared from the house, an unbearable sense of longing and emptiness struck his heart. Theo couldn't help but clutch his head, wanting everything to be over.
Despite having the strength to beat him up, Theo could see that Ray didn't even protect himself. It was clear he was ready to die if Theo really wanted to kill him earlier.
That was the last thing stopping him from doing anything further. All he wanted was a time to be alone, sorting his thoughts through the night while shedding tears.
Unknowingly, he passed out due to all the shocks, leaning on the couch alone.
He woke up at noon, staring at the ceiling with blank eyes. If he took a look at himself in the mirror, he would see a mess.
Nevertheless, Theo's mind had become even clearer. There was no more attachment to this so-called family.
From today onwards, Theo was just an orphan without any acquaintance in this world. He wasn't the son of the Griffith Family, nor was he the person of the War God Family.
He let go of everything.
He felt a bit bad for Leonardo, but he had no more feelings for him than being an elder.
With all this "family" stuff out of his mind, he could somehow see the offers objectively.
All he needed to do was to wait for Ava.
In the meantime, he tried to practice again to distract his thoughts, but in the end, he was overwhelmed by what happened that night.
Theo ultimately postponed all sorts of training until he cleared his mind.
Of course, Theo spared no efforts in resolving the lingering thought by meditating.
After a long two days, Theo had resolved most of his thoughts before he received a notification.
Trial: Choose a country
Reward: Meeting Hel
"Is it really the time for something like this?" Theo muttered, confused by this timing.
He just got over the emotional roller coaster, and the Goddess of Death had started pushing him again in this matter.
He thought it might be related to the requirement, but he didn't know what she wanted.
To his surprise, another notification appeared.
[If you want to distract yourself and get over your feelings, you should come here. I will help you by giving you a ton of work.]
"…" Theo was speechless when he read the message. Although it was true that he could distract his thoughts that way, he didn't want to waste the chance of learning from Hel. Hence, he didn't wish to head over there until he finished sorting out his thoughts.
"I apologize, but I don't wish to get distracted by this feeling when learning from you. If I go there, it will be when I'm ready to go. Sorry."
After that apology, there was no more notification. He didn't know whether she was disappointed or satisfied with his response, but Theo just did whatever he needed to do.
It took him another two days to finally resolve his feelings.
"Huft… This is good enough." Theo took a deep breath with his eyes closed. He had been meditating in his yard while feeling the breeze to calm his mind for a while.
"Well, I have chosen the place I want to be, so I can immediately ask for the contract and pack up my things. Also, I will get the reward while waiting for Ava." He thought for a moment. "I guess that's all my plan. Let's go back to the house."
When he was about to get up, he sensed a presence standing behind him. Despite not looking at her, Theo already knew the identity of the person who visited him.
"For what reason, you are coming here?" asked Theo with a tone devoid of all emotions. He remembered she was a person related to the Griffith Family. On top of that, she was also Alea's grandmother. "Elder Nina."
"…" Nina closed her eyes, understanding Theo's state of mind. She realized how much everything affected him, so Nina answered with a serious expression. "I won't be here for too long. I only have one purpose here."
As if seeing his master's conviction, Theo agreed, turned around and looked her in the eyes. "May I know what it is, Elder Nina?"
"This may probably be the last thing I can do for you…" Nina took out a notebook and a bracelet.
"They are…" Theo narrowed his eyes and inspected the two items.
Nina offered her best smile even though it looked awkward. "These are your birthday presents. Happy birthday, Theo.. You're an adult now."