Chapter 1: Chapter 000

“Hyx Atlas,” uttered the Grandmaster of the Atlas Clan, Soren, from his throne atop the altar. “You have disgraced the clan’s honour with your trivial awakening and now, you seek to tarnish the clan’s honour further by stealing from the clan’s treasury!”

“It’s a lie, Lord Father!” Hyx, who was kneeling at the bottom of the altar, rebutted desperately. “I did not do it! It wasn’t me!”

“It wasn’t you!?” Soren slammed on the handrest of his throne. “You still have the audacity to say that when we have already found the stolen items in your room?”

“I don’t know how they got there! I didn’t steal anything!” 

“Hyx, there are multiple witnesses to your crimes. They saw you leaving the treasury. They saw you with their own eyes.”

“Then they must be lying! I was in my room the whole night, training!”

“So, you are saying your cousins and uncles are liars?”

“W-what…” Hyx couldn’t believe what he just heard. He turned his head slowly to the side, like a rusty cogwheel in dire need of lubricant.

The faces of his uncles, aunts, and cousins drifted into his sight. They were all sporting looks of disappointment and sorrow towards him. However, under those expressions, Hyx could see the heinous and triumphant grin they were holding back.

“W-why…” Hyx muttered. The memories of their time together flashed before Hyx’s mind. 

He was a disappointment to his prestigious clan, Hyx himself was fully aware of that. He was the sole legitimate child of the Atlas Clan’s patriarch and grandmaster but he was the worst of them all. Most children of the Atlas clan experienced their awakening mostly around the age of seven. Hyx awakened at the age of twelve, which was the latest time anyone in the Atlas Clan had awakened at. 

Not only did he awaken late, but his prowess and abilities after his awakening were also nothing to be proud of by the standards of the Atlas Clan. He was seventeen now, nearing eighteen in just two months, and he still wasn’t able to win against any of the clan members of his age.

Strangely enough, his relatives, primarily his uncles and cousins, did not shun him like the others. They had been his pillars of support in spite of his inadequate performance and his measly results. He never knew why they stuck with him and he never thought to question them. Maybe deep down, he knew the truth would be awful and he would rather live in a sweet lie than face the awful truth.

But all was for nought now. Whatever reason they had in acquainting themselves with the failure of the Atlas Clan, the reason was no more.

“Well, Hyx, do you have anything else to say in your defence?” Soren asked with the usual impassive gaze of his that never seemed to have a replacement.

A bead of tears trickled down his face from his unfocused gaze. “I didn’t do it, father…” Hyx balled his hands into fists. “Why wouldn’t you believe me, father…?”

“Why should I believe you? You have no proof to support your denial.”

“How can I have any proof when I wasn’t even given the time—”

“Enough!” Soren’s voice reverberated fiercely across the room, silencing every last chatter and whisper. 

“Why… Why do you refuse to give me the chance to—”

“I said, enough.” 

“Father—”

“I have overlooked your disappointing awakening,” he cut him off coldly. “I have overlooked your lack of progress. But to think you would sink those low… I’m very disappointed, Hyx.”

“Father, please. Let me—”

“I am not your father,” Soren silenced Hyx with that short declaration. “Not anymore.”

Hyx had his mouth opened but he was too shocked to even make a sound.

You are reading story Rise of the Exile at novel35.com

“As the Grandmaster of the Atlas Clan, I hereby sentence you to exile perpetually.”

“This is absurd!” Hyx, finally regained his senses, shouted. “Caden, your nephew and my cousin, premeditatedly killed a child of a vassal clan, and his punishment was a mere six months of solitary confinement! I didn’t even kill anyone! Why am I being exiled perpetually!? This is absurd. This is injustice! This is a farce of a trial!”

“Does your insolence know no bounds, Hyx?”

“I’m insolent for wanting to prove my innocence?”

“Hyx… even now, you are still trying to…” the woman sitting beside Soren muttered sorrowfully. Her name was Melia and she was the concubine of the Grandmaster. “Stealing from the Clan is a grave sin, Hyx. Even an outsider like me knows. Anyone else would have been crippled and cast to the streets. But your father is merciful enough to be lenient on your punishment. Yet, you still—” 

“Silence, you old hag!” Hyx snapped, shocking the whole room. “You planned this, didn’t you? You framed me! This is your scheme, isn’t it, you wench!?”

“You dare to speak to your mother with that tone?!” Soren roared as he rose from his seat.

“Mother?” Hyx scoffed. “I did not squirm my way out of that slut’s womb. I am not, in any way, of her blood. And didn’t you just disown me, Soren?”

Soren was seething with rage but his expression remained composed. His clenched fists were the only hints of his inflamed anger. “It would appear that Melia’s right. I was too fair with you.”

“Lenient? I’m not even given a chance to prove my innocence and I’m already given a permanent exile without a chance of redemption. How is any of this fair?”

“You continue to trample on my leniency… You are a hopeless one, Hyx.” 

“...I see what this is…” Hyx shakily pushed himself to his feet. “This is truly a farce of a trial. My sentence and crimes have already long been determined. My true offence is that I’m a failure, not that I’m a thief or anything.”

“This trial is over,” Soren announced, making his way slowly down the altar. His unyielding gaze stayed fixed on Hyx.

“Like there was a trial, to begin with.”

“Your sentence has been decided.” Soren stood before Hyx, looking down at him due to their height difference. “Perpetual exile. You shall now be banished to the unknown lands beyond the dark mist.”

Hyx’s brows sprang up. “That’s no different than a death sentence!” he cried. He glanced around the room, gauging the audience’s reaction. Quite a few were surprised by the development but most could barely hide their grins behind their astonished facade. Melia was one of those who was on the verge of breaking into a triumphant grin.

“It had not been my intention but since you insulted my wife and you refused to admit to your crimes, this shall be your sentence.”

“F-fff… Fuck you!” Hyx shouted right into Soren’s face.

“Insolent until the end… I suppose it was pointless to expect something out of the one who killed his own mother.”

“You fucking—” Hyx lunged as he yelled but his assault and shout were cut short by a palm thrust to his torso. He retched from the air being expelled out of his lungs as he stumbled backwards. 

The space pulled apart behind him, revealing an endless whirling patch of darkness within. Hyx stumbled right into the portal.

Hyx reached out his hand, holding on to the hope that someone in this room still had a shred of decency left to save him from this unjust sentence of his. But no one came to his aid right as the portal began to close after he completely fell through. 

Seconds before the portal closed up completely, the relieved expression of Soren and the triumphant grin of Melia were the last things Hyx bore witness to.

And then absolute darkness consumed his sight.

You can find story with these keywords: Rise of the Exile, Read Rise of the Exile, Rise of the Exile novel, Rise of the Exile book, Rise of the Exile story, Rise of the Exile full, Rise of the Exile Latest Chapter