From Outcast to Overlord The Unyielding Heir (Leander Ashcroft) novel Chapter 367

Leander lifted his hand toward the blazing mirror. His eyes burned with fury.

For nine long years, he had survived the impossible. He had clawed his way through storms and fire. Each day had been agony. Each night had been a battle to live.

He had faced floods, erupting volcanoes, thunder that split the sky, and tornadoes that ripped the land. Every disaster had nearly ended him. Every trial had forced him past death's edge.

All of it came from one sentence spoken by this mirror.

Even now, after nine years, he would demand the reason.

The Celestial Mirror pulsed brighter. Its blue glow poured into the air.

"Leander, still your fury."

Light spilled down like a rain of sparks. Crystals fell to the shore and gathered together. They shaped the figure of an old man in white robes. His body was faint, but his stance was tall and unyielding.

"I am the soul of the Celestial Mirror," the figure said. His smile was calm. His voice carried weight.

"The reasons you seek will be revealed here and now."

At once, Reginald and Gareth lowered their heads. Their faces showed deep respect.

Ethan, Mira, and the younger Ashcroft heirs fell to their knees.

The mirror had been their family's faith for generations. It was sacred to them. Only Leander stood tall, his brow hard, his eyes stripped of reverence.

The other families and the younger warriors of Astria held their breath. No one dared to speak.

"Leander."

The soul stepped forward. His ghostly frame loomed like a mountain.

"Nine years ago, my power reached its peak, and I awoke. I foresaw this very day. I saw a great calamity descend on the Southern Ocean. The four major elite families would face destruction.

"Your grandfather, Reginald, came before me. He asked how the Ashcroft family could endure.

"I gave him my answer."

The soul's eyes glowed deep.

"To protect your family, your martial power had to be destroyed. You had to be cast into the mountains. Only then could the Ashcroft family survive its doom."

Reginald's eyes shook. Every word matched the truth of that day. Leander's lips twisted into a cold grin.

"So you knew the calamity had nothing to do with me. Yet you demanded they cripple me. You told them to cast me away."

The crowd erupted in shock. The words struck like thunder. Reginald and Gareth snapped their heads toward the soul. Disbelief painted their faces. The soul gave a faint smile and nodded. "That is correct."

Leander's eyes turned to ice. Celestial Mirror, an artifact with the power to see the future. This ancient relic had known the truth all along. It had never been him who would doom the Ashcroft family. Yet it still gave the command that doomed him to nine years of torment.

Reginald and Gareth trembled with guilt. Their hearts broke under the weight of it.

The mirror had known Leander was not their ruin. Then why? Why had it ordered them to destroy him?

Had all their cruelty, all their betrayal, been nothing but the whim of a lying artifact?

Had they truly condemned their own blood because of one careless word?

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