Rising from the Ashes (Andrew) novel Chapter 2633

Glancing at his anxious and conflicted prized student, Philip asked, "So what do you want me to do? I told Conrad that he and Andrew are not birds of a feather. Andrew looks like a goofy little sparrow, while Conrad thinks he's a phoenix about to take flight.

"He imagined his ugly wings would still carry him skyward, but fate doesn't follow anyone's pretty fantasies when it pulls the strings. Andrew's sparrow feathers would fall away, and Conrad would see he wasn't facing a dumb bird but a massive beast with wings that shaded the sky."

He continued, "When Conrad realized he wasn't a phoenix, he started telling himself he was a hawk, but what he actually was didn't matter. Those whose minds stayed immature and were ruled by old obsessions needed to be taught with blood and pain so the lesson would sink in."

Luna ground her teeth. "But that lesson shouldn't cost Conrad his life."

Philip sneered. "When Andrew was fighting for his life, what was Conrad doing? I'm not giving Conrad the truth because I want him to rot in the fog of not knowing. Only this way, only through Andrew's brutal beating or even directly taking his life, will he grow."

He added, "I feel the same way about you. The world is cruel, and it doesn't forgive fools standing at the center of the storm. Either you don't step forward and pretend you'll soar to the heavens, or you brace for the hurricane that'll tear you apart before you can react. Survive that destruction, and then you can truly fly. That's the price of growing up."

Luna shook her head, looking distressed. "Whether it's Conrad or Andrew, I don't want anything to happen to either of them. Sir, since you won't care about Conrad, what about Andrew? If Andrew kills Conrad, aren't you worried about how that will change Andrew?"

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