His blood boiled with a seething rage, and he couldn't contain himself any longer. With a wild cry, he launched himself forward, his fist balled up in a tight knot of anger. But just as he was about to strike, something strange happened - it was as if an invisible force had seized his arm and held it back, preventing him from delivering the blow he so desperately wanted.

What followed after was pin-drop silence.

Suddenly, a booming voice shattered the tense silence that had fallen over the shrine. It was Lady Rosaline, the high priestess of the Moon Goddess Shrine, that had spoken up, and her words were like thunderbolts raining down on Garrick's already frazzled nerves.

"How dare you cause such a disturbance in this sacred place! Do you have no respect for the Goddess?" she roared, her voice echoing off the walls of the shrine. "Your behavior is utterly atrocious and will not be tolerated!"

Garrick hung his head in shame, hearing her words. His face was flushed with embarrassment and anger as he knew he had messed up. However, it was too late to regret it. Every action had its consequences, and now he was going to pay the price for his foolishness.

Swoosh!

With a swift flick of Lady Rosaline's wrist, he was sent flying out of the shrine's massive gates and hurtling across the frozen lake.

Thud!

He crashed onto the icy surface with a dull thud.

Then, he heard the sound of a growing crowd gathering around him, murmuring in hushed tones about what had just happened.

Garrick's heart sank as he realized that he had become the center of attention - and not in a good way.

To even get kicked out of the holiest place in the Imperial Frost Clan, just how ugly was his heart?

He could hear the crowd taunting him fearlessly. Their cruel words cut through him like a knife, making him feel like he was drowning in a sea of his own inadequacy.

He wanted to get up and suppress them, to show them that despite falling from grace, he wasn't someone others could casually step down upon!

As he stumbled to his feet, Garrick was greeted by an even more devastating sight.

His father, the stern and unforgiving Elder Darian, was standing there, glaring down at him with a look of utter contempt, his eyes filled with disappointment and anger.

Pa!

Without a word, he raised his hand and delivered a stinging slap across Garrick's cheek, sending him reeling a few steps backwards.

"How dare you embarrass me like this," he spat, his voice dripping with disdain. "You should be ashamed of yourself."

Garrick's hand flew to his throbbing cheek, the sting of pain spreading across his face like wildfire. The familiar ache of being struck by his father was not new to him; it was a daily occurrence. But this time was different. This time, the vicious assault had taken place in broad daylight, in front of dozens of people.

Garrick's heart pounded in his chest as he watched his father discard any pretense of being a loving parent. The facade was shattered, and the truth was laid bare for all to see: his father was a daily visitor of domestic abuse, a brutal oppressor who inflicted harm upon his own flesh and blood without remorse. Garrick could feel the weight of their gazes on him, judgmental and pitying, and he hated it.

Looking at how badly Elder Darian was treating his son, Lirian furrowed his brows and let out a frustrated sigh. As a father, Elder Darian had the right to discipline his son, but why was he doing it in front of hundreds of thousands of people? Did he not care about his son's feelings? How cruel was he?

"He is being too much," Lirian remarked, shaking his head. Thankfully, Lord Darian didn't hear him; otherwise, he would have become the target of his ire.

Magnus watched the tense interaction between the father and son, feeling a sense of sadness wash over him. Garrick was known as an arrogant troublemaker in the clan, but Magnus didn't blame him for his unkind and chauvinistic behavior. After all, it was his father who had instilled these values in him, repressing his wife, stopping her from interacting with her son, and manipulating his son.

And now, with Garrick failing to awaken his soul plate, Lord Darian was being downright cruel.

"What a jerk of a father," Magnus muttered under his breath.

Sadly, this type of toxic behavior was all too common within the Imperial Frost Clan.

In this clan, parents would use their children to gain benefits or further their own agendas, disregarding their child's well-being and emotional needs.

In the past, Magnus had tried to establish rules to prevent parents from teaching their children harsh lessons through physical and emotional abuse, but his efforts had been met with furious resistance from the members of his court, including his ministers and even the Grand Patriarch had told him to back down.

As much as it pained him, Magnus knew that he couldn't interfere with other families' matters.

After all, he was injured, a fact that made it hard for him to pressure other using forceful means. Moreover, it had only been a few years since he had taken on the position of clan patriarch, and he didn't want to rock the boat too much.

Thus, he had reluctantly agreed to take a step back, but the thought of all the innocent children suffering at the hands of their parents made his blood boil.

In the center of the crowd, Elder Darian bore his eyes into Garrick's, a menacing glare that seemed to pierce through him.

"Instead of standing there like a befuddled baffoon, scurry back to your quarters and pack your belongings. Your status has been revoked, and your privilege level has dropped to 9. You don't have the right to stay in the empire's capital. In precisely an hour's time, you shall depart for Planet Dolari." His voice rumbled with authority as he spoke, leaving no room for argument.