Spellbound Empire: Reincarnated in Balance

The front door slammed shut, shaking the walls of the house. My aunties' sharp voices still echoed in my head, every insult etched deep into my memory. They hadn't even bothered lowering their tone as they ripped into Mom, accusing her of being a freeloader, a weakling who didn't deserve the help they'd so generously given. My fists clenched at the thought, the anger simmering just under the surface.

Before I could even take a breath, Dad's voice cut through the air like a whip.

"Laziel!" he barked, his face red with frustration. "Why did you try to punch her?"

I turned to him, my chest heaving, still caught up in the heat of the moment.

"Dad, are you serious right now?" I shot back, my voice trembling with disbelief. "Did you not hear what she said about Mom?"

"That's not the point!" Dad snapped, stepping closer. His usual calm demeanor was nowhere to be found. "You don't raise your hand to family, no matter what they say!"

"Family?" I repeated, my voice dripping with sarcasm. "That's what you call them? They come here, insult Mom to her face, call me ungrateful, treat Zyron like some charity case, and you just sit there and let it happen? Some family."

"They've done a lot for us!" Dad shot back, his tone rising. "When I lost my job, they stepped in. They didn't have to, but they did! You think we'd still have this house without them? You think food would've just magically appeared on the table?"

"Oh, here we go again," I muttered bitterly, throwing my hands up. "The same excuse every time. 'They helped us, so we owe them.' Dad, how long are we supposed to keep paying this debt? Until they've completely torn us apart?"

"Watch your tone!" Dad roared, his voice booming. "You're too young to understand the sacrifices I've made for this family! You think it's easy to swallow my pride and accept help from them?"

"Then why do it, Dad?" I yelled, stepping closer to him, my anger threatening to boil over. "Why let them treat us like garbage? Why let them humiliate Mom? She's your wife! You're supposed to protect her, not let them tear her down every time they step through that door!"

"Don't tell me how to protect my family!" Dad shouted, slamming his fist on the table. Mom flinched, her face pale and drawn as she sat silently at the dining table. Zyron, who'd been leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, finally spoke up, his voice quiet but firm.

"Laz is right, Dad," he said, his tone unusually serious for someone who usually avoided conflict. "They don't act like family. They act like they own us."

Dad turned to him, his frustration spilling over. "Zyron, you don't understand what it's like. When you're in a position where you can't provide for your family, and someone else steps in to help, it's not as simple as just saying 'no.'"

"But we're not in that position anymore," Zyron replied, his voice steady. "Why can't we just... move on? Cut ties with them if they're going to keep treating us like this?"

Dad shook his head, running a hand through his hair. "You think it's that easy? You think I haven't thought about it? But life doesn't work that way. They're family. We don't get to choose them."

"No, but we do get to choose how we let them treat us," I said, my voice quieter now but still laced with anger. "And you're choosing to let them walk all over us. Over her."

I pointed to Mom, who hadn't said a word throughout the argument. She just sat there, staring at the table with a vacant look in her eyes. That look broke something in me. Mom, who always smiled through everything, who always told us things would be okay even when they weren't, looked defeated. And Dad was just letting it happen.

"Do you even see her?" I demanded, my voice breaking. "Do you see what this is doing to her? To us?"

Dad opened his mouth to respond, but no words came out. For a moment, the room was silent except for the sound of my shaky breathing. Then he sighed, his shoulders slumping as if the weight of the world had just come crashing down on him.

"It's not that simple," he said quietly, almost to himself.

"Of course it's not," I said bitterly, my anger giving way to exhaustion. "It's never that simple, is it? Because you'd rather keep the peace with them than stand up for us"

Dad didn't respond. He just looked at me, his expression unreadable, before turning and walking away.

I stood there, staring at the spot where he'd been, my chest tight and my throat burning. I wanted to scream, to punch something, to do anything to get rid of the frustration and hurt swirling inside me. But I didn't. I just stood there until Zyron put a hand on my shoulder.

"Laz..." he said softly.

I shook my head, brushing him off. "Don't, Just... don't"

Without another word, I walked past him and up the stairs to my room, slamming the door behind me.

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The house felt different after that night. Dad and I barely spoke, and when we did, it was strained and awkward. The easy conversations we used to have, the laughter we used to share, were gone. I still tried to act like my usual self around Zyron, cracking jokes and pretending I didn't care. But it was just an act.

I felt hollow. Like all the energy, all the confidence that had always been a part of me, had been drained away. Every time I walked into the house, it felt like a battlefield, with everyone tiptoeing around the tension.

Mom tried to keep the peace, but even she seemed more withdrawn, her smiles forced and her laughter rare. Zyron stayed quiet, keeping to himself more than usual. And Dad... Dad just acted like nothing had changed.

But it had.

Something had broken that night, and I didn't know if it could ever be fixed.

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_To Be Continue_