Chapter 218
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With how the stubborn elders resisted change at every opportunity, it was no surprise that how majority of them who held the power up top were those that were the most resistant to change. Especially when it came to their authority.
Vincent felt sad at the thought. The elders had all once been outstanding in their field, eventually allowing themselves to rise after they lived long enough.
He supposed what they said about absolute power and how it corrupted couldn't be escaped even in a clan like this.
That Vincent could be so relaxed right now, especially when he was in his own office, already spoke of how much confidence he had in what he'd already done.
This building was a symbol that things were changing. That it was even built was already a symbol that things were changing.
Alec overlooked the room that exuded a sense of quiet stability, something that was very in line with his uncle's personality.
While it wasn't anything big, Alec could imagine his uncle seated behind the desk, silently exuding pressure on the ones that entered as they gave reports.
There were stacks of paperwork on the desk seated in the room, so high that it almost appeared like a mountain.
He could also imagine his uncle seated on the sofa like he was doing now when he wanted to give off a friendlier impression, and Alec found himself relaxing more. It appeared that his uncle had things well in hand.
"Yes, I've cleaned house," Vincent said. He sounded neutral.
Had Alec not been listening carefully, he would have missed the slightly smug satisfaction that came with it.
Vincent continued. "I'm the main power in the clan now, and various things are changing. I started the day after you left the clan. At that time, the elders are always relatively laxer in their protection. Unfortunately, a lot of them resisted the change coming," Vincent said, but he didn't express his regret over his actions.
He knew that not everyone would assent to what he was doing, but change was needed if the Neil Clan to continue to grow. They had been stagnant for far too long, and they were rotting from the inside out.
Before any enemies killed them, they would be killed by themselves. Vincent had seen enough to know what it looked like when a power stagnated for too long. People outside would start to get ideas.
Vincent didn't want to wake up one day and realize that enemies were already upon them. Realize that he could have stopped it had he only taken power earlier, preventing it from happening.
As it stood, the elders passed the years like they were content in their little pocket of power, forgetting that there were other powers out there who eyed their clan hungrily, waiting for an opportune moment to strike.
But even when he spoke about all these high-sounding reasons, the real reason why Vincent moved was that someone had the audacity to try and harm his nephew.
Just thinking about it made his eyes go cold.
Before, no one had dared overtly try to harm another clan member, but it seemed as if the elders lost their heads when they thought about Alec's black hair.
That someone's genes could be stronger than the Neil family's dominant genes left them deeply unsettled.
To think that there had been people that had *dared* to try and target his older sister and his nephew while he had been protecting them. It was unacceptable, and it went against the only reason why he had stepped up to take the position in the first place.
Other than that, the stagnating elders only ever favoured Brights, and they were intolerant of the other Societypes.
Though their clan did indeed have a majority of Brights, that didn't mean that they didn't have a fair number of other Societypes as well.
Yet, despite their brilliance, they were always overlooked and passed over by the elders up top, and any wrongdoing caused to them was glossed over in favour of the Brights.
It left Vincent seething in anger, but he hadn't realized just how powerless a clan head was until he took over.
There were times when Vincent cursed the ancestors for their indulgence in this stagnant, rotting pool, allowing the power to go to their heads until it whittled away what little power the clan head had.
He had been a mere puppet moving on strings, acting according to their whims.
Luckily, Vincent had people he trusted and cultivated, and those that he nurtured didn't let him down.
Politics at its finest. Vincent struck when they were at their weakest, overturning them without giving them any opportunity to resist.
Either the elders submitted to the changes, or they would be quietly dealt with.
There had been no small number of elders that had been dealt with permanently.
While Vincent respected what they had done for the clan, they had also been the ones that caused the continued stagnation of growth, with how set they were in their ways.
In the end, there was only a small number of more progressive elders – the elders that had been oppressed by the rest – left in the clan, leaving the clan overall weaker than before. But the clan would only grow from this point onwards after they had cut off the rotting flesh before it could spread any further.
The thing that showed instant change instead of the other gradually happening changes was the yearly tradition of the 'clan massacre'. It had been dealt with appropriately.
While they still carried it out to the best of their ability, the fleeing seeds from their clan were promptly caught then dragged back as they had everything explained to them, showing them how it worked.
The first time this happened, it caused them some resentment, but Vincent would gladly bear the blame, knowing that there were no clan members under his rule that left thinking that the entire clan, as well as their families, had been massacred in an unknown incident as a final cruel test.
Hopefully, this would ease the death rate in their children who went out to explore. They would not be as reckless, nor as careless with their lives like before.
It would not cause their clan to decline, like so many of the elders had insisted, but instead push themselves to achieve greater heights.
Vincent was a lucky man that had friends and subordinates that supported him in the clan, otherwise he would never have been able to implement the changes that the clan needed.
After three years, Vincent had finally managed to somewhat stabilize the situation in the clan.
The clan now fell entirely into his command, and things were progressing at a steady pace.
There were many things that had happened, but Vincent only told Alec about what had happened in the most factual way, free of bias and opinion, leaving Alec to be free to form his own opinions.
"You've come back at a good time," Vincent said, looking pleased.
He'd managed to quieten all the dissenters who didn't think that his harsh way of handling the situation was optimal, but Vincent had shown them over the years that he didn't resort to violence as the first method.
It was, in fact, the final method when everything else failed.
Doing so had won him more supporters within the clan, and the progress they made was heartening to the clan members, who dreamed about lively days in the future.
Alec was a little disappointed, even when he was impressed. He'd thought about various ways to deal with the ears on the walls, but it seemed like his uncle had it well in hand.
Alec thought that he'd come back to face some backstabbing now that he'd returned due to his parentage, but it was a pleasant surprise that he didn't.
"Did mother take part in helping you?"
Vincent's normally stern face faded into a smirk. "How could she not?" he said instead of answering. There was something in his tone that Alec couldn't place.
Vincent got up from his comfortable position on the couch, walking over to the desk in the middle of the room.
He pulled out a sealed envelope from within, causing Alec to raise an eyebrow.
Alec took the heavy but slim envelope from his uncle instead of asking questions that could be easily answered. The outer appearance of the enveloped suggested that it should be light, but the weight in his hands said otherwise.
"Elder sister left around a year ago. None of us expected that you would be back so quickly, but she left behind that for you if you did return before she returned."
"How long do clan members take before they come back?" Alec asked absently.
Vincent's lips curled into a smile. "Ten years, twenty years. Some never come back at all."
Alec's brows raised, but he understood.
He lowered his head to silently read the contents of the letter, his face set in his normal smile. He didn't let on the contents of the letter, but Vincent thought he knew what was inside already.
His elder sister was probably explaining the rather complicated situation between herself and Alec's father –
Ah, he shouldn't speculate so much. His sister had her own life, as he did his.
She was a grown woman, and she could take care of her own affairs.
Instead of saying anything else, Alec gracefully stood up, thanking his uncle.
"So, uncle, are you going to visit our apartment later?" Alec said, and his smile took on a bit of a mischievous edge, causing him to look very similar to his mother, but it disappeared before Vincent caught sight of it.
Vincent's face blanked as his lips twitched lightly.
The best thing about his sister being gone was that he *didn't* have to visit that damn haunted apartment!
Unfortunately, Alec, unlike his sister, did not know that he tried to avoid whatever supernatural spirits were dwelling in that apartment.
Vincent stiffly agreed, desperately trying to keep up his image in his nephew's heart, not knowing that his image had long been shattered before Alec.
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With how the stubborn elders resisted change at every opportunity, it was no surprise that how majority of them who held the power up top were those that were the most resistant to change. Especially when it came to their authority.
Vincent felt sad at the thought. The elders had all once been outstanding in their field, eventually allowing themselves to rise after they lived long enough.
He supposed what they said about absolute power and how it corrupted couldn't be escaped even in a clan like this.
That Vincent could be so relaxed right now, especially when he was in his own office, already spoke of how much confidence he had in what he'd already done.
This building was a symbol that things were changing. That it was even built was already a symbol that things were changing.
Alec overlooked the room that exuded a sense of quiet stability, something that was very in line with his uncle's personality.
While it wasn't anything big, Alec could imagine his uncle seated behind the desk, silently exuding pressure on the ones that entered as they gave reports.
There were stacks of paperwork on the desk seated in the room, so high that it almost appeared like a mountain.
He could also imagine his uncle seated on the sofa like he was doing now when he wanted to give off a friendlier impression, and Alec found himself relaxing more. It appeared that his uncle had things well in hand.
"Yes, I've cleaned house," Vincent said. He sounded neutral.
Had Alec not been listening carefully, he would have missed the slightly smug satisfaction that came with it.
Vincent continued. "I'm the main power in the clan now, and various things are changing. I started the day after you left the clan. At that time, the elders are always relatively laxer in their protection. Unfortunately, a lot of them resisted the change coming," Vincent said, but he didn't express his regret over his actions.
He knew that not everyone would assent to what he was doing, but change was needed if the Neil Clan to continue to grow. They had been stagnant for far too long, and they were rotting from the inside out.
Before any enemies killed them, they would be killed by themselves. Vincent had seen enough to know what it looked like when a power stagnated for too long. People outside would start to get ideas.
Vincent didn't want to wake up one day and realize that enemies were already upon them. Realize that he could have stopped it had he only taken power earlier, preventing it from happening.
As it stood, the elders passed the years like they were content in their little pocket of power, forgetting that there were other powers out there who eyed their clan hungrily, waiting for an opportune moment to strike.
But even when he spoke about all these high-sounding reasons, the real reason why Vincent moved was that someone had the audacity to try and harm his nephew.
Just thinking about it made his eyes go cold.
Before, no one had dared overtly try to harm another clan member, but it seemed as if the elders lost their heads when they thought about Alec's black hair.
That someone's genes could be stronger than the Neil family's dominant genes left them deeply unsettled.
To think that there had been people that had *dared* to try and target his older sister and his nephew while he had been protecting them. It was unacceptable, and it went against the only reason why he had stepped up to take the position in the first place.
Other than that, the stagnating elders only ever favoured Brights, and they were intolerant of the other Societypes.
Though their clan did indeed have a majority of Brights, that didn't mean that they didn't have a fair number of other Societypes as well.
Yet, despite their brilliance, they were always overlooked and passed over by the elders up top, and any wrongdoing caused to them was glossed over in favour of the Brights.
It left Vincent seething in anger, but he hadn't realized just how powerless a clan head was until he took over.
There were times when Vincent cursed the ancestors for their indulgence in this stagnant, rotting pool, allowing the power to go to their heads until it whittled away what little power the clan head had.
He had been a mere puppet moving on strings, acting according to their whims.
Luckily, Vincent had people he trusted and cultivated, and those that he nurtured didn't let him down.
Politics at its finest. Vincent struck when they were at their weakest, overturning them without giving them any opportunity to resist.
Either the elders submitted to the changes, or they would be quietly dealt with.
There had been no small number of elders that had been dealt with permanently.
While Vincent respected what they had done for the clan, they had also been the ones that caused the continued stagnation of growth, with how set they were in their ways.
In the end, there was only a small number of more progressive elders – the elders that had been oppressed by the rest – left in the clan, leaving the clan overall weaker than before. But the clan would only grow from this point onwards after they had cut off the rotting flesh before it could spread any further.
The thing that showed instant change instead of the other gradually happening changes was the yearly tradition of the 'clan massacre'. It had been dealt with appropriately.
While they still carried it out to the best of their ability, the fleeing seeds from their clan were promptly caught then dragged back as they had everything explained to them, showing them how it worked.
The first time this happened, it caused them some resentment, but Vincent would gladly bear the blame, knowing that there were no clan members under his rule that left thinking that the entire clan, as well as their families, had been massacred in an unknown incident as a final cruel test.
Hopefully, this would ease the death rate in their children who went out to explore. They would not be as reckless, nor as careless with their lives like before.
It would not cause their clan to decline, like so many of the elders had insisted, but instead push themselves to achieve greater heights.
Vincent was a lucky man that had friends and subordinates that supported him in the clan, otherwise he would never have been able to implement the changes that the clan needed.
After three years, Vincent had finally managed to somewhat stabilize the situation in the clan.
The clan now fell entirely into his command, and things were progressing at a steady pace.
There were many things that had happened, but Vincent only told Alec about what had happened in the most factual way, free of bias and opinion, leaving Alec to be free to form his own opinions.
"You've come back at a good time," Vincent said, looking pleased.
He'd managed to quieten all the dissenters who didn't think that his harsh way of handling the situation was optimal, but Vincent had shown them over the years that he didn't resort to violence as the first method.
It was, in fact, the final method when everything else failed.
Doing so had won him more supporters within the clan, and the progress they made was heartening to the clan members, who dreamed about lively days in the future.
Alec was a little disappointed, even when he was impressed. He'd thought about various ways to deal with the ears on the walls, but it seemed like his uncle had it well in hand.
Alec thought that he'd come back to face some backstabbing now that he'd returned due to his parentage, but it was a pleasant surprise that he didn't.
"Did mother take part in helping you?"
Vincent's normally stern face faded into a smirk. "How could she not?" he said instead of answering. There was something in his tone that Alec couldn't place.
Vincent got up from his comfortable position on the couch, walking over to the desk in the middle of the room.
He pulled out a sealed envelope from within, causing Alec to raise an eyebrow.
Alec took the heavy but slim envelope from his uncle instead of asking questions that could be easily answered. The outer appearance of the enveloped suggested that it should be light, but the weight in his hands said otherwise.
"Elder sister left around a year ago. None of us expected that you would be back so quickly, but she left behind that for you if you did return before she returned."
"How long do clan members take before they come back?" Alec asked absently.
Vincent's lips curled into a smile. "Ten years, twenty years. Some never come back at all."
Alec's brows raised, but he understood.
He lowered his head to silently read the contents of the letter, his face set in his normal smile. He didn't let on the contents of the letter, but Vincent thought he knew what was inside already.
His elder sister was probably explaining the rather complicated situation between herself and Alec's father –
Ah, he shouldn't speculate so much. His sister had her own life, as he did his.
She was a grown woman, and she could take care of her own affairs.
Instead of saying anything else, Alec gracefully stood up, thanking his uncle.
"So, uncle, are you going to visit our apartment later?" Alec said, and his smile took on a bit of a mischievous edge, causing him to look very similar to his mother, but it disappeared before Vincent caught sight of it.
Vincent's face blanked as his lips twitched lightly.
The best thing about his sister being gone was that he *didn't* have to visit that damn haunted apartment!
Unfortunately, Alec, unlike his sister, did not know that he tried to avoid whatever supernatural spirits were dwelling in that apartment.
Vincent stiffly agreed, desperately trying to keep up his image in his nephew's heart, not knowing that his image had long been shattered before Alec.
With how the stubborn elders resisted change at every opportunity, it was no surprise that how majority of them who held the power up top were those that were the most resistant to change. Especially when it came to their authority.Vincent felt sad at the thought. The elders had all once been outstanding in their field, eventually allowing themselves to rise after they lived long enough.He supposed what they said about absolute power and how it corrupted couldn't be escaped even in a clan like this.That Vincent could be so relaxed right now, especially when he was in his own office, already spoke of how much confidence he had in what he'd already done.This building was a symbol that things were changing. That it was even built was already a symbol that things were changing.Alec overlooked the room that exuded a sense of quiet stability, something that was very in line with his uncle's personality.While it wasn't anything big, Alec could imagine his uncle seated behind the desk, silently exuding pressure on the ones that entered as they gave reports.There were stacks of paperwork on the desk seated in the room, so high that it almost appeared like a mountain.He could also imagine his uncle seated on the sofa like he was doing now when he wanted to give off a friendlier impression, and Alec found himself relaxing more. It appeared that his uncle had things well in hand."Yes, I've cleaned house," Vincent said. He sounded neutral.Had Alec not been listening carefully, he would have missed the slightly smug satisfaction that came with it.Vincent continued. "I'm the main power in the clan now, and various things are changing. I started the day after you left the clan. At that time, the elders are always relatively laxer in their protection. Unfortunately, a lot of them resisted the change coming," Vincent said, but he didn't express his regret over his actions.He knew that not everyone would assent to what he was doing, but change was needed if the Neil Clan to continue to grow. They had been stagnant for far too long, and they were rotting from the inside out.Before any enemies killed them, they would be killed by themselves. Vincent had seen enough to know what it looked like when a power stagnated for too long. People outside would start to get ideas.Vincent didn't want to wake up one day and realize that enemies were already upon them. Realize that he could have stopped it had he only taken power earlier, preventing it from happening.As it stood, the elders passed the years like they were content in their little pocket of power, forgetting that there were other powers out there who eyed their clan hungrily, waiting for an opportune moment to strike.But even when he spoke about all these high-sounding reasons, the real reason why Vincent moved was that someone had the audacity to try and harm his nephew.Just thinking about it made his eyes go cold.Before, no one had dared overtly try to harm another clan member, but it seemed as if the elders lost their heads when they thought about Alec's black hair.That someone's genes could be stronger than the Neil family's dominant genes left them deeply unsettled.To think that there had been people that had *dared* to try and target his older sister and his nephew while he had been protecting them. It was unacceptable, and it went against the only reason why he had stepped up to take the position in the first place.Other than that, the stagnating elders only ever favoured Brights, and they were intolerant of the other Societypes.Though their clan did indeed have a majority of Brights, that didn't mean that they didn't have a fair number of other Societypes as well.Yet, despite their brilliance, they were always overlooked and passed over by the elders up top, and any wrongdoing caused to them was glossed over in favour of the Brights.It left Vincent seething in anger, but he hadn't realized just how powerless a clan head was until he took over.There were times when Vincent cursed the ancestors for their indulgence in this stagnant, rotting pool, allowing the power to go to their heads until it whittled away what little power the clan head had.He had been a mere puppet moving on strings, acting according to their whims.Luckily, Vincent had people he trusted and cultivated, and those that he nurtured didn't let him down.Politics at its finest. Vincent struck when they were at their weakest, overturning them without giving them any opportunity to resist.Either the elders submitted to the changes, or they would be quietly dealt with.There had been no small number of elders that had been dealt with permanently.While Vincent respected what they had done for the clan, they had also been the ones that caused the continued stagnation of growth, with how set they were in their ways.In the end, there was only a small number of more progressive elders the elders that had been oppressed by the rest left in the clan, leaving the clan overall weaker than before. But the clan would only grow from this point onwards after they had cut off the rotting flesh before it could spread any further.The thing that showed instant change instead of the other gradually happening changes was the yearly tradition of the 'clan massacre'. It had been dealt with appropriately.While they still carried it out to the best of their ability, the fleeing seeds from their clan were promptly caught then dragged back as they had everything explained to them, showing them how it worked.The first time this happened, it caused them some resentment, but Vincent would gladly bear the blame, knowing that there were no clan members under his rule that left thinking that the entire clan, as well as their families, had been massacred in an unknown incident as a final cruel test.Hopefully, this would ease the death rate in their children who went out to explore. They would not be as reckless, nor as careless with their lives like before.It would not cause their clan to decline, like so many of the elders had insisted, but instead push themselves to achieve greater heights.Vincent was a lucky man that had friends and subordinates that supported him in the clan, otherwise he would never have been able to implement the changes that the clan needed.After three years, Vincent had finally managed to somewhat stabilize the situation in the clan.The clan now fell entirely into his command, and things were progressing at a steady pace.There were many things that had happened, but Vincent only told Alec about what had happened in the most factual way, free of bias and opinion, leaving Alec to be free to form his own opinions."You've come back at a good time," Vincent said, looking pleased.He'd managed to quieten all the dissenters who didn't think that his harsh way of handling the situation was optimal, but Vincent had shown them over the years that he didn't resort to violence as the first method.It was, in fact, the final method when everything else failed.Doing so had won him more supporters within the clan, and the progress they made was heartening to the clan members, who dreamed about lively days in the future.Alec was a little disappointed, even when he was impressed. He'd thought about various ways to deal with the ears on the walls, but it seemed like his uncle had it well in hand.Alec thought that he'd come back to face some backstabbing now that he'd returned due to his parentage, but it was a pleasant surprise that he didn't."Did mother take part in helping you?"Vincent's normally stern face faded into a smirk. "How could she not?" he said instead of answering. There was something in his tone that Alec couldn't place.Vincent got up from his comfortable position on the couch, walking over to the desk in the middle of the room.He pulled out a sealed envelope from within, causing Alec to raise an eyebrow.Alec took the heavy but slim envelope from his uncle instead of asking questions that could be easily answered. The outer appearance of the enveloped suggested that it should be light, but the weight in his hands said otherwise."Elder sister left around a year ago. None of us expected that you would be back so quickly, but she left behind that for you if you did return before she returned.""How long do clan members take before they come back?" Alec asked absently.Vincent's lips curled into a smile. "Ten years, twenty years. Some never come back at all."Alec's brows raised, but he understood.He lowered his head to silently read the contents of the letter, his face set in his normal smile. He didn't let on the contents of the letter, but Vincent thought he knew what was inside already.His elder sister was probably explaining the rather complicated situation between herself and Alec's father Ah, he shouldn't speculate so much. His sister had her own life, as he did his.She was a grown woman, and she could take care of her own affairs.Instead of saying anything else, Alec gracefully stood up, thanking his uncle."So, uncle, are you going to visit our apartment later?" Alec said, and his smile took on a bit of a mischievous edge, causing him to look very similar to his mother, but it disappeared before Vincent caught sight of it.Vincent's face blanked as his lips twitched lightly.The best thing about his sister being gone was that he *didn't* have to visit that damn haunted apartment!Unfortunately, Alec, unlike his sister, did not know that he tried to avoid whatever supernatural spirits were dwelling in that apartment.Vincent stiffly agreed, desperately trying to keep up his image in his nephew's heart, not knowing that his image had long been shattered before Alec.
