The next week after the fiasco in the High Council Chambers, Cain was enrolled in the Youth Program at the Monster Genetics Academy.
While he wasn't very keen on going, he had a bit of curiosity when it came to learning about other races and his mother's fake smile put him at ease. While Vala didn't want to do it either, she knew this was the best way to get the Council off her back for the near future if the Blessed Child was already on his way to becoming a proper savior.
Time passed quickly for Vala especially as her son went to and from the "Children's Academy" it was often called, excitedly talking about his day, what he learned, and any friends he made. While at first, he didn't like it, since it meant being away from mom, he slowly got used to this new life and enjoyed every moment of it.
He asked his mother if Grandpa was going to come or when they were going to go home but Vala would brush it off and change the subject so she could avoid talking about it. It was unlikely Cain would see his grandfather in a long time, maybe even forever since the old man was getting up in the years.
He was completely oblivious to these things as the months went by and he learned more every day. Most of the lessons for children were about more basic things like history, sciences, engineering, and more, it was an overview of things that he would learn once he was a full-time student.
He wouldn't be able to enter the Academy however until he was 10 at least.
With the months going by fast, the fateful day arrived when the Grand Council met and discussed the fate of the Blessed Child. Machtahn presented his thoughts, feelings, and goals for the young Cain but in the end, failed to convince the Grand Council as a whole to give Cain more freedom in how he lived.
While he did have the help of several colleagues and most members of the Grand Council were open-minded, the state of many beastmen races was to the point of no return. The damage was catastrophic already and Bastion was correct in the fact that many races had already gone extinct in the time that passed between meetings.
While it was nice for Vala since she ended up getting 9 months with her son, it abruptly ended with the Grand Council's decision not just on her son's fate, but her own, as she was stripped of her title as High Priestess for her conduct and selfish acts.
She cursed the Grand Council as they were being just as selfish but she was all alone in this fight. Eldor was bedridden and Dargon was by his side or spending his time with family as their lives were going downhill with the recent things that happened.
The Grand Council was made up of many different races, with no two being the same, however many of those races also faced huge population declines as wars waged on, monsters attacked, and mana thinned, making it even harder for beastmen to conceive when mana was almost always involved in their pregnancies.
They were being selfish too, but they would never admit it since they all had something to gain from locking up their prized child essentially. It was something they could agree on since, in the end, they would all benefit.
Vala wasn't able to give Cain a proper goodbye, leaving the child worried and scared for a while about where his mother went. He became depressed and the only thing that brought him comfort was his studies.
He loved learning about others and this was his happy place besides his mother. His fear and worry slowly turned to frustration and indifference as his mind grew to understand more about what happened.
He heard rumors of her sudden departure, of the unconfirmed things she did, and he was told by many Council members and teachers who were for his 'guidance' under the Lailan Council, that she didn't love him.
While their words seemed fake, they slowly started affecting him. What if she really didn't love him? Was she running away? Abandoning him? Did Grandpa do the same and that's why he never visited?
'Am I a burden?' Cain would constantly think to himself every night after drowning himself in books and research.
Over the years, his love for his mother turned to indifference as he was admitted into the Academy of Monster Genetics at age 9. He was extremely talented in the fields of monster biology and genetics, two of the main subjects taught at the Academy.
Even if what he learned was only basics for children to understand, he was able to ask questions and provide answers on topics well above his age. The Children's Academy felt he was ready to move on and the High Council and Grand Council agreed since the more mature he was at an early age, the quicker he could start his 'mission.'
As a new full-time student, he got answers to the many questions he couldn't find answers to at the Children's Academy. While his existence was strange, since very few joined even at age 10, nobody bullied him and only got friendly with him.
It was already long known that the Blessed Child was attending the Academy of Monster Genetics, a huge achievement for this school and many wanted to suck up to him.
During his years at the Academy, he met many friends, learned many new things, and grew to know what was expected of him.
He was basically the hero of one of the many children's books his mother used to read to him before bed. His genes were special, allowing him to mate and conceive with anyone basically. It made him realize the words his grandpa said were true and made him embarrassed for being so excited about it.
Getting intimate with so many women would be a hard thing to grasp for someone who was just starting to begin puberty. At age 12, he started going to the Academy's lab more often to do tests on his body, on his sperm, to see how different it was compared to other humans and other races.
It was fascinating to see how his sperm changed like they had minds of their own as they came in close contact with the hormones and eggs of women from other species. While it was undoubtedly weird for dozens of men and women to study a child's sperm, the fate of the world was in their hands so doing things a bit morally wrong could go unnoticed in scenarios like this.
Cain also didn't mind, since he wanted to prove that he was worthy of saving the world. While he felt estranged from his family, his mother especially, he still believed in helping others as she taught him to.
Years passed on as he grew older, taller, stronger. More attractive.
While the Council said that he should stay abstinent for the time being so that he was properly ready to conceive with millions of women in the future, it didn't mean he couldn't have relationships.
There were a few girls he dated, a few human but most Monster girls. The same thing they had in common though, that eventually drove them apart was that they were again sucking up to him. Few actually were concerned about his well-being as a human or loved him for who he was. He was treated as a tool by most and that eventually led him to do his own research.
He carefully dug into the past records of when he first arrived in Carvfall, which he now called home. He talked with Council members, getting chummy and carefully dropping hints about his mother and what happened to her and gaining bits and pieces of what might have happened.
While he couldn't get the whole picture, he knew his thoughts on his mother were wrong, making him hit himself in frustration for his stupidity. He learned of how she was removed as a High Priestess and sent back to his hometown on a "mission" that supposedly had no end.
Cain slowly began to realize the hints that those around him dropped in their attitudes toward him and that he was nothing more than a trophy for the Carven Empire and Lailan Council. He cursed himself for falling for all the stupid brainwashing tricks, the lies that everyone fed him as a child.
He was young and impressionable then so it wasn't strange for him to act like that, but he felt terrible since he, for so long, hated his mother and wished she was never his mother.
While he slowly learned more of the truth about his existence, what his mother's fate was, and the real plans the Council had in store for him, he slowly made plans of his own. By using the immense amount of resources and knowledge given to him by the Academy, the Empire, neighboring Empires, and important clans, he was able to hopefully come up with a way to fight for his freedom.
Until he turned of age though, he would take full advantage of this Academy, learning as much as he could, not just in Genetics and Biology which he already aced, but also branching out into things like physics, engineering, bioengineering, and other subjects that would aid him ultimately in his quest.
While he did not want to be a puppet to the Council or the Empire, he still wanted to help the declining birth rates among all species. He knew how horrible it actually was, and not what was said in the news since he was the one who would have to fix the problem.
Now at the age of 18, Cain smiled knowingly as he left his luxurious dorm room and walked to the main auditorium at the Academy wearing his uniform.
Decorated with many medals for the many achievements he has made to the Academy and scientific fields, he strutted over to his graduation ceremony as the youngest to graduate.
But his mind was on something else entirely...
...revenge.