Rushing through the front doors of the Augustus Family Palace, Sthefanny Caesar looked worried as she rummaged through a child's backpack. In contrast, sitting calmly on a bench near the entrance was Theo, receiving gentle head pats from Luanne.
The boy, his left arm wrapped in bandages and his eyes lost amid the situation, merely followed his aunt as she searched for faults.
"Am I forgetting something?" Sthefanny muttered. The red-haired woman with curly locks glanced back. "Theo, do you remember if I packed your clean clothes with the maids?"
"Yes," he replied.
"Your notebooks? Your diary? Are you bringing any snacks?"
"Aunt…"
"Luanne, remember to clean his arm so it doesn't grow fungus…"
"Aunt Sther—"
"Where did I leave the notebook?"
"Sthefanny, is he your son?" Elijah asked, Theo's oldest uncle. Like Ethan, he had long white hair, though he hid his eyes behind rectangular glasses.
"No…" he answered, discouraged and displeased.
"Still, you worry about him. What a wonderful aunt, huh, Tê?"
A cynical smile bothered Theo. Out of pure politeness, he nodded at Elijah's words.
'And you make a point of forcing the maids to help you cheat on her…' Luanne thought, turning her face away so she wouldn't have to look at Elijah.
Trying to avoid an unpleasant atmosphere, Sthefanny resumed her search for the notebook she had made together with Theo.
An awkward silence settled with Elijah's presence alone. His very personality—his aura—created the sensation of a morbid environment steeped in falsehood.
Even Theo understood that personality. However, the only one who didn't see Elijah that way was—
"Tê!" Chloe exclaimed, Sthefanny and Elijah's daughter, descending the staircase while holding a black notebook.
"There it is," Sthefanny said. "Thank you, sweetheart."
After handing the notebook to her mother and receiving a kiss on the forehead, Chloe walked over to Theo.
"You're really leaving?" Her childish voice turned melancholic.
"Mm-hm."
"Why?" She puffed out her cheeks.
"Because he needs to check his arm again. And he also needs to see his mommy," Luanne said gently. Kneeling beside the two children, Darkmoon added, "But you'll be together again soon. Believe me. Right, Theo?"
Theo didn't confirm anything, because he didn't know the future. They lived at opposite ends of the continent; Theo lived in Nethuns, the southern state of Romerian, while Chloe lived in Zethian, the empire's northern state. Under normal circumstances, they would see each other only after a three-month journey (around a hundred days, depending on the months).
"That's right," Ethan confirmed. "After all, they'll study together in the Four Great Orders."
"That'll be in about ten years…" Elijah commented.
"But they'll spend most of their lives together," Luanne said, subtly teasing Sthefanny with a gentle look.
Understanding the hint, Sthefanny elbowed Elijah in the ribs and stepped on his foot.
'What was that?!'
Buttoning the sleeve of his white suit, Ethan concluded,
"Shall we hurry? If we leave now, we'll reach Lincoln County by nightfall. It'll be quick to get to Loureto."
"Huh? Wouldn't it be better to go through Hardian? Why go to another empire? You don't want to cross the Hardian Desert?" Elijah asked.
"The Durham Train was inaugurated a week ago, according to what Lincoln told me. If we take the privileged route, we should arrive by nightfall, and by tomorrow afternoon we'll be in Loureto."
Elijah narrowed his eyes.
"Even after what those machines caused, you still support this?"
"Of course. This is the future. Anyway, shall we go?"
Theo nodded in agreement with his father. Luanne stood up and, after saying goodbye to Sthefanny and picking up Theo's luggage, prepared to return to the carriage.
Carefully, Chloe hugged her cousin, already missing him before he even left. That dependency began to worry Ethan…
"See you later, Chloe!" Theo said, feeling a sharp pain in his arm… Chloe's hug had been far too tight.
"Go safely, Tê…"
"Take care!"
☽✪☾
Just as Ethan had calculated, while the sun prepared to illuminate the other side of the world, they arrived in the Gran Empire and headed toward the western region, where the two empires met.
The Durham Train was operating perfectly, using energy cores to propel the speed and functions of the wagons. The comfort of the vehicle, however, left nothing to be desired. Its interior was lined with leather and furnished mostly with cushions, deliberately avoiding materials such as steel and iron.
To Luanne's eyes, the decoration was extremely refined.
Theo, however, didn't enjoy any of that comfort. As soon as they arrived at the station, he had completely passed out and only woke up once they reached Loureto.
With Theo sitting on her lap as she gently stroked his hair, Luanne closed her eyes, trying to get a bit of rest. Ethan, meanwhile, stared at the dark path outside the wagon…
His distant gaze clearly expressed a deep concern. The papers in his hands explained why. The reason Ethan decided to spend so much time in the capital, Athenian—to arrive early and stay for several days—was his state of health…
Ethan let out a heavy sigh.
'That black substance…'
Flashes of memory flooded the Duke's eyes. He didn't know exactly what it meant, but when checking his nuclear state…
Ethan was a Deviant with one of the most advanced cores; among positive, warm-colored cores, a red core. A core capable of powering an entire large capital… Yet even being at the top tier of Deviants, and though Deviants don't fall ill from viral diseases (at least not the same ones as ordinary humans), not even Duke Lawrence was immune to nuclear cancers.
Diagnosis: Nuclear corrosion; unidentifiable substance.
Dear Duke Ethan De Lawrence, after several sessions and the examinations you brought from Loureto, we at the Fermand Fiorent Clinic have diagnosed that the black substance you came into contact with resulted in what we call nuclear corrosion. Unfortunately, this completely prevents the use of a core's functions. Fortunately, according to our studies, this substance will not affect the Spark of Phanes, but it is blocking the release of mana through the chakra channels. For this reason, we have sent instructions to your personal physicians to carry out a treatment that prevents permanent blockage of energetic functions.
Grinding his teeth in frustration, Ethan turned his face back toward the window.
A lifetime of training and growth was not enough to overcome the illnesses a core could develop. His frustration grew increasingly apathetic, knowing he would no longer be able to protect his family… Not as before.
Even with the Phoenix by his side, having his chakra veins blocked meant regressing to being nothing more than a mere human.
He clicked his tongue in disappointment.
'Forgive me…' he begged, thinking of his children's and wife's faces. 'I allowed myself to be weak…'
"No," Luanne retorted.
They locked eyes for a moment, and Ethan reflected the moonlight shining from his friend's irises.
"I forgot you read minds…" Ethan said, looking away again.
"You're worried you won't be able to protect them? Look… that's nonsense. You're the man of the house, Ethan. The man of a great household, of a Duchy. Your power goes far beyond what you can conjure with your hands, beyond the force you can put into a punch."
Ethan's mouth tightened, as if to say, whatever. But to Luanne, it wasn't whatever.
"You weren't a genius, you didn't inherit extraordinary powers… You developed them. Everything you achieved was through your own merit. You even renounced your place in the imperial family, rejecting all fortune and influence… all just to forge yourself."
"Egocentric acts hidden behind false altruism… That's how I lived my entire life."
Covering his mouth with his palm, Ethan gasped, his eyes filling with tears.
"I only fought because I knew it would bring me the evolution I wanted… I sought to become stronger just to live longer, live better. I fought even when victory wasn't guaranteed, because I only wanted to grow stronger and protect Camille… I threw my life away just for that—to be more powerful. But now… what life do I have? I became so strong that I was named The Greatest Monster Humanity Ever Created… I was, until a few weeks ago… But now…"
He widened his eyes, then shut them again to keep the tears from spilling, and concluded,
"I'm terrified of not seeing what kind of man Theo will become… what kind of path Thays will choose… terrified of leaving Camille to grow old alone…"
"And are you okay with living without her?" Luanne asked. "You know that even with a limited core, you'll live for centuries. Ethan… I understand. You struggled your whole life to reach the top, you did—and then you fell. But did you really lose everything?"
Theo stirred faintly, unconsciously.
"Two children, a perfect wife, a wonderful brother… You lost nothing. Your time to fight has passed. It was a brief moment in life, but no one fights forever. Look at me—I'm over two hundred years old, yet I haven't needed to use my strength for almost a century. The problem isn't losing your power, it's losing what you gained with it…"
Luanne carefully guided the Duke's eyes toward Theo. The boy slept like a hibernating angel, displaying absolute vulnerability.
"You saved Camille from a conservative family. You protected Edward from the cursed claws of his father, gave life to Theo and Thays…" Luanne paused, swallowing hard, hesitating before continuing. "You saved me from suicide. Look at you—only thirty years old, living in a society of millennia-old individuals. You're still a child. And yet, you've saved as many lives as I've taken. Your strength means nothing… There's still time to start over."
Ethan rubbed his irritated, reddened eyes. Sniffling without pause, he looked at his son again. Luanne continued gently stroking the boy's hair.
"Do you know what he'll inherit from you? Besides money."
She referred to Theo again, maintaining her affection as she tried to make him more comfortable.
"As you said yourself, your life can be summed up as someone who always sought to grow, to evolve… to be stronger to protect those he loves. You were the cure for countless people, Ethan. The cure for a plague called loneliness. That boy inherited that from you; he'll be the light in the life of everyone who crosses his path. From you, he'll inherit an unparalleled will to overcome."
Leaning back against the seat's support, Ethan finally settled properly and took a deep breath. He paused to think, trying to decide whether that fear was rational or merely an excuse for his despair.
Not letting the Duke sink into melancholy thoughts, Luanne propped her legs on Ethan's seat and complained,
"Enough with those thoughts—go to sleep! That villager was right about you not being a hero. That's all. Now sleep, because tomorrow is a new day. I don't want to see kids crying all over the place!"
Surprised by Luanne's sudden boldness, Ethan smiled awkwardly and stood up. Walking through the cabin, he searched for a more suitable place to rest.
Keeping pace with the wagon's speed and enjoying the night breeze beneath the moonlight's bath, a white owl rested on guard, watching over its mistress with unwavering vigilance.