Running hurriedly through the entrance of the Augustus Family Palace, Sthefanny Caesar was worried and rummaging through a child's backpack. In contrast, sitting calmly on a bench near the door, was Theo, receiving a head scratch from Luanne.
The boy, with his left arm bandaged and his eyes lost in the situation, simply watched his aunt search for flaws.
"Am I forgetting something?" commented Sthefanny, a red-haired woman with curly hair. "Theo, did I get your clean clothes from 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 get infected..."
"Aunt Sthef..."
"Where did I leave the notebook?"
"Sthefanny, is he your son?" inquired Elijah, Theo's eldest uncle. Like Ethan, his long white hair hid a pair of rectangular glasses.
"No..." she replied, disheartened and displeased.
"Yet, you worry about him. What a great aunt, right, Theo?"
A cynical smile bothered Theo. Out of pure politeness, he agreed with Elijah's words.
"And you make a point of forcing the maids to help you cheat on her..." thought Luanne, turning her face to avoid looking at Elijah.
Trying to avoid an awkward atmosphere, Sthefanny searched again for the notebook she had made with Theo.
An uncomfortable silence settled in with just Elijah's presence. After all, his very personality, his aura, created a sense of a moribund atmosphere surrounded by falseness.
Even Theo understood that personality. However, the only one who didn't see Ethan in that light was...
"Theo!" exclaimed Chloe, the daughter of Sthefanny and Elijah, coming down the stairs holding a black notebook.
"There it is," said Sthefanny. "Thank you, sweetheart."
After handing the notebook to her mother and receiving a kiss on the forehead, Chloe walked over to Theo.
"Are you really leaving?" Her childish voice turned melancholic.
"Yeah."
"Why?" She pouted.
"Because he needs to check his arm again. And also, he needs to see his mom," said Luanne in a sweet voice. 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 on opposite ends of the continent; Theo lived in Nethuns, the southern state of Romerian, while Chloe lived in Zethian, the northern state of the empire. Under normal circumstances, they would see each other after a three-month journey (about a hundred days, depending on the months).
"Yes," confirmed Ethan. "After all, you'll study together in the Four Great Orders."
"That'll be in about ten years..." commented Elijah.
"But you'll spend a big part of your lives together," said Luanne, subtly nudging Sthefanny with a gentle look.
Understanding the hint, Sthefanny elbowed Elijah in the ribs and stepped on his foot.
"What was that for?!"
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? Don't you want to cross the Hardian Desert?" asked Elijah.
"The Durham Train was inaugurated a week ago, as Lincoln informed me. If we take the privileged route, we should get there by nightfall, and tomorrow afternoon we'll arrive 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 and agreed with his father. Luanne stood up and, after greeting Sthefanny and picking up Theo's bags, prepared to return to the carriage.
Carefully, Chloe hugged her cousin, already missing him before he even left. That dependence began to worry Ethan...
"See you later, Chloe!" said Theo, feeling a twinge in his arm... Chloe's hug was too strong for him.
"Go in peace, Theo..."
"Take care!"
☽✪☾
Just as Ethan calculated, as the sun was preparing to illuminate the other side of the world, they had arrived in Gran Empire and were heading toward the western region, where the two empires divided.
The Durham train was functioning perfectly, using the energy core to propel the speed and operations of the carriages. The comfort of the vehicle, however, left nothing to be desired. It was lined with leather on the inside and furnished mostly with cushions, avoiding the use of materials like steel and iron.
To Luanne's eyes, the decoration was extremely refined.
Theo, however, didn't enjoy the comfort. As soon as they arrived at the station, he had completely passed out and only woke up when they reached Loureto.
With Theo sitting on her lap while she lovingly stroked his hair, Luanne closed her eyes to try to rest a little. Ethan, however, stared at the dark path outside the carriages...
His distant gaze clearly expressed a pertinent concern. Some papers in his hands explained why. The reason Ethan decided to spend so much time in the capital Athenian: arriving early in Athenian and staying for a few days was due to his health condition...
Ethan sighed heavily.
"That black substance..."
Flashes of memories flooded the Duke's eyes, who wasn't entirely sure what it represented. However, upon checking his core's condition...
Ethan was a deviant with the most advanced core; for positive and warm-colored cores, the red core. A core capable of powering an entire large capital... Yet, even being at the top tier of deviants, and although deviants don't fall ill to viral diseases (at least not the same ones as ordinary humans), not even Duke Lawrence is immune to nuclear cancers.
Diagnosis: Nuclear corrosion; unrecognizable substance.
Dear Duke Ethan De Lawrence, after several sessions and the exams you brought from Loureto, we, from the Fermand Fiorent Clinic, have diagnosed that the black substance you came into contact with resulted in what we call nuclear corrosion. One that, unfortunately, completely disables the functions of a core. Fortunately, according to our studies, we report that this substance will not affect the Spark of Phanes but is blocking the release of mana through the chakra channels. For this, we have sent instructions to your personal doctors to perform a treatment that prevents the permanent blockage of energy functions.
Gritting his teeth in frustration, Ethan turned his face back to the window.
A lifetime of training and maturation wasn't enough to overcome the diseases a core could develop. His frustration was becoming increasingly apathetic, considering that Ethan wouldn't be able to protect his family... Not like before.
Even with the Phoenix by his side, having his chakra veins blocked meant regressing to being a mere human.
He clicked his tongue in disappointment.
"Forgive me..." he pleaded, thinking of the faces of his children and wife. "And I let myself be weak..."
"No," retorted Luanne.
Both stared at each other for a moment, and Ethan reflected the moonlight emanating from his friend's retina.
"I forgot you can read minds..." said Ethan, distancing himself again.
"Are you worried about not being able to protect them? Look... That's nonsense. You're the man of the house, Ethan. The man of a huge house, of a Duchy. Your power goes beyond what you can conjure with these hands, with the strength you can apply in a punch."
Ethan's mouth wrinkled, as if to say, yeah, whatever. But for Luanne, it wasn't a whatever.
"You weren't a genius, you didn't inherit extraordinary powers... You developed. Everything you achieved was by your own merit. Look, you even renounced being a member of the imperial family, rejecting all wealth, influence... All that just to build yourself."
"Self-centered actions hidden by false altruism... That's how I lived my whole life."
Covering his mouth with his palm, Ethan gasped with tears in his eyes.
"I only fought because I knew it would give me the evolution I wanted... I aspired to become stronger just to live longer, live better. I fought when I didn't have my victory guaranteed because I just wanted to get stronger and protect Camille... I threw my life away just for that; to be more powerful. But... What life do I have now? I became so strong that I was named 'The Greatest Monster Humanity Has Created'... I still was until a few weeks ago... But now..."
Widening his eyes and closing them again to prevent the tears from welling up and falling, Ethan concluded:
"I'm so afraid of not seeing what kind of man Theo will become... What kind of career Thays will pursue in life... Afraid of leaving Camille to grow old alone..."
"And is it okay for you to live without her? You know that, even with your limited core, you'll live for centuries. Ethan... I understand. You worked your whole life to reach the top, you reached it, but you fell... But did you really lose everything?"
Theo moved subtly and unconsciously.
"Two children, a perfect wife, a wonderful brother... You didn't lose anything. 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, but I haven't needed to use my strength for almost a century. The problem isn't losing your strength, it's losing what you achieved with it..."
Luanne carefully guided the Duke's eyes to meet Theo's. The boy slept like a hibernating angel, showing absolute vulnerability.
"You saved Camille from a conservative family. You protected Edward from the cursed claws of your father, gave life to Theo and Thays..." Luanne paused to swallow hard, stretching her neck with some apprehension for the next words. "You saved me from suicide. Look, for someone only thirty years old, living in a society of millennial individuals, you're a child. 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 and reddened eyes. Sniffling without pause, he looked at his son again. Luanne, therefore, continued to stroke Theo's hair.
"Do you know what he'll inherit from you? Besides the money."
Luanne referred to Theo again, keeping the affection for the boy as she sought to make him even more comfortable.
"As you said yourself, your life is summed up by someone who always sought to grow, evolve... To be stronger to protect those you love. You were the cure for countless people, Ethan. The cure for a plague called loneliness. This boy inherited that from you; he'll be the light in the lives of everyone he crosses paths with. From you, he'll inherit the unique will to win."
Leaning back in the seat, Ethan settled in properly and sighed deeply. He paused to reason, trying to conclude if that fear was rational or just an excuse for his despair.
But, without letting the Duke be consumed by melancholic thoughts, Luanne propped her legs on Ethan's seat and complained:
"Stop with these thoughts and go to sleep! That villager was right about you not being a hero. Simple as that. 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 rebellion, Ethan smiled awkwardly and stood up. Wandering through the cabin, he looked for a more suitable place to rest.
Accompanying the speed of the carriage and enjoying the daytime breeze under the moonlight, a white owl rested on guard, attentively watching the surroundings of its mistress.