"You're back?"
Klein, engrossed in a newspaper in the living room, looked up at the sound of the door opening. Alaric and Medici walked in, one after the other. Alaric seemed his usual self, while Medici, though much better than his earlier gloom, appeared somewhat irritable.
"Why does it look like Mr. Red wants to punch Jack?" Klein muttered to himself, though he felt relieved. Their demeanor suggested the issue had been resolved.
Then he watched Medici head straight to his room.
"What did you do to tick off Mr. Red this time?" Klein asked Alaric, concerned. "Be careful, or he might actually beat you up. I can't stop an angel."
"No way, I just took Red to see his mom and witnessed some heartwarming family bonding." Alaric said, waving it off and starting to spin a tale. "Don't let Red's tough, two-meter-tall warrior vibe fool you. Deep down, he's a mama boy!"
"What?" Klein froze. His mind conjured Medici's towering, sword-wielding figure, then pictured him nuzzling into his mother's arms like a fledgling. His expression turned bizarre.
No, he couldn't think about this anymore, or he'd never look at the Hunter pathway the same way again.
Klein felt the image of Hunters he'd learned as a Nighthawk crumbling, replaced by something utterly bizarre.
"That's just how the Hunter pathway is." Alaric said like a seasoned veteran, patting Klein's shoulder. "I'm telling you, these guys are the easiest to fool. They act like master conspirators, but they're all about feelings. You should make some Hunter friends... they're a blast." He paused, then added, "Oh, by the way, Red's one of us now."
"What?" Klein blinked, not quite catching up.
Alaric grinned. "Red's mom sold him to us. The Red Angel's working for Lucifer now."
Klein was visibly shocked that such a drastic change could happen in one outing. Lowering his voice, he asked, "The Creator… I mean, the True Creator, just agreed to that?"
An angel, just let go like that?
"Didn't I tell you?" Alaric feigned surprise. "The True Creator is Red's mom!"
It's common knowledge that the True Creator was formed from Sasrir, so True Creator equals Sasrir equals Medici's mom, right?
Klein's brain short-circuited. Alaric's words felt alien for a moment. After a long pause, he managed, "Is City of Silver's Creator a woman?"
That didn't add up. According to Derrick, the Creator was male, and the True Creator's descriptions pointed to a male deity too.
"Of course not, the Creator's male." Alaric said matter-of-factly, giving Klein a puzzled look. "But isn't it possible that a male mom is still a mom?"
"..."
He admitted, for a second, his mind raced through wild theories, even briefly considering the feasibility of male pregnancy, before realizing Alaric was probably teasing him from the start. Exasperated, he said, "You did that on purpose!"
"I didn't lie once." Alaric said, spreading his hands, then added, "And while the Creator's male, he did give birth to two kids. That's true."
No issue there... splitting off characteristics to form beings counts as "giving birth." right?
Klein fell silent. Sensing Alaric was telling the truth, he thought for a few seconds before asking, "Who's the mother or the other father?"
"No blood relation, but if you're talking about a family grid, there's a bunch!" Alaric said, thinking of the infamous "Amon's father grid" And eagerly explaining. "Sasrir's the legit mom, Medici's the nanny, the Celestial Worthy's the vessel provider, the Creator's the one who indirectly ensured the kids were born safely…"
Counting on his fingers, Alaric looked at Klein. "Strictly speaking, you're kind of half one too."
"???"
His brain fried. The lofty, incomprehensible terms were bad enough, but him being half a mom? He struggled to ask, "What's that got to do with me?"
He'd never even had a proper relationship, let alone met the Creator. How could he be half a mom to his kids?
"It's mostly through the Celestial Worthy." Alaric said seriously. "You're kind of his half-heir, right?"
"Uh… I guess." Klein said after a moment, nodding. He was a revival vessel, so wasn't that sort of a half-heir?
"And from what I know, the Creator's younger son, Amon, is the Marauder pathway's uniqueness personified, which was once part of the Lord of Mysteries." Alaric continued, looking at Klein matter-of-factly. "So, as the Lord of Mysteries's half-heir, doesn't that make you half of Amon's mom?"
Klein was speechless, the sheer volume of absurdities overwhelming him. After a long pause, he latched onto a key point. "Amon?"
"Yup, Amon." Alaric nodded, looking at him. "The Creator's younger son is that Amon. He's kind of our enemy. The old man doesn't get along with him."
Recalling Lucifer's diary, Klein frowned. "Why would the Creator's kid have such a rotten personality?"
"He was raised wrong!" Alaric shrugged. "Before the Creator split, Amon wasn't that bad. If he caused trouble, his dad would've sorted him out first. But after the split, no one disciplined Amon, so the little brat went wild."
After a thought, Alaric added, "The True Creator tries to rein him in sometimes, but he was mad before, and even now he's sealed, so there's only so much he can do."
***
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