***Content Warning:
• Emotional aftermath of bond trauma
• Surveillance and control implications
• Velintra backlash references
Interpersonal betrayalPhysical violence (choking, shaking)References to abusive discipline (Father Xerxes)Emotional manipulation, neglect, and restricted autonomy (Azalea)
Koba
I didn't go home to the Dillard Towers. Instead, I called Papa Sullivan to meet me at my downtown apartment. After I destroyed a portion of it under the influence of the Velintra backlash, Papa Sullivan had it remodeled. During the remodeling, a lot of observation arrays and artifacts were found. He showed me how to turn them off in a way that made it seem like they were malfunctioning. So it was the safest private location I could go without those watching me being suspicious.
The healer at Solace Veil did a good job sealing the cut along my cheekbone, but the ache remained—a dull throb that pulsed in time with my thoughts. Unless it's an emergency, healers rarely complete minor healings. It helps toughen up the body by not training it to expect healing. I was distracted from the throbbing when Papa Sullivan let himself in.
He watched me from the doorway for a long moment before speaking. "You let your guard down. How did that happen?" It wasn't an accusation like I would have previously assumed. It was merely an observation. A concerned question from a parent. I huffed a humorless breath. "I didn't expect her to strike me." Papa Sullivan's surprised expression made me smile with pride. I immediately stopped when the pain from smiling became too much.
"Ara hit you? She hasn't even tried to spar with you in years." That landed harder than the punch with the realization of this truth. How did I not realize how much Ara had changed into someone I didn't know over the years? Now she has changed again and she is pinning the blame on me and my enclave.
I leaned back against the sofa cushions, staring at the ceiling. "She moved like she has been training properly again. She made it clear that she isn't dropping out like Minette has been spreading around but is preparing herself to come back in the spring semester. She even warned me that she would give me competition for the Rank 1 spot," I said slowly, puzzling out all the nuggets of information she dropped and the things I noticed during our conversation.
"She wasn't wearing her usual amplification artifacts. Not even the focus ring I gifted her. While I suspect her outfit was casual essence-wear created by the Matriarch, I didn't sense that it was supplementing her. She was even wearing a new set of Ajei Arceńe. She has leveled up to Ember 4, by the way. I guess these past two months have been a re-awakening for her cultivation or something," I muttered just speaking my observations out loud.
Papa Sullivan's eyes sharpened. "She had been stuck at Ember 3 for almost two years, and now she is suddenly able to cultivate again? You're sure of what you saw and felt?"
"Yes. I know the difference," I snapped, then winced and rubbed my face. Quieter now, I added, "I could sense her essence when her control slipped for a moment. It was Ember 4. So her updated Arceńe with four Ember Stone rings is accurate."
Feeling mentally and emotionally exhausted but wanting to get everything out to him, I continued sharing my thoughts. "Ara told me some things today. Things I will need your help looking into. The biggest issue directly concerning her is her intention to dissolve our engagement, break personal ties with Minnie and me, all because we made her suffer through a Velintra bond."
"What! You and Minette put that girl through that kind of bond trauma!" Papa Sullivan had me up in the air choking before I could say another word. "When did you bite her? Is that why she has taken medical leave? Do you understand the dishonor your actions have brought upon yourself and our enclave?" He shook me so hard I felt my brain rattle. The yellow glow of his beast eyes added a psychological pressure that brought me close to passing out.
I frantically tapped his arm until he finally released me. I will never take for granted the air I breathe again. I understand his feelings about the matter, but did he have to try to kill me? "Explain, then we are going to the training grounds for discipline." He stated with a finality, arms crossed. I pulled myself back up onto the sofa gingerly, wondering for a moment why I let this man who is not my biological dad treat me like this.
Then I remember how in my fever dreams—caused by what I now know was the Velintra backlash—that while Sullivan hasn't been particularly warm towards me or my sister since our younger years, he was never cruel or mean to us. Rather, it was us under the influence of our biological parents, the Matriarch and 2nd Crown Consort, who were disrespectful and cold towards him, our Alpha father and our birth Omega mother, Azalea. Minette more so than me, but I had been a son who was only superficially respectful and had used them like resources under the guidance of my mom and dad.
It is like I was under a fog all these years, and now I'm noticing so many things that I should have questioned before. Luckily, when I reached out between flare-ups, though skeptical of my intentions, Papa Sullivan brought a doctor he trusted to treat me. He helped me when I needed a parent, not pageantry. Momma Azalea had even sent enough prepped meals from her restaurant for me to eat so I could just recover in peace. I would have allowed her to visit me like I do Papa Sullivan, but I have come to learn by reading between the lines that my mom and dad have her on a tight leash. She is only allowed to go to certain locations freely, and my apartment is not one of them.
When I learned this truth, I snuck out to her restaurant and cried like a child in her arms, asking her for forgiveness. I promised to be a better son to her and thanked her for giving birth to me. She cried while telling me how proud she was to be my birth mother and to call me her son. Her cool fingers massaged my scalp as she had told me not to worry about her situation. That her time to be free again will come. Plus, she has Papa Sullivan, my cousin who is also her adopted son, Noxton, Noxton's dad, Finn, and now me, so she feels protected with so many strong males protecting her.
I noticed who wasn't included on that list. When I tried to probe Papa Sullivan about it, he firmly told me I didn't want to know the truth. That I needed to get my own life in order before digging into matters I couldn't do anything about as a weak Scion. His comment about me being too weak to be of any help was fuel upon the flames of my guilt.
In my arrogance and guilt, I challenged him to a spar. I am the strongest in my Sentinel initiate class, and I assumed this spar would be like previous spars. I may not always beat him, but I could wear him down. Our spars were never as brutal as my monthly spars with Father Xerxes—who would beat me until I was black and blue.
He had stared at me hard for 10 seconds before saying he would not go easy on me like he had previously. That now I might be someone worth him actually training instead of pandering to my ego. That should have been the first indication that I was about to learn another very brutal hard truth.