Chapter 17 - Family (1/2)

Chapter 17: Family

I found it strange that I was more nervous now, meeting my family, than when I was a king, meeting the most powerful people in the world.

“Whew~ let’s do this Sylvie.”

“Kyu” She responds, her excitement oozing into my mind.

*Knock* *Knock*

I hear faint pitter-patter sounds followed by a childish “Coming~!”

A maid opens the door with a little girl holding onto the maid’s uniform, hiding behind her.

The maid looks at me curiously, surprised that an 8 year old was knocking on the door of a n.o.ble’s estate.

“Ahem, nice to meet you. My name is Arthur Leywin. I was informed that my family is currently residing in this manor. Do you mind if I speak to them?” I give a slight bow, Sylvie rocking on my head.

Before the confused maid could even respond, I hear an all too familiar sound in the background.

“Eleanor Leywin! There you are! You have got to stop running to the front door every time someone…” My mother stops mid sentence and drops a small bowl of what looks like food for …my sister?

I look down to see the girl with dazzling brown eyes, looking at me with curiosity and innocence. Her light ashy-brown hair shimmered with a much prettier quality than Father’s but I knew where her she got the color from. Her hair was tied into two pigtails on the side of her head above her ears.

I struggle to peel my eyes away from my little sister and I turn to face my mother. Tear welling up; my vision goes blurry as my lips curl upwards, trembling.

“H-hi mom. Long time no see.” I give a small awkward wave, not knowing what to do if she didn’t recognize me.

Fortunately, my fear doesn’t come true and she raced towards me at a speed I swear was faster than Grandpa Virion’s, but that might just be because my vision was blurry.

“OH MY BABY! ARTHUR!!” She arrived in front of me and collapsed on her knees, her arms around my waist, gripping with all her strength, afraid that I might disappear again if she lets go.

“You are alive! The Voice… I knew it was you! *sniff* You’re back now! Arthur. My baby!” And that was all she could spew before she got broke down into a bawl.

I was worse. I managed to tremble, “I-I’m back Mom…” before I started sobbing as well.

That’s the funny thing about love. You can be an all powerful, immortal tyrant but when you’re in front of your loved ones, the ability to control emotions betrays you.

I just kept repeating that I was back and that I was home, that I’m not leaving, all the while crying. My mother was a flurry of emotions. She was happy that I was back and alive, she was mad that I couldn’t come back sooner, she was sad that I had to be away from them and how hard it must have been for me all at the same time.

At one point, Eleanor walked to us and started patting Mother’s back. “Mama. There, there. Don’t cry.” But after a bit of unsuccessfully comforting Mother, she starts crying too.

“MY SON!” I turn my head, face still wet with tears to see outside the sprinting figure of my father drenched in sweat. I guess the maid told him I was back.

He doesn’t stop as he reaches us and just slides on his knee, hugging all of us.

“Arthur! My son! Look how big you are. Oh my G.o.d! You’re back you’re back!” My father was cupping my head in his hands to get a better look at my face. He broke down while placing his large hand on the back of my head, bringing my forehead to touch his.

Our little family reunion continued on. My mother sobbing uncontrollably, embracing me, and my oblivious little sister crying with her, as my father and I just looked at each other with tears in our eyes, all of us glad that we’re here together.

Eventually, we all managed to settle down.

We were sitting on a couch, my mother right beside me with Eleanor on her lap. Father was sitting on a chair he pulled up, facing me, his elbows on his knee as he leaned forward. Mother is holding my hands and still tearing up every time she gets a look at my face.

“Are you okay now? Did you at least eat three meals a day? You slept while dressing warmly everyday right? Oh my baby. Look how big you are now.” Tears escaped her eyes as she squinted and smiled. Leave it to mother to worry about those things.

She was stroking my hair now and she placed a kiss on the crown of my head. “Thank G.o.d you’re back. I’m so happy,” she whispered.

Eleanor was looking curiously at both Sylvie and I while the baby dragon was sitting up next me attentively observing the three unfamiliar humans.

My father is looking at Sylvie with a curious look as well but he doesn’t mention her yet. Turning his gaze to me, his eyes softened and he keeps shaking his head, saying how big I am now. It must be a pretty fulfilling yet miserable feeling for a parent to see how big his son has gotten but not being there with him the whole time to witness it.

“Ellie, say hi to your big brother. He was away for a while but he’ll live together with us from now on. Come on, say ‘h.e.l.lo’.” My mother says to my sister.

“Brother?” She tilts her head, reminding me of a confused Sylvie.

She cups her hands over my mother’s ear and she whispers something.

“Haha yes, that big brother. The one I always tell stories about. He’s the one.”

My sister’s eyes start sparkling as she looks back at me. I wonder what stories Mother has told her.

“Hai Brother~!” She waves both of her little hands at me.

*Chuckle*

“h.e.l.lo Eleanor. It’s nice to meet you… sister.” I laugh as I pat her head.

Father speaks up now. “Arthur, we were devastated after that incident, and we barely believed it when you communicated to us through our heads. Tell me, how’d you survive the fall?”

It took a while for me to explain everything from the beginning. I withheld some information that I thought might not be good to tell them just yet. I explained to them that I subconsciously wrapped myself in a protective layer of mana and I hit a bunch of branches on the cliff before landing in a stream. From there on, I told them about meeting Tess and how she was almost kidnapped. After saving her, she led me to her Kingdom and I stayed there.

“You said something about an illness that kept you from coming back sooner. What was all that about? Are you cured now?” My mother chimes in, a look of concern on her face.

Shaking my head, I explain, “You don’t need to worry about that anymore. I guess there was a sort of instability in my mana core that made it so I had episodes of body aches. It was really bad at first but luckily there was an elf elder that knew how to cure it. The process was slow but he a.s.sured me it wasn’t threatening if treated consistently.”

Relief replaces the prior look of worry and she just pats my head again.

“So what’s the story with this little pet of yours?” My dad just chuckles, finally bringing up Sylvie.

“Haha, while I was travelling, I stumbled into a mana beast’s den. It was only the mother and she was badly injured. A little bit after I was there, she died. While I was looking around, it seemed like she was guarding something so I picked it up thinking it was something valuable but I didn’t know it was an egg. She hatched only a couple of months ago so she’s still a baby. Say hi to Sylvie.”

I pick her up, holding her body so her limbs dangled like a kitten’s.

“Kyu~!” She purred, as if saying hi to everyone.

I didn’t exactly tell my family a lie when I said this but I’ll tell them everything when I’m older.

I then ask them to update me on what’s happened to them after we separated. The only thing I was able to tell from seeing them through the water divination the first time was that they lived here in Xyrus, but nothing more so I was exceptionally curious.

After Father explained what happened since then, my mother chimed in. “That’s right! The Helstea family went on a trip but they should be arriving back today. They’re going to be so surprised when they see you Art!”

I turn to face my mother. She hasn’t changed much since I last saw her. The only thing that I did notice was that she’s lost a bit of weight and was slightly paler in complexion. My heart ached as I figured it was caused from stress and depression after losing me. Father was actually buffer now, with a trimmed beard. I guess working as an instructor for the Helstea Auction House guards has gotten him in shape as well.

“Dad. What color is your mana core now?” I ask, while Sylvie made her place back on top of my head, tail swishing in content.

A confident grin emerges from his face as my father proudly replies, “Your old man broke through from the light red stage a couple years back and is a dark orange now.”

I raise my eyebrows in surprise. At the age of early thirties, my father was doing pretty well for himself. The average mage that doesn’t attend school stagnates at light red stage, maybe dark orange if they’re lucky. Of course it’s different for the elites who have a much purer mage lineage and have access to better resources, but for a standard mage, my father was strong.

He then asks me, leaning closer, “What stage are you at now?”

Scratching my cheek, I mumble, “…dark orange.”

*Crash*

My father stumbles forward off his chair. Even my mother gasps in surprise.

“Holy s.h.i.t!” My father exclaims.