1 The Drunk and The Fool

My family has a disease. My grandpa is a drunk and my father is a fool. He disappeared 2 years ago, my father. Whenever I ask my grandpa what happened to dad that turned him into a fool, he only says that the family has a disease in a drunken stupor.

It's been like this for generations, he says. For as long as the book went back.

The book, I don't know what it is but grandpa always mentions it. He says that it's our inheritance. Survived all the way back from the Golden Age of man, but whenever grandpa talks he's so drunk it's hard to tell if he's being serious.

Our ancestors left us great powers, he says, and when we turn 18 we start unlocking that power.

Whenever he talks about the power we supposedly unlocked, he starts to get a little crazy. Waving his hands in the air and shouting,

"I'm a genius, a genius! better than my dad and his dad, but your father is even better than me, my pride, but his powers is too great. Nothing could keep it at bay."

In his ranting and yelling, he never forgets to keep guzzling down his bottle.

"What do you mean grandpa?" He's never said so much before.

"His power was is great. The sun, nothing shines brighter than the sun. Not even the moon," Grandpa started laughing hysterically.

He looked at me with crazy eyes, "Don't you get it Ethan, our powers are too great. This world isn't for us. Your dad's power was too great, nothing could contain it. He had to turn into a fool to survive. His mind only clears up once a year, once, only once. His power's too great."

This was the most grandpa ever said about dad, but instead of telling me that we just a had genetic defect, this was the bullshit he spit out.

"What are you talking about old man?!" I couldn't help but get angry.

He looked at my angry face and kept drinking like his life depended on it, "You'll get it, soon, you'll get it. You're gonna awaken you power. Good. Great. A special day. The day everyone's been waiting for. You're the hope of your dad and me."

He got so excited that he started shivering. I was shivering too. I was tired of this bullshit. Why couldn't I have a normal family? A normal Dad? A mom? A fucking old grandpa who thought me grandpa shit?

"You'll understand everything. Drink, I drink to keep the power down, but it doesn't work for your dad. He needs the nectar. He went to brew it, that's where he went. But it's too late, change is coming. He's too late."

"So you mean he was sober when he left?" Anger couldn't describe what I felt.

"He needs to control his power. Too great. Genius. My pride! Nectar, he went to find the ingredients. Before the change, he needs it or he'll lose control of himself. He needs it for you. To protect you!"

At this point I stopped listening and sat down in the corner of the room. Grandpa's room. I got dad's room after he left. This was the house that had been pasted down in the family. An old mansion that only had creaks and groans left.

For as long as I could remember only grandpa, dad, and I have lived here. I don't remember my mom, but I've seen my dad staring at her pictures on the wall. That's the only reason I didn't think he was all the way gone. That he still had something left in his head.

My mom had brown hair and blue eyed. Her face was beautiful. I wish I could describe the way she looked in better ways, but that's all that needed to be said. Beautiful, as If her face was sculpted personally by God himself.

My father was the opposite, not as in he was ugly. No, he was just on the opposite side of the scale. He had bright natural blonde hair and green eyes. His face was chiseled and he had a smooth Shave that showed his sharp angles.

I looked more like my dad than my mom, except for the dark hair and grey eyes I had. Other then that, We could be twins with vastly different features but same overall facial benefits.

My grandpa was the strangest. He has Silver hair and really rare red eyes. Sometimes I think he's got to be wearing contacts, but then I remember he's too drunk to even get out of bed by himself when he wakes up.

I don't remember having a grandma. I probably have one somewhere, but I haven't seen any pictures or heard of her yet, so I naturally assume she's probably ran away from this crazy fucked family like my mom has.

Run away, that's a thought right there. I turn 18 in the next few days, I don't legally have to stay here anymore. I can go, I can leave.

But as I looked at my grandpa rambling, the thought disappeared. For him, I have to stay. He can't take care of himself alone, I can't leave him. He's family.

"Ethan!" Grandpa yelled pulling me back to him, "you'll understand everything thing soon. Soon. Your powers will come. You will know. No need to suppress them. The book. The book. Behind the painting. It's your turn to inherit."

This was new, grandpa never said where the legendary book was, "Where grandpa?"

"The book. The painting. Change is coming. Watch for Enemies. The Emperor. Your dad is good. Yes, my son! He will come back. Rise. We'll Rise. I'm sure he will."

At this point I was focused on what he said about the painting. He said the book was behind the painting. The book that was supposed to be our inheritance, and there was only one painting in the mansion.

It was an old painting of the starry night, a dark sky filled with endless stars. There was no mistake, that had to be what grandpa meant. There was no other paintings in the mansion to my knowledge.

Grandpa was still rambling on but his previous drunkenly spoken words had turned into an incoherent mumbling. I knew this meant he was about to crash so before he had to make the effort to stumble to his bed while falling a few time, I led him to lie down on his giant bed and tucked him in for the night.

After staying for a while until he was completely asleep, I left the room. It was time to get my hands on my curious inheritance from behind the painting.