Aftermath [2]

Alice, Saul, and Aspen were called upon by the Patriarch.

Aspen had finally broken through the First Star of Ascension. She was excited to join her Brother and Cousins in Abyss Raids.

She couldn't wait to tell her Brother the good news.

But for now, she had to wait for their return

Arriving at the throne room, what met their line of sight was the Patriarch, Souzen Nocturn.

He stood tall with confidence, wearing his signature black-suit, tailored just for him.

But for some reason there was a hint of urgency in his expressions.

Aspen had always been intimidated by the Patriarch. But she was appreciative of him for how much he's done for her Family.

Shin always told her to chill out whenever the Patriarch was around, telling her that he wasn't as intimidating as he seemed.

But Aspen couldn't do that. He was the Patriarch after all, the head of the Family.

Aspen stood poise and stern, posture straight, and face serious.

Beside her was her Parents, as they awaited for whatever the Patriarch called them for.

"Aspen, congratulations. I've heard you've recently reached the First Star."

"Thank you, Lord Souzen."

Aspen was happy that the Patriarch recognized her achievements.

She was never the type of person to compete with her talented Brother.

But she had to give her best to live up to his name.

In the first place, Aspen wasn't weak, she was Nocturn after all.

Turning towards the Patriarch, Aspen couldn't shake off the feeling that something bad was about to happen.

Acknowledging her couldn't have been the only reason they were called upon.

If that were the case then her parents shouldn't have been here.

It seemed like the Patriarch wanted to say something, but couldn't find the right words, evident in his expression.

Suddenly, Souzen spoke up,

"Saul, Alice, Aspen."

"Yes, Patriarch."

The three responded in unison.

"What I'm about to say might surprise you. No, I wouldn't blame any of you if you were to lash out at me."

Aspen couldn't comprehend what the Patriarch was saying.

'Lash out at you? Why would we ever do that?'

"Lord, Souzen, what are you trying to say?"

Saul asked, confused.

"It's about, Shin."

'Brother?'

Aspen's hands started to shake.

"What about our son? Did he get into trouble?"

"No, Saul, nothing like that.'

Aspen could feel it coming…

"Your son… he's trapped in a Fourth Star Abyss Gate."

Aspen's eyes shot wide open.

'You're joking… how did my Brother end up there?'

Aspen's mother, Alice, instantly gasped, covering her mouth.

Saul seemed to be in denial, as if he was trying to stifle a laugh.

"Lord Souzen, please don't make jokes like that. I don't want to be rude, but that's our Son you're talking about."

"It's fine Saul, I told you, I wouldn't blame you if you would lash out at me. I apologize, but everything I spoke of is the truth."

'There's no way…'

Aspen trembled, as tears started to strain her eyes.

Her Brother was only a First Star Ascender. Although he was about to break through the Second Star, it still wouldn't be enough to survive in a Fourth Star Gate.

Alice sank down both knees, her head shook repeatedly as if she was saying no, as tears started flowing down her cheek.

Saul's eyes darted around the floor, his mouth was trembling as tears started flowing as well.

"Lord Souzen, my Son is only a First Star, if he's in a Fourth Star Abyss, wouldn't that mean he's–"

"Stop talking, Saul!"

Alice screamed.

She got up and approached Souzen, grabbing his collar.

"There's no way Shin would be dead, this is all a big joke, right, Lord Souzen?"

Souzen looked down on the ground, his expressions filled with sympathy and sorrow, unable to respond.

"Hey! Please say something. Shin's coming home right? He's probably hiding around here somewhere. Haha, good prank, Shin you can come out now, you've got us good."

Alice continued hysterically.

"Shin, please… this isn't funny."

Aspen approached her mother, grabbing her arm that was holding onto Souzen's collar.

"Mother… Please stop."

"Aspen! Not you too, do you seriously believe this? In the first place, how did Shin even end up in a Fourth Star Gate? It makes no sense at all. You know how smart your Brother is, he couldn't have just loitered around and got inside the Gate."

"Mother…"

Aspen's tears continued to bead, her voice trembling.

"ASPEN! IT'S NOT TRUE OKAY?!"

Alice broke out in tears as her screams echoed around the entire throne room.

Unable to bear this longer, Saul spoke up,

"Lord Souzen, please tell us what happened."

Souzen debriefed the Family of what he knew from Camilla.

Everything, down to the last detail of what went down inside the gate, but reiterating the part where Shin had used Assimilation.

He continued with what occurred inside the Monolith, the misconduct, the spy, and the ongoing investigation.

The Family couldn't believe it at first. But it all sounded like something only Shin would do.

They knew Shin was a family first type of person.

Shin might not have realized it knowing his indifference, but they knew everything Shin did was for their sake.

And it pained their hearts to know that Shin ended up like that.

***

Souzen wanted to reveal everything about Shin.

Everything down from the fact that he was a Contractor.

It was Shin's family after all, they had the right to know.

But Souzen couldn't let them get their hopes up with the mere idea that Shin might survive.

It would be too cruel…

They had already lost their son, they couldn't bear to lose him again under false pretenses.

If Shin somehow survives, he should be the one to tell them.

But nothing was guaranteed. For all Souzen knew, Shin could already be dead, though he didn't want to admit it.

It was absurd to believe a First Star Ascender could survive a Fourth Star Gate even if he was a Contractor.

If Souzen could save him, then he would've done so already.

Souzen's respect for Shin was as much as he respected the First Patriarch.

Over the years, Shin had stopped speaking to Souzen formally, bringing them closer.

Before Souzen knew it, they had frequently engaged in jokes and light banters.

It wasn't a bad feeling, Souzen was tired of keeping up appearances in front of people, especially with his own family.

The way Shin delivers himself, as if this wasn't his first shot at life, had always made Souzen feel tense.

Whenever they spoke, Souzen felt like he was speaking with a Monarch.

'I hope you're somewhere out there, Shin. We're all awaiting your return.' 

Till Kingdom come.