Chapter 22: Echoes of Resolve

Jonathan greeted Gabriel with a smile, "Hey, twerp." He stood up from the couch and walked towards Gabriel, patting his shoulder. "How are you doing, kid?"

Gabriel, lost in his thoughts, snapped back to reality when Jonathan touched his shoulder. He looked at Jonathan, who was smiling at him, and patted his hand back. Gabriel hugged Jonathan tightly and asked, "Why are you suddenly back, you old thing?"

Jonathan laughed heartily. "Can't I come home for a visit?" he answered, still chuckling.

Gabriel tried to hide it, but small traces of tears were visible in his eyes. "What's wrong, dear?" his mom asked him.

Gabriel turned his gaze toward the former Gabriel's parents. As he looked at their faces, they suddenly overlapped with the faces of his parents back on Earth. He had expected their faces to be exactly like his parents, and it was a strange feeling to see them in front of him.

"I'm fine, Mom. There's just some dust in my eyes," he replied, wiping away his tears.

"How did the assessment go? Did you pass?" his father asked with concern.

Gabriel began to recount the events of the day, although he kept some things to himself. When his parents learned that the assessment had been postponed due to an incident at the school, a hint of worry appeared on their faces, particularly on his mother's.

"Are you sure it's safe to attend the assessment tomorrow? What if there's another incident?" his mother asked anxiously.

His father tried to reassure her. "Helena, don't worry too much. Our son is capable, and he knows what he's doing. Even though his awakened class is supportive, he's very knowledgeable."

"But, b...but," his mother stuttered, looking at Jonathan.

Jonathan interrupted his brother Harold before he could speak. "Don't worry, sister-in-law. Gabriel knows what he's doing. He's a grown man now. He's not that little boy anymore who will run back and cry every time he fights with someone."

Upon hearing his uncle's words, Gabriel's face turned red with embarrassment, and he started to bicker with his uncle. Jonathan laughed and teased him, while Gabriel tried to defend himself.

Seeing the two bicker like idiots, his mother, Helena, relaxed a bit, smiled, and walked towards the dining room to start preparing food for dinner.

The family then gathered for dinner, enjoying their meal and spending time together.

...

Gabriel had just finished his dinner and decided to take a walk in the garden. As he strolled through the serene environment, he caught sight of his uncle, Jonathan. Immediately, he approached him, curious as to why he was there.

"Old thing, you do realize that there are strict protocols in the army that require you to remain on duty at all times, except in special circumstances. So, what brings you here?" Gabriel inquired, tossing the bottle of water he was holding to his uncle.

Without hesitation, Jonathan caught the bottle, opened it, and took a long, refreshing sip. After quenching his thirst, he looked at Gabriel and replied, "You're right, twerp. I did have a reason for coming here today."

As Gabriel gazed at his uncle's usually cheerful face, he noticed a sudden shift in his demeanor, and a somber expression took over.

Sensing that his probing may have struck a nerve, Gabriel quickly backed off and said, "It's alright, Uncle. If you don't feel comfortable sharing, I understand. I know that your line of work involves sensitive information, and it's essential to keep it confidential. You don't have to say anything more if you don't want to."

Concern etched across his face, Gabriel awaited his uncle's response, hoping that everything was alright.

Jonathan and Gabriel were sitting in the garden, chatting and joking around. Suddenly, Jonathan's facial expression changed and he looked at Gabriel with a shocked expression. He stood up and quickly dashed in front of Gabriel, putting his palm on his forehead to check his temperature.

"Are you sick? Did you eat something different today? Something's off! Your words seem strange today," Jonathan said to Gabriel with a mixture of concern and teasing on his face.

Gabriel, feeling a bit embarrassed, said, "Ge... Get... Away! You old thing!" before running away with Jonathan.

Jonathan's loud laughter echoed through the room as they ran around. Gabriel stopped for a moment, catching his breath, and looked at Jonathan before walking towards the stairs. "I'm going to rest," he said. "I still have an assessment to do tomorrow."

Jonathan stopped laughing and replied, "Good luck to you, twerp."

Gabriel was about to go up the stairs when he heard Jonathan speak again, this time with a serious tone in his voice. "Hey kid, always keep in mind that we can't retract the decisions we've made. We can only affect the decisions we're going to make from here."

Gabriel paused for a moment, contemplating Jonathan's words, before continuing up the stairs to get some rest for his upcoming assessment.

As Gabriel made his way towards his bed, he couldn't shake off the words his uncle had said. He felt a sudden rush of confusion and anxiety as he tried to make sense of them. As he reached his bed, he paused for a moment, feeling overwhelmed by his thoughts. He then lay down and closed his eyes, hoping to find some respite from the turmoil in his mind.

As he lay there in the quiet of his room, he tried to decipher the meaning behind his uncle's words. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't make head or tail of them. Frustrated, he decided to put those words in the back of his mind and let his mind rest. Slowly, he felt the tension drain from his body as he drifted off to sleep.

...

The next day, Gabriel was walking towards the entrance gate of the academy, lost in his thoughts, when he suddenly collided with someone. As a result, that person crashed into the gate of the academy. Gabriel immediately reached out to help the person and apologized for not seeing them.

However, the person he bumped into turned around and shot a hostile remark at Gabriel. "Get lost, don't touch me with your dirty hands," he said in a cold tone.

Gabriel was taken aback by the sudden aggression. When he looked closely, he realized that the person he collided with was Dave Blake. Gabriel knew that Dave was a rich kid who often acted superior to others.

"I just wanted to make sure you were okay. You don't need to respond like that," Gabriel replied, trying to calm Dave down.

"Why do you care? You're just a country bumpkin!" Dave growled in response.

Gabriel was shocked by Dave's words. "In this day and age, is that kind of speech still acceptable? You're lucky to be born into a wealthy family, but that doesn't give you the right to treat others like trash. Do you take pleasure in making others feel inferior?"

Dave was irritated by Gabriel's words. "Trash is trash. All you know how to do is put up a false act of bravery. If you disagree with me, then prove it to me here and now!" With that, Dave drew his sword and pointed it at Gabriel.

SSSHHHIIIIING!!

As the heated conversation between Gabriel and Dave escalated, the students in the area suddenly turned their attention to the two of them. It was clear that things were getting out of hand, and Gabriel even took out his weapon, causing a stir among the bystanders.

Just then, a blinding light was released, and a figure appeared between them. The students gasped in disbelief as a terrifying pressure emanated from the figure's body, causing a momentary silence.

The figure looked at Gabriel and Dave, intensifying the pressure as they stood there, and said in a stern voice, "ENOUGH!"

"You are within the vicinity of the school, private fights are not allowed," the figure continued. "If you want to settle your differences, go to the arena. That's what it's there for."

The figure then turned to the students around them and said, "Come inside the school. The assessment is about to start."

The students filed into the academy, but Gabriel and Dave remained outside, staring at each other.

"What are you two waiting for?" the figure asked with annoyance.

Ignoring the figure, Dave looked at Gabriel menacingly and walked into the academy. Gabriel, on the other hand, nodded at the figure and said, "Thank you, Ms. Student Council President." He then followed Dave into the academy.