Not Your Fault

Edited by: ASaltedFish

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The journey to the Winchest's mansion went smoothly. They didn't see any Ineks. 

When they arrived at the mansion, Logan's wife went to the kitchen to order some food while the kids went to their rooms. 

Logan brought Orin to his home office, where the terminals were stored. It was the safest place in the mansion. 

He opened a large safe using a special code and pupil recognition. Inside, there were ten transparent boxes with the coin-sized terminals inside of them. It was used to keep the terminals sterile because a doctor needed to insert them into the patient's arm.

"I know a good doctor who can implant the terminal into your arm. I will pay for the procedure free of charge because you saved my family's life… Is that alright?" 

"That is perfect. Thank you again, Logan. I appreciate it." Orin thought this was perfect because he didn't know any doctors who specialized in terminal implantations. He really felt fate was on his side, meeting Logan and his family. 

After transferring 5,000 star coins for the discounted terminal, Logan called the special doctor and scheduled an appointment for Orin. It was for the next day because it was a bit late and everyone was hungry. 

"I hope you will be able to get into contact with your family." Logan gave a soft smile, different from his professional demeanor. He was a family man, so he appreciated people who also felt the same way as him. 

"Thank you, I hope so as well… Hopefully, they are still waiting for me even after I have gone missing. More than likely, though, they probably thought I died." 

Logan knew not to say anything more and led him to the dining room when the food was ready to be served. Orin gratefully accepted and joined the Winchest family's deliciously fancy food. 

*****

The next day, Orin got his terminal implanted into his right arm. It was a quick and painless procedure, but it required a high level of precision from a skilled doctor. Luckily, the doctor on this planet was sufficient. 

Orin was able to log on to the Starnet, but because his information was registered in the Imperial Star, he could only verify his information by going there. While Orin could still use his account, some features were temporarily locked until then. 

When he looked at his contacts, they were locked as well. He couldn't even contact his wife because they needed him to verify his identity after getting a new terminal. 

"Well, let me check Darya's online store. Maybe her comments or appointments will be open…" 

Orin typed in the name of Darya's online store and was met with disappointment. Her online store didn't have a comment section anymore. She still sold her stabilizer, but she only accepted appointments made through the guide center.

Seeing that it was basically impossible to contact his wife, he went to Ellery's website and found that it had changed a lot. Why were there two red pandas? Well, they were really cute but… Hmm? He's selling two different kinds of stabilizers under the same name? What did he miss while he was gone? 

Orin went to news articles and the guide association's official page and saw that Ellery had not only awakened with two quantum beasts but also advanced, becoming a precious SS-ranked guide with SSS-ranked potential. 

Was this really his brother? Was he dreaming? 

He pinched himself so hard his thigh became bruised. It hurt. That meant he was awake, and he wasn't dreaming… 

"When did little El become so powerful?" 

El was Ellery's nickname that their parents and he called him by. They were the only ones who had ever called him that. 

"Well, I am sure when we meet up again, El can tell me more about it." 

Orin didn't rush to the comment section as it had over a million comments and was being screened by the moderators. He felt Ellery would never see his comment, and it would get drowned in the chaos. 

He saw that Ellery's appointments were open and felt this would be the only way he would see it. Sentinels could receive guiding sessions from a guide in their family as long as their compatibility was average. This was the case for Orin and Ellery. 

Orin set up an appointment in two weeks and made sure to address Ellery as El so he knew Orin was speaking the truth in his appointment description. He left his contact information so Ellery had a way to contact him.

Once that was sent in, Orin leaned back into the couch and took a deep breath. He was nervous that his family would think he was lying. Maybe they would think someone was trying to impersonate him to get close to Ellery. 

No, Ellery would know just by the nickname. He knew for a fact that he was the only person alive who would call him El… 

*****

Meanwhile, the manager saw Orin's message and wanted to trash it, but then remembered that Ellery was looking for his missing brother, who was also named Orin. Could this actually be his brother? 

The manager called Ellery on his terminal. "Excuse me, Mr. Aster. There is a person named Orin who booked an appointment, but there's a message in the description saying that he wanted to get in contact with you. Do you think this could be a message from your lost older brother?" 

"Yes, please send me the appointment information first." Ellery, who picked up, was confused but decided he wanted to see the message first before doing anything. This didn't happen in his previous life, so maybe it was fake? 

"Understood." 

After sending the appointment information, the manager tactically hung up so Ellery would be able to process the message from the man who could be his brother. If it was, then it was best to give Ellery some space. If it wasn't, then Ellery could delete the appointment information himself. 

'Aster… Do you think this is really my brother?'

[I think so. The public does not know you are actively looking for him. If someone were to look your brother up online, they would only know that he 'died' two years ago. Nobody in their right mind would use your brother's name just to get closer to you.] 

'That's true… Let me see the message first.' 

Ellery clicked on the appointment and checked the message Orin left. It read: 

Hello El, 

How are you doing? It has been two years, and I'm sorry for not being able to contact you or Darya since my disappearance. Please contact me through this number. There's so much I want to talk to you and Darya about. Please let her know I am alive and safe. I love and miss you both.

From,

Orin Aster

Ellery was stunned. It was the first time in years since anyone called him El. He didn't even tell Aster about his nickname. 

"Orin… You are alive. You are really alive." 

[Ellery… It's a relief to know he is alive.]

"Yes, but… He didn't contact me in my past life? What is different this time? If he was truly alive this whole time, Darya and I wouldn't have been in so much pain."

[Was he able to contact you the same way?]

"The same way… Oh, Beast God. It was my fault he couldn't contact me." Ellery was pacing around his room; his thoughts were running a mile a minute. He was mumbling to himself, so Aster couldn't hear anything after a while. 

[Ellery, calm down! What do you mean?] 

"Aster, I had my comment section and my appointments blocked. Just like Darya, I only went to the guide center to guide sentinels because Leonard was jealous and didn't want me to do private sessions. 

"Since Orin got a new terminal, a lot of its features would have been blocked, including his contacts. He would need to find another way to contact us, but since he couldn't contact us in our previous life, that means he probably waited until he got enough money to go to the Imperial Star. Depending on how far he was, that could take years to save up for!" 

Aster listened carefully and understood the points that Ellery was making. 

[It's not your fault though! You didn't know he was still alive. Not only that, but Leonard and Darian terrorized you for years. This isn't your fault…] 

"If it's not my fault, then whose is it?! I… If I didn't get caught up with that bastard, if I kept my online booking system open, if I… If I had done my best to look for him, he would have been found earlier." 

Ellery, who was usually a lot calmer than Aster, felt his emotions were suffocating him. He was breathing heavily, like there was a rock stuck in his throat. 

It was the first time he had experienced his soul getting sucked back into their subconscious, and Aster's soul came forward. 

Aster caught himself before he could fall. "Ellery, when we think about our past, there are no what-ifs because everything has already happened. The more we think about what could have been, the more we lose sight of ourselves. 

"Yes, things could have happened differently, but at that time, you loved someone so deeply that you listened to him. You wanted him to trust and love you. He destroyed your trust, which is why you decided you would never love him again in this life. 

"And this life is all that matters. You are living right now, and you have the opportunity to do things differently. Not everyone will get this chance. You now know your brother is truly alive, and we can go pick him up. Your sister-in-law contacted you when she didn't before and now relies on you. You now have plenty of suitors to choose from. 

"Do not beat yourself up. It's not your fault. Also, from everything you told me, even if it took 10 years, your brother is so strong he probably found his way back." 

This was the first time Aster had ever talked so much. His voice felt a little uncomfortable, but he didn't want Ellery to feel bad about the situation. 

"Take your time, and really think about what I said. You have always done your best, and no matter if it were in this life or your past life, Orin and Darya would not blame you." 

Ellery listened to every word Aster said. He did not talk quickly, but there was this comfortable and soothing feeling coming from him. It was like Aster knew how to be both honest and comforting at the same time. He acknowledged his fears while reassuring him time and time again that he was not at fault. 

[Thank you, Aster… I… I'm sorry for losing my composure. You are right. My brother is strong, so he would have made it back to us no matter what. Now, I just grieve that I died before he could come back. I grieve the loss of my child, my parents, and myself.] 

"Ellery, you have every right to grieve for yourself and everyone that you have lost and left behind. Life was unfair to you. In times like this, I wish I could hug you." 

[I would like to hug you too. Having our souls in the same body is really inconvenient.] 

It was a little hard to comfort someone who lived in the same body as you. 

"How do you want to respond to your brother? Once we finish that, I will let Edros, Akimitsu, and Darya know about Orin." 

"Good point, add his contact information. I will tell you what I want to say to him, and we can schedule a video call with Darya here too." 

Aster followed Ellery's instructions and then contacted Edros, Akimitsu, and Darya. He also let his security team know Darya would be coming over and not to obstruct her.