Chapter 321: A Father's Pain

Mid Afternoon - Early Summer : Atlas | Bahamut

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"Did you really have to put it in your mouth?" I couldn't help but give Mother an odd look as she opened her mouth and pulled out the Acardi artifact, freshly doused with saliva.

"It was the only way. Only Bahamut has the authority to take things from the second and third layers of the library." She gave me a sly glance as she handed it to me. "But who knows, maybe I was hopeful it would turn my scales black too."

I hesitated, unsure if she was serious, before taking the artifact and cleaning off the saliva. "That was a very.. unique scenario..." Quickly getting it clean, I buried it into my fur and secured it with my aura. -Right.. I need to grab my ID and sword before I leave...- "Anyway, what was it you were getting ready to say before you grabbed the artifact?"

"Ah, yes..." *fwoosh* *fwoosh* Landing gracefully back in the courtyard of our estate, she glanced at me before turning to the door. "I was thinking, since you're planning to stay in Siratha while you work to get a handle on your aura, why not take Krystallo with you?"

I immediately tilted my head. "Is that really alright?" -I don't know if I'm comfortable bringing her into space to meet Hera, so I'd have to leave her alone.. although I'm sure Leif wouldn't mind...-

"Well, it would be a good opportunity for her to gain some experience in the outside world. Plus, with Siratha under Bahamut's wing, she can use her draconic form, and I don't need to worry about her getting hurt if she wanders off." She spoke with a prideful tone, confident Krystallo would be able to defend herself.

But it just made me raise an eyebrow. "You think I would let anyone touch a single scale on her?"

"Haha, of course not." She let out a soft chuckle as her smile warmed. "But you did promise to make it up to her. Do you really think she'll let you leave alone?"

"Haah..." I immediately let out a heavy sigh, imaginatively feeling her weight on my back already. -She definitely won't let go of me once I get inside...- But as we walked, I had an idea. "What if you and Father joined us in Siratha? Since it's under Bahamut now, couldn't you frame it as a diplomatic visit?"

Mother stopped abruptly before falling into thought. "That's.. not a bad idea actually... I've been looking to set up a meeting with Leif Vilulf for quite some time now."

"Just say the word, and I'll arrange it. It's not like calling it a diplomatic visit would be a lie." -Although it might be more of a family trip...-

"Hmm..." Mother looked into the air as she weighed the idea. "Okay, let me speak it over with Osto. We still have quite a lot of paperwork we need to clean up..." She turned back toward me with a slight flicker in her tail. "You're going to leave here in a few minutes, right?"

"Yeah, I just need to grab a few things."

"Then expect us to arrive a few days after you. Assuming everything goes well, we will show up at Miss Vilulf's estate under diplomatic pretenses." Still half in thought, she resumed her walk toward the estate.

"Alright, then I'll make sure they make accommodations." Following after her, we hastily entered the estate, being anxiously greeted by the few conscious guards and maids while we walked.

But as I was getting ready to turn into the hallway with my room, I found a white-scaled figure glaring at me from around the corner.

She stared like a panther lurking in the underbrush, and the moment I got close, she pounced. *thump-puff* She buried herself in my fur instantly. "YOU CAN'T LEAVE AGAIN!" She gripped my chest with all her strength as she yelled with an angry tone.

She wasn't merely making a statement; she was issuing a command. -Oh boy...- "You're just going to travel with Mom, we're going on a family trip, I just need to leave before-"

"NO!" She dug her claws into me, her eyes burning with determination. "I'M NOT LETTING YOU OUT OF MY SIGHT FOR THE NEXT WEEK! MINIMUM!"

I wanted to retort, but somehow, I couldn't muster the strength. "Haah..." -Well.. maybe this isn't all that bad... Since I won't be using a space rune, I can show her sights she couldn't imagine...- I paused to give it more thought before speaking with reluctance. "Alright. But as we leave, I'll have to cloak you with light magic, so try to stay put until we are far enough from Atlas that I can change back to my dragon form."

Her anger turned into joy instantaneously. "Okay!" Her tail happily flicked around while she hung from my chest before I used aura to move her up onto my back where Ilios was laying.

"We will be leaving in a minute, so go ahead and get comfortable."

*pomf* She went limp as if to spread out on my fur as much as possible without even a hint of hesitation.

But after seeing her blissful expression, I simply left her. -She'll probably hold on when we take off...-

Finally helping balance her on my back, I continued down the hall before arriving in my room, quickly opening it and gathering my things before offering to carry some of Krystallo's stuff and getting ready to leave.

But as we returned to the main hall, instead of plainly finding everyone overcome by my aura, we found a white dragon standing at the base of the stairs, his head hanging low, clearly struggling to resist my aura.

"V..Vasilias... I'm sorry..." He spoke as if completely exhausted. "I'm ashamed in myself that.. as a father, I cannot stand in front of my own child.. but..."

*Vwoom* Quickly giving him some support with my aura, I did my best to try and keep some of it off him, but he never pulled his gaze off the ground. "Even ancients get suffocated in my aura. I don't think this is something you should be ashamed of..."

Finally raising his gaze, he looked at Krystallo casually lying on my back before gritting his teeth and turning toward the ground.

It made my chest ache a bit seeing him so truly distraught. "Father, Krystallo grew up with my aura, and Mother has a very literal connection to me. Plus, you have spent a lot of time away from home, so you haven't been able to gradually build up your tolerance to it."

"But that does not take away from how shameful this is..." He sounded like he was on the verge of tears. "I'm a father short of breath by the mere presence of his son..."

"I'm a god, Dad. This isn't something to be ashamed of... Just look around. No one else, not even the ancients, can remain conscious this close to me, yet here you are, still standing." Immediately seeing he didn't even have the strength to look around, I tried to speak a bit more softly. "The best way for you to overcome it is to be in the presence of it more often."

His eyes quickly widened before he looked up at me.

"This just means we need to find something to do together. To have some good father/son time." -Maybe I can take him down to the Acardi lab or something.. although I'm not sure if he can handle the depth...-

However, he was still reluctant. "But just as with the rest of your childhood, I have political work to take care of... I don't know how much we-"

"I'll make sure you don't have anything then," I spoke slightly sternly. "If you have work, I will have it pushed to someone else or saved for later... I know the festival is coming up, but you need a break, Dad... So for once.. why don't you set your things aside and spend some time with us?"

*flash* Momentarily switching to my dragon form, I walked over and gently pressed my forehead against his.

"Let's make this trip to Siratha an enjoyable one, okay?" I wore a warm smile as I pulled away.

And finally, he looked me in the eyes, with tears hidden behind his smile. "A..alright."

Seeing that he was barely remaining conscious after I got so close, I quickly pulled away before changing back to my fenririan form, letting Krystallo give her a short farewell as well before heading outside, with Ilios and Krystallo veiled under a cloak of light magic.

Outside, tons of people were already watching, even more than earlier in the day, but unlike earlier, not one was in the air; they simply observed from the surrounding rooftops, even if a few still wore unsavory looks. -But any improvement is good, no matter how small...-

*VWOOOM-CRACKLE* Quickly slamming down some aura on those showing any kind of hostility, I walked out into the courtyard, spread my wings, and took to the air, being especially sure to hold Krystallo in place as I flew up into the clouds.

"Where are we going?" Krystallo spoke softly with a hint of confusion mixed with excitement.

"Siratha," I replied somewhat bluntly as I started surrounding us in vacuum magic.

"Then why aren't we taking the space rune?"

I immediately shook my head. "How will you ever understand the vastness and beauty of our world if you always take the space runes?"

"B-but isn't Siratha.. like.. really far away?"

"Mhm!" I gave her a prideful glance before facing forward again. "That's why you should start holding on! I don't plan to fly slowly."

Courage instantly sparked in her eyes before she scoffed at my advice. *crackle* She didn't quite realize what real speed was just yet, but I had no intention of forcing her to do anything.

-Well, I warned her!- *crack-FWOOOM* Blasting the thrusters, she was instantly thrown backward, coming completely off my back before she could react and grip my fur like her life depended on it.

"WHAT THE?!" Even without any air resistance, she could barely hold on, but as she looked down at Ilios, nonchalantly napping just in front of her, she put on a look of determination, trying to reel herself back in before yelling out, "How is Ilios napping?!"

"You'll get used to it like he did, I promise." Slightly easing the acceleration, I let her pull herself back down to get a better grip on me, but by then, we were already on the edge of the atmosphere and coming up on the ocean.

*flash* Finally at altitude and up to speed, I changed to my draconic form and eased the thruster magic, allowing Krystallo to finally relax and have a moment to catch her breath and move around.

She was a bit grumpy at first, but it only took a moment for that to change.

Finally sitting up, she looked up to find the stars staring down at her, clearer than she had ever seen, and looked down around us to see the vast, unfathomable beauty of the ocean, only limited by the single distant horizon that encircled us.

Wholly captivated, her claws firmly dug into the contours of my scales while she looked out over the world in awe, with eyes filled with countless glimmers of curiosity.

For the first time, she truly had the chance to put everything into perspective, to see just how unfathomably vast the world she had at her fingertips was.

"W..wow..." Her voice, soft and filled with awe, barely rose above a whisper. "How.. beautiful..."

Glancing back at her in silence, I watched the wonder in her eyes glimmer beneath the warmth of the sun just above us, staring out at the giant storm clouds gathering on the horizon with an indescribable fascination.

To an extent, it felt as if I was looking at my former self, a young dragon suddenly realizing just what was at their fingertips, the expanse of unknown left to explore, and the unfathomable beauties that lay in hiding.

Even after having technically flown around the world, I truly felt as if I had explored nothing. From the frigid expanse of the north to the blazing abyss known as the Banvænn Desert, there were countless mysteries about the world I had yet to even see, let alone touch.

But while my mind usually ran rampant when thinking about such mysteries, set ablaze by the never-ending curiosity in my mind, at that moment, I had set it aside. -I wonder if I should really take her straight to Siratha... We have a few days to kill, don't we?- At that moment, I simply wanted to show her more of the world. -But where to...-

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