Chapter 31: Early resolve and flair!

"He's on his way over right now, they'll take care of them so are the boys prepped?" Said Jessica Wiley, mother of Derek, Drake, Henry and Nick wiley and wife of Jacob Wiley. "Our little hassles are ready to go, they're in the living room playing that card game." Jacob, her husband and father to their boys answered his wife in his usually calm tone. "Our flight leaves pretty soon, what if—." Jessica got interrupted by her husband before she could finish her talking. "You're obsessing over the worst case scenarios again, Jess." Jacob demanded with a calm demeanor as he walked up and hugged her. "This isn't that, just the worst— what if there are no fixes to this?" Jessica asked her husband as her eyes told him of her worry. "Your family is full of brilliance, your parents, siblings. There probably won't be a solution found in a year— Father Time won't be able to stop me, whatever differences we have to toss aside, we will find one for our children." Jacob declared with the voice that he makes when he makes promises to someone. He always kept his promises regardless of gain or loss, something Jessica fell in love with about him. "Stay back!" The parents heard from Derek in a panicky tone from the living room, the couple rushed off as quick as they could to see what was going on. They enter their living room that is filled with ashes falling to their carpet and their son Drake covered in smoke flowing around him, his fraternal twin brother on the floor terrified of his brother. "An ashen practice— already?" Jessica thought to herself as she focused on saving Derek from Drake. "One of his feelings is going hyper and driving him. Our Enotoskure's burst, our clan's toughest ability to master. He's feeling—." Jacob enlightened his wife as he held her back from causing their son to go in a flurry and reminded her of how volatile their son was during this. Jacob slowly proceeded to move closer and kneeled down to Drake's height. Jacob lightly tapped his hysterical son's shoulder, Drake turned around with a delay and faced his father. Jacob observed his son backing away, Drake's face was going pale, Drake's body was shaking. Jacob pulled out a very strange relic, he slowly grabbed his son's hand and handed it to him. "Your Grandfather was a wanderer. He made many friends and many enemies. Gathered many stories but one especially stuck out to me. He gave me this which reminds me of that story when I felt the same way you do now. I'll tell you the incredible story of Grantso's surprise. There was an ancient explorer and moral philosopher, he wrote in his personal journal about everyone in his life, most of them called him idiotic and inhuman because he always somehow stood calm and composed, even when taking on one hundred greedy assailants, he had so many who made their life about destroying his life. One day, he got sick with a mysterious illness, no doctors wanted to associate with him but there was a man who saw through his tough love attitude and investigated the philosopher's intentions rather than his harsh words, and when some of his enemies found him at his lowest, they never got the chance to hurt him. The very man who would become his best friend until death separated them came to the philosopher's aid and was treated." Jacob retold to his son, afterwards Jacob hugged his son Drake until the ash ceased falling and the smoke went away. The two boys' mother walked her way by the father and son slowly and grabbed Derek's hand to guide him away from his fraternal twin, back to her other sons, upstairs to their newborn baby and four year old who were in their nap time. Philip and Lidia Wiley showed up like promised after a few hours time passed the worried and devoted parents.

"The plan is for you two and the boy to travel to Jeju-si but for Tae-Lee to go and stay until you and that old man are capable of working together?" Philip asked to be sure after they filled him in. "Yep. He's tried to warn us with a story of our blood mixing but he was always smothering us growing up. I thought he was exaggerating. He disapproved of Jin-sun's wife for her past, he disapproves of your son for his past. I never put it past him to use a heart shattering myth to keep his children separated from anyone that he didn't approve of, he was right about everything though." Jessica replied to her father-in-law. "When we were rivals, he could never win, so he preferred to hold the moral high ground and he was obsessed with the past of everyone he met. Sounds like him." Philip commented as he shook his head. "I know the boys will be safe with you and mom. Perfect timing too, we need to leave for our flight in forty minutes." Jacob showed his gratitude towards his parents and reminded everyone as he checked his watch. "Don't worry, Jess, I have a shotgun in the house ready for anybody that thinks about harming our boys." Lidia informed Jessica with a cold tone. He went upstairs to find the boys. The parents hugged the three sons they had to leave behind for an uncertain amount of time before they got in their grandparent's car and watched them as they drove away. "Alright. Let's be on our way to the airport now." Jacob suggested to Drake and Jessica as he went off to prepare the car while the other two waited for him as she held her eight year old son's hand. The family parked in the lot, they laid their eyes on a disturbing sight, both of them recognized. "He's giving us a change of plans, protecting Drake and going to Jeju-si with him is the only thing that you have to worry about now. I'll keep him distracted with all of my ashen practice." Jessica demanded as she readied herself. Jacob released a deep sigh, he wanted to reject her plan, though he's aware of the reputation and capabilities of the man confronting them, he's aware that together they could still lose, the two touched foreheads before she got out of their car to fight and he got out of their car to make the flight. "Always and forever, unbothered by the feeling of never." Jessica recalled as she walked up to the grinning man in a Spanish carmine red suit. Faster than expected, the man stood in front of Jacob and his confused son. Jacob noticed that the grinning man from his past in Spanish carmine red was holding something behind his back, he felt something different about him. Suddenly somebody yelled out "head!" As everyone else began their panic and scatter. Jacob's mouth flew open with shock before he shut it and it changed to a scowl and he tightened his fist, the desire to avenge he felt before meeting Jessica returned tenfold before either could begin combat, Drake's enotoskure burst returned and it became a problem for both of them.

"Philly, it's been how long and he's still by himself like that? If that memory ray didn't cause dementia, I'd use it with no hesitation to see my baby like his old cheerful and delightful self again! See my little Dare like Derek again." Said Lidia Wiley to her husband with a lowered voice to her husband, Philip Wiley. "Nothing's wrong with him. He just needs to grieve, and it's good that he's grieving, as painful as it might be to watch him in pain for us." Philip replied to his wife. The Grandparents spies on their Grandson, feeling their own pain watching him in it clasping his wrist and his chin on his chest on the playground they were visiting while the other kids were enjoying themselves. Philip felt worse hearing the song Derek was humming to himself. "I know, I know, the cults, the clans and the chaos that have immense power in the world. I'm signing him up for therapy if he doesn't show any sign of feeling better in three months." Lidia assured her husband as her and Philip's eyes made contact and she grasped his hand. "Let me try my own therapy session with him before you do that, we haven't talked like you two." Philip replied with a soft and calm tone. The hero's mourning Grandfather stepped over to his Grandson. He noticed him with his hands in his pockets and his legs crossed. "How are you holding up, my persistent champ?" Philip asked with a low tone after he got comfortable next to him and stared at the ground with him. Derek remained silent as he expected. Immense silence came between the Grandfather and Grandson. "Want to hear a fascinating true story that tragically goes untold in households except ours?" Philip asked his mourning Grandson. The Grandson remained as silent as before. "That question grabbing your attention and changing that face for a moment will suffice. Come, I'll sit here with you and enjoy this cool wind until you feel better since you don't feel like speaking." Said Philip as he hugged and comforted his quiet, redeyed, frowning Grandson on the playground. Months pass, Derek doesn't seem to be feeling any better, making progress in recovering from the pain of what their family had gone through a year ago. The kid's Grandmother makes good on her promise, his violent outbursts of rage and swearing vengeance had ceased after a few months of grief counseling and therapy.

"It's really foggy out so what are we doing at the city's library?" Derek asked as he ran to catch up to his Grandfather. The two entered the Library and saw enough folks for Derek to believe it was a party, he asked himself why there were as many people in a public library. "Hi! I'm Alec!" Said Settembre with such an ecstatic tone and animated wave that it left Derek blushing and scooting closer to his Grandfather. "Dirty booty scratcher!" Shouted another child close to his age who made him back away slowly. "I need that question answered, c'mon." Derek whispered to his Grandfather. "This is about that talk we had a week ago about your future." Grandpa Philip responded as he knelt down onto one knee to reach his height. "Are both of you sure about this? It's not too late to rethink, the journey will only begin when you're both ready, former leader of JinJunyë and his heir, so it's never too late." Said Settembre's father, leader of the base of operations in Nebraska as he gave Philip a dap. Derek grabbed his wrist as he closed his eyes and nodded. "This ten year old doesn't look like much, Dad." Said Alec before he began laughing at Derek, while the younger hero kept his head down. "Sett, hush up." The older hero was demanded by his father as he gave Derek an evil eye.