Sick

Rushing through the front door of the Augustus Family Palace, Sthefanny Caesar was worried and rummaging through a child's backpack. In contrast, sitting quietly on a bench near the door, was Theo, receiving a cuddle from Luanne.

The boy, with his left arm bandaged and his eyes lost in the situation, just followed his aunt around looking for faults.

"Am I forgetting something?" commented Sthefanny, a red-haired woman with curly hair. "Theo, do you remember if I picked up your clean clothes from the maids?"

"Yes," he replied.

"Your nooks? Your diary? Are you bringing any snacks?"

"Aunt…"

"Luanne, remember to clean your arm to avoid fungus…"

"Aunt Sther…"

"Where did I leave my book?"

"Sthefanny, is he your son?" asked Elijah, Theo's eldest uncle. Like Ethan, his long white hair hid a pair of rectangular glasses.

""No..." he replied, discouraged and unhappy.

"She still cares about him. Quite an aunt, isn't she, Tê?"

A cynical smile bothered Theo. Out of politeness, he agreed with Elijah's words.

"And you make a point of forcing the maids to help you cheat on her..." thought Luanne, turning her face away from Elijah.

Trying to avoid an unfriendly atmosphere, Sthefanny looked again for the notebook she had made with Theo.

An awkward silence was established just by Elijah's presence. After all, his very personality, his aura, gave the impression of a moribund atmosphere surrounded by falsehood.

Even Theo understood that personality. However, the only one who didn't see Ethan with those eyes was...

"Tê!" exclaimed Chloe, Sthefanny and Elijah's daughter, coming down the stairs holding a black notebook.

"There you are," said Sthefanny.

After handing the notebook to her mother and receiving a kiss on the forehead, Chloe walked over to Theo.

"Are you really leaving?" His childish voice turned melancholy.

"Uh-huh."

"Why?" She pouted."

"Because he needs to check his arm again. And also, he needs to see Mommy," said Luanne in a sweet voice. Crouching down next to the two children, Darkmoon said: "But you'll be together soon. Believe me. Don't you, Theo?"

Theo didn't say anything, because he didn't know about the future. They lived at the ends of continents; Theo lived in Nethuns, the southern state of Romerian. Chloe lived in Zethian, the northern state of the empire. Under normal circumstances, they would see each other within a three-month travel interval (about a hundred days, depending on the month).

""Yes, it is," confirmed Ethan. "After all, you'll be studying together at the Four Great Orders.

"That'll be ten years from now..." commented Elijah.

"But they'll spend most of their lives together," said Luanne, giving Sthefanny a gentle look.

Taking the hint, Sthefanny elbowed Elijah in the ribs and stomped on his foot.

"What?!"

Buttoning the sleeve of his white suit, Ethan concluded:

"Shall we go quickly? If we leave now, we'll be in Lincoln County by nightfall. It'll be quick to get to Loureto."

"Wouldn't it be better to go via Hardian? Why are you going to another empire? Don't you want to cross the Hardian Desert?" Elijah asked.

"The Durham train opened a week ago, Lincoln told us. If we take the privileged route, we should get there by nightfall, and tomorrow afternoon we'll arrive in Loureto."

Elijah narrowed his eyes.

"Even after what these machines have brought you, do you still support them?"

"Of course, that's the future. Anyway, shall we?"

Theo nodded and agreed with his father. Luanne got up and, after greeting Sthefany and collecting Theo's bags, set off back to the carriage.

Carefully, Chloe hugged her cousin, missing him even before he left. That dependence began to worry Ethan...

"See you later, Chloe!" said Theo, feeling a twinge in his arm... Chloe's hug was too strong for him.

"Go in peace, Te…"

"Be careful!"

☽✪☾

Just as Ethan had calculated, while the sun was preparing to illuminate the other side of the world, they had arrived in Gran Empire and were heading towards the western region, where the two empires split.

The Durham train was working perfectly, using the energy core to drive the speed and operation of the wagons. The comfort of the vehicle, however, left nothing to be desired. The interior was covered in leather and furnished mostly with cushions, avoiding the use of materials such as steel and iron.

In Luanne's eyes, the decor was extremely refined.

Theo, however, didn't enjoy the comfort. As soon as they arrived at the station, he had completely blacked out and only woke up when he arrived in Loureto.

With Theo sitting on her lap while she cuddled him, Luanne closed her eyes to try and get some rest. Ethan, however, stared at the dark path outside the wagons...

His distant gaze clearly expressed a pertinent concern. A few papers in his hands explained why. The reason Ethan decided to spend so much time in the Athenian capital: arriving in Athenian early and taking a few days, was because of his state of health...

Ethan sighed heavily.

"That black substance..."

Flashes of memories flooded the Duke's eyes, and he wasn't sure what that meant. However, when he checked his nuclear status...

Ethan was a deviant with the most advanced core; for positive and warm-colored cores, the red core. A core capable of powering an entire capital city... However, even though he was on the top shelf of deviants, and even though deviants don't get sick from viral diseases (at least not the same ones as ordinary humans), not even Duke Lawrence is immune from nuclear cancers.

Diagnosis: Nuclear corrosion; unrecognizable substance.

Dear Duke Ethan De Lawrence, after a few sessions and the tests you brought back from Loureto, we at the Fermand Fiorent clinic have diagnosed that the black substance you came into contact with has resulted in what we call nuclear corrosion. One which, unfortunately, makes it completely impossible to use the functions of a nucleus. Fortunately, according to our studies, we report that this substance will not affect the Phanes Spark, but is blocking the release of mana through the chakra channels. We have therefore sent instructions to your personal doctors to carry out a treatment that will prevent the permanent blockage of energy functions.

Gritting his teeth in frustration, Ethan turned his face back to the window.

A lifetime of training and maturing was unable to overcome the diseases that a core could adhere to. His frustration was becoming more and more apathetic, given that Ethan wouldn't be able to protect his family... Not like before.

Even with the Phoenix by his side, having his chakra veins blocked means going back to being a mere human.

He clucked his tongue in disappointment.

"I'm sorry..." he begged, thinking of the faces of his children and wife "And I let myself be weak..."

""No," said Luanne.

They stared at each other for a moment and Ethan reflected the moonlight emanating from his friend's retina.

"I forgot that you read minds..." said Ethan, pulling away again.

"Are you worried about not being able to protect them? Look... that's bullshit. You're the man of the house, Ethan. The man of a huge house, of a Duchy. Your power goes beyond what you can conjure with those hands, the force you can apply to a punch."

Ethan's mouth curled up, as if to say: whatever. But for Luanne, it wasn't a big deal.

"You weren't a genius, you didn't inherit extraordinary powers... You developed them. Everything you achieved was on your own merit. You see, you even resigned as a member of the imperial family, renouncing all fortune, influence... All this just to create yourself."

"Self-centered attitudes hidden by a false altruism... That's how I've lived my whole life."

Covering his mouth with the back of his hand, Ethan gasped with tear-filled eyes.

"I only fought because I knew it would give me the evolution I wanted... I wanted to become stronger just to live longer, to live better. I fought when my victory wasn't guaranteed, because I just wanted to get stronger and protect Camille... I threw my life away just for that; to be more powerful. But... what life do I have now? I've become so strong that I've been named The Greatest Monster Mankind Has Created... I still was until a few weeks ago... But now…"

Opening his eyes wide and closing them again, to prevent the tears from clumping together and falling, Ethan concluded:

"I'm so afraid of not seeing what kind of man Theo will become... What kind of career Thays will pursue in life... Afraid of letting Camille grow old alone…"

"And it's okay for you to live without it? You know that even with your limited core, you'll live for centuries. Ethan... I understand. You worked your whole life to get to the top, you got there, but you fell... But have you really lost everything?"

Theo moved discreetly and unconsciously.

"Two children, a perfect wife, a wonderful young brother... You haven't lost anything. Your time to fight has passed. It was a brief moment in life, but nobody fights forever. Look at me; I'm over two hundred years old, but I haven't had to use my strength for almost a century. The problem isn't losing your strength, it's losing what you've achieved with it…"

Luanne cautiously led the Duke's eyes towards Theo. The boy was sleeping like a hibernating angel, showing absolute weakness.

"You saved Camille from a conservative family. You protected Edward from his father's evil clutches, you gave life to Theo and Thays..." Luanne paused to swallow, stretching her head with a certain fear of the next words. "You saved me from suicide. Look, for someone only thirty years old, living in a society of millennials, you're a child. Yet you've saved as many lives as I've taken. Your strength means nothing... There's still time to start again."

Ethan scratched his irritated, reddened eyes. Sniffling continuously, he looked at his son again. Luanne, therefore, continued to pet the youngster.

"Do you know what he'll inherit from you? Apart from the money."

Luanne referred to Theo again, maintaining her affection for the boy as she tried to make him even more comfortable.

"As you said yourself, your life is summed up by someone who has always sought to grow, to evolve... to be stronger in order to protect those he loves. You've been the cure for countless people, Ethan. The cure for a plague called loneliness. This boy has inherited that from you; he will be the light in the life of every person who crosses his path. From you, he will inherit the unique will to win."

Leaning back against the armchair, Ethan snuggled down properly and sighed deeply. He stopped to think, trying to conclude whether that fear was rational or just an excuse for his despair.

But, without letting the Duke be taken over by melancholy thoughts, Luanne propped her legs up on Ethan's seat and complained:

"Stop thinking and go to sleep! That villager was right about you not being a hero. It's as simple as that. Now, go to sleep because tomorrow is a new day. I don't want to see children crying from now on!"

Surprised by Luanne's sudden defiance, Ethan smiled awkwardly and got up. Strolling around the cabin, he looked for a more suitable place to rest.

Keeping pace with the wagon and enjoying the daytime wind beneath the moonlit shower, a white owl stood guard, keeping a close eye on its owner's surroundings.