Permission

The next morning, before Ethan and Camille began their duties, Theo summoned them to the Duke's office. Sitting in his father's chair, while he stood next to Camille, the boy began:

"Dad, Mom… I want to be a Vagus agent."

"No!" Camille instantly repressed. She hadn't expected that request, but her maternal instinct made her respond quickly.

Crossing his arms, Ethan sighed before giving his verdict.

"How?" asked Theo. "Why?"

A drop of sweat slowly rolled down his forehead.

"Why not. Theo, you can't become an Agent of Vagus."

"And why not?"

"And why would I let you? Do you really want to spend your life away from me, your sisters, and our entire family, hiding in libraries, classrooms, running around the world, and facing beings beyond comprehension? In exchange for what?"

"I'll find out later," he replied. That answer caught Liam's attention. "My instincts lead me to this desire; I have something to accomplish as an Agent…"

"No. You don't."

"Yes, I have!"

Lifting his head and widening his eyes, Ethan cast an imposing gaze upon Theo.

Quickly, the boy understood what it was about.

"Didn't you… spend eighteen years becoming a renowned writer and painter? So why can't I go after what I want…"

"Because you don't have to, boy!"

"Give me a reason!" Theo retorted. Once again, he was overwhelmed with a look from Ethan.

"Why…"

"Why not is not an answer."

Camille couldn't answer suddenly. As a weapon, she pulled back her shoulders and looked for her husband.

"Ethan!"

Looking at her husband, she waited for him to answer.

However, she did not get what she wanted; Ethan just gave him a calm look and shrugged. To him, it was either…

"And… Ethan! Are you serious?!"

"Yes… I'm the last one to be able to judge what he wants," he said, scratching his arm.

"No! You are the one who has the best authority to say no. You have lived this, Ethan. You understand perfectly this path, this route that gets lost in the middle of the forest and ends six feet below the ground."

Theo lowered his head, letting his wavy hair cover his eyes.

"And… What path won't take us to those six feet under the ground?"

Camille was shocked by her son's stance. His father, however, supported his son's argument.

Giving a low, muffled laugh, Ethan stole the attention of those present.

"Hey! Ethan! You're supposed to be helping me with this!"

"What's wrong?" Ethan asked, releasing his arms, which had previously been crossed. "That was a good argument for a child. Which path in our lives won't lead to death? I'm going to die, you're going to die, he's going to die, everyone's going to die…"

"I know! I just don't want to speed up this process by letting my son follow a suicidal path!"

"I'm alive…"

Camille quickly stood up from her chair, throwing the furniture back with her legs. Putting her arms around her waist, she looked Ethan deep in the eyes.

"You're a special case! And seriously?! Are you considering allowing this nonsense?!"

"Mom…" Theo tried, but his mother stopped him.

"No!" She pointed her index finger at him, signaling for him to be quiet. "What's been going through your head lately?!"

"Camille… He's a child," Ethan said, pointing at Theo with an open palm.

"Exactly!"

"A child." The Duke kept his tone calm from the beginning, and although he was opening an argument, he kept even more control. "Children dream of something that, in a few years, they lose interest. Until a few years ago, Thays wanted to be a veterinarian; today, she wants to be a researcher. Do you understand?"

"I'm not going to change!" Theo exclaimed, stomping his foot.

His posture was determined to prove his words.

"I'm convinced of it!"

"Hey! Hey, hey, hey! You're not even old enough to think about saying such words!" Camille reprimanded.

Taking his wife's hands, Ethan guided her to take a deep breath.

"There are positive points in this world…"

"Oh, of course. In a world where there are snakes the size of cities, lions the size of buildings, terrorist attacks, governments on the brink of collapse, inequality, hunger, poverty, and a thousand and one creatures that I can't even imagine, what could possibly be positive?!"

Ethan smiled.

"For me? You had it. The world is all that, but it was in it that I found you, through love…"

"Yes, yes. And do you think it will be the same for him?" Camille's voice gradually calmed after her husband's peaceful comment.

'Daddy dominated her…' Theo thought, seeing his mother let her guard down.

Nodding, Ethan confirmed that it was. He firmly believed that it was in the mud where men found gold.

Shaking his head, Theo returned to the subject at hand.

"Stop! My future is mine," he complained aggressively.

"Who decided that, boy?"

"You've been saying that since the beginning! If you have no arguments or reasons to stop me, then why are you trying?! If you don't have the courage to decide, then I will decide for myself!"

"Oops!" Ethan put his hand in front of Theo.

The boy again backed away.

Sighing, he returned to his calm state.

"Do you allow it?" Theo asked his father.

"Well… I've been teaching Edward for years, but, thinking about it, I've never taught a deviant who isn't even aware of his own core…" Ethan replied, thoughtful about the request.

Camille took her eyes off her son and looked at Ethan, in disbelief at what had just come out of her mouth. She shook her head, trying to understand, but still in disbelief, she couldn't say anything.

"Seriously?! Theo, no! His answer is no too!"

"Actually, it's a yes."

Camille's shoulders slumped.

"What?!"

"I allow him to become an agent of Vagus. However, on one condition…"

An untamed glow filled the amber eyes of Theo. His back muscles contracted into a straight, attentive posture… Pride was filling his chest.

"You will enter an academy in Vagus in ten years… If I think you are worthy, you will enter at thirteen. Then, I will train you for ten years, accepting the limits of what can be passed outside of an academic institution. I will do everything to prepare you, so that in the end, you will graduate from the best academy available."

Theo nodded in agreement.

"Calm down, I'm not done yet. As long as you are a student and my apprentice, I will support you in every way. With money, contacts, recognition… Everything. However, from the moment you are inserted into a squad and step foot outside my domain, I forbid you to even think about returning home."

"Ethan…" Freezing at the tense atmosphere Ethan brought, Camille tried to calm things down.

"Relax. You will only be allowed to return when you are strong enough to protect everyone in this duchy and ready to turn it into a kingdom. That will be the consequence for your actions, and for acting as if you had responsibility and maturity over your words. For belittling your mother and yelling at her, for your arrogant and greedy attitudes. Do you understand what that means?"

"Yes…" Theo answered hesitantly.

"Well then… Since you spoke like an adult and would even decide on your own, I will treat you as such from now on."

"Love…"

Camille grabbed Ethan's arm in concern. "Do you understand? We have a deal?"

Theo considered it. But in the end, it was what he wanted. All the maturity that Liam Mason could provide, combined with the teachings of Michel and Ethan, were what brought the boy to that moment.

He was willing to walk through personal purgatory to reach his shangrila.

"Yes!"

Extending his right hand, Theo was ready to shake his father's hand, who, without hesitation, greeted his son.

Although…

Pulling his arm and giving Theo's feet a gentle push, Duke Lawrence placed a few books as weights on the boy's back.

"For disrespecting your mother and yelling at her, you will do one hundred push-ups with one arm, since the other one is broken. Every time you disrespect someone, you will do it again and twice as much. That is, next time it will be two hundred push-ups. Do you understand me?"

"Yes, sir…"

Theo could barely speak with the weight of the books, but he found the strength to lift his body. Calmly, he began to do the exercises.

"1… 2… 3…"

Crossing his arms and returning to Camille's side, who was still in shock, Ethan said:

"Oh, and you will be in charge of the duchy for the next six months, my love. I will take care of it during that time. Depending on the results, I can continue training, or I will go back to managing everything while I prepare it. Can you do that for me?"

It was a request… But when it came to Ethan, people couldn't refuse. After everything the Duke had done for everyone, the only answer they could give was the only viable one…

"Yes… Of course I can, dear."

Theo gradually began to fail when he reached the 20th flexion.

"If you fail, you will start from scratch."

Theo's eyes widened instantly.

"Don't you think it will weigh too much on him?"

"Nah… He'll survive."

After all, true angels always survive hell.