Family Matters

"3 Explosions occurred near a local fortune teller!"

Some of the professor's turned their head back to look at Kieren.

Kieren coughed, ignoring the gazes he received from his fellow colleagues and picked up a roasted bread.

"There have been twenty mysterious disappearances?" Kieren mumbled to himself whilst reading the newspaper.

He finished his meal, drained the last of his tea and folded the newspaper, leaving the academy as he only had one class to give every day.

Kieren reached inside of his pockets to reach for his wallet, when he opened it he could do nothing but sigh.

"I only have six pounds to my name, and the month is about to end... I have forgot how much it costs to pay rent."

It was the 27th of June, Friday.

Kieren looked ahead and saw a man wearing a coat and a hat, and approached him.

He was planning on going to a bar, but he hadn't remembered where it was so he was going to ask for directions.

The man who was looking at his watch suddenly looked up at Kieren who approached him.

"I'm very sorry to disturb you, but could you tell me where the nearest bar is located?"

Kieren asked with a smile on his face.

The man gulped and brought his other hand outside of his pocket. "To your right, head straight and you'll run into it eventually..." His voice sounded a bit familiar, but forced as well.

"Is that so? Thank you very much." Kieren turned to his right and swiftly proceeded in that direction as per the instructions.

Meanwhile the man in the coat quickly walked in the opposite direction, ever so oftenly turning his head to look at Kieren. He cursed inwardly.

"He saw through my disguise..." He gritted his teeth and adjusted his glasses as he quickly left the area near the premises of the Academy.

Ludger believed that Kieren had asked where the bar was, and approached him directly because he firstly saw through the disguise. Lastly because he discreetly left a hidden message in his words, "Wherever the bar is, head to the opposite direction."

Ludger clenched his fists. "That man is more dangerous than we had thought... I can't tell captain, or else he might come for me. He deceived me, he's much stronger than just 'Awakening.'"

Eventually Ludger entered a café, he looked around and saw a man sitting down on a chair, taking a sip of his coffee.

Ludger walked by and said to the man sat down at the table, "Kieren Rosevell is more dangerous than we thought. Keep your distance when observing him."

James stood up, finishing his coffee and left the café. "May God watch over me."

*****************

Kieren observed the environment inside of the ''Red Bar'', many people were already drunk, he made a mental note to himself. Seems like a good place to get information too perhaps.

He approached the bartender, the man towered over Kieren. He was aged, but he was unexpectedly well-defined, he wore a bushy, thick beard. The bartender was cleaning a cup and looked at Kieren.

''Can I have the most popular drink here?'' Kieren asked unfamiliarly.

The bartender studied Kieren for what it felt like a minute to him, before he turned around and pulled out a bottle that looked tiny when held by him. Pouring the drink into a cup, he handed the cup to Kieren silently.

Kieren sighed, he expected to have already visited a bar near his academy at least once, but it appeared that he used to be quite forbidding.

He took a sip, and took a glance to his right. There was another person who was completely wasted. ''Rough day?'' Kieren asked.

The wasted person took a look at Kieren, ''You can hic, say that hic.'' Kieren observed the man, the more he looked at him the more he realized that it was most likely an elf.

He had long white hair, which reached his shoulder, similarly to Kieren, his face was also wrinkled, but still looked young. Kieren additionally felt calm when sat next to him, such is the effect of being in proximity to an Elf.

''My brother hic didn't come to our mother's hic funeral.'' He started to down the cup filled with beer. 

Kieren frowned and inwardly thought to himself,That was darker than I expected.

Kieren silently took sips of his drink as he listened attentively to the miserable Elf.

"We fought hic then he hic disappeared... but couldn't he have at the very least come hic to the funeral? hic Or just communicate with me hic..."

The Elf spoke with slurred speech, occassionally mumbling slurs to himself.

Kieren thought for a moment or two before he asked a question, "What's your name?"

The Elf finished his drink, then turned to face Kieren. "Rozanne. My name's hic Rozanne."

Kieren smiled at him, "Well Rozanne, I would offer to pay for your drinks but I believe you've drank one too many."

Rozanne looked at his pile of cups, then burst into laughter. "Hahaha! You hic remind me of my brother! What's hic your name friend?" He asked with a wide grin on his face.

Kieren took a sip of his drink before he responded. "Kieren. Kieren Rosevell."

Just then, Kieren suddenly felt his head start to ache, his eyes widened, his hair stood up.

He felt like he was about to get punched!

Kieren quickly rolled out of his chair, rolling on the ground as Rozanne threw a fierce punch at him, the punch missed and barely grazed the table.

Many people turned their hands to look at the commotion. The bartender shot a glance and sighed. "Take your family matters out of my bar, or pay for the damage you are about to cause."

Rozanne clenched his fists and sobered up almost immediately, "What kind of sick joke are you playing at? Kieren is my late older bro. He's dead."

Kieren got off the floor, "You... You're my brother...?" He asked in a perplexed tone, his eyes opened wide.

Kieren got another premonition that a punch would come his way, he quickly backed up as a punch flew by, barely missing him.

"Why the hell did you disappear for a few years? You bastard!" His voice was shaky, his eyes teared up as he threw another punch, this one landed but it lacked force to deal sufficient damage.

Kieren got thrown on to an empty table.

Memories were finally coming back to him.

"I was doing research while you pissed inside of bars." Kieren said with gritted teeth.

Kieren quickly rolled away from the table as Rozanne threw a punch at the table, breaking it.

"You didn't even come to our mothers funeral!" Spit flew from his mouth as his voice cracked.

Another punch flew at Kieren, this time hitting him right in the face, causing him to fall on to the ground.

Kieren opened his mouth. He wanted to apologize.

Rozanne was about to throw another punch but stopped seeing as Kieren was about to speak.

Kieren wanted to apologize, but he couldn't. He opened his mouth, but not a single word came out. All he could do is look at his brother with a pained expression. How could he apologize for an action he didn't remember?

The silence in the bar made the air feel heavy, people turned their heads away, going on about their days in silence.

Rozanne laughed trying to hold back tears from streaming down his face. "You're such a shitty brother."

Rozanne walked past Kieren, pulling the door handle with his shaky hands. "Mother spent her last years looking for you.

My poor baby can't have died! She used to say, desperately trying to find you," he paused and looked at Kieren,

"and guess what he did? He spent his years hiding away, whilst his poor family suffered. And when she died?"

Kieren looked at the ground with a pained expression in silence. He couldn't bring himself to look at Rozanne.

"He didn't even come to her funeral." Rozanne spoke with a low gloomy, voice.

He opened the door and left, leaving Kieren alone on the ground.

Kieren slowly got up and went to the bartender, who slammed another drink on the table.

The bartender leaned in and said, "Listen, I know you have your issues so you don't need to pay until next week. This drink's on the house."