BOOK 2 CHAPTER 1 “AFTERMATH”

(…What?)

Mr. Clive: “Students, please calm down! We need to evacuate, there’s been a murder, and two students are already presumed dead!”

(Who…?)

All were panic-stricken, the sudden emergence of ambulances and overhead flying helicopters was an initial warning. Now the news had finally broken out.

Arian only stood in thought, as the entire crowd kept erupting with screams. Everyone was pushing through, trying to get away, but he couldn’t help but wonder.

Eion: “Who… Mr. Clive, who are the dead students?!”

Mr. Clive seemed to catch Eion’s question, ceasing his speech on mannerly evacuation, he turned to him.

Mr. Clive: “I’m told we don’t know for sure, but from what we can tell… One of them was Eion.”

The crowd gathered near the teacher suddenly froze in their track. All knew his name.

Crowd Member: “He was favored by Apollo, and he died?!”

(No it… it can’t be…!!)

Mr. Clive: “We will have more information on the circumstances of his death later! For now, please, evacuate in a calm and orderly manner!”

(I had left him alone… and now he’s…)

Arian stood, unmoving in his grief. Eion was his path to salvation. He had promised himself he’d save him. And now he was no more.

The crowd soon dispersed, Arian was urged to leave with them, but he didn’t go far.

He walked along the campus, completely buried in memories, he didn’t want to wake from his dream.

(How could he have left me all alone?)

Aurora was taken to the hospital immediately. She was even filed in for emergency care, although there was no real threat to her life. All that was really needed was some over-the-counter medicine and a couple of bandages. But Aurora was not particularly happy as this good news was given to her. This whole time she’d been despairing, there was something heavy weighing on her heart.

(Was this the correct path?)

She was told to rest at the hospital for the night, in case any ‘unforeseen complications’ arose, so she complied.

She lay in bed, half-dreaming. There was little guilt disturbing her though. The only thing that interested her was whether there could’ve been a better option. And one more thing, what was Lord Xuth really planning?

She woke up the next day still in the hospital bed, the nurse noticing this, informed her that her mother had come to see her. After agreeing to the visit, her mother rushed inside.

Alin: “Oh dear! What’s become of you?”

Aurora: “Mom, I promise it's nothing, really! How are you and dad holding up?”

Alin: “Look at you! In this sorry state and still worrying about us!”

“But I’m so sorry, your father couldn’t make it today for the visit, they needed him at work…”

Aurora: “Mom, don’t worry about it.”

Aurora almost added that she shouldn’t have come either, but stopped herself and realized that would only put her mother in more distress.

Aurora: “Mom, listen… I’m already feeling fine, but the nurse needs some sort of parental confirmation to get me out of here. Could you please sign it?”

Alin: “But sweetie, what if you start feeling bad again while you come back home… you know me and your father aren’t always at home to take care of you…”

Aurora: “I’ll be fine mom, besides I'm going to be working most of the day, too. I’ll be safe.”

In truth, she wasn’t, but to kill 2 birds with one stone she brought the notion up again. They’d long been discussing her getting a job early, and now with the agreement she had with Lord Xuth, she’d need some explanation as to how she got in possession of that kind of money.

Alin: “Well… I suppose you know best, darling.” After leaning over and dropping a kiss on her daughter’s forehead she added. “Who am I to disobey the Gods’ favored, after all?”

She chuckled and called for the nurse, soon she’d left her room to sign the document for Aurora’s checkout, but what she’d said stayed with Aurora for a while.

“Gods favored, huh?”

Eventually, that day she was let out. Finalizing the paperwork had taken way longer than she had anticipated, to the point even her mother had to go back to work before it was done. By the time she left the hospital, it was already past afternoon. She decided to go straight home.

Later in the day while she was resting at home the news came on.

Reporter: “We have with us right now, the school event’s organizer, P.E. teacher Mr. Clive. Mr. Clive, can you please tell the people at home what happened yesterday?

Mr. Clive: “…I have limited information on the matter, the only thing I know is that two students are reported missing, and well… One of them is suspected to be dead.”

Reported: “Who would this unfortunate soul be?”

Even through the screen, Mr. Clive’s discomfort was obvious. There was something he knew that he wasn’t saying, or rather, couldn’t say.

Mr. Clive: “It is with the greatest grievance that I announce, that our school’s very own Eion Emazonian… is reported deceased.”

Aurora, hearing this suddenly relived that scene. She saw again Tifon’s gruesome state and visualized his crumbling corpse murdering Eion. It was almost too much for her to bear, she ran to the washroom, trying to hold back vomiting.

After spilling her guts out she raised herself over the toilet seat. Moving up to the mirror, she looked at herself with empty eyes. She remembered what the Lord had told her on the balcony.

“ ‘Family first’ … Had he planned his own son’s death? Right from the beginning…?”

“Who are you, Lord Xuth Emazonian?”

Her ears suddenly perked up, she heard the reporter talk from across the room.

Reporter: “―Is that right? Are you sure Mr. Clive?”

Mr. Clive: “I was told so myself, Lord Xuth will personally relay what happened tomorrow. His speech will take place on these very school grounds, and he encourages all to come and take witness.”

Reporter: “Well, you heard it here first folks, Lord Xuth is going to comment on the events that transpired here tomo―”

Aurora didn’t listen to the rest of the interview, she was covered in a cold sweat.

“T-tomorrow? What will he… What could he even say?”

Arian’s daily routine was practically set in stone. He would wake, get ready, wake his mother, and then prepare them both food before leaving for school. Being an X grade meant he would be compensated for going to certain schools, such as the high school he was in now. However, this didn’t mean they lived luxuriously, the financial aid barely covered their living expenses, and Arian would often need to take up part-time jobs just to make ends meet. This made sense since his mother was incapable of working, lately, she’d even developed a sort of illness. The doctors insisted that it was brought on by her mental state and that there was not much they could do. And so she remained in bed for most of the day, only getting up occasionally to wash and eat, almost exclusively when Arian told her to. The only times he talked to her were either when the food was ready, or when her bath was. The guilt he felt over her sorry state had clouded whatever love he had, his heart was completely frozen over. Everything was the same that day, neither spoke while eating, the only difference was Arian’s expression. He wasn’t in his usual indifferent and timid mood, his face didn’t betray his temperament for a second. Arian was absolutely furious.

(What was the point of it all now?)

(He was favored by the Gods but… In the end what came of it?!)

Most of all, he was angry at Eion himself, perhaps he knew in his soul that Eion had brought about his own death. He didn’t stop thinking of who the other student could’ve been, but his mind did linger for a second on Tifon, and at that moment it dawned on him.

(There were two suspected missing, but only Eion was presumed dead?)

(Who could’ve been strong enough to have taken him down?)

(Could they have just taken him by surprise? While he wasn’t expecting it?)

But that didn't quite fit the scenario. Since the murder had taken place behind the school, it must’ve been a premeditated encounter.

He suddenly stopped eating, overcome with anger, he left as if he was prepared to murder someone. He got up and walked away from the dinner table, his mother barely even glanced at him as he went to the living room. Flicking through the TV he noticed all the channels had the same Breaking News sidebar under them.

(…? What?!)

‘Lord Xuth, famed entrepreneur and bioengineer, gives comment on his son’s death tomorrow afternoon at―’

Arian decided straight away that he needed to know the truth.

And so the two made their choices, in that moment, their fates had already been decided.