After nearly half a month of Aiden's continuous treatment, Oliver finally began to stir. He opened his eyes, blinking slowly as he stared up at the unfamiliar ceiling.
"Where... am I?" he whispered, his voice raspy. Then, memory crashed back in a devastating wave. "Ah—Father!" He shot up in bed, his eyes wide with panic.
"You're finally awake."
Oliver's head snapped toward the sound. Aiden was leaning against the doorframe, his expression calm and somber.
"Aiden," Oliver pleaded, his voice cracking. "My father... how is he?" Even as he asked, a cold certainty settled in his heart.
Aiden lowered his gaze, his voice gentle but firm. "Oliver, all resurrections in this world are false. Life and death are irreversible. Those who challenge this law will inevitably pay the price."
"No... there has to be a way!" Oliver cried, his mind fracturing. "Magic! There's always magic! Or... my father's path..." He began to hammer his fists against his own head, his movements frantic and desperate.
Aiden moved quickly, crossing the room and pulling Oliver into a firm hug, stopping his self-destructive actions. Held in Aiden's arms, Oliver went limp, a profound, soul-crushing sadness pouring out of him. The magic in the air seemed to curdle, and dark, swirling particles began to manifest around them.
This time, Aiden didn't use his soothing ability. The System's words echoed in his mind: 'Emotions that are not expressed will never disappear. They are just buried alive.'
Instead, he used a subtle suggestion, a gentle nudge to Oliver's mind, encouraging him to release the dam of grief he was holding back.
The dam broke. Tears streamed from Oliver's eyes, and his quiet despair erupted into raw, heart-wrenching sobs.
From outside, the cheerful sound of Arsesi laughing as she played with Lada drifted into the room. Inside, there was only the sound of Oliver's grief. The world felt divided in two, separated by a single, thin pane of glass.
When Oliver had cried himself out, Aiden used a light touch of hypnosis to ease him into a state of exhausted calm.
"Sibby," Aiden called out softly. "Please prepare some easily digestible food."
"Of course, Young Master Aiden," the house-elf replied, popping into existence for a moment before disappearing again.
Aiden helped Oliver to the living room. After the storm of emotion, he looked utterly devastated, a hollowed-out shell of his former self. Just then, Arsesi returned from her walk, Lada trotting happily beside her.
"Oh," Arsesi said, her cheerful demeanor faltering as she saw Oliver's expression. "This gentleman doesn't look very well."
"He's been through a misfortune," Aiden replied. "It's related to that."
Arsesi looked at him, completely blank. "Related to what?"
"Didn't your father tell you?" Aiden asked, surprised.
She scoffed. "Him? All he thinks about is acquiring wealth and seizing power. Treating Astoria and me was just an investment to sell us for a good price. The only things we're ever taught are how to dress up and how to make friends with influential men. Aren't all girls from big families like this?" She looked at Aiden as if she'd discovered a new continent. It was fascinating to find something he didn't know.
Aiden was speechless. Having never been a girl from a pure-blood family, he was completely at a loss. 'Is that really what they teach? What in the world did Molly learn growing up?'
"Well, tell me what 'that' is," Arsesi pressed, her curiosity now fully ignited. "I'm dying to know."
"If you don't know, then I can't tell you," Aiden said seriously. "You could try checking the Greengrass family library, but be warned: the knowledge you seek is bound by contract."
At that moment, Sibby arrived with a tray of food. Aiden invited Arsesi to join them, but Oliver remained unresponsive, lost in his own world of sorrow.
Later that evening, Arsesi made an excuse to slip away and crept into the study. She began searching the bookshelves, her heart pounding with curiosity.
"Ahem."
She looked up with a start to see Aiden standing in the doorway.
"Hee hee, what's wrong, Aiden?" she chirped, putting on an innocent expression to hide her guilt.
"You're that curious about the truth, aren't you?" Aiden said with a helpless sigh.
"It's human nature! Just tell me," she pleaded. "My father never tells me any real secrets. It's always just a list of which pure-blood families have which eligible sons."
Aiden considered her for a moment. "Fine. Repeat this oath after me, and you will know."
Arsesi's eyes narrowed playfully. "Is my big brother trying to trick me into signing some strange contract?"
"Sign it or don't. It's up to you," Aiden said, turning to leave.
"Okay, okay! I'll do it!" she cried, rushing to stop him.
They recited the oath together: "I swear to the Silencing Stone Tablet that I will do my duty, maintain the stability of the two realms, and fight against it to the end."
As the last word was spoken, an invisible wave washed over Arsesi, and the contract sealed itself around her. Aiden then handed her the records he had written about his experience in the Deep Realm.
"Ah, this is—" she began to exclaim, but Aiden quickly covered her mouth.
"The truth is yours now," he said, a wicked smile playing on his lips that, combined with his delicate features, was transcendently beautiful. "Are you afraid?"
"Hmph. I'm not afraid," Arsesi said stubbornly, though she couldn't tear her eyes away from his smile. "Well, it's getting late. I should go." Although she now carried a terrible secret, she felt a strange sense of happiness, a simple appreciation for having witnessed something so beautiful.
After she left, only Aiden and Oliver remained in the quiet living room.
"Oliver," Aiden asked gently. "What are your plans now?"
"I don't know," Oliver whispered, his eyes hollow. "Go back to London, I suppose. I'll most likely be sent to an orphanage. I have nothing now. No relatives, no home... not even a past." Tears began to trace paths down his cheeks again.
"Then stay here with me, Oliver," Aiden offered. "Stay here until you find a new place to go. As for your records in the Muggle world, I can help you erase them."
"Aiden, I... I feel so guilty," Oliver stammered. "My father... he was probably trying to..."
"Oliver, stop," Aiden interrupted him forcefully. "It's over."
Oliver's heart was a tangled mess of emotions: profound sadness for his loss, a terrifying emptiness where his purpose in life used to be, and a confusing anger at his father for leaving him.
"By the way," Aiden said, picking up a cup of tea. "The Kingsport incident was officially defined as a tragedy caused by improper management of public facilities. The gas supply company paid out a large sum in compensation. The money is here. You can get it from Sibby later."
"Thank you, Aiden," Oliver said quietly.
He fell silent after that. The lively, cheerful boy was gone, replaced by a quiet, withdrawn stranger. Aiden knew he couldn't force him to heal; only time could mend these wounds.
Late into the night, the two finally went to their separate rooms to rest.
-- End Of Volume 1--
***********
✨ 300 gems = 1 bonus chapter
✨ 500 gems = another bonus chapter
Get access to advanced chapters at my P@treon.
[email protected]/meowthtl