Return of the Fallen Volume 10 Chapter 92
Watching these memories play out, Kazuki was left in disbelief. He didn’t understand how everything had started until now. Now that he knew the beginning of it all, he was just dumbfounded more than anything.
(So all this time, the death of my parents, it was all due to Sephra’s jealousy. I was even brought back on a simple whim of Orberus’s part. Just because he thought it would be interesting. Father was merely used as a tool and wanted freedom. Mother was innocent, Sephra was jealous and Orberus wished to be entertained…Is this not a joke. My existence and everything involved, all of it is a sick fucking manipulation.)
Alutra continued to cry while Lin just stayed silent. He couldn’t find the words because there were none that could comfort or make such a thing right. ALl he could do is allow the memories to continue to play out and show Kazuki everything he needed to see.
The memory continued to play on and Kazuki was a small toddler but even at this age he was already reading and writing exceptionally above his peers. Kai was already in this orphanage and was slightly older than him. Because Kazuki could do other things that the other children couldn’t it caused him to stick out and those around him tried to bully him but Kai was different from the others.
He was stronger and defended Kazuki and the two quickly stuck to one another like glue.
(At this time Kazuki I didn’t even know that you existed. Father told us that Genzuko had died along with his wife and child. I had buried such things to ease my heart but then one day I got some strange news. Although my brother had died, I had sent many people, scattered across many Realms to try and locate his body. I thought by at least finding my brother’s body, I could finally let my brother rest in peace. One day though one of my people said they found something odd. While searching far and wide for brother’s body, they felt the presence of a godly aura. Now sensing a God’s aura in a Lower Realm isn’t too strange, after all, many Gods leave things behind in the Lower Realms sometimes. But this aura felt familiar to my servant. The aura felt exactly like Orberus’s and my servant with just a curious itch decided to check where the aura was coming from. That’s where he found brother’s golden compass hanging around your neck. The compass now though was disguised as wood. I guess to throw others off. After all, a child with a Golden compass would easily be a target. The compass clearly held a fraction of fathers power but that wasn’t all. The small child wearing it, you Kazuki…you bore a remarkable resemblance to both Genzuko and father. Seeing a small child around your age who looked so much like brother and father, along with Orberus’s godly aura within the compass around your very neck, this could not be a coincidence.)
The memory showed Lin arriving at the orphanage only moments after his servant gave their report. Lin looked at the small child and he was shaken to his core. With a wave of his hand, everyone in the orphanage suddenly fell asleep including young Kazuki. Lin walked over and sent his aura into Kazuki. The moment he did this, the power inside of the compass blocked him. Its material changed from wood back to its original golden appearance and Orberus’s voice came through.
“So you found out huh?”
Lin was beyond angry.
“Father! This boy, this child, he’s brothers?”
Orberus didn’t deny it.
“Obviously. Can’t you tell just by looking? Now go back.”
Lin was awestruck.
“Brother and his wife are dead! This is their child and you wish for me to just leave. No, I refuse, not without this boy!”
The compass floated off of Kazuki and came before Lin.
“You refuse my command? This boy does not concern you. I am your God, you will listen to me or I will crush you.”
Lin was absolutely terrified but seeing young Kazuki, a fire was lit inside and his courage for the first time in his life came rushing outward.
“NO! This boy is my nephew. He’s brother’s only child. I will not abandon him. I won’t just let things go your way, not again. This child will be under my care and you can just fuck off!”
The compass began to glow and aura was pushed outward. Lin quickly spread out his own aura and covered everything in his surroundings. If he hadn’t done this then all of the children and the few caretakers there would all have been crushed and reduced to meat paste.
(Since the compass only had a fraction of father’s power it could not contend with my own power in this Lower Realm. If Orberus had decided to show up face to face though things would have turned out completely different.)
“You dare go against me. You dare disobey like that foolish bastard. You know even at the very end he was a dumb bastard. Had he followed my words, he never would have found himself in such a weak position. He would have been able to protect himself and those he cared about like a real man but no he had to leave, he had to do things against my wishes and he died pathetically as a result. Shall I step down into that Realm and show you how to behave or will you come back of your own free will?”
Even though there was no face attached to the compass, Lin could tell that his father was smiling as he spoke these cruel words.
“Free will, there is no such thing as free will, not when it comes to you father. No more! I was cowardly and did not stand against you when you and brother fought, I will not back down again. This boy is my own from this day forth!”
“So you really have no concern for your own life. Fine, so be it, I’ll grant you an early death just as you wish.”
Lin didn’t back down and encouraged it.
“Do it if you can.”
“WHAT! You don’t believe I will. To squash you, it would be like stepping on an insignificant insect. Your death would arrive before you could even react. You think you can contend with me, with my power!?”
Lin shook his head.
“I could never beat you with my strength. I’ve learned that and am all too familiar with your powers. No, it would not be me who takes you on but it would be my death that leaves many in your corner of the Higher Realm with questions. You have already lost one son in a Lower Realm, how would your reputation take it were you to lose a second son in the very same Lower Realm as the first. People would ridicule that you only produce weak offspring. They would wonder why you can’t seem to keep your family alive and well. They wold question if you even care about your family. If you can’t even keep your children alive in a Lower Realm, does that not mean you are actually weak. How many forces would that rally to your opposition? My death would be the domino that would invite war to you and all that shelter under your banner. Not just me but my wife would be losing a betrothed and then a husband. Her family would not take this well, now would they.”
The glow of the compass dimed and went silent.
……
Lin could see he was pushing in the right direction but if he went further, he was afraid his father really would just throw caution to the wind just out of pure spite so he left a way out.
“I and Sephra will raise the child along with Fera. We will be a family and in return, I will never disobey you ever again.”
“And how is that a good thing for me?”
“At least if I obey you I won’t purposely be plotting to do you or your reputation any harm. Otherwise, even if it cost me, I don’t mind dragging you down. It’s the least a son can do right?”
Lin sarcasm was annoying but Orberus didn’t dislike his son finally standing up.
“So you’ll agree to any command?”
“As long as it brings no harm to my family, I will do your bidding unquestioningly.”
*BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA*
Orberus began laughing like a crazed madman.
Lin watching the memory shook his head as he explained his fathers laugh.
(I didn’t understand why father found this so funny at this time. I still thought too naively. The reason father laughed like this was that he had already seen the crimes Sephra had committed. He knew Sephra had killed brother his wife and even you and yet here I was saying I would do anything as long as it didn’t harm my family. The biggest harm though was keeping the snake Sephra close to all of us. I was such a fool.”
“Fine, son. Take the boy in, what do I care. Just don’t regret what the future brings.”
Right after Orberus said this, power shot out of the compass and landed squarely on Kazuki’s little face. Lin was too late to do anything and he shouted in a panic.
“What have you done!”
Orberus chuckled.
*Hehe*
“Relax you fool. I simply made it so that his face would appear differently to those at a certain level of power.”
“Why would you do that, what need is there to make his appearance hidden?”
“Have you no heart for your wife? By using this magic, Sephra will not see the boy’s real face. it will look different. In this way, she won’t be traumatized. After all, how do you think she would react if she saw a child with a face that looked nearly identical to her first and only love. A child that you adopted. After all this time she has finally put Genzuko out of her mind and heart, bringing in someone with this child’s face would only open old wounds would it not?”
Lin couldn’t disagree.
“I see.”
Looking at Kazuki’s face he could not tell the difference but with it like this, maybe it was for the best he thought.
(I should have seen through father’s plan at this time. This magic that he used to disguise your face, it would not last. I didn’t even question it at all. Damn my foolishness.)
Kazuki suddenly had a thought.
(If Sephra didn’t see my face the whole time she was raising me then the time when her personality toward me, when it seemed to suddenly flip completely out of nowhere. This was when the magic disguise wore off?)
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