"..."
"Airus...what's going on with you? Is something on your mind? You were quiet throughout the whole affair."
It had been but a fragment of his imagination, but he was yet to release it. No matter how much pain it caused his mental state, he had to bear it all to himself.
"Nothing. I'll be taking my leave now, Yusha. You'd better get going yourself, mutant attacks have become all the more frequent. Make sure you pick up that kid, too."
His departure remained plascid, less not muttering another word. He was not so certain what his actions were to be next; could he really think straight at the moment?
"..."
"Are you mad?"
"Oh, no."
"Not mad at me?"
"No...what makes you think that way?"
"Nothing..."
The young boy paced away, as his father neared the kindergarten gates. He grasped his hand tightly; he then gazed back at Lumia, waving goodbye."...Bye bye."
Airus noticed he had made a new friend, although he had strictly told him not to."Who's your new friend, Onyx?"
"Lumia. Lumia Serenova."Onyx's eyes widened; he doubted what his son had just blurted out.
"L-lumia...? But..."
"Dad?"His son, Onyx, began to wonder of the truth."Nothing, son. Let's go home, before mommy gets mad at you again.
Airus, accompanying his son into the car, took one final glance at the young girl right before departure."(That's not possible...she's not supposed to be alive...is she?)"
Lumia could only remain curious of the recent events. However, she had taken it not to heart, but to those least important to her status.
As soon as Yusha has arrived, she no longer paid heed to anything else."Come on sweetheart, let's get going."
She lifted Lumia up onto her shoulders, as the young lass rested her head atop Yusha. They simply walked; the distance was barely a block anyway.
"Did you make any new friends?"The woman questioned her, as she glanced up and looked up at the little girl."Yes. Onyx Ivanovich!"
"Eh? Are you sure it's not someone else, sweetie?"The girl thought for a moment, before responding:"No. He said it clearly enough—Onyx..."
Yusha sighed inwardly, but now that the truth was out, this made her problems less confusing to deal with."Alright...let's just go, alright kiddo?"
"Okay."As the two headed towards the faction, the brimming sunset spread it's final moments of warmth across the streets.
The faction personnel had prepared to cast their wisps aside, hoping to scare off all mutants who roamed the nearby alleys like lustful entities.
It turned out that these wisps were anything but ordinary; these served as a warning sign for bloodthirsty creatures of the moonlight. It all the more seemed evident now...
Lumia observed from the empty hallways of the spiralled high-rise; as long as civillians were cautious enough as to stay by these wisps, nothing could really go wrong.
That morning, it was a Saturday. There weren't any classes and it seemed just like any other day. However, for the Ivanovich family, this was not the case. It was one of those days, after all...
"JAPAN? ARE YOU INSANE? JAPAN ISN'T AN OPTION RIGHT NOW, THE FIRST WAR JUST ENDED! YOU'RE ONE OF THE ONLY FEW HUMANS TO EVER SURVIVE ON OUR SIDE, AND YOU WANT TO TAKE ONYX WITH YOU?"
"HE'S MY KID, MY CHILD! I GAVE BIRTH TO HIM, YOU DON'T HAVE ANY RIGHT OVER HIS LIFE OR HIS CHOICES!"
"THE LEAST YOU COULD DO FOR ME IS RESPECT MY DECISION! I AGREED TO MARRY YOU BACK THEN TO TAKE YOU AWAY FROM YOUR ABUSIVE PARENTS, AND THIS IS WHAT YOU REPAY ME? I MAYBE LOYAL ENOUGH, BUT I'LL NEVER LICK YOUR FEET LIKE A DOG!
"YOU ARE A DOG!! IF I KNEW YOU WERE JUST GOING TO BOW DOWN TO THAT DEAD BITCH, THEN I NEVER SHOULD'VE AGREED TO MARRY YOU!
"I'M A WENDIGO, YOU STUPID SHIT!"Several loud thuds echoed past the thick walls surrounding Onyx; however, it was as if he paid no heed to it. This was his usual life, was there really something to be surprised about?
He simply took off his earphones:"Mom and dad are fighting again."He was unusually always aware of the situation, even if they only fought with their gaze through the dinner table.
Then again, it wasn't like he knew too much of what their reason of arguing was. There were cleat signs of an unhappy marriage, but neither sides could just as easily sign the divorce papers.
Both of them only wanted the best for their child; but, things have began to change since Alessa's uncertainty and rash decisions.
Suddenly, a knock on the door was heard. It was Akito Ischten, one of the faction representatives.
He had recently claimed his rights over the child, even after both parents have insisted that the child is theirs to keep.
"Airus. I know you're in there...Mrs. Ivanovich as well. Your son's custody has been transferred. I'll have to ask you to hand him over shortly."
Airus and Alessa's quarreling quiet down as soon as these words were heard. It's become obvious by now that the faction has made their move towards the family.
"If you aren't planning on opening this door anytime soon, I'll take him myself."The door then creaks open, revealing an enraged Alessa; she pounces on him, but Akito quickly knocks her out with a simple hit to the neck."As I said. I'll take him myself."
He was expecting another load as he lifted himself from the ground, dusting his clothes. Howbeit, that wasn't exactly the greeting he had received.
Instead, Airus simply gestured him to come inside, who soon carried his wife into the bedroom. He returned shortly after; he had no other choice but to negotiate with the young man.
"Sorry for the hold up, kind sir."He found a seat for himself, facing the man."I'm sure you'd have expected me to do so as my wife. Well, you're gravely mistaken if you thought of me as such a person."Akito's face remained blank; he clearly wasn't interested.
"I'm not here for idle chat, Mr. Ivanovich. All I'm demanding from you is your son. He no longer counts as one of your liabilities; his custody is to be long left to the faction."
"I understand, but...I have several conditions you must agree to."The man raised his eyebrow in curiousity."Speak of it, now, while my ears remain unoccupied."
The man sighed, hesitant of what words to choose."Could you...lend me those ears of yours for a little while longer?"
Akito seemed unamused, but knowing that the current head of the ivanovich has been bottling up his problems, he has chosen to let the man explain."Very well."
"Me and Alessa have always been in an unstable marriage. After we had Onyx, everything seemed to just get worse. She didn't hate him, no, that wasn't the case."
"It's just that..."
"It's just that? It's just what, Mr. Ivanovich."
"I don't know how to live up to her anymore. I did love her, don't get me wrong, but...I no longer feel that way. I truly love Onyx, but could I really blame myself for her constant tantrums..."
"Enunciate clearer, please. I'm afraid I'm unable to understand a word you're saying."
Airus soon let out a long sigh, he was too anxious to be able to explain a thing."
"I loved her. As soon as we had Onyx, we both agreed we wanted the best for the child; although, there were some changes made to me that didn't apply to her. Soon after she found out about this, she stopped being wise enough with her decisions, and she always wanted to take Onyx away from me as much as possible."
"You're at fault here, Mr. Ivanovich. The marriage would have gone smoothly if it were not for your impertinence. Now, look at what situation you're in. You both despise each other and dare to even show this attitude in front of your child—"
"—In my opinion though, both of you are still wrong. Alessa, also known as Mrs. Ivanovich, should have known better even in such a cruel scenario. Your child is constantly being exposed to such rapidly aggressive behaviour, and yet you show no shame...what a badly written life line."
"I'm well aware of this. Please, I no longer have any conditions as long as Onyx is safe and doing well."Akito smiled, but not for too long.
"Your child will be fine with us, inform your wife as well. Hopefully, she takes it well enough that you both can finally go your separate ways without having to worry about Onyx."
As Akito paced away into the boy's room to help him pack up, Airus sat there quietly, reflecting on himself.
He regretted his decisions deeply, but were there really any choices left but to live on, no matter the misdeeds?
All he needed was...to start living again.
[To be continued in the next chapter, please be patient for the next one. Thank you for reading.]