Allen felt a stab of panic at Yuri's words. Ironic, considering that he should have expected such an unexpected development. Moving abroad? All the way across the globe, no less? It didn't seem particularly important when just hours earlier his worldview had been turned upside down.
But it was important.
"W-Wait, hold on!" Allen called out, prompting Yuri to stop on his tracks.
"Is there something wrong?" the older man asked, tilting his head in an innocent fashion, though the smile that tugged at his lips was 'anything' but innocent.
"Are you serious?" Allen snapped, "Can't you see how ridiculous this is? You want me to move away, just like that? As if I don't have a fucking life here? What about my family? What will happen to them, Yuri?"
Yuri groaned, barely turning around to look at him, "You don't have to worry about that, kid. They'll be protected, for as long as they stay here. And, even if you wanted to stay here, what could you possibly do to protect them, Allen? You could have an entire arsenal of nukes hidden underneath your bed and you'd still be helpless against the magic forces sent against you. Face reality. You're weak. You need me."
Allen clenched his fists, eyes dropping to the ground. A bitter sense of defeat washed over him. He hated it. He hated how right Yuri was. He is surrounded by wolves — wolves that were eating the sheeps inside the at the very top of the government federal protection, wolves that could wield magic.
And there he was, the very same sheep that is learning how to walk on their bridge.
Still, a trip to China? Why did they have to go there of all places?
"I can't even fucking speak Chinese!" Allen blurted out.
Yuri tapped his chin in thought, "Ahh, you have a point there."
So, did that mean that Allen didn't have to move away anymore?
"Let's do this instead," the words rushed right next to his ear, startling Allen. And when he looked around, he noticed that Yuri was not in front of him, but behind him. Wisps of small orbs floated around him like motes of light as Allen blinks, that cant be…
"Yuri…those small orbs floating around you…that can't be mana isnt it?"
"Oohhh…intresting, so that's how your body decides to sense mana huh?" Yuri chuckles as he can be seen strolling through his collection of books.
"Take these home with you. Go over them, throughly. Oh, I've taken the liberty to add a Chinese dictionary in there. You're welcome!"
A collection of tomes appeared out of nowhere and skated around Allen, before floating in a neatly stacked order on top of his hands.
Wait... what?
He blinked, alternating his gaze between the tomes and Yuri, "But... what about you? What are you going to do?"
Yuri waved him off with a smirk, though Allen could clearly see the world of weariness in those eyes, "I'll contact you once I have everything set up. For now... just enjoy what little peace you have left."
And then, in a shower of brilliant lights, Yuri disappeared.
Allen felt a familiar weight settle on his chest.
The weight of expectations.
...
Vanessa wiped the sweat off her forehead, a sigh slipping out of her lips as she stared at the living room with immense satisfaction. Yes, it might not have been that big of a space, hence not particularly time-consuming to clean, she still did her best to make it perfect. Spotless.
And while her new job as the manager of a convenience store took up most of her day, today she was finally allowed some free time. Ever since Allen left home to try his luck in the city, she started to feel... lonely. Mia and Nina were there, of course, but between school and whatever part time job they managed to find, their house was always so empty.
So devoid of life.
Vanessa massaged her neck as she sagged on the couch, her blond tresses sticking to her face. She could faintly smell the scent of detergent and other cleaning products.
Her eyes — while scouring around the living room for any stains — fell on a family picture. One taken many years ago; much better times. Vanessa was in the middle of the frame, a dazzling smile on her face. She was hugging her daughters. Mia, on the left, her coffee-brown hair swept all over the place due to the wind, which had prompted a laugh to spill out right when the camera shuttered.
She never liked that photo, always saying that it was not 'cool enough'.
On the right, instead, was Nina. Ah, dear, sweet, innocent Nina. Vanessa liked to call her 'my little clone' due to how similar they were. Her bright smile, her smooth long blonde hair reminiscent of her old self back when she was her age. Mia and Nina. They were so beautiful, and were growing to be even more so every day.
And then she stared at the last person in the picture. He was standing a bit back, as if to let them have their moment. Allen. Her son; her only son. His smile was a little bit more genuine in that picture. A lopsided curve of his lips. His hair was likewise swept back by the wind, exposing more of his chiseled, attractive face.
Vanessa bit her bottom lip.
Her three children were a godsend to her, but Allen especially. He's always been there. Ever since the family's finances started going downhill. He never asked for much, and always, always, tried to make the day better for everyone. For Vanessa, Mia, and Nina.
He had never been jealous of anyone else, even when the other kids were doing much better financially, wearing better clothes, eating better food.
Mia and Nina had been through some strained times as well. They were close now, almost insperable. A lovely sight. Especially considering that many years ago, a little earlier before that particular photo was taken, they used to hate each other… always fighting, stabbing each other with words that couldn't be taken back.
And the nights would always end with screams and tears.
Vanessa was too busy to do something about it. She tried to repair and glue back the pieces of their family with as much love as she could muster.
It didn't work.
And just when she started to think everything would fall apart before her eyes, one day, Allen came back home, exhausted, barely in time to overhear a sharp exchange between Mia and Nina.
That day, he sat them both down and said… something. Vanessa didn't know what exactly. It was supposed to be private, so she just watched from a safe distance. She watched as Allen stitched back the wounds in their relationship, covering the cracks, and smoothing it all over with a layer of love and brotherly affection that managed to make them both cry and apologize.
A long time has passed since then. Now, it almost seemed like Mia and Nina loved Allen more than they did her. It was amusing, and Vanessa didn't mind it one bit.
Though she did 'start' to notice a vague haze of distancing in their behavior whenever Allen popped back home.
She sighed, massaging the bridge of her nose. She shelved those thoughts away as she got up from the couch, the rough leather scrubbing against her smooth, bare thighs. The armrests and most of the cushions had tears, the corners peeling off and revealing the yellow padding inside.
Hmm, she mentally reminded herself to save a bit of money to buy a new couch.
She rummaged in her purse, her fingers thumbing through a wad of cash Allen had sent over. She was pretty sure that the money in her hands was more than half of his monthly paycheck.
A stab of concern twisted her heart.
He'd always say that it was fine, that he had enough for himself.
But was that truly the case? Those lies were smoky, cancerous for the both of them, because she knew how much it hurt him to work so much, and he knew how much it hurt her to know he is likely to be starving himself for them.
Vanessa's job couldn't cover 'all' expenses. The convenience store didn't have a lot of traffic, and that mirrored itself in her salary as well.
The sound of wheels rubbing against asphalt rang out, immediately snapping her out of her thoughts. She grumbled, wondering which punk had pulled up in her driveway. There had been a couple of drunk guys who had almost crashed into her mail-post a couple of months ago.
She walked up to the window, parting the curtain and looking out.
A beautiful silver Porsche drew to a halt. It was a streamlined, modern work of machinery. Definitely something that she never thought she'd see in her neighborhood, let alone in front of her house.
So off course she will blinked the stupor off her eyes and barely managed to stifle back a gasp when she saw a very familiar face stepping out of the Porsche.
The kind, amiable smile Vanessa would usually see him sporting was nowhere to be seen. Instead, a thoughtful frown was etched on his face. A stack of books was safely secured in the crook of his left arm, while on his right hung a couple of grocery bags.
He locked the car and made his way over.
A myriad of thoughts overwhelmed her. What would be a natural reaction for a mother to see their son driving such a expensive branded car? If said son is a hyper successful man, it would have been a normal sight. Expected, even.
But Allen was not particularly successful, was he? Oh yes, he was definitely intelligent and competent in his field of work, but she was vaguely aware of the harsh reality of his workplace.
'Did he steal it?' The thought came unbidden to her mind, and she was genuinely guilty for that.
She strided for the entrance door, just in time as the clanking of keys sounded out. The door was unlocked and pushed open.
"Mom?" Allen asked, surprised, not because of her presence there, but due to the concerned twinkle in her eyes. They were face-to-face, and he could easily tell she had been cleaning.
She was in her 'cleaning' clothes. Garments she didn't use anymore, either because they were riddled with tears or because they didn't fit. A lot of skin was exposed, and she smelled of detergent.
Her blonde tresses were sticky with sweat, clinging to the sides of her face.
"Allen!" She plunged forward and wrapped her arms around him, suffocating him within her warm, pleasant embrace. "It's always nice when you come back home. I miss you so much, dear."
He returned the hug with a more strained smile. Things were going out of control in his life, but at least his mother remained a constant, unmoving boulder. He should have been proud, for coming back home as a renewed man, with a sports car and the secrets of magic at the tips of his fingers.
But that kind of life was dangerous. Not only for him, but for everyone else involved, A life he knew he definitelty don't want his family to get involved in.
"I didn't expect you'd be coming home, dear," Vannessa said, a bit embarrassed, "If I did, I'd have cleaned the house earlier and put on nicer clothes."
Allen waved her off, "Nah, I've just filed for another leave, I'm lucky that my company has a very positive atmosphere."
"Is that so?" naturally, she didn't buy the lie, but didn't call it out.
With a sigh, Vannessa helped him move the groceries bags to the kitchen, where she placed them on a counter and began to pull out the items within. She couldn't help but be surprised. There was a lot of stuff in there. Vegetables. Fruits. Meat. A lot of meat. Snacks. Drinks of all kinds. Spices. And other essentials.
It was one thing after the other. Like a magician pulling an endless rope out of a hat.
"Gosh, Allen... how much did you buy exactly?" she asked, grimacing a bit. While the gesture was very much appreciated, she was also concerned by how much it must have cost. Prices were getting higher, and it was not easy to feed a family of four.
"As much as I needed, mom." he said with a small laugh.
Vannessa bit her bottom lip. After a few seconds of internal conflict, she sighed and graced him with a loving smile. "Thank you, son. Since you've bought so much, I'll cook up a small banquet for the four of us. Hmm?"
"That sounds amazing," Allen nodded.
"Is there anything you'd like to eat?" Vannessa asked, humming to herself as she separated the stuff that had to be conserved in a fridge and the cans to be put up on shelves.
Allen went silent. Honestly, his mother's cooking was top-notch. There were a lot of dishes he'd want to taste again. That was especially true since he hadn't eaten a homemade meal in a long time. Instant microwave food was not bad and cheap too, but it was not healthy. "What about something Mia or Nina would like instead?"
It was not as if he had some picky preference when it came to food. Living on his own for a long time, he learned how to appreciate even things he generally didn't like. However, for some uncanny reason, he absolutely loved spicy food.
"Alrighty. I can do that," then she stared at him, eyes narrowed, "But no spices."
Allen deflated at that, "Really? Not even a tiny sprinkle of pepper?"
"Nope."
"I see," he smirked, "You still get bowel movements when you eat spices, huh?"
"T-That's not true!" Vanessa cleared her throat, cheeks slightly rosy, "I just can't handle them."
"Uh-huh."
And then he watched as his mother tried to jam all of that food inside her fridge, which was a small thing, "I guess we should get you a new, bigger fridge too."
"Huh?" Vannessa was so surprised when she turned around that a jar almost slipped off her hands. "A new fridge? But..."
"It's fine. Don't you worry about it. I'll take care of it," he said, walking over to her. He picked up a few, heavier items and put them away in their right places.
"And there is the last one…" Allen exhales slightly.
"My..thank you dear.." Vanessa chuckles as she reaches her hand over Allen's head, rubbing his head lovingly as Allen just blushes slightly. He know now for certain that he can't allow his family to get involved in the storm he got himself into. He needed to get himself up to speed with whatever are in the tomes Yuri gave him fast and frankly, he is not very fond of the idea of leaving their protection to someone else he does not know, doesn't matter if it's from Yuri or not.
Sighing before forming a soft smile from his lips, Allen nods at Vanessa's gratefulness and immediately excuse himself from the kitchen after he helped with all the food preparations, bringing the tomes with him as he walks upstairs towards his room and flops himself towards his bed. It's soft and comfortable..way more then what he can said compared to his old appartment as he looks into towards the ceilings. How in the fuck that he got himself into this situation? He thought. It was supposed to be just another night of seeing the old man yuri in his bookshop, have a few drinks, reads a few books, log on his internet, talk about life and then went home with a few free books to read in his off time to replace that internet.
Instead what? Yuri gave him a fucking book of disaster that's what. Shining orb appeared out of his hand, got kidnapped by bastards that turns out to be federal agencies employees, and then…there's the blood….evil people or not…to just evaporates into nothing but small pieces is just….
Allen shook his head, feeling the churn in his stomach as he shook off the thought. He doesn't need to find out what will happen if he keeps thinking about it and he certainly didn't need his mother to get all fussy about her concerns of his health.
Yuri…what the hell is that old bastard is thinking when he got allen involved in all of this mess? Everone can do magic? A big group people are out for the blood of those who knew about this? And what is he supposed to do? He's no hero, nor is he any wizard that can just solve any problem with one snap of a finger, he's supposed to be just a regular salaryman for fucks sake. Getting involved in someone's fucked up agenda shouldn't have happened, in fact what kind of fucked up reality is this?
Allen sighs, he could feel the appearing stirring pain from all the thoughts on his head, it doesn't take a genius to figure that Yuri is still not telling him everything, His kidnappers appears to know the cunning old man, heck he seems supposed to be some sort of a famous figure..so what in the world actually happened before he got involved into this whole magic shenanigans….?
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"Like hell I should care about that for now…" Allen groans, rising groggily from his bed as he stretches a bit. His hand glides over to the small light table to his right as he picks up the 2 books along with a black American express card, a novelty item he found inside the pages of the chinese dictionary that was given along with the other 2 books that he predict came from Yuri that he really have to thank him for. Appearing with a silver porsche 911 and bringing a ton of groceries should help to hide his hungered prior actual financial state from his mother's concern. Only god knows what kind of length she would go to to prevent him from leaving again should that happen to stop her poor son from starving himself again.
Allen sighs, putting away the luxury credit card in his wallet and start to flip the pages of the books, studying them as he waits until the time his 2 sisters schools are over for the day.