[Present]
"It seems you've broken your promise, Dad" I said bitterly.
"Well, son, you know what they say, promises are made to be broken" he replied emotionlessly.
Abraham sat on an old, rough chair beside my bed.For the next two minutes, neither of us said anything; only the ticking of the clock on the wall filled the room.
To be honest, this situation reminded me of what had happened two years ago when we were at the bank, and he indirectly blamed me for his worries.
There was a heavy atmosphere in the room; I felt short of breath, and the whole situation made me quite uncomfortable.
So, to put an end to it, I finally spoke up.
"Just tell me what you have to say, Dad, so we can avoid all of this."
He looked me directly in the eyes for about three seconds before saying:
"You know, Liam, you remind me a lot of your grandfather, Eric."
I was taken aback by my father mentioning my grandfather, as he always avoided talking about it.
It seemed unbelievable that he was telling me this now, especially after I became disabled.
Ignoring my surprise, he continued
"He was a straight, strong, and brave man, the pride of the town, unlike me. He went to the Agora Academy and graduated with honors. He was so amazing that at my age, he had already reached the sixth upper circle."
'Wow, that's actally incredible' I thought.
Although, in the novel, the protagonists achieve power levels far beyond the sixth circle, for a relatively normal person, reaching that kind of power was quite an achievement.
My father cleared his throat and continued.
"Your grandfather was so good at what he did that he was promoted to sub-officer at the state precinct in the kingdom's capital, Anvard."
Anvard, as my father had said, is the capital of the kingdom of Leneoton, the land I find myself in.
"In your grandfather's time, there weren't the problems we face today. We weren't at war with the neighboring kingdom; Lotus was barely a new idea, so they didn't have as much power as they do now, and the mana beasts were not as active since we respected the ecosystem and didn't ruin it with unnecessary wars" he said.
"Then why do you say he was so amazing if he didn't have even half of your problems?" I asked curiously.
"I never said that, son," he laughed.
"On the contrary, I would say his duties were more dangerous than mine. I usually deal with beasts, but he had the duty to deal with the real beasts, the humans."
"What do you mean by that, Dad?"
"In those times, things might have been calmer in the outside world, but in the cities, especially big ones like Anvard, they were devastated by criminal organizations and mafias, because back then, everyone was killing each other for territory to sell their respective products."
"So, they had a problem with nightfall?" I interrupted.
Abraham, as if expecting me to say that, replied:
"No, it was even worse than that. Nightfall is an association created by the same gangs that used to kill each other to bring order to the chaos and make more profit. And it worked out well for them because now there are hardly any conflicts within organized crime, and they're more like a company."
"It was a completely chaotic time, and your grandfather, being a sub-officer, inevitably got deeply involved in this."
He sighed, and in his voice, I could glimpse a bit of nostalgia and sadness.
"At some point, my father met a noblewoman who would later become my mother and your grandmother."
My father paused briefly as if what he was about to say pained him:
"Everything was going well; I was born two years after they got married. But one day, a mafia group my father was investigating planted a mana bomb in his car. That day, it wasn't your grandfather who started the car, but your grandmother. She died in the explosion."
I didn't know how to react, honestly.
We never talked about my grandfather, let alone my grandmother.
I thought they had abandoned us or something, but it seems the reason was darker than I had ever imagined.
"After that incident, my father decided to move to this town to prevent anything worse from happening to me. Years later, your grandfather died gloriously fighting a three-mark mana beast."
'I really do have an extraordinary family,' I thought.
After he told me that story, I momentarily forgot about my broken circle.
"Son,"
"Yes, Dad?"
"I'm not telling you this just for the sake of it; I'm telling you so you understand that being a warrior won't always bring you glory. Sometimes, that path of violence won't lead you anywhere and will only bring pain to you and those around you."
I was about to protest when my father hugged me.
"But I want you to know that whatever decision you make, your mother and I will always support you. We are your family, and we only want the best for you."
"Da... Dad."
I couldn't help but break down in tears due to the touching moment I was experiencing.
In my previous life, I didn't have a family like this; it was more like living with snakes. I could never show weakness to my siblings or parents. But here, in this world, I was the happiest person alive.
Suddenly, my father received a call on his phone, interrupting the beautiful moment.
"Son, before I go, I want to give you this," he said as he took off a pendant from around his neck.
On it, you could see the picture of a woman with shoulder-length brown hair and emerald eyes that gave you a warm feeling.
"I never got to see my mother's face, so my father gave me this necklace with her picture so I'd never forget who brought me into this world. Whenever you feel down, I want you to hold onto this necklace and remember your family," he said in a serious tone.
I just nodded, and then my father disappeared into the shadows.
'Today has been a tough day; I've experienced so much in such a short time,' I thought as I closed my eyes intending to sleep.
Just then, Merida entered the room.
"Oh, sorry, Liam, am I interrupting something?"
"No, Merida, what's up?"
"Nothing, I just came to give you this," she said as she handed me a piece of paper.
On that paper, it said:
"Catoira at dawn.
Dear brothers and sisters, I, Father César, will be giving a special catoira at 1 am this Tuesday to commemorate the departure of a key member of this community, Anna. I hope you all attend as it will be something never seen before."