"It's not my report, it's your mother's," Julian casually mentioned, his eyes never leaving his tablet as he sipped his coffee.
Arlo's reaction was immediate and fierce. He lunged at Julian, gripping his shirt in a tight fist, causing Julian's coffee to spill.
"Don't you dare use Mom as a shield for your actions, especially now that she's gone," Arlo seethed.
Unfazed, Julian turned his tablet towards Arlo, pointing at the initials 'A.T' on the report's cover. "You see this A.T.? You probably assumed it was Anya Templeton, but it actually stands for Adriana Templeton."
Arlo, his grip on Julian's collar unyielding, roared, "Stop lying. Mom would never be part of something like this."
Julian smirked, "Why would I lie? I just want you to understand the kind of family we are. The perfect image you've built of your mother is probably starting to shatter."
As Arlo grappled with the revelation, his world seemed to spin. Suddenly—
"Stop picking on Dad," Aya's voice rang out as she darted towards Arlo, her small fist connecting with his leg. It didn't hurt physically, but it left a sting in his heart.
Arlo released Julian's shirt, and Julian scooped up Aya, rewarding her with a warm smile,
"Thank you, Aya. Let's get some ice cream for my brave little girl."
"Yeeaahhh!!" Aya cheered, adding, "And one for brother too."
They exited the building, leaving Arlo standing alone, his body trembling. He sank to his knees.
"Ahhhhhhh…" His mother's words echoed in his mind as he screamed in agony,
'Arlo, promise me you'll name your sister Aya and take care of her, even if I'm not around.'
'Arlo, what kind of sister do you want me to create for you?'
'Arlo…'
'Arlo…'
His mother's gentle voice reverberated in his mind, and he began to decipher the hidden meanings behind her words.
As a child, he had been confused by his mother's cryptic words, but now, he was beginning to unravel their true meaning.
Just as Julian had hinted, his perfect mother was morphing into a monster who created and destroyed lives for her own gain.
The thought that kept haunting him was, 'What a messed-up family we are!'
A few weeks later,
Arlo found himself on a football field. Since that day, he had barely set foot at home, immersing himself in relentless training and practice.
"Arlo, get your head in the game, you idiot," Remi's voice echoed across the field, berating Arlo throughout the match.
The game concluded with their defeat, and Arlo, having been benched at halftime, trudged home, his mind a whirlwind of thoughts.
"Brotherrrrrrrrrrrrr…!"
Aya's voice pierced through his thoughts, and he looked up to see a group of people ushering Aya into a car. His father and Vivienne were in handcuffs.
The sight spurred Arlo into action. He sprinted towards them, trailing the cars as they sped away, his voice hoarse from shouting,
"Aya… Ayaaaaaa!!"
Arlo stumbled and fell, his cries fading as the cars vanished from sight.
A few weeks later,
In the grand courtroom of The Order of Council of Innovators & Mages, Julian stood on trial, with Vivienne and his colleagues lined up behind him.
Arlo was among the spectators, but Aya was conspicuously absent.
At the front, Arlo craned his neck to see the high table. Twelve individuals sat there, each donned in robes of different colors, gavels in their hands.
"The council's final verdict is imminent," an elderly man in a black robe declared.
"Julian and his late wife, Adriana Templeton, have committed grave crimes, including the artificial creation of humans, their subsequent murder, conducting forbidden research, and tampering with research reports.
All these crimes have been substantiated, and all accomplices will be held accountable. Hence, we sentence Julian to death and his accomplices to life imprisonment. Furthermore, all their research will be terminated immediately, and all test subjects will be euthanized."
Arlo was livid. He stood up and shouted, "How dare you order the termination of my sister Aya? Stop treating these children like lab rats; they are human beings!"
The courtroom fell silent after Arlo's outburst. After a few tense moments, a man in a black robe responded,
"These children are not exactly like us. They constantly need to be injected with Voidstone's mana and monitored to ensure their survival. If we continue researching them in this way, it's no different from what your parents did. To end their suffering, they must be allowed to rest."
Arlo, his anger unabated, retorted, "How can you claim to know what these children want? No one wants to die; that's why these children cling to life and have survived this long. Don't belittle them, you hypocrites!"
Arlo ranted, a few men seized him by the shoulders and dragged him out of the courtroom.
Even as he was being escorted out, his voice echoed in the hallways, "You pretend to care about the children, but all you do is eliminate those you deem unworthy of life, just to assert your dominance. You monsters!"
A few days later, Arlo saw the news.
The reporter, with a hint of satisfaction in her voice, announced.
"Today, Julian and his test subjects were all put to rest. This will serve as a lesson to all who dare to meddle with children."
After hearing that, Arlo smirked as he slowly leapt from the bridge.
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[End of Chapter]