Ethan stood frozen, his mind racing as he tried to process the sudden appearance of his sister. Marella was the last person he expected to see here, and her unmistakable voice sliced through the noise of the bustling guild hall like a blade.
"Do you even know how long I've been looking for you?" she demanded, her hands resting on her hips in an almost comical display of exasperation.
"You disappear for days, and then I find you here? Of all places? Did you not go to the Lord's manor? What happened to your awakening? Why have you not registered with an academy yet? Lord Nessleson is not pleased. Father and mother are not pleased. I was sent here to give the guild a search mission to look for you!"
Ethan sighed. Fuck it. He was almost out of here.
Marella was not pleased with his reaction. "Are you even listening to me? We thought you died to those freaky insects! Bastard, why do you make us all worried all the time?"
Ethan flinched slightly as Marella marched forward and grabbed the front of his tunic, her grip firm and her face inches from his. Her dark brown eyes blazed with a mix of anger and worry, and her frustration was palpable. She didn't care about the eyes of the adventurers still watching them curiously.
"You're unbelievable," she hissed, shaking him slightly. "Do you know how many hours I stayed awake thinking you were dead? That some insectoid dragged you into a hole? And here you are, wandering around like nothing's wrong!"
Ethan forced himself to stay calm, though the proximity of his sister and the torrent of questions made his irritation bubble beneath the surface. "Marella," he said, his voice low and deliberate, "I'm fine. You can stop treating me like I'm a child."
"Then stop acting like one!" she shot back, not loosening her grip. "Do you have any idea how much trouble you've caused? The Lord's manor is in chaos because of you. Do you know what kind of embarrassment it is for our family to have someone fail to report to their awakening? To ignore the academy invitations? To just vanish?"
Ethan inhaled deeply, locking eyes with her. "You don't understand," he said coolly. "I didn't disappear for no reason. I needed to leave, Marella. That place…" He trailed off, shaking his head. "It's not where I belong."
Marella's expression faltered for a moment. "You don't belong? Ethan, we're your family. You belong with us. What are you talking about? You have wanted this since you were five. You always talked about how you were going to top the academy. What happened to everything? Why didn't you go to the Lord's manor?"
Ethan pulled himself free of her grasp, stepping back to create some distance. He wanted to tell her the truth but at the same time, he didn't want to make the mess any worse than it already was. Perhaps the runaway story was better after all. He was in his rebellious years. Why not make full use of it?
"You don't get to decide who I am," he said, his tone firmer now. "I made my choice, and I'm sticking to it. I'm not going back, Marella. Not to the manor. Not to Lord Nessleson. Not to any of it. I want to do what I want to do."
Her eyes widened, the words hitting her like a slap. "You can't be serious," she whispered. "Do you have any idea what you're saying? What they'll do when they find out you're rejecting everything?"
"Let them," Ethan replied, his voice like steel. "It's my life. Not theirs."
For a moment, silence stretched between them, the weight of his words settling heavily in the air. Lia shifted uncomfortably beside him, glancing between the siblings, unsure if she should take a few steps back and give them more privacy.
Marella's hands dropped to her sides, her shoulders sagging slightly. "You've always been stubborn," she muttered, a note of sadness creeping into her voice. "But this… This is reckless, Ethan. This won't affect just you. Mom and dad and the entire clan will pay the price for it."
Ethan's jaw tightened at Marella's words, but he held his ground. "They'll survive," he said, his voice quieter but no less firm. "They're strong enough to weather a little embarrassment. And if they're not, that's not my problem."
Marella's eyes flashed with anger, her frustration boiling over. "Not your problem? You think this is just about embarrassment? They will label us as traitors, you fool! Do you know what Lord Nessleson does to men who do not obey him?"
Ethan flinched at her words. Everything was getting way messier than it needed to be. He wanted to leave right this instant but a thought somewhere in the corner of his mind, begged him not to abandon his family. Not like this.
Was it a part of his former self that was remaining? The conscience of the person who had lived in the body before him? Or something similar to that?
Ethan did not know. But one thing was sure. He would always feel guilty if he left them all behind in this situation, right here and now. He needed to do something about this whole mess. Perhaps it was time to pay a visit to this Lord Nessleson and see what he wanted from him.