4 months Later
Chae City.
Azrael folded his hands with a stubborn look on his face. He even went as far as throwing his head to the side, while an exasperated Thomas tried to convince him why this was the most viable choice of action. But still, the idea behind becoming his adopted son was crazy… he was not the kind to have… Familial relationships. The last one did not end up quite well. The phantom pains from a childhood of being ripped open repeatedly can attest to that.
"We look nothing alike; we also sound nothing alike. That accent of yours is so thick I wonder how you have lived 25 years of your life as a spy. Plus like the kids say these days, an old man forcing a lanky kid with pasty white skin to be his father is just not cool. Is it child abuse or something?" Thomas sputtered and looked at Azrael with an annoyed look on his face as he chuckled at the boy.
"I don't see how you being a kid with pasty white skin is a problem. And you are not becoming my father, Azrael it's the other way around." Azrael blanched, not exactly sure how he had made such a mistake. "We have spent four months on the run, moving from place to place, and while it has been fun. Especially having to teach you how not to act like some badly crafted golem! With that emotionless look on your face at all hours of the day. I guarantee you, it has been the most fulfilling four months of my life." Thomas said sarcastically as he rolled his eyes. "Come on kid, what do you have to lose? I can keep you safe much better this way, and you get to live a life, your life."
Azrael rolled his eyes and pulled his hoody over his head, sinking deeper into the confines of the clothing. This was his way of saying he would rather not talk, and Thomas now knew enough to know, that pushing the boy would not work, he would talk only if he wanted to.
They, however, drew close to their destination, after months on the run. The shimmering cityscape of the city of death; Chae City was built on an island deep in the Damantic Ocean and built by ancient mages when the source was first discovered. It is a place that is supposed to be a center of learning, and growth, a place that brought the entire world together as one to grow the magic that they have been blessed with. But much more than that is what the island itself is rumored to be... the last piece of the high God's body...more importantly his heart.
Azrael moved his gaze away from the wide stretch of the ocean he could see as he turned to Thomas.
"What is so special about living a life? That is not what I made for Thomas. I am a killer, it is how I was trained, it is what I am. There are no two thoughts about it or any need to make it unnecessarily complicated." Azrael paused, speaking...was hard. He had spent such a massive part of his life just being silent, but Thomas was different...Thomas made him feel... Safe. "I know you are trying to help me. But this is not necessary, this is a debt I will not be able to pay back, and I owe you too much already so no. Let me just be your apprentice or something. Besides what about your daughter? I doubt she would be happy with you adopting a new kid. Especially with the two of you not on good terms… I am no replacement for the real thing."
Thomas shut his mouth with a click, a look of hurt crossing his features as he took the adoption papers and threw them back into his suitcase. They were in a private cabin traveling through an underwater rail line that stretched across the coastal cities of the Damantic Ocean all the way to the Island of Chae.
The island was large enough, that it was home to billions. Rumors have it that the island was just one massive grimoire that had been formed from the last piece of the High God… his heart. Of course, Azrael did not know how true that was, the history of magic and the High God's involvement in it, was spotty with no definite story being told. But this was going to be home now. For now, at least, Chae City was the kind of place you go to if you wanted to hide who you are, and where you are coming from. A good place for a fresh start, but not as someone's son, the last father he had, made other people tear him open and put things into his body and take them out too. Regardless of what the world says, or how amazing Thomas has been to him… fathers suck!
1 Month Later
Azrael just could not stand the smug grin on Thomas's face as the judge placed her stamp on the adoption papers. He had absolutely no idea how he had given in, the old man was brutal in his methods, steadily grinding at Azrael's defenses until the teen agreed just to shut the man up.
They left the courtroom and had dinner with his daughter and her mother. It was awkward, to say the least, Azrael wondered how dumb, Thomas thought his daughter would be. She already hated him, flaunting a replacement had to hurt, if looks could kill then Azrael would have been dead many times over.
Still, it was what it was. He wondered how Emilia would take it, if she found out, that Azrael had agreed to this since it was the only way he could get Thomas to teach him Grimgineering. But still, Azrael felt ashamed, he knew what his life was like before Thomas, and even then, he did not like people walking in and messing around with things that did not belong to them. Now here he was doing the same thing to someone else.
He got up and left the table, running away and not looking back as Thomas called out to him. Even as he made his way out of the restaurant, he could already hear arguments between Thomas and his ex-wife. Azrael shook his head, his body shivering a bit as the chill of the night air assaulted his body.
"You really shouldn't be out in the Cold, here put this on." Emilia practically threw his coat at him. Azrael was not in the mood to be angry or upset, 'it's not as if, I even know how to feel such emotions.' he thought to himself as he looked at her, the only question he could really ask himself right now though was.
'Why was she here?'
"I should hate you." she started, causing Azrael to sink deeper into his coat, hoping the clothing would swallow him and save him from this conversation. "He is never around for anything of mine, and then he adopts you and you get to live with him. It is not fair, but neither is what you went through. I know he cares about me, at least that is what I think. So, I think he will take care of or is already taking care of you better than he did me." Azrael had no idea what to say to that, it was not what he expected to hear from her.
"My mom will not let me stay with him, plus that can be hard when he travels a lot, but you have brought him home to me, and I am thankful. It is just not cool he finally decides to retire, and he replaces me with someone else."
She was bitter, Azrael could not understand. He felt something and that feeling was important, but still, through all that, the veil over his emotions subdued it. But in times like this, it is best to just be as polite as you can be. 'it's so hard, talking to people.'
"I do not know much about fathers…my old one never smiled at me, never fed me, every time I see him, there was always pain. Thomas …is good. And I know he loves you, at least I do. I do not really know or understand what love means. But he is just trying to help me, not replace you. Nobody is going to want to replace their child with me…. I am a freak. So, take this opportunity now, he is here for you…. Be with him."
Emilia looked at him with a raised eyebrow, she was only just a little bit taller than him, but at that moment he seemed so much more than he was before. "You know you are just a kid, right? You do not have to sound so wise about everything you know." She said to him with a smile on her face.
"That is what everyone says…. But I do not know how…I do not know how to be a kid." He said to her as she looked at him. Emilia only had the simple version of his story; he was a kid with an abusive father who got rescued after years of neglect and torture. Simple enough, she did not need to know his father was a celestial angel. Or that he has spent his entire life being moved from one secret facility to another. But still, the part of his story she had heard was more than enough to elicit the look of pity she had on her face for him. For some reason, it felt strange to him.
"Well, you do not have to worry so much, technically we are siblings now. I will make sure you learn everything there is to learn about being a kid, I am your big sister now. So, I will look after you." There was such conviction on her face and a bright smile as she looked at Azrael. He wondered if he needed to smile back, Thomas had told him it was the polite thing to do when someone else smiled at you. His lips began to move as if they had a life of their own, his face scrunching up into a horrific grin that made Emilia ask.
"What are you doing?"
"Trying to smile? Is that not how they do it?" Emilia blinked at him a few times, absolutely surprised as she said.
"Wow, you're a very messed-up kid." Azrael's only response was to shrug. He did not know what to say to that. It was a matter of fact and not something anyone would want to or could argue about.
"Well, I'm sure we can work something out; we can work on your smile first. You get that down and perhaps people would not want to cast spells at you the moment you smile at them. You look like some demon, we should-"
"Emilia! Come on, it's time to go." She gave Azrael a quick smile and turned to leave. She quickly went up to her father and gave the man an awkward hug. Thomas's face lit up like fireworks in the night sky. Emilia and her mother got into a car leaving Thomas and Azrael standing in the winter chill. The older man stepped beside Azrael and placed his hands on his shoulder.
"Well, I guess a new journey begins… son." Azrael rolled his eyes and said to Thomas. "Just drop it, I'm never calling you dad or something like that." Thomas winced as he asked. "Too soon?" Azrael shrugged and pulled his hoody over his head, the clothing swallowing him up and casting a shadow over his face. Thomas could never figure out how Azrael could do something like that without a Grimoire and active spell to back it up. Regardless though, the future now belongs to them. And for Thomas and Azrael… it felt particularly brighter tonight.
"Well come on ice cube…. Let us go home."