After leaving the home he had grown up in, Alexander accompanied his uncle to his mansion.
It was quite a bit smaller than the estate built for the city's viceroy, but still stood out among the other houses in the area. As his uncle held one of the highest stations in the city, it only made sense that his home matched his status.
"I need a bit of time to gather what I'll need for the journey and get some things in order. If you want, feel free to wait in the parlor. I'll send Daisy to down to bring you anything you might want" Elias said, before going up a set of stairs and heading for his office.
With nothing better to do, Alexander plopped himself down on a plush sofa.
A couple minutes later, the manor's single full-time maid came over to him. Her name was Daisy, and Alexander was well acquainted with her.
"Here's a tart topped with sotona and a glass of freshly squeezed yeava juice."
Before he even needed to ask for anything, Daisy brought out items that she knew were among Alexander's favorites.
She was a talented servant that was always able to anticipate what other people needed. Truly, she was an invaluable member of Elias' household.
"Thank you. This is perfect." Alexander said, a gentle smile on his face.
He had been feeling a bit despondent, knowing that he was likely never going to be able to interact with his mother and brother the same way again. It was even possible that he might not be allowed to see them again.
Thankfully, the mildly sour tart topped with a light green fruit with translucent skin was delicious and eased his woes.
Once he had finished the small snack, he drank the sweet purple liquid that came from a large, drum shaped fruit called a yeava.
Then, just as Alexander was about to figure out what to do next, he heard the manor's front door open.
At first, he figured that it might be his aunt or cousin coming home, but the individual in question turned out to be neither of them.
"Mother!"
The moment Alexander's mother caught sight of him, she swiftly walked over to him and sat down next to him.
She then pulled him into her embrace and started crying.
"I'm sorry Alex. I couldn't convince him not to disown you. I even threatened to leave, but he told me to go right ahead. He's always been a heartless man, but I never expected this." Eleana said between sobs.
Alexander nearly asked her why she married him in the first place, but he caught himself.
He did not have a full understanding of the situation. Still, he knew that their union came about for some political reason or another. There had never been and almost certainly never would be any love between them.
'This is another reason I did not want to be put into a forced marriage.' Alexander thought, looking at his mother with empathetic eyes.
If one were being generous, they might call Arouraios a pragmatic man. Though, to Alexander, he had always simply been cold.
All he cared about was amassing power and moving up the social and political ladder. Unfortunately, he lacked a knack for it.
He often attempted to make big moves that either only came with small returns or fell apart completely.
The most recent was the expansion of Malm's mines. He invested far too much money that the family did not have, and hastened things along without adhering to the proper safety procedures.
Had he been more cautious, he likely would have discovered the signs of monsters lurking about before widening the tunnels enough for them to infest most of the mines.
"Mother, if you really can't stand staying with him any longer, I'm sure that Uncle Elias would look after you."
However, she only shook her head at this suggestion.
"No, I can't do that. Your father would see to it that we were barred from this city, even if it would likely lead to a worse situation than Malm is already in. Plus, I still need to look after Nico. He's barely fourteen, and the pressure being put on him as the next head of the family is immense."
Alexander gritted his teeth in frustration. He truly wanted to help his mother, but there was nothing he could realistically do at the moment.
The only possible solution he could think of was to kill his father. Sadly, the negative ramifications of doing so would likely make his mother's life worse rather than better.
'If I can make some powerful connections while at Fulminous Academy, I might be able to have him deposed for incompetence. Then Nico can take over the head of the family, but that plan would take at least six years. He'd have to finish the necessary education for a Lord first.'
While weighing his options, Alexander noticed that his mom had stopped sobbing.
Now she was looking at him with determined eyes.
"I know I've failed you today. However, I don't care what some documents say or what everyone else believes, you are my son, and I will never see you any differently. If you ever need my help, don't be afraid to ask. There may not be much I can do for you, but I'll do everything I can."
Before Alexander knew what was happening, a stream of tears was falling down his face. His mother's words had moved him, and the complicated mess of emotions he was experiencing caused him to cry involuntarily.
"Thank you, mother. You have no idea how much that means to me. Your love and support have helped me get through these last two, difficult years. I promise someday, I'll make things better for all of us." Alexander said, hugging his mother tightly and crying like a child, since this would likely be the last time he would ever have the chance to do so.
When the two of them calmed down a little, Alexander regretfully told his mother about the pendant she had lent to him.
He had promised that he would bring it back, but instead he ended up destroying it like so many magic tools before it.
"I won't deny that I'm saddened to hear that it is gone, but I'm much happier to know that it was able to protect you. There was little chance that I would ever have need of it again, so please, don't bother worrying about something so insignificant. What I care about most is that your safe."
As both mother and son continued to confide in each other, the sound of someone coming down the stairs reached their ears.
Soon, Elias entered the room that Alexander and Elena were in.
Hefted over his back was a large pack he used when going out on long expeditions to train the city's soldiers. And attached to his belt as always, was his prized magic sword.
"Elena, I'll make sure to look after him for you. It might seem like the world is falling apart right now, but I assure you, things will get better soon enough."
Once Alexander had shared farewells with his mother, he left with his uncle and headed towards the city's gates. Ready to embark on his journey away from the only home he had ever known.