Chapter 557 - 555: Despair.

Chapter 557: Chapter 555: Despair.

"What..." Malachi’s jaw dropped.

"This... huh?" Paku froze.

"I’m seeing things, right? You guys, I’m definitely seeing things, right?" Even Salazar, the guy who could exist on different timelines at the same time, was asking if his eyes were deceiving him, as the sight was that ridiculous.

"Pfft.... hahahahahahahahahaha!!!!" Father’s loud laughter shook everyone awake as the old man fell on his back. "Your face... look at your face.. ooh.. priceless! Ahahahahaha..."

I didn’t even have the time to care about what the old man was going on about, as I was too busy wondering,

"BITCH!! Why the fuck do you have my face!?"

No. You heard me right. This motherfucker had my face.

"Haa... Aunt Sera, see why I don’t want to do this?" The fucker even had the balls to sigh like this was all some stressful activity.

"Nonsense. Don’t mind Dante, come give me a hug, or didn’t you miss me?" The fact that Mother was calm about all this was quite jarring as I just watched her hug the cat, a peaceful smile on her face. But—

"Wait. Wait. Wait. Mother, why does this fucker have my face!?"

"Language, young man."

"Sorry, ma’am. So can you explain what the hell this is?" I was losing my shit.

The chicken-cat was a spitting image of me before my true awakening. Evidently, I had grown more beautiful, and my facial features had shifted and been refined to levels beyond comprehension, but that wasn’t the point here.

I still had some resemblance to my old self, and the fact that if you placed this fucker side by side with the old me, barring his pure golden hair, one would’ve confused us for twins.

Same build. Same eyes. Same lining. Same fucking everything.

"Hahahaha... that’s the exact same reaction we had back then." Father’s laughing voice caught my attention as I turned toward the man for some answers.

"Hoo... back then, that stuck-up grouch had just found Leo in a collapsing realm within the Abyss."

"The Abyss?"

"Yes, and I know what you’re about to ask, and no, we weren’t allowed to bring him back with us—not without some drastic measures."

"Drastic measures how?"

"Well, the Abyss didn’t allow for otherworlders to pass through it and enter worlds different from theirs, so all we had to do was make Leo a Terran."

"Huh?"

"Surprising, right? But Valen, that old grouch, surprised even me as he initiated a blood ritual then and there, giving his blood to the little griffon, effectively claiming a child for himself, and thus allowing Leo to be brought back with us. It was the last expedition we had before your mother gave birth to you."

"Old man, that doesn’t explain why that fucking cat is wearing my face."

"Calm your horses, kid, I’m getting to it. Like I was saying, we brought Leo back with us, and Valen adopted the kid. I took it upon myself to practice some fatherhood while Sera was still pregnant with you as well."

"Ughh... don’t make me remember, please..." Leo groaned.

"Humph! Ungrateful. Anyways, long story short, after your birth, little Leo got curious and snuck into your crib one day. Something happened, and the griffon marked you, essentially becoming something of a brother."

"We hadn’t even realized it until we went into your room and found two babies there: one in his crib and the other on the floor, eyes wide in confusion."

"This..." I was stunned.

What the fuck was I hearing all of a sudden?

"You... pfft... you should’ve seen that old grouch’s face when he realized his adopted son was going to look like my own son instead! Bahahahahahaha... I told him it was because the universe liked my face and genes better, and he exploded, challenging me to a fight right then and there. Haa... it ended up being one of the best bouts I’d ever had." The old man sighed in nostalgia.

"Anyways, there you have it. The griffon is your twin brother from an adopted father and a mother we don’t even know of yet, with a fucked-up history that’s another story of its own time. Fun little development, huh?"

I didn’t even know how to react.

Just when I was thinking I’d finally gotten over all the random family relationships I could’ve had.

I mean, from realizing the aunt I’d been raised by was my actual, actual aunt, to realizing I had a robotic-expression-wearing godfather, to realizing I also had some death-construct grandparents who were prisoners in some cosmic prison... you would think that would be the worst of it, yet this one threatened to surpass all those things entirely.

"Can’t... can’t any of my relationships be normal for once?" I couldn’t help but ask out loud.

"Sorry, kid. Not happening," Father consoled, his grin still clearly delighting in my shock.

"So that’s why the fucker claimed he was handsome, fuck!!" Malachi cursed.

"Damn... the bastard plagiarized Dante’s face and now wants to show off, bitch!" Paku raged.

Salazar was about to join in, but—

"It seems you guys don’t really want to learn your lesson, huh?" Aunt V’s voice came like the whispers of death as she appeared between them.

"Oh... shi—" Space shifted as the woman disappeared with the two, Salazar wisely shutting his mouth.

"Phew... Ravena seems to have gotten even scarier. Son, how did you do it?" The old man asked.

"Dad, I don’t think now’s the time to be asking such a thing."

"Bahh... it’s always the time. How’d you get my grouchy sister to accept? Tell me. Tell me. I didn’t think she was serious about getting married to my own son. What does that make you? My brother-in-law?"

We both shared a look, and then—

"Eww.."

"Gross.."

"Old man, never call me that again."

"Believe I won’t, even at the edge of death."

"My cute Leo..." Mother’s voice cut through our conversation as I returned my attention to them.

I was still having a difficult time coming to terms with the fact that this chicken-cat was wearing my face, but I could only let it slide... for now.

"Don’t you like it better this way? Look how handsome you are."

"Fuck yea he’s handsome! He stole my face!" I couldn’t help it.

"Dante!"

"Fine! Humph!"

"Ignore him. How are you? Have you been a good brother to Dante? He seems like he would’ve been exhausting."

"Oi!! Mother!!"

"I’m fine, Aunt Sera. And Dante might be a nuisance most times, but he has been a brother indeed."

"Don’t think saying nice things about me is getting you off the hook. I’m still whooping your ass for stealing my face."

The two of them ignored me.

"Tell me, truly, are you alright? You only ever assume that form when the dreams return and you begin losing control."

"I’m fine, Aunt Sera. The dreams haven’t returned since you two..." Leo’s words cut off there.

"Since we died?"

"Hmm.."

"I could feel an and coming..." mother pressed the chicken-cat for more,

"And I’ve learnt how to control that power better. How to channel the torment. Father helped me a lot, and Dante has made it even easier now..."

"You’re saying..."

"I’m saying, Aunt Sera, that my despair is no longer a torment for me, because now I have decided to use it upon those who dare threaten my family. I shall not be like those cowards who abandoned me in the Abyss—the same cowards whose whereabouts I have finally discovered. No. I shall be the exact opposite."

Leo’s eyes shone with a brilliant golden light as his smile turned twisted.

"All those who dare lay hands on what is mine shall know...

...DESPAIR."

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A/N: I’ll admit. These last three Chapters have been one random chaos after the other. Putting together this many unique characters in one place really wasn’t such a good idea lol... anyways...

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Thanks for reading...