Chapter 2495: A Father’s Duty

Sylas returned to Sky Roaming without much fanfare. He appeared inside the City Lord Mansion, then made his way toward the familiar presence of his parents.

It had been 3 years since he’d last spoken to them. He had stayed aware of what was happening in his world throughout his seclusion, but knowing his family was safe and actually spending time with them were two very different things.

Isolde looked up when he walked in. For a moment, her expression softened, but it didn’t take long for something far more serious to take its place.

"Three years, Sylas."

Sylas nodded, though he didn’t offer an explanation. There wasn’t much to explain, and even if there had been, he doubted his mother would’ve cared to hear it.

"I’ve been taking care of Nosphaleen and Xarvenya while you’ve been gone. They’re both doing well, and I’ve made sure they have everything they need. But that isn’t the point."

Isolde walked up to him and reached out to straighten the collar of his shirt. There was nothing wrong with it.

"I understand that you have responsibilities, and I understand that whatever you’re dealing with isn’t something the rest of us can help with. But no matter what’s happening out there, if you’ve taken on the responsibility of being a father, then you need to be a father."

Sylas looked down at his mother.

He could have explained that he’d spent those 3 years in the laboratory precisely to protect his family. He could have told her that the danger he meant to face was far beyond anything even his current strength could handle without preparation.

However, none of that changed what she had said.

His mother wasn’t asking him to abandon his responsibilities to the world. All she was doing was reminding him that those responsibilities included the people waiting for him at home.

Sylas nodded once more.

Isolde studied his face for a moment, then sighed.

She had raised this boy. Even before the Summoning, getting him to say whatever was going on in his head had been next to impossible. Now he had enough strength to make even the most powerful existences tremble, and that particular habit hadn’t improved one bit.

"Go on, then. They’re in the courtyard."

Sylas gave his parents a final nod before turning to leave.

Isolde watched his back disappear through the doorway, and the longer she looked, the more troubled she became.

She had wanted to say more. She’d wanted to ask how he was feeling, or whether he’d made any progress toward finding Cassarae. But, the look on his face had stopped her.

She couldn’t remember the last time her son had looked quite so empty.

"Isolde."

Cedric’s voice pulled her out of her thoughts.

She turned to her husband, only to find him staring at the same doorway Sylas had just walked through.

"I’ve decided to leave."

Isolde froze. "What?"

"I’ve been thinking about it for a long time. The only reason I stayed this long was to wait for Sylas to finish whatever he was doing in that laboratory. I couldn’t leave without knowing whether he was alright."

Cedric said it flatly, but Isolde had known her husband for far too long to mistake that calm for indifference. It was exactly that calm that scared her.

"Cedric, what are you talking about? Where are you going?"

"I don’t know yet."

He turned to face her.

"But I can’t keep doing this, Dede. I can’t keep sitting around while everyone I care about is in danger, waiting for our son to fix problems I should be able to do something about myself."

Isolde opened her mouth, but Cedric kept going before she could get a word out.

"Paul was my best friend. I’ve known that bastard so long I can hardly remember a time before him, and now he’s gone somewhere I can’t even begin to imagine. And Cassarae..."

His face twisted.

"I watched that girl grow up, Isolde. I remember when she was just a cute little baby, and now she’s a firecracker who’d rip someone’s head off for looking at her wrong. She’s practically our daughter, and when she needed us, what could I do?"

Cedric shook his head.

"Nothing."

He looked down at his hands and slowly clenched them into fists.

"Then there’s Xarvenya. I can’t exactly say we’ve had the warmest relationship, but she’s my daughter-in-law now, and she’s carrying my grandchild. I couldn’t do anything while she was fighting for our sakes. Nosphaleen’s in the same position, and all I can do is sit here while you take care of them and Sylas handles everything else."

He went quiet for a long while.

"I don’t even feel like a man anymore."

Isolde’s eyes reddened.

"You know that’s not fair. You’ve done everything you could."

"That’s the problem. Everything I could do wasn’t enough."

Cedric reached out and took his wife’s hands. When he saw the tears starting to spill down her cheeks, his grip tightened.

"I’m sorry, Dede. I know that if I leave, you’ll have to stay. Someone needs to look after this place while everyone else is gone, and there’s no one I trust to do that more than you."

"Then don’t go."

Cedric’s expression softened.

He wanted to agree with her. There was nothing he’d have liked more than to stay right here with his wife, waiting for the day their family could sit around the same dinner table again without worrying about which world was about to collapse or who had gone missing next.

But, how many more people would have to disappear before that day came? How many more times would he have to watch his son carry everything while he stayed behind?

"I’m sorry."

Isolde lowered her head, her fingers squeezing his.

Cedric pulled her into his arms.

"All I can promise you is that I won’t die."

**

When Sylas entered the courtyard, he found Nosphaleen and Xarvenya sitting side by side in a pair of rocking chairs, enjoying the breeze passing through the garden.

Neither of them looked much different from how he remembered. Though, their bellies were quite a bit larger than they had been 3 years ago.

That came as no surprise.

Sylas could see the changes taking place inside their bodies, right down to the delicate arrangements of Will that had let them stretch their pregnancies far beyond what should have been possible.

If they could have delayed things even longer, they probably would have.

However, there were limits to how long even existences of their strength could hold such a delicate balance. By Sylas’ estimate, they could only keep it up for another 3 or 4 years at most.

Even that much was extraordinary, and it was only possible because of Weaving Madness’ gift.

Under ordinary circumstances, letting an independent Will develop inside another person’s body for so long would cause no end of complications.

The two Wills would inevitably start influencing one another. The longer that went on, the harder it would become to keep both mother and child independent of each other.

Weaving Madness’ gift got around that problem. It kept up a separation that shouldn’t have been possible, while also slowing down how fast their children developed.

It was an ingenious method. But, it couldn’t last forever.

Sylas’ gaze shifted to Nosphaleen.

The moment she noticed him, her eyes lit up.

"Master!"

She got up from her rocking chair and hurried over, crossing the courtyard before he could take another step. Her arms wrapped around him with enough force that an ordinary man would’ve had trouble breathing, and she buried her face in his chest as though she’d been waiting 3 years to do exactly this.

Sylas raised a hand and rubbed her back.

That was all it took.

Nosphaleen’s shoulders started to shake, and before long, the tears she’d been holding back were soaking into his robes.

Sylas didn’t say anything.

He could feel everything she was going through over their connection. There were plenty of things he could have said to comfort her, but none of them were really necessary.

So, he simply let her hold him.

As for Xarvenya? She stayed seated in her rocking chair.

Her crimson eyes followed the two of them. She kept her usual composure, but the corners of her lips tugged up into the faintest smile.

She didn’t get up, and she made no move to interrupt Nosphaleen. However, when Sylas finally looked her way, their eyes stayed locked for several seconds.

Another apology wasn’t needed.

Sylas already understood what she had been forced to choose between, and Xarvenya knew he didn’t blame her for what had happened.

Eventually, Nosphaleen loosened her grip enough to look up at him, her eyes still wet with tears.

Sylas ran a hand over her hair, then turned to Xarvenya.

"You two will come with me."

Xarvenya raised a brow. "Where?"

"The Poise Heaven."