Chapter 229 - Unprepared To Face This Kind Of Situation
How could Erik while being unconscious continue to want and be able to protect him ... He had really a lot a questions in his mind but he still chose to say to him : "Do what you have to do, your brother and I aren't going anywhere, we'll wait for you here."
They then saw Alan put a hand on Erik's cheek and caress his face tenderly, reassuring him and telling him that everything was fine and that there were no enemies in their home, and after only a few seconds, Erik finally relaxed and collapsed again in his arms.
It was a truly unusual scene they both just witnessed and Dilan and Nolan exchanged a look that showed how unprepared they were to face this kind of situation.
Alan didn't bother to explain to them any further and they saw him got up with Erik in his arms, the contrast between the boy who now seemed harmless in his arms and the one who had threatened them with an axe was really striking.
And Alan, to whom his father had promised that they would wait and not leave, left the living room to go and take care of Erik after giving them one last look to make sure he hadn't been dreaming.
He still had a hard time believing they were really there together, only Kelan was missing and their family would have been complete for the first time in 6 years.
But why now seriously, they hadn't seen each other for 6 years and his father and his brother had appeared out of nowhere without warning just when he had broken down ... He who had always dreamed of showing his father that he was strong and that he was just as capable as his brothers of fighting on the border had just shown him the complete opposite of what he had hoped for.
And what would his father think of him when he would told him that he had just left the bearer of the Pentagram Mark in that dungeon when he had gone for safety.
Then, he felt Erik moving in his arms and he calmed down immediately, he was no longer a child, he knew that he had made the right decision and that if he had stayed he would have been a burden to their friends because mentally he was no longer able to fight.
Before going to put him in their bed, he took the time to wash them both and once they were clean, dry and dressed in comfortable clothes, he finally laid him in their bed and when he was sure that he was sleeping peacefully, he kissed his forehead, then his nose, then his mouth, which was kind of a ritual for them, and he really hoped that it would help Erik to relax and that he wouldn't stay unconscious for too long.
Now that he was calm again with his thoughts in place he went back into the living room and when he saw Erik's axe laying against the coffee table of their living room, he looked at the wall that Erik had partially destroyed and said out loud : "Douglas is going to kill me !"
Nolan was quicker than their father and he came over to check if he wasn't hurt and when he couldn't take it anymore, he finally hugged him tightly and he said to him : "Don't worry I'm fine, I don't have any physical injuries."
Nolan returned his embrace and he felt his father's hand on his shoulder as he asked him in a worried tone : "And Erik, how is he ? Do you need anything ?"
Alan stepped away from Nolan and his father then took him in his arms too. He was a little surprised by his behavior but for once he let himself go, and enjoy this feeling to feel safe again in his father's arms.
Dilan asked him again : "What happened to the both of you ?"
Alan then told him : "We are fine and we already have everything we need, don't worry."
He stepped away from his father and motioned for them to sit on the couch : "Erik passed out because he's mentally and physically exhausted, he just needs some rest.
And otherwise, let's just say that if it hadn't been for our friends, I would have died and Erik too ... I really freaked out this time ... Not specifically about dying, but about losing him."
Alan, who didn't really want to talk more about what had happened to them, quickly changed the subject and asked them : "You're here to meet Kevin aren't you ?"
Dilan frowned but didn't insist, if his son didn't want to talk about this experience that seemed to have shaken him, he wouldn't force him, so he asked him because this name rang a bell : "Wait, you mean the same Kevin who is planning to free the Queen, all by himself … Caleb said he was really damn good but that he was also kind of scary."
Alan chuckled and said : "Indeed it's him, and Kevin is not only damn good, he's the best, he's a real genius.
In just a few practices with him I learnt more than I learnt from you in my entire childhood.
He can fight with any weapon even though he has a preference for daggers and shortswords, and he is even more formidable when fighting barehanded..."
Nolan then cut him off and said : "Alan wait, we must not be talking about the same person then because Liam told us that he wanted to introduce us to the new bearer of the Pentagram Mark."
Alan smirked again and told him : "I can assure you it's him though, he's 18 and I'm his tutor, although from now on I don't think he needs me for anything anymore."
Alan had to admit that now that Kevin had unlocked his Warrior Spirit skill and had an almost unlimited access to the knowledge of the former bearers of the Pentagram Mark, who had all been the most gifted mages of their time, there was little chance that he could teach him something else useful.
He then warned his father : "What he will decide to reveal to you or not is not up to me, and you have to know that it was him who made me realize that if you had banished me from our family it was to protect me, he even said he would have done the same if he had been in your place."
Dilan just nodded, this new bearer of the Pentagram Mark indeed seemed to be a very skilled person and someone who could be counted on, but he said to Alan feeling helpless : "I only agreed to banish you from our family so you could live a life away from all this mess, but in the end you're still up to your neck in this, and the worse part is that you're not even properly prepared for it."