Chapter 71: The Fog Island [11].

"How is it?"

"Sweet."

"Um... could you keep it a secret from your mother...?"

The boy laughed. "Sure."

Twenty minutes had gone by without Aldrus or his father addressing the main point. For some reason, the man seemed nervous, almost afraid of speaking his mind. Was there something bad going on? Had something happened at work? The boy got nervous too, trying to imagine the inconceivable variations of possible bad news.

He looked at his father, at his long-healed scar on his throat, at his topcoat, his cup of coffee. And that same coffee he could smell, along with leather, amber and spice.

"..."

"..."

"So... Why did you bring me here?" Aldrus finally asked; he knew his father all too well.

The man placed his coffee on the table and stared at it as he spoke.

"You asked me why I go there every day, didn’t you?" Aldrus nodded. "To be honest with you, son, at first I was curious. What’s out there? How do they look? ...Are they really evil?"

"Dad!"

"I know, I know. It was foolish of me to doubt. However, I still needed to know. We know nothing of them, and people no longer seek answers."

Aldrus made a complicated expression.

"It’s been three thousand years or more, father. They’ve given up already. Why don’t you accept it as it is? Just a part of nature."

The man smiled softly.

"You’ve grown, Aldrus."

"W-Why? All of a sudden..."

"It’s a simple conclusion, you know? ’Just a part of nature’. But unlike you, son, I wasted my years fighting against that answer. I didn’t want to accept it, and it brought nothing but trouble. If anything, I am happy you did not turn out like me."

You’re wrong, Father.

"Agh, anyhow, that’s not relevant now. I wanted to talk to you about something else. I know you’re worried, and I’ve grown to accept things as they are. The gates are not my place anymore; I don’t belong there."

Aldrus’ eyes widened suddenly. "D-Does that mean?!"

His father chuckled upon hearing him so amused.

"That’s right, I’m quitting the job," he said.

"Really?!"

For the first time in years, Aldrus felt tremendous joy. The type you only get to experience counted times in life and, later on, to shape the man you are. His chest pounded carefree just like the time he had learned to walk and talk—as odd as it was he remembered those times, and as odd as it was that he did so crystal clear.

"B-But why?! It’s not like you to drop it just because it’s dangerous, right? Did you get another offer? Something better?"

"Another offer, you say... No, not really. Something better, on the other hand... I guess you could say so."

The boy’s eyes lit up with enthusiasm. "Well? Spill the beans, then!"

His father, however, remained quiet for a while. He then slowly held his son’s hand on his own and showed a stunning smile. Aldrus saw it clearly, outshining the very sun—the bliss of a man. He remembered, even to this day, his father’s expression. It became the boy’s foundation, even if he did not know it yet, to grow and learn of what his old man felt that bright and quiet noon; what it was that had brought him to tears, why it was coffee tasted so good. It never truly left his mind, even to this day.

"Aldrus," his father said.

"Yeah?"

The man tightened his grip.

"You and Claire will have another sibling."

"H-Huh?"

A sibling, a friend. Someone to look out for. Out of all things Aldrus expected, that was certainly not one of them, nor did he know how to react.

"B-But how—I mean, since when?" He stammered.

"Your mother just recently figured it out. You’ll have to wait nine months, buddy," his father said, wiping his face. "So? What do you think?"

"I... I don’t know. It’s so sudden, I can’t think straight..."

"You can take your time, don’t worry. Claire reacted the same way, haha!"

Aldrus suddenly jumped to his feet, almost knocking the stool over.

"S-She knew?!"

"Hey, don’t shout, Aldrus!" his father hissed, looking around in a panic.

"I’m sorry... B-But, how did Claire know? Why didn’t she tell me?!"

"Sigh... She caught your mother telling me the other day. The only reason we caught her was because she tripped right after hearing it."

Dang, Claire, you sneaky monster...

"We thought it better not to tell you right away, so I suggested going out today and talking. Since it’s a special occasion, I brought you here and introduced you to the way of coffee," the man added.

The way of coffee, he says...

His father settled onto the stool and exhaled as if he were physically tired. Aldrus thought he might have lost entire nights of sleep mulling the matter over. Was he so worried about what his son had to say? Somehow, that made the boy happy.

"Anyways, bringing you here wasn’t planned, so don’t tell your mother, yes? I’d rather not get into it with her. And besides, we have yet to do everything we came for."

"What? Didn’t you just say we came for you to tell me about the pregnancy?"

"I did, but that’s not all. Don’t tell me you forgot about next week, huh?"

Next week... "Ah!"

"That’s right, we have to get your sister a nice present. Shall we?"

Claire’s birthday, a common date that happens every year. This time it was more special than ever. To Aldrus, who was never particularly pumped for such things, the reminder of his sister’s special day felt like a third stroke of luck. His father was switching jobs, Claire was turning twelve just two months after her brother, and on top of that, he now knew a new member of the family was on their way. Was a person allowed such happiness? As far as he knew, he had done nothing to not deserve it, but he feared the world would step out of its way to balance it.

If only it had stayed as a silly, useless thought.