Chapter 110 - Mended Bond

Chapter 110: Chapter 110 - Mended Bond

Dusk settled over the Winters residence, painting the hallway in a palette of dark shadows and orange hues.

The upstairs was silent when soft footsteps echoed up the wooden steps. Dusty found Vincent still sitting motionless against Katherine’s locked door with his knees pulled up to his chest.

He walked over, stepping past him to gently knock.

"Kate. Dinner’s ready. Come down and eat."

Only silence answered from inside the room.

He looked down at his son and saw the misery etched across Vincent’s face. He let out a quiet sigh, resting a comforting hand down on his shoulder.

"Come down with me, Vinny. You sitting out here isn’t fixing anything."

"Haaa... Yeah... alright."

He pushed himself up and followed his father downstairs to the dining table where they sat next to each other, eating their meal in relative silence. The only sounds in the room were the quiet clinking of forks against plates.

After several quiet minutes, Dusty laid his fork down and spoke. "You gonna tell me what happened at the store?"

"Right... So, the thing is..." Vincent didn’t hide anything.

He came clean, explaining his encounter with a stranger named Dex, the crowd of delinquents hanging behind the store, and ending with the weed blunt he had angrily smacked out of Katherine’s hand.

As Vincent spoke, Dusty’s face darkened with a father’s suppressed anger. Yet, he didn’t raise his voice, nor did he place any blame on Vincent or his sister.

"Dexter Shaw... A known local menace around these parts. His father runs a shady loan-shark business. The convenience store owner likely owes them money, which is why Dexter and his good-for-nothing gang loiter behind that shop without the police ever getting fully involved."

Vincent lazily poked his food with a fork while staring down at his plate. "Good to know, I guess..."

"... Do you want me to step in and speak to her myself?"

"No." Vincent shook his head and looked up at his father with a determined expression. "Let me handle it, Dada. This is my burden as her older brother to fix. I’m the one who let things get this distant between us in the first place."

"Roger that. You did the right thing stepping in today, Vincent. She’s angry, yes, however she’s just lashing out because of the sudden change she sees in you. It’s... confusing to her, but I know you got this. Also, you kept her safe from those people. It shows you care. And that’s what truly matters."

"Care, huh? That’s just it. I hate that she thinks I don’t care."

"She’s fifteen," Dusty said gently. "Fifteen-year-olds don’t see the big picture. They just see the empty seat at the dinner table where her big brother is supposed to be. Be patient with her."

"I will... Thanks for the pep talk."

"Mmhm."

.........

Nighttime.

Having finished his bath, Vincent returned to Katherine’s locked door and stood alone in the hallway.

He didn’t knock loudly this time. Instead, he leaned close to the wooden frame, speaking softly and earnestly.

"Kathy... I want you to know that I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry for distancing myself from you... for ignoring you, and for not being the brother you deserved. And I want you to know that you mean the world to me. Please... please give me a chance to make it up to you."

Inside the dark bedroom, Katherine lay tucked under her heavy blankets, staring blankly at the glowing blue numbers of her bedside digital clock with dried tear tracks staining her cheeks.

She heard every word he said. Her heart ached, and a small urge pulled at her chest, screaming at her to stop being stubborn, jump out of bed, unlock the door, and throw her arms around him.

The major other part of her told her that her feelings were valid and that he deserves this.

So she bit her lower lip hard enough, squeezed her eyes shut, and stayed dead silent.

Hearing no response from the other side, Vincent let out a defeated sigh. "I’ll be right here whenever you’re ready to talk, Kathy. I’m not going anywhere."

She listened quietly as his footsteps slowly faded away.

Rolling onto her side, she clutched her pillow tightly against her chest and whimpered his name softly into the room. "V...*sniff*"

...

... tap.

"....."

... tap, tap.

A faint tapping echoed softly against her second-floor window.

Thinking her exhausted mind was simply playing tricks on her, she squeezed her eyes shut and tried to ignore it.

... Tap. Tap. Tap.

It came out louder and more deliberate this time.

Feeling a bit spooked, she threw off her blankets.

She then grabbed a plastic baseball bat lying nearby to use as a weapon and a book to use as a shield, and slowly crept across the floor until she made it to the curtains where she suddenly yanked it back.

SHEEEEE

"AH–!"

She stumbled backward three full steps, dropping the bat onto the rug with a dull thud as her jaw hit the floor in absolute shock.

Floating outside her window in mid-air was an angel that possessed ethereal blue hair, glowing blue eyes, and majestic, feathered wings that fanned out gently against the cloudy night sky.

Vincent smiled gently at her, gesturing with his hand for her to unlock the window latch.

With shaking, trembling fingers, Katherine fumbled with the latch, shoved the window open, and stammered out in disbelief.

"V-V...?! Is that... is that really you?!"

"Yeah, Kathy. It’s me."

"W-What... What are you– how are you flying?! What happened to your hair?! What’s going on?!"

"Well, it turns out I’m a... demigod. You see, what had happened was..."

He told the abridged version: about the day he vanished on Valentine’s Day and awoke inside a place called the Divine Realm, their mother, how his dormant divine heritage he had awakened, and why he was gone for two weeks.

"We have a mom...? Five hundred years...? That... this is all sounding like a crazy light novel plot. You expect me to believe you were gone for five centuries?!"

"In that realm, yes. Time moves differently there. And in that time, I trained, I fought... I grew up... but not a single day went by where I didn’t think about you and Dada."

"Why are you calling him that?! And why didn’t you come back sooner?!" Katherine’s voice cracked as tears rose in her eyes again.

"Do you have any idea how hard it was?! You just vanished after Hannah rejected you! Dad said you were gone on some ’vacation’ and that you’d come back before your uni started. But you didn’t! I thought... I thought you ran away forever!"

"What? Kathy, no, listen to me. I didn’t choose to stay away, I was forced to but that isn’t an issue anymore. Yes, I’ve been neglectful of you these past few years, but please know that I never wanted to break our bond as siblings. Never.

"I love you, Kathy. More than anything."

He opened his arms wide for her.

Katherine stood frozen in a violent storm of emotional turmoil – doubt, amazement, bewilderment, and years of pent-up abandonment clashing inside her chest.

She hesitantly looked at his open arms, then up at his face and saw how truly sorry and hurt he looked – something she thought she’d never, ever, see from him. Not even when Hannah rejected him, did he look like this. He just looked blank.

And he’s looking like this... to her.

Her defenses shattered.

"V-V... I...I... *sniff* V... U-Uwaaahh! *Sob! V!*

Tears burst like a broken dam from her eyes.

Katherine cried out, launching herself forward out the window and wrapping her arms tightly around his neck. She buried her face into the crook of his neck and poured out all her sobbing grievances and apologies as Vincent held her securely.

"I *sniff* thought you hated me! I thought I was just an annoying sister to you!"

"No, Kathy. Never. I’ll say it over and over until you’re sick of hearing it. You’re my precious little sister. My only little sister. I love you so much and I’m so sorry I wasn’t there. But I promise, things will be better."

Outside in the hallway, standing quietly near the door in the dark, Dusty leaned his shoulder against the wall. He had listened to the entire emotional exchange.

A soft, proud smile touched his face. Without making a sound, he turned and walked slowly back down the stairs, leaving his children to their long-overdue moment.

Once Katherine’s crying finally slowed into contented hiccups, Vincent looked down at her with a mischievous smirk.

"Hey... Want to see something cool?"

Katherine looked up, sniffing and wiping her nose with her sleeve. "Cooler than you...?"

"Way cooler."

Before she could process his words, Vincent scooped her up smoothly into a bridal carry.

"W-WAIT–!"

WOOOSH!!!

And flew up fast into the open night air.

"KYAAAA! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! I’M SCARED, V! I’M SCARED!" Katherine shrieked in absolute terror, burying her face straight into Vincent’s chest and squeezed her eyes shut as the cold wind rushed past them.

Vincent laughed, holding her close to his body as he ascended smoothly into the upper atmosphere, soaring past and splitting open the clouds.

"You can open your eyes now. Look. I won’t drop you."

Hesitatingly, she cracked one eye open and peeked out.

Right then, at that exact moment, all fear vanished, replaced by spellbound awe.

Spread out beneath them like an endless ocean of glittering diamonds was the vast, illuminated expanse of the city skyline – thousands upon thousands of streetlights, glowing skyscrapers, and winding traffic lines shining like fallen stars under the clear, moonlit night.

The quiet beauty of the world from above completely washed away every drop of lingering grief and anxiety from her soul.

"It’s... it’s beautiful...V... we’re really in the sky..."

"Told you," Vincent smiled, gazing down at the lights with her. "Pretty cool, right?"

"Yeah... It’s incredible."

..

...

Meanwhile, across town in a dimly lit, messy apartment bedroom.

Dex sat half-naked on the edge of an unmade mattress with a lit cigarette dangling carelessly from his fingers and a woman sleeping silently under the tangled sheets beside him.

In his other hand, he glared down at his glowing phone screen, repeatedly dialing a contact named Ripley, but every single attempt went straight to voicemail.

*Tsk* "Fuck...!" Frustrated, he flicked his phone onto the mattress.

He then stood up and paced aggressively around the room in rage as he rubbed the angry bruise on his arm from Vincent’s shove earlier that afternoon.

Unable to let the disrespect slide, he snatched his phone back up and dialed a different number.

Ringing... ringing... click.

"Speak."

"Tell you bosses I need them to dig up every piece of dirt, every secret, every weakness they can find on a guy named Vincent Winters... I’ll pay higher than the usual rate."

..

...

Back inside Katherine’s bedroom, laid down together in bed, laughing as they told each other stories with their newly reformed relationship.

"Ehehehe~ So... you aren’t lying? You really didn’t just hop straight from Hannah to some random girl like a desperate rebound?"

"Nah. It took me a long, long time in the Divine Realm to process and heal past my heartbreak. Even then I didn’t pursue anyone immediately. It was only after hundreds of years had passed when Natasha actually made the first move. Then, thanks to Mama’s encouragement, I also confessed to Deina."

"Plural lovers?! As in MORE THAN ONE?! V, add one more and you’ll have a harem!"

"Well, about that..."

"No..."

"Yep."

"Vincent!"

"It... just kind of happened that way!" Vincent stammered, his face flushing red. "The other person is Maelle... She’s the Fourth Princess of Ebonspire on Pristina."

"A PRINCESS TOO?! Oh my gosh, my brother went from a gloomy wannabe nerd to an anime protagonist! I can’t believe this!"

"Hey, easy on the ’gloomy nerd’ talk!"

Then, Vincent leaned in closer, revealing a shocking family secret.

"And you know what else, Kathy?"

"What...?"

"Because of our bloodline..." Vincent grinned broadly, "when you turn eighteen in three years, your own dormant divine power will awaken, too. You’ll get to be a demigod just like me."

Katherine’s green eyes sparkled with uncontainable excitement. She grabbed his arm, shaking it rapidly. "No way! Are you serious?! I’m gonna get powers and wings too?! Tell me more! Tell me more!"

Looking at her bedside clock, he saw it was well past midnight. "Sorry. No can do. It’s getting late and if I’m not mistaken, you have school tomorrow. You need to sleep."

"Aw..." she pouted adorably, though the warmth in her eyes was unmistakable.

Vincent pulled her into a protective hug. "Don’t worry. We have all the time in the world to talk from now on."

Katherine smiled beautifully – a genuine, radiant smile that looked similar to their mother’s, and a smile he hadn’t seen on her face in years. She snuggled and wrapped her arms tightly around his waist, burying her face into his chest.

"It’s really nice to have my big brother back."

Vincent hugged her back tightly as an unshakable sense of peace filled his heart.

"It’s good to be back, Kathy. It’s good to be back."