Chapter 221 - 221- A Warrior’s Rest (Part 1)
He had a warm bed, a ceiling, and no fear of monsters attacking him and killing him when he was asleep. Yet, he couldn't even feel a shred of relief. It was but another night he had to spend alone without his soulmate next to him.
Turning around to his side, he stared at the empty spot where someone should've been. That spot was cold and gloomy with nothing familiar about it.
As he was like that, the door to his room was knocked, snapping him out of his thoughts. Looking to the side, he frowned.
'Who's coming to visit me now?' He thought to himself.
After Talon left, Hyun-Jae ordered some workers to escort him to a room and tend to his needs. She also made sure that he was checked up for any illnesses beforehand and handed him food.
He didn't recognize the girl and yet she treated him very kindly without saying a single word. He also noticed the dark expression on her face the moment the news of Talon's mother reached her so he assumed that she was a friend of his son.
After entering his room, nobody gave him a visit. Yet, now, at almost 12 in the morning, someone was knocking on his door.
So, he stood up and walked to the door before he opened it. There, he saw someone he didn't expect to see at all. A man he was very familiar with.
"... Evan? Is that you?" He asked with a shocked expression.
The man looked up with a serious expression. "It has been a long time, Lucas."
"... It has been. I didn't know you were here. I met your daughter earlier today but she didn't tell me about you."
After hearing the news, Sophie left the place immediately with tears in her eyes. She was intending to chase Talon, only for Hyun-Jae to stop her. The two broke into an argument over it and she ended up returning to her room after it.
The situation was so tense that Chin-Hwa had to interject and stop them from fighting.
"Yeah, I have been in her room… She isn't doing well." Evan replied before he pointed behind Lucas. "Would you mind if I talk to you for a minute inside?"
"Of course, you're welcome!" With that, Lucas let his old friend inside before closing the door.
The two walked into the room and sat on the chairs facing each other. Then, Evan exhaled a small breath before he spoke. "I'm sorry for your loss, Lucas. Your wife was a good woman. I couldn't believe it when I heard that."
"... Thank you." Lucas nodded his head. "I still can't believe that it's reality. Everything is just too blurry for me."
"I feel you… Even to this day, I still didn't get over my wife's death." Evan nodded his head with a sad expression. "After all these years, it still hurts to think about it just like the first day."
Closing his eyes, he vividly recalled everything that happened. Fifteen years ago, his wife and daughter were caught in a car accident on the highway. His daughter survived with minimal injuries while his wife suffered terrifying burns on her face and arms that led to her death a few days later.
The grief that he went through during that time was something he would never forget no matter how long he lived. He felt the entire world crumbling in front of his eyes and he had nothing to do about it. The only thing that kept him from losing his mind was his daughter. He knew that if he didn't get himself together, his daughter would end up suffering even more.
She already had the trauma of seeing her mother's last moments still in her head. So, if she had lost her father too, it would be a disaster.
"You have to stay strong, friend." He added as he bent forward to stare at Lucas directly. "For his sake."
"I know… I will try to do my best. But, I might turn out to be just a deadweight rather than an actual help to Talon."
"How so?"
"I mean, look at this place. I have heard that my son is the leader here and the strongest out of everyone. I have seen him fighting and he was just completely different from before."
"That is true. Your son is now a monster, no offense. I have never seen someone as strong as he is. Not even close." Lucas snorted lightly.
"I don't know how he ended up like that. But, it seems like he is already someone I don't recognize anymore."
In his eyes, Talon had always been a simple and cheerful young man with aspirations for a peaceful future. Never did he expect his son to become a leader of thousands of people, paving a path for society to be reestablished again in this world.
He was now a grandiose existence, far beyond anything he could understand. A legend in every sense of the word.
"You underestimated him… Just like how I underestimated him." Evan replied in a sarcastic tone. "I have heard of his plans and I can say with full confidence that he is going to only do greater things from now on."
"Greater things?"
"He is aiming to clean the entirety of South Korea from monsters and rebuild it from scratch." He replied.
Lucas stared at his old friend with wide eyes. "Are you serious?"
"As serious as I always am."
"..." Talon's father was completely speechless for a few seconds before he looked down. "To think that my son…"
"Knowing him, he probably wanted to do this just to make sure that his parents would be safe and sound. That's what I heard, at least."
Those words hit Lucas right in the heart. In a moment, he realized what his friend wanted to say and it all made sense. His son had always been ambitious when it came to the future. Even as a child, when they were struggling financially, he would always promise them to work hard for their sake.
'... It makes sense… It all makes sense…' Wiping his eyes with a small smile on his face, Lucas looked up again. 'That part of him would never change…'
"Thank you for telling me. I appreciate it."
"Any time. Even though we had our disagreements before, I still see you as a friend, Lucas."
"The same here. I wished we wouldn't cut each other for such a long time. But, life does ruin you when you let it."
Evan nodded his head as he stood up and approached his friend before he extended his hand. "The past is in the past. Let's work together for the sake of our children."
Looking surprised, Lucas took a few seconds to react before he took Evan's hand with a tired smile. "Yes, for their sake."
After that, Evan excused himself so that Lucas could rest. The latter wished he could talk to his old friend more and catch up on so many years. But since it was late, he let him go. When he went back to his bed, he fell on top of it tiredly. Yet, for some reason, his heart felt a lot lighter after that conversation.
He didn't know why, but his mind cleared up a little and he could think better. 'Mee, I think I know what I'm going to do… Please look over us…'
With that hopeful thought in mind, he felt his eyelids finally close as he drifted to sleep for the first time in two weeks.
***
The morning eventually came and the sun peeked through the window in Talon's room. Looking to the side, Acrypha sighed. "It's already the morning."
Then, her eyes shifted down to the human sleeping in her lap. Her hand was still gently caressing his hair. She didn't notice the time passing when she was doing it and she was rather displeased that the day had arrived.
As she was like that, she felt a subtle movement from Talon. The young man frowned slightly as he opened his eyes. Staring up, his eyes made contact with Acrypha.
"Acrypha…" He murmured as he tried to rise up, only for the woman to pull his head down.
"I'm going to close the curtains, you can go back to sleep. It's still early." She said softly as she snapped her fingers, making the curtains move on their own as if some kind of invisible force touched them.
"... I can't sleep more…"
"Then sit here and just relax. You aren't going to do anything today. I want you to rest. Understood?"
Talon wanted to retort, but deep inside, he didn't want to move an inch. The comfort of Acrypha's lap was simply too enticing for him. Not to mention the horrifying lack of motivation he was going through at that moment.
"Ok…" Sighing, he replied as he put his hand over his eyes.
"Have some time off. It's as important as hard work. You deserve a break after everything that happened." She smiled softly as she rubbed her thumb across his cheek.
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