“Tyrina and your Mother were born to a lesser noble family known as the Clefs in the southern part of Dellorim. Serenade was the younger sister of Tyrina, and all throughout their childhood, they were nearly inseparable. Where one went, the other was sure to follow.
“I had met them several times before and we would play together often, as our fathers, Rachmaninov and Galon, were close friends,” said Galex as he began his story. Cypher listened intently and could barely contain himself as he was about to learn where he had come from.
“As these things tend to happen in noble families, a marriage was arranged between myself and Tyrina in order to garner more favor among the Nobles in positions close to the royal family. I wasn’t exactly thrilled at the time, but looking back it was one of the best things to ever happen to me. Serenade was also betrothed to a boy from another noble family and just like that, several years passed.
“We all grew up, attended the Academy, and became complete Conductors of the second rank, and Tyrina and I were married after her 25th birthday. Serenade was due to be married the following year, but after returning from a lengthy mission, something about her had changed.
“It took a while to discover what that was, she was very secretive about it. As it turned out, that was a wise decision because she had met and fallen in love with your father Cypher, a highly-skilled Conductor named Fenix. The man had come out of nowhere and become a complete Rank-four Conductor before he was even 25 years old. Nobody had seen anything like that in centuries and it was a shock to everyone who knew of him.
“The problem was that he was a commoner. It didn’t matter that Fenix was the most talented Conductor of his era, or that Serenade wasn’t going to marry the nobleman anymore. With Tyrina and I already married, Rachmaninov didn’t care about that. He had already received the status among the nobles that he had desired.
“However, the idea of his daughter marrying a commoner was something he simply couldn’t abide by. Something like that could seriously hurt the image he had worked so hard to cultivate among the nobility, and thus, he gave her an ultimatum: Either abandon her dreams of marrying Fenix and instead wed someone with status or be disowned and removed from her station as a noble.
“You can imagine which option she chose, you’re living proof of that choice. That decision though drove a wedge between her and Tyrina. My wife wasn’t as stuck up as she seemed to be, but she still held a… shall we say, a strong sense of duty and obligation that their father had drilled into her from a young age. Seeing Serenade abandon those teachings and forge her own path against the wishes of their father was something she just couldn’t understand or agree with.”
Galex paused and leaned forward, placing his elbows on the table in front of him as he rested his head on his folded hands, “From that day onward, those two sisters rarely spoke, and Tyrina wouldn’t even allow your mother to visit. Even after Eiden was born Serenade wasn’t allowed to meet her nephew.
“By then, of course, she had married Fenix and had even worked her way up to being a complete Rank-three conductor herself. Her impressive growth while Tyrina stagnated in power only served to deepen the gap between them. Tyrina, however, would often ask me for updates on her estranged sister and even though she never admitted it, was worried about her going on those dangerous missions with Fenix.
“Her fears were unfounded though because Serenade and Fenix made a formidable team, none could stand against them and their service to the kingdom is still praised to this day. Fenix had been a captain in the Royal Knights for quite some time, but your mother quickly earned her way up to lieutenant of their team. If you ever make a trip to the royal library you should read about some of their most dangerous missions for yourself, they’re quite impressive.
“Anyway, a few more years passed and in that time Serenade made no attempts to contact my wife or our family. Last we had heard you had been born. Tyrina was happy to hear that she had a nephew and was secretly eager to meet you, but her pride always kept her from reaching out.
“Her feelings towards Serenade had shifted a bit in those years and I think she had come to terms with the life her sister had chosen. I imagine that things would have changed for the better between them soon after that. However, before my wife could take the chance to reach out to your mother, she arrived on our doorstep with you in her arms.
“I can still remember the night as clearly as if it had happened yesterday. It was around midnight and the moons were high in the sky illuminating everything in sight. Serenade was an absolute mess when she stumbled her way into our mansion.
“Her armor was broken and dented in many places, and she was covered in blood and wounds. Tyrina was horrified, and I let the two of them have some privacy. I don’t know what it was that they spoke about, but I soon learned that Serenade was leaving Dellorim. She swore us to secrecy about her arrival and asked us to take care of you as if you were one of our own children.
“I didn’t agree with that decision, but at Tyrina’s pleading, I reluctantly agreed. Before she left, she gave us that small chest I’m sure you still have, as well as this key,” Galex pulled a small silver key from his chest pocket and tossed it to Cypher who caught it with his left hand.
“The last time I saw your mother, she and Tyrina were hugging and saying their goodbyes. It was a painful night for both of them I imagine, and I can only wonder what it was that drove her to leave you in our care and flee from her homeland. Whatever it was must have been very important for her to take such drastic measures.”
Cypher only looked down at the glittering silver key in his hands while his thoughts scrambled to imagine what the chest his mother had left for him contained. There was no doubt that this key was the secret to opening that chest, and it was important to him without question. However, a bigger question now burned within his mind and he quickly gave rise to the torrent of emotions welling up inside his chest.
“Why?” he asked in a low, shaky whisper. Galex paused and looked at him strangely.
“Why what?” said the man as he crossed his arms.
Cypher’s face twisted into an expression of anger as he repeated himself, “Why?!? Why the fuck did you two treat me like garbage for so many years?” At this point, his composure had broken and he stood up and pounded his fists on the table.
“You were supposed to raise me like one of your own! You’re my aunt and uncle for fuck’s sake! How could you treat a child like that? Let alone your own nephew! Was I just a burden to you? Did it even matter that my mother had come to you in her most dire hour? What kind of shitty-ass people are you?!? Was I not important enough to show even a shred of kindness to?”
Alvin stepped forward and put a hand on Cypher’s shoulder, worried that Galex might retaliate in anger, but he brushed it off as he continued to rage at Galex. Galex only stared at Cypher with a stony expression.
“You had a responsibility! You might not have agreed to this, hell, it might not have even been ideal! But you told my mother that you would raise me as one of your own! Clearly, that didn’t happen! So, why? Explain it to me, oh mighty Galex Galvan! Explain to me WHY you cast me aside and treated me not like family, but like I was some worthless burden?”
Cypher was shaking at this point. His hands were balled tightly into fists and if he lacked even a shred more of common sense, he would have already leaped across the table and attacked Galex with all of his might. Even now that temptation still tore at his mind and he struggled to suppress it.
“That’s quite simple. You were the son of a commoner and a disgraced and exiled noblewoman. If we had brought you in and treated you any other way it would have made our family look bad amongst the other nobles. We couldn’t have that. You’d imagine that someone like you would show some gratitude towards the ones who gave you a place to live and food to eat.”
Cypher exploded in anger as Galex finished speaking. His hands tore open and powerful bolts of lightning surged in his palms. The table in front of him even began to burn as the heat from the lightning surged all around it.
Galex sat with his arms still crossed. This amount of power surprised him. It was enough to even damage someone like him. Yet his face still contained a stony expression. Alvin and Glenda were frozen in shock as Cypher stood before Galex, his lightning surging all around him.
They could stop him if he made to attack, but that energy had to go somewhere. From what they could tell, Cypher had abandoned all reason and cast this spell with all of his power. It was fluctuating, but at its apex, it reached well into the middle tier of the third rank. Something like this could seriously injure or even kill them individually if they weren’t careful.
Cypher didn’t feel the effects of his massively powerful spell. There was too much anger and adrenaline coursing through him. Even if he could feel it, he wouldn’t have cared. If Galex said the wrong thing now, there would be nothing they could do to stop the torrent of lightning from consuming him or the entire room.
Normally something like this would have killed a Conductor of Cypher’s level. Indeed, the power he was now holding was well beyond anything they had ever encountered from someone so early into their Conduction journey, let alone from a child. The only reason Cypher was even still alive was that the energy hadn’t been released from his body. If he cast that spell now, he would die, but he would certainly take Galex out with him.
Alvin pleaded with Cypher to calm down and recall his spell. He warned that he would perish if he recklessly cast that spell at such a level. Cypher only barely heard the words of his mentor but it was enough for reason to reclaim his mind.
Slowly, the bolts of energy were dissipated. The Zight used to control them was recalled back into his body and quickly returned to his Orrium. The room was left stale and dry, and the taste of burnt copper coated the tongues of everyone present. After a moment Cypher simply stood there shaking. His Orrium quivered and the stress it had just undergone caused it to tear inside him. The wound wasn’t very large, but it could have easily been much worse.
After a moment, everyone calmed back down and Cypher spoke. His rage still bubbled just under the surface, and an icy tone of hatred flowed through every word. He had other things to ask before he killed Galex.
“What about my father? If Serenade is still alive then could he be as well?” Cypher asked. He felt like he already knew the answer to that question though, and Galex frowned as he thought about how to respond. Galex was proud and wouldn’t dare acknowledge what had happened only a few moments ago.
“Fenix and Serenade have both been missing in action since the night she brought you to us. I can only assume that since Fenix wasn’t with her that he must have somehow met his end. Your mother was running from someone, and I imagine that the person or people involved were also the ones who were responsible for killing my family.”
“So we have a common enemy then,” Cypher replied, following up on what Galex had said.
The man nodded and rose from his chair before adding, “I’m sure Serenade is still out there somewhere. She must be trying to find out more about these people and what they’re up to. It would be easier if the records concerning their last mission were available, but they’ve been sealed and only the highest-ranking officials of the kingdom can access those files.
“I will do what I can to learn more about our attackers. My family might be gone, but I am still a Nobleman, I still have all my connections and I will use every single one of them to find the pieces of shit responsible for killing my beloved Tyrina and my children. You and I might not like each other-“
“Oh you think?” scoffed Cypher. There was no way that he would ever feel anything but hatred toward Galex and Tyrina. That bridge had been obliterated by what Galex had said.
Galex blinked slowly and continued, “-but in this, we are linked.
“I don’t expect you to grow feelings of fondness towards me, and I doubt that I will do the same towards you, but we can at least work together to bring these bastards to justice. I’ve told you all I know at this point, and wasting any more time talking will get us nowhere. I will return to Riftmoore City and see what I can dig up.”
Galex turned to leave, eager to get away from the boy who had somehow managed to bring a glint of fear into his heart. He was proud but something like this had still managed to shake him to his core.
Galex paused in the doorframe and turned his head to look at Cypher, “I didn’t tell you these things to gain anything in particular. However, I do have a favor to ask of you, will you hear it?” he asked, and Cypher nodded his head slowly. Not because he wanted to grant this favor, but because he wanted to know just how shameless Galex was.
Asking a favor from him now was the peak of stupidity if he even half-expected Cypher to agree.
“I know Eiden never treated you well, but I hope you will honor the memory of my son by taking full advantage of the lessons this academy has to teach. He was beyond horrible to you. We all were. I know that quite well… While I can imagine you feel differently, he didn’t deserve to die just because of that.
“Aim your hatred towards me, not him, and grow powerful. When you have the strength needed to avenge those who were taken from us, seek me out, and together we will seize our revenge. Once that is accomplished, you can then do whatever you’d like to me. I am the last of my family and so I will bear this burden.”
Cypher nodded again. He would take Galex up on his offer. One day he would make Galex pay for what he had done, but revenge against those who had wronged them would come first. Galex returned a nod before he turned his head, adjusted his robes, and left for Riftmoore City.
