‘Fuck, why now? I can’t believe this is happening!’
That was Cypher’s first thought after hearing that name come out of Alvin’s mouth. Galex was quite possibly the last person he wanted to be anywhere near at this particular point in time. He must obviously be aware of what happened here by now. There was no way that Eiden wouldn’t have gone running to his father to get him to fix things for him.
Cypher imagined that the waterworks had been quite spectacular when it came to that. He knew that he had taken Eiden’s place at the academy, but it wasn’t like he had plotted against the young heir in order to arrive at this outcome. All Cypher had wanted to do was find a way to escape, to make a life for himself out in the world. He would have never imagined that he would be able to attend classes here.
Although, getting Eiden to believe that was probably not possible in the slightest and made Cypher uneasy. The young heir had threatened his life back then and there was no way that Eiden of all people had forgiven him so quickly.
Still, given what Alvin had said the day Eiden was escorted off campus, he would have lost his spot anyways because of his own shitty attitude towards the servant class, and Galex was sure to have heard about that bit as well even if Eiden wasn’t very forthcoming about it. The only question was whether or not Galex was understanding about what had happened.
He was quite prone to explosive bouts of anger and Cypher could remember him growing enraged at much smaller matters than this. Something like the future of his family and the education of his oldest son was sure to be a trigger that would set him off down a path of uncontrollable destruction. Cypher was sure that if he became the target of Galex’s aggression he would die before he even knew what had happened to him.
The only thing that made him feel even a bit confident about this meeting was that Alvin and Glenda would be accompanying him. The two of them might not be Galex’s match, but then again it could easily be the other way around. He knew Galex was powerful, but before he learned about battle pressure he didn’t have a way to understand the power that the Patriarch of the Galvan family possessed.
Now, however, he could at least get a general understanding of how strong Galex was. He didn’t doubt that Alvin and Glenda could handle Galex, because if they couldn’t, they would have had either more people or stronger people accompanying him to the meeting. Besides, Glenda at least had been around when Galex was attending the academy. If nothing else she’d be aware of some of his fighting techniques since she was the one who had trained him.
Cypher had to wait about thirty minutes before Glenda arrived to join them. She was annoyed to have been bothered during a nap and after a stream of curses from her that Cypher had never heard before, they headed towards an empty conference room in the main castle. The trip itself took only a few minutes, but Cypher was so nervous and worried that to him, it felt like hours.
As they arrived at the wooden door that concealed Galex, Cypher could feel the man’s familiar pressure. Now that he understood what battle pressure was, he could somewhat gauge how strong Galex was. That knowledge only served to upset him even more. The man had incredible power that rested at the peak of the third rank.
Cypher knew what his usual pressure felt like, he hadn’t known exactly what that pressure had meant when he was living at the mansion, but if he had, he very much doubted that he would have been able to keep himself from screaming in terror every time he was around Galex. Usually, it had only manifested as an uneasy feeling, or perhaps a sense of danger.
Right now, the pressure Galex was radiating was suffocating, agitated, and incredibly heavy. Had he not been training against someone who was trying to kill him for the last few weeks he doubted that he would be able to even stand in this man’s presence. Alvin and Glenda exchanged a look of worry to each other as Cypher placed his hand on the doorknob and they tensed up as he turned it and pushed open the door slowly.
The room was very well decorated. A large tinted window sat against the far wall of the room and allowed the bright sunlight to stream in without being so bright that it was a distraction. A gorgeous rug embroidered with gold and silver designs spanned the floor beneath most of the furniture, the most prominent of those designs being a recreation of the castle.
A single bookshelf rested against one wall and was packed with books, while on the other side of the room, a long comfortable looking couch sat against the wall. In the middle, and taking up most of the space available was a medium-sized conference table and several ornate chairs were pushed in neatly around it.
Of course, sitting at the end of the conference table was the hulking patriarch of the Galvan family. His leg was shaking impatiently and his arms were crossed as he bit his lip. When his eyes locked on Cypher and his two guardians, his eyes narrowed and his leg stopped shaking.
“So, the thief finally decides to show up. I was wondering if I would have to hunt you down myself but I am glad you have enough courage to show your face before me of your own accord. I hope that this opportunity that you stole from my son has been worthwhile,” Galex said as the door closed behind Cypher and his companions.
Cypher and Alvin stiffened at his words and the tension in the air grew even heavier as they took their seats opposite Galex, but Glenda was having none of it.
“Oi! Don’t you go disrespecting my students! You know better than that I’m sure. Disrespecting them is the same as an affront to me! Just because you grew up a little bit doesn’t mean shit to me. Don’t think that not being under my instruction anymore means that I can’t put you in your place!” Glenda said, her hands on her hips as a scowl spread across her face.
“Yes Ma’am, I haven’t forgotten how… strict your punishments are. My apologies Glenda,” replied Galex with a bow of his head. Cypher had never seen him bow his head with such respect before and it was a strange sight to behold. Glenda opted to stand behind Cypher instead of sitting and soon quiet filled the room as Cypher and Galex stared each other down.
Silence hung between them for several moments as Cypher searched for the words to say to Eiden’s father but nothing of great note came to mind. Galex, on the other hand, broke the ice and began speaking in a low rough tone that made it seem like his words were strained and being said against his will.
“Regardless of what you might think, I am not here to berate you for my son’s failings. I understand what happened and I know how he can be…” Galex paused and gathered himself again before continuing.
“He was arrogant, foolish, and insufferable to all those who he considered beneath him. It was not my intention to raise him in such a way, but my duties keep me quite busy and I could only hope that he would straighten out before he came here. Alas, it was not meant to be. Rest assured, I don’t hold you entirely responsible for what happened here. That said, I still can’t help but feel like you robbed my heir of his birthright in some way.”
Cypher felt bad for a moment but after remembering how Eiden treated him, that feeling vanished. He couldn’t resist feeling happy about seeing Eiden forced out of the academy but he was still worried that Galex was only moments away from snapping and throwing a chair at him or worse.
“Again though, that isn’t why I’m here. Actually, I’m here because of you, Cypher. You’re in danger and I felt it was only right to come and give you fair warning. We have a lot to discuss, much has happened,” Galex looked differently as he spoke those words and he let out a heavy sigh. It seemed like a great sadness had just washed over him and against his will, Cypher suddenly felt some kind of sympathy for the hulking man before him.
“What are you talking about? What happened?” Cypher asked his guard dropping a bit as Galex seemed to deflate. The man was silent for another moment and Cypher could almost swear he saw tears forming in the corners of Galex’s eyes.
“Surely you remember Narr, the one responsible for the incident at Gelrin Cliff? Well, we finally managed to get some information out of him. It seems he was working for an organization that is after something. What that something is though we don’t know, his mind shattered before we could get more information than that.
“From what we could gather, the enchantments on his mind both prevented him from remembering things correctly, as well as being a sort of alarm or beacon. Whomever he was influenced by somehow knew the moment that his mind shattered and where to find him. It was only a few days after that, that a large force arrived at our front gates.
“The guards and I tried our best but as you know, most of those men were only humans with slightly stronger bodies than average. The only Conductors in the entire estate were my wife, Jelroy, and I, and the enemy force contained more than either of us first imagined,” Galex shuddered again, the tears becoming more prominent as he shook.
“We were overwhelmed. After they killed most of the guards they managed to break into the mansion. You know that I like to conduct important matters in my study, but that wing was almost completely untouched during their assault. They weren’t after any of my personal documents or other important paperwork regarding my duties to the kingdom, that much is clear. The rest of the mansion, however, was ransacked and searched from top to bottom.
“They were looking for something and at first, I assumed that they wanted the corpse of Narr, but I was wrong. Your old room was extensively searched, and while Jelroy, Tyrina, and I were busy protecting our children they…” Galex paused and took a deep breath before he continued, “They questioned and killed every other servant in the mansion in an attempt to find out about you, Cypher. Afterward, they made their way to our saferoom where we were protecting the children destroying most of the mansion along the way.
“I fought harder than I ever have and far beyond my limits, but it was useless. Their leader was a high-tier Rank-four Conductor and we had no chance against a power like that. She killed poor Jelroy in only two exchanges, only to then hold me at bay and force me to watch the slow slaughter of my entire family even after I gave her the information she was after.
“That information was entirely about you and your whereabouts. I’m not usually one to give in to demands but you have to understand that my family was at risk. I knew better… I knew that telling her wouldn’t save my family but I had to try… I had to try and save them!”
Galex let out a pained sigh as a tear rolled down his cheek.
“In the end… none of it mattered, not my willingness to divulge your location and certainly not our pitiful efforts to fight back. I don’t know why she left me alive and I wish to the Divines above that she hadn’t… But, as it stands now, you and I are the only two members of the Galvan family left. That is why I have come today, to honor Tyrina’s wishes. It’s been a long time coming, and I had hoped that a day like this would never come. Frankly speaking, it should be my beloved Tyrina telling you all this not I. But circumstances find this duty falling to me and I’ll see it done. It’s time that you learned about your heritage Cypher, and why you found yourself growing up in my domain.”
Cypher was silent for a long while as he tried to process the information he had just heard. Galex stood from his chair and turned towards the window behind him to lean forward against the window sill. Alvin and Glenda exchanged a quick glance and she nodded in understanding and tightly gripped the hilt of her sword as Alvin gestured towards the Galvan patriarch.
Cypher didn’t notice any of that, and he continued to stare at the table in front of him as he thought. He was a Galvan? Some group was looking for him? Why? But more importantly, and the only thing at the forefront of his mind: Everyone in the mansion was dead. Dead?
Jelroy, Agnad, and the guards? Tyrina and her children? Even Eiden? Cypher held no real love for the Galvan family but even he didn’t wish them dead, especially the children.
However, all of that paled in comparison to the real issue. The thing that hurt him more than anything else as tears welled up in his eyes, was the painful realization that Molly, the only mother he had ever known, was gone. A cry escaped his lips, it was a raspy, pained sound, almost like something a wounded animal might make.
Eiden’s bullying, the pain of his knees on the hard floors of the mansion as he scrubbed them clean, the bite of the Rank-Two horned wolf, the creation of his Athenaeum, even the abandonment of his real parents- all of it paled in comparison to the feelings raging in his heart at that moment.
A few silent moments passed before a sudden wave of anger and denial welled up inside him that halted the pain dead in its tracks. He reached desperately for the only explanation he could think of that could subdue such despair, “No! You’re lying! There’s no way that any of that is true! You’re just trying to get back at me for taking Eiden’s place here at the Academy! Well, I won’t fall for such pathetic and underhanded tricks! How dare you! How dare you come here and-“
He was cut off as Galex turned to face him. Tears were streaming down his cheeks and a look of utter devastation was painfully twisted upon Galex’s face as the man silently cried. Cypher was no fool, he knew that Galex wasn’t the type to fake such an expression, he was too prideful. The fact that he turned to face Cypher in that condition only seemed to prove that his words were true.
Cypher angrily pushed the table away as he stood up. He simply couldn’t accept the fact that Galex was telling the truth. Despite his little act, despite his solemn tone, it simply couldn’t be true.
‘M-molly… no…’
Memories of the woman who raised him flashed through his mind. Her sweet voice, the loving care she showed him in his lowest moments, all of it came rushing forward in a single instant of denial.
Galex walked to Cypher’s side, wiping away his own pain with the back of his hand, and placed a small urn and a packet of letters down on the table in front of him, “These are her remains, as well as several letters I imagine she wanted to send to you. I apologize for not having them delivered sooner than this… Ego, as I’m sure you know, runs deep in my bloodline and I was being petty and small for keeping these from you.
“I know that I have seldom shown you any kindness in all these years, but I also know that you and the maid known as Molly were close. I am a cruel man, I know that. I won’t pretend that I don’t have my own flaws, but even I can show compassion in a time like this… Family has to stick together, and she served our family well. This is the least I could do to honor her memory.”
Cypher stared at the urn and icy rage once again flared within him, “Is that all she is to you?” he asked as he glared up at Galex and slammed his fist down against the table. “-just another servant?” His tone was cold and low at first, but his voice soon rose into an angry shout as his pain and rage rippled through him and he stared Galex in his eyes.
“She was… IS more than just some servant! She is the only one in that entire mansion that ever showed me any kindness or love, and now you come to me talking of family? Fuck! You! What do you know of family? Hmm? You were always too busy to even care for your own son and daughters, no wonder they turned out the way they did. Don’t act like you give a fuck about me now!”
Galex only looked at him with pity and remained silent as Cypher released years of pent-up anger and frustration, “You’re full of shit! You are NOT my family and you never will be…”
The energy in Cypher’s words fell with every passing second. He wasn’t screaming anymore, and his voice had become monotone and icy. None of what Galex had said was true, he was simply trying to rile Cypher up, and ruin his chances at a good education. At least, that was what Cypher thought. That was what he desperately hoped.
“I’ve had enough of this,” Cypher said as he turned away. “Do me a favor Galex, and Fuck off out of my life, will you?” Cypher’s anger was fading into a sort of passive melancholy as he grabbed the two items on the table and slowly made his way out the door toward the nearest Slingate.
There was nothing more for him to say.
