Chapter 35
If audio player doesn't work, press Stop then Play button again
While Vincent wanted badly to drag his nephew over to see if he had anything to do with it, it just wasn't possible today. Evin and Vincent had to bite back their burning curiosity for the next day, since they would be very busy tonight.
Both men reluctantly left for the day, though not before they brought the monster back to be dissected and reused for parts. No sense letting it go to waste.
Exchanging another look, both men parted ways to do their own thing.
-
Alec smiled at his mother, who returned the smile that he was getting so good at. No one could say that Alec didn't work hard to perfect his skills.
"Mother, may I go out to play since we have the day off?"
"Aw," Annalise pouted. "Why don't you stay home with your poor mother for once? Didn't you say yesterday that you would?" She clung onto his arm dramatically.
"Okay," Alec relented. There were just some things that weren't worth fighting over, and he was in a good mood.
Annalise beamed at her son. Dragging him to their living room, she pulled out a secret photo album that she had been saving all this time. Now that her son was older, she would be able to divulge more and more things.
Alec looked at her curiously. He had never seen that book before.
When she flipped it open, his eyes were immediately drawn into the pictures inside. The more he looked, the more his eyes widened.
Inside, there was a shot of his mother, looking much younger than she was now. Her eyes glistened with something that he wasn't able to place at first glance.
She looked young and utterly radiant, in a youthful way that had matured over the years. She was at most sixteen or seventeen in that picture. The sun shone down on her, and her smile was tinged with that much more happiness that Alec of all people felt like smiling when he saw her.
In the back, there was a boy of similar age to his mother, looking bored and indifferent at first glance, head tilted away from the camera. He had a head of shocking black hair and deep, red eyes.
The picture only showed his side view, but even with how he was posed, with his hands crossed, he was looking at Annalise from the corner of his eye. There was also an emotion that he couldn't quite place. The same emotion.
Alec's puzzlement slowly evolved into shock as he took in the various other photos that spanned across the album.
Annalise traced a soft finger over his face. She noticed the shocked look Alec was giving her and smiled. It was a smile that was different from her usual serenity.
This smile was tinged with melancholy and longing.
"That's right. This is your father."
Having gotten the confirmation he needed, he put his attention back onto the pictures that held so many answers yet produced so many more questions.
There weren't many pictures, but those that he saw, he felt like he was being intrusive onto their world.
Just from this little glance alone, Alec felt like he saw the relationship of the two slowly progress before it turned into something very real and fragile, yet it was, at the same time, so utterly beautiful that he felt like it hurt.
A drop hit the photo he was staring at, and Alec looked up, startled. At first, he thought that his mother had started crying, but when he looked at her, her face was dry.
Annalise gave a smile to Alec that he didn't understand. She wiped his cheek, and Alec placed his hand over hers.
When had he started crying…? Why was he crying?
He pressed a hand over his heart. Why did it hurt like this? Why did it ache like this?
He didn't understand.
By the time he reached the last photo, Alec slowly came to the realization that he had just witnessed the two's beautiful love story. The look in their eyes, that he previously couldn't understand, was a mark of the deeply concealed love that they hid for one another behind closed doors.
Alec felt like he had been burned.
He had so many questions. Where was he? Why were they not together?
His father was still alive, as his mother had already told him, but why were they apart? It was clear from these photos that the couple were very much in love with each other.
There was still something that he wasn't being told, and he bet that his father was the cause of it, more than his mother told him.
Annalise quietly shut the book, keeping it back in her secret hiding spot. When she was done, Alec couldn't even find a trace of it.
"Now," Annalise said, sitting back on the sofa with her son. "Tell me about what you did in The Great Expanse! And don't hide anything."
Alec paused. Did she know?
"Yes, I know. You can't fool your mother's eyes, you know! I watched you grow up, after all."
Fair enough. She had been watching his actions for so many years that it would have been stranger had she not been able to grasp most of his actions.
Slowly, Alec explained about what he went through in The Great Expanse, missing the worry that surfaced in his mother's eyes.
Though he was physically safe here with her, she didn't know if he would have emotional trauma that was hidden from her. She silently thought to himself that she would give her brother a good wallop for allowing him to fall into such predicaments. Evin too, she thought darkly. Her smile turned a little strange for a short period before she consciously smoothened it out.
Her curiosity was aroused when he spoke about the cave that he 'found' underground. Annalise resisted the urge to anxiously check over him when he was clearly fine. The doctors of the Neil Clan would not allow a patient that visited them to leave had they not been in the pink of health.
She knew that, because she had visited that room a lot in her youth.
"Mother, do you know about runes?"
Annalise paused, the sudden question throwing her off. "I do," she said slowly, surprised.
Alec nodded, almost smugly. She resisted the urge to coo. "You smell like ink sometimes."
Slowly, an idea surfaced in her mind. "Alec, do you want to learn about runes from your dear mother?"
Alec patted her hand. "I would love to."
Annalise beamed. "Yay! Most people find it dry and boring, but not your mother! Ooh, I have so many things I want to teach you," she said, gushing.
Alec stared at the large ball of excitement that was his mother. Although he had distracted her from the melancholy that his father's pictures had brought up, he wondered if he had unleashed an even bigger monster upon himself.
Annalise dragged her son into the room that was normally off limits to him. "Come on, come on!"
She stared when the door opened by itself, turning to her son.
Alec smiled at her, hiding his sheepishness.
"Did you Awaken this door too!?"
"Yes," he said simply.
Annalise huffed. "Well, no matter. It's about time you entered yourself anyway. Since you want to learn about runes, we will be in this room a lot from now on."
With that said, the two entered the room.
Please report us if you find any errors so we can fix it asap!
While Vincent wanted badly to drag his nephew over to see if he had anything to do with it, it just wasn't possible today. Evin and Vincent had to bite back their burning curiosity for the next day, since they would be very busy tonight.
Both men reluctantly left for the day, though not before they brought the monster back to be dissected and reused for parts. No sense letting it go to waste.
Exchanging another look, both men parted ways to do their own thing.
-
Alec smiled at his mother, who returned the smile that he was getting so good at. No one could say that Alec didn't work hard to perfect his skills.
"Mother, may I go out to play since we have the day off?"
"Aw," Annalise pouted. "Why don't you stay home with your poor mother for once? Didn't you say yesterday that you would?" She clung onto his arm dramatically.
"Okay," Alec relented. There were just some things that weren't worth fighting over, and he was in a good mood.
Annalise beamed at her son. Dragging him to their living room, she pulled out a secret photo album that she had been saving all this time. Now that her son was older, she would be able to divulge more and more things.
Alec looked at her curiously. He had never seen that book before.
When she flipped it open, his eyes were immediately drawn into the pictures inside. The more he looked, the more his eyes widened.
Inside, there was a shot of his mother, looking much younger than she was now. Her eyes glistened with something that he wasn't able to place at first glance.
She looked young and utterly radiant, in a youthful way that had matured over the years. She was at most sixteen or seventeen in that picture. The sun shone down on her, and her smile was tinged with that much more happiness that Alec of all people felt like smiling when he saw her.
In the back, there was a boy of similar age to his mother, looking bored and indifferent at first glance, head tilted away from the camera. He had a head of shocking black hair and deep, red eyes.
The picture only showed his side view, but even with how he was posed, with his hands crossed, he was looking at Annalise from the corner of his eye. There was also an emotion that he couldn't quite place. The same emotion.
Alec's puzzlement slowly evolved into shock as he took in the various other photos that spanned across the album.
Annalise traced a soft finger over his face. She noticed the shocked look Alec was giving her and smiled. It was a smile that was different from her usual serenity.
This smile was tinged with melancholy and longing.
"That's right. This is your father."
Having gotten the confirmation he needed, he put his attention back onto the pictures that held so many answers yet produced so many more questions.
There weren't many pictures, but those that he saw, he felt like he was being intrusive onto their world.
Just from this little glance alone, Alec felt like he saw the relationship of the two slowly progress before it turned into something very real and fragile, yet it was, at the same time, so utterly beautiful that he felt like it hurt.
A drop hit the photo he was staring at, and Alec looked up, startled. At first, he thought that his mother had started crying, but when he looked at her, her face was dry.
Annalise gave a smile to Alec that he didn't understand. She wiped his cheek, and Alec placed his hand over hers.
When had he started crying…? Why was he crying?
He pressed a hand over his heart. Why did it hurt like this? Why did it ache like this?
He didn't understand.
By the time he reached the last photo, Alec slowly came to the realization that he had just witnessed the two's beautiful love story. The look in their eyes, that he previously couldn't understand, was a mark of the deeply concealed love that they hid for one another behind closed doors.
Alec felt like he had been burned.
He had so many questions. Where was he? Why were they not together?
His father was still alive, as his mother had already told him, but why were they apart? It was clear from these photos that the couple were very much in love with each other.
There was still something that he wasn't being told, and he bet that his father was the cause of it, more than his mother told him.
Annalise quietly shut the book, keeping it back in her secret hiding spot. When she was done, Alec couldn't even find a trace of it.
"Now," Annalise said, sitting back on the sofa with her son. "Tell me about what you did in The Great Expanse! And don't hide anything."
Alec paused. Did she know?
"Yes, I know. You can't fool your mother's eyes, you know! I watched you grow up, after all."
Fair enough. She had been watching his actions for so many years that it would have been stranger had she not been able to grasp most of his actions.
Slowly, Alec explained about what he went through in The Great Expanse, missing the worry that surfaced in his mother's eyes.
Though he was physically safe here with her, she didn't know if he would have emotional trauma that was hidden from her. She silently thought to himself that she would give her brother a good wallop for allowing him to fall into such predicaments. Evin too, she thought darkly. Her smile turned a little strange for a short period before she consciously smoothened it out.
Her curiosity was aroused when he spoke about the cave that he 'found' underground. Annalise resisted the urge to anxiously check over him when he was clearly fine. The doctors of the Neil Clan would not allow a patient that visited them to leave had they not been in the pink of health.
She knew that, because she had visited that room a lot in her youth.
"Mother, do you know about runes?"
Annalise paused, the sudden question throwing her off. "I do," she said slowly, surprised.
Alec nodded, almost smugly. She resisted the urge to coo. "You smell like ink sometimes."
Slowly, an idea surfaced in her mind. "Alec, do you want to learn about runes from your dear mother?"
Alec patted her hand. "I would love to."
Annalise beamed. "Yay! Most people find it dry and boring, but not your mother! Ooh, I have so many things I want to teach you," she said, gushing.
Alec stared at the large ball of excitement that was his mother. Although he had distracted her from the melancholy that his father's pictures had brought up, he wondered if he had unleashed an even bigger monster upon himself.
Annalise dragged her son into the room that was normally off limits to him. "Come on, come on!"
She stared when the door opened by itself, turning to her son.
Alec smiled at her, hiding his sheepishness.
"Did you Awaken this door too!?"
"Yes," he said simply.
Annalise huffed. "Well, no matter. It's about time you entered yourself anyway. Since you want to learn about runes, we will be in this room a lot from now on."
With that said, the two entered the room.
While Vincent wanted badly to drag his nephew over to see if he had anything to do with it, it just wasn't possible today. Evin and Vincent had to bite back their burning curiosity for the next day, since they would be very busy tonight.Both men reluctantly left for the day, though not before they brought the monster back to be dissected and reused for parts. No sense letting it go to waste.Exchanging another look, both men parted ways to do their own thing.-Alec smiled at his mother, who returned the smile that he was getting so good at. No one could say that Alec didn't work hard to perfect his skills."Mother, may I go out to play since we have the day off?""Aw," Annalise pouted. "Why don't you stay home with your poor mother for once? Didn't you say yesterday that you would?" She clung onto his arm dramatically."Okay," Alec relented. There were just some things that weren't worth fighting over, and he was in a good mood.Annalise beamed at her son. Dragging him to their living room, she pulled out a secret photo album that she had been saving all this time. Now that her son was older, she would be able to divulge more and more things.Alec looked at her curiously. He had never seen that book before.When she flipped it open, his eyes were immediately drawn into the pictures inside. The more he looked, the more his eyes widened.Inside, there was a shot of his mother, looking much younger than she was now. Her eyes glistened with something that he wasn't able to place at first glance.She looked young and utterly radiant, in a youthful way that had matured over the years. She was at most sixteen or seventeen in that picture. The sun shone down on her, and her smile was tinged with that much more happiness that Alec of all people felt like smiling when he saw her.In the back, there was a boy of similar age to his mother, looking bored and indifferent at first glance, head tilted away from the camera. He had a head of shocking black hair and deep, red eyes.The picture only showed his side view, but even with how he was posed, with his hands crossed, he was looking at Annalise from the corner of his eye. There was also an emotion that he couldn't quite place. The same emotion.Alec's puzzlement slowly evolved into shock as he took in the various other photos that spanned across the album.Annalise traced a soft finger over his face. She noticed the shocked look Alec was giving her and smiled. It was a smile that was different from her usual serenity.This smile was tinged with melancholy and longing."That's right. This is your father."Having gotten the confirmation he needed, he put his attention back onto the pictures that held so many answers yet produced so many more questions.There weren't many pictures, but those that he saw, he felt like he was being intrusive onto their world.Just from this little glance alone, Alec felt like he saw the relationship of the two slowly progress before it turned into something very real and fragile, yet it was, at the same time, so utterly beautiful that he felt like it hurt.A drop hit the photo he was staring at, and Alec looked up, startled. At first, he thought that his mother had started crying, but when he looked at her, her face was dry.Annalise gave a smile to Alec that he didn't understand. She wiped his cheek, and Alec placed his hand over hers.When had he started crying? Why was he crying?He pressed a hand over his heart. Why did it hurt like this? Why did it ache like this?He didn't understand.By the time he reached the last photo, Alec slowly came to the realization that he had just witnessed the two's beautiful love story. The look in their eyes, that he previously couldn't understand, was a mark of the deeply concealed love that they hid for one another behind closed doors.Alec felt like he had been burned.He had so many questions. Where was he? Why were they not together?His father was still alive, as his mother had already told him, but why were they apart? It was clear from these photos that the couple were very much in love with each other.There was still something that he wasn't being told, and he bet that his father was the cause of it, more than his mother told him.Annalise quietly shut the book, keeping it back in her secret hiding spot. When she was done, Alec couldn't even find a trace of it."Now," Annalise said, sitting back on the sofa with her son. "Tell me about what you did in The Great Expanse! And don't hide anything."Alec paused. Did she know?"Yes, I know. You can't fool your mother's eyes, you know! I watched you grow up, after all."Fair enough. She had been watching his actions for so many years that it would have been stranger had she not been able to grasp most of his actions.Slowly, Alec explained about what he went through in The Great Expanse, missing the worry that surfaced in his mother's eyes.Though he was physically safe here with her, she didn't know if he would have emotional trauma that was hidden from her. She silently thought to himself that she would give her brother a good wallop for allowing him to fall into such predicaments. Evin too, she thought darkly. Her smile turned a little strange for a short period before she consciously smoothened it out.Her curiosity was aroused when he spoke about the cave that he 'found' underground. Annalise resisted the urge to anxiously check over him when he was clearly fine. The doctors of the Neil Clan would not allow a patient that visited them to leave had they not been in the pink of health.She knew that, because she had visited that room a lot in her youth."Mother, do you know about runes?"Annalise paused, the sudden question throwing her off. "I do," she said slowly, surprised.Alec nodded, almost smugly. She resisted the urge to coo. "You smell like ink sometimes."Slowly, an idea surfaced in her mind. "Alec, do you want to learn about runes from your dear mother?"Alec patted her hand. "I would love to."Annalise beamed. "Yay! Most people find it dry and boring, but not your mother! Ooh, I have so many things I want to teach you," she said, gushing.Alec stared at the large ball of excitement that was his mother. Although he had distracted her from the melancholy that his father's pictures had brought up, he wondered if he had unleashed an even bigger monster upon himself.Annalise dragged her son into the room that was normally off limits to him. "Come on, come on!"She stared when the door opened by itself, turning to her son.Alec smiled at her, hiding his sheepishness."Did you Awaken this door too!?""Yes," he said simply.Annalise huffed. "Well, no matter. It's about time you entered yourself anyway. Since you want to learn about runes, we will be in this room a lot from now on."With that said, the two entered the room.
