Part 1

[Fuck I must be hearing things! He is the son of who now?!]

His words were clear yet, in a way, difficult to understand. My first thought was that for some reason he was blatantly lying, for what purpose I couldn’t fathom. Yet something in his expression was telling me that he was indeed telling the truth. He was trying to remain emotionless with his head slightly lowered so that, rather than symbolize respect, it was mostly to hide the twitching of his eyes and the trembling lip. His eyes were of much interest to me. Deep green eyes, charming in a way, a specific colour that I had seen quite often in the past seven years. He had mother’s eyes. The shape was different but the colour was exactly the same. The idea that he was really my mother’s son was starting to become a lot more plausible.

“So-sorry, do you mind repeating ?I think I heard something wrong!”

Said father in a sarcastic tone, trying to maintain his composure but clearly failing to do so. He was frantically moving both his left legs under the table. Only a fool would not notice it, and the boy in front of us was no fool. His response was a bow that almost reached the floor. A clear sign that there was no need for him to repeat himself and a way to say “I’m sorry”. Father’s lower jaw gave up and he was left with a dumbfounded expression with both his eyes and mouth wide open. His head was bouncing from mother to the boy repeatedly in search for a truth that differed from that he was just told.

“I’m *sob* sorry honey. *sob* It wa-was a long time *sob* ago. He really is *sob* my son”

Said mother between the sobbing and sniffling with a low voice unfitting of her. Father’s face went totally blank showing nothing but shock.

“It happened two years before we married and I was found pregnant with Raphael *sob*.-” continued mother “-It was when I visited my family for the last time. I never told you the reason why I completely cut ties with them. Father always wanted to form ties with the high nobles of Hadoc yet, because I *sob* choose you and wasn’t willing to marry one of the nobles, he didn’t have any way to do so since I was an only child. *sob* The opportunity came when I finally decided to visit them after years. During a dinner I was drugged and when I woke up I found myself chained to a bed with an unknown man having *sob* his way with me...No matter how much I screamed and struggled *sob* no one came to rescue me. I later found out from that man himself that it was all father’s idea. When I was finally freed from my chains I tried to run but *sob* was stopped at the front door by father. He told me that if I were to escape, killers would have been sent your way. Two weeks later I found out I was pregnant. I tried to escape once again *sob* but I got locked inside my room. That is the real reason why I stayed there longer than I expected *sob*, not because the monsters outbreak. The chance to escape presented itself a couple of weeks after I gave birth. The maids helped me escape that imprisonment *sob* and leave the kingdom but I was forced to leave my child behind...I’m sorry Arthur *sob*, I’m really sorry!”

The silence was unbearable after mother stopped talking. Father’s expression was completely shocked yet tears were wetting the side of his cheeks to end up disappearing into his beard. I too was shocked, I had neither words of comfort or questions to ask. I was simply struggling to take in all that information.

If it was seconds, minutes or hours I couldn't remember, but after some time the boy named Lucas spoke again while still keeping his head low.

“That is the story that the maids told me...which differs from that of my father and grandpa”

“H-how so?” Asked perplexed father.

“They said my mother left me as soon as she gave birth to me because she did not want to take responsibility of me and ran away with another man”

“I would have never done that!”

Screamed mother while new tears covered her already tired and red eyes.

“I know the maid told me the true story. I don’t blame you in any way, everyone in your position would have probably done the same”

A fake smile could be seen on his face. It was faint but through my years of public relationships I developed an instinct in discerning true smiles from fake ones.

“Then, the question still remains...why are you here?”

I asked when I was finally able to regain my composure. It was a question that was pestering me ever since I came to know of my mother's story. If her father was such a strict person looking for connections, why would he let the key to those connections leave?

“I suppose you are my brother, correct? There is no need to hide your hostility, I came here prepared to bear it”

“Yes I’m Raphael, I apologize but you seem mistaken, I’m not hostile towards you, just cautious...can you blame me?”

“No, it would be strange if none were. But back to the topic...The steeder family ceased to exist more than two months ago”

A loud “what” came from both father and mother. As expected there was no pain in mother’s expression, just shock mixed with curiosity.

“Yes, because a war between noble families broke out smaller families like the Steeder were forced to pick a side. They picked the wrong side and got massacred after the family they were supporting lost the war. During the chaos I was able to escape but it took me weeks to leave the kingdom since I had become a wanted person. Thanks to a merchant I sneaked through the border and after that, carriage by carriage, I was able to reach this city. I was told by the maids that mother lived here and this was the only place I could come after my house was destroyed.

That is why I beg of you to let me stay, if not indeterminable, at least until I can maintain myself. I know that I’m asking much and with my presence I’m disturbing your family’s order but I have nowhere else to go. I beg of you!”

He finished his sentence with yet again another deep bow. His brown hair now covering his forehead due to the sudden movement, his eyes closed, waiting for the sentence, a beggar. He was right in front of father who looked totally stunned. In the end, by being the head of the family, the decision was up to him. He looked at the young men in front of him for a second that probably felt like infinite for him, then looked around towards me and mother. She was also looking at the young men and, still with tears in her eyes, she extended a hand and gently patted his head while looking at father. A clear signal that said “I accept him” or something of the sort. Father then looked towards my direction. When our eyes met I could clearly feel the tension he was feeling but, even though he was asking for it, I couldn’t give him any help. I simply looked back at him and closed my eyes. A gulp followed by a sigh was the response that I was given.

“I cannot let a member of the family live in the streets after he came asking for help. You are welcome in our house. Raphael will show you around. I...need to sort my thoughts...I’ll sleep in the shop tonight”

With those words the atmosphere divided. On one side the young man fell on his knees crying joyful tears and whispering “Thank you, thank you!”. On the other, the heaviness of father’s last words put a stain of sadness on the already broken spirit of mother. She just sat there on the table looking at father’s back as he walked through the door.

As much as I wanted, I couldn't be of any help to mother right now. I knew better than anyone how little the words of others do in such a situation. Better to just let her some peace and privacy. I tapped on the boy’s shoulder and gave him a signal with my thumbs over the shoulder to follow me. He promptly picked up what little he had. A short sword sheathed in a poorly handmade sheath and a small black backpack. He followed me through the stairs and the upper floor while I gave him a rugh tour of the rooms until I reached the guest room.

“This is supposed to be the guest room but I guess it’ll be yours from now on”

“I appreciate it but if needed I could really sleep on the floor. I don't want to intrude nor impose my presence here”

“Stop humbling yourself so much. I can tell that is not your real character”

“Yes it’s not, but if there’s one thing I learnt from those two months as a fugitive is that when asking for help the humbler one is the better it turns out. I am now deeply indebted to your family and I am clearly a nuisance, I can tell by both your reactions and your father’s so if I need to humble myself in order not to cause trouble to you, so be it!”

“Can’t argue with that”

[This guy...I can’t tell if he’s bad news or a damn angel!]

“I hope we’ll be getting along in the future, brother!”

“Yes I hope so to Lucas”

I said while shutting his door in front of me. Being called brother felt both wrong and satisfying but I couldn't bring myself to do the same. I had not eaten but all the troubles that rose completely destroyed my appetite. The comfort of my bed sheets was the only thing able to put all my thoughts at ease until I finally closed my eyes and drifted in the realm of dreams.

Part 2

With a new person in our house life slightly changed, for the better for some and for the worst for others. The earthquake in the relationship between mother and father caused by the sudden appearance of another son and the revelation that it was actually mother’s ,started to finally heal itself after a couple of months. But still, even though their relationship looked totally fine on the surface, hints of distrust could be perceived through father’s actions. I wasn’t in any position to condemn him nor praise him, I just understood where he was coming from. Trust is difficult to regain once lost, even though it wasn’t mother’s fault.

Julie and Lucas were the ones who gained the most out of it. At first I was skeptical to let Lucas go anywhere near Julie, and whenever he did I would be around there checking up on him. Yet Julie promptly opened up to him in a way only an infant would, the smiles that before were directed only towards me were now shared with him. I think that after seeing her smile like that I let go of some of my suspicions towards Lucas, yet I was far from completely trusting him like a brother. With his presence Julie gained another individual other than me, mother and father who’d pamper her and played with her, which were basically the only requirements she looked for in the people around her. Lucas too gained as much as her. Setting in the first months was rather heavy for him. He felt like a total outcast because of the differences in our routines and time tables, other than me keeping myself at a watchful distance from him. WIth the passing of time though he started to get accustomed with our household to the point where he would wake up simultaneously with me. He even picked up my habit of having a shower in the morning, with the exception that he had it hot rather than cold like mine. It was awkward being in the shower with him since it was clear that he was trying to approach me in any possible way while I was trying to avoid him in any possible way. Our relationship was put on hold in this state of “chasing”. We did do things together like work at the shop and help around the house but other than that one could never think that we were living under the same roof.

On the other hand his relationship with father and mother was flourishing. Mother treated him like the lost son he was, accepting in the family right away and making up for the lost time. He would help her mostly around the kitchen where she would tell him stories of her life in the past and in the present. One very common topic was, unfortunately, me. I was praised as a genius magician who awakened at the youngest age and was able to save father with the help of my abilities. He always listened attentively whenever she talked about me, just like a reporter looking for a scoop, it pissed me off in a way. In time she considered him as my big brother, giving him tasks befitting that title like accompanying me to my training spot outside the city, helping me out while doing groceries and bringing me out of the house every once in a while.

While his relationship with mother started off as great, the one with father had a rather bumpy road in the beginning to then become on par, if not better, than the one with mother. At first father had his suspicions, just like me, towards him. Probably since he considered him as the fruit of mother’s infidelity he tried to keep his distance, unsuccessfully. Both father and me had to soon realize that none could escape Lucas when he wanted to grow closer to that someone. It took him between two and three months of hard work and helpings to finally be acknowledged by father. From then on it was all roses and flowers. The three of us would be going to work in the shop together and, due to my loner and grumpy nature, while I was given less customer related work he was tasked with customer services, and to be honest he was really good at it, even though I had difficulty admitting it. In time, mostly thanks to the shop, the two of them grew closer and closer. The relationship between me, Lucas and father had a sudden turning point after six months of Lucas’ newfound stay in our house.

It was a monday, a little hotter than usual but the sea breeze was mitigating that sultriness, the blue sky was only interrupted by a couple of pure white clouds dancing over our heads. It was right before the second opening time of the shop, between two and three P.M, the time when I usually train the sword together with father. This time though one more unexpected person joined us, Lucas. It had been a couple of weeks since he became interested in our training, I could sometimes spot him looking through the window but he never approached me during our training, probably out of respect. This time was the only exception.

“Sorry father, I don’t wanna intrude but...could I train with you?”

“Ooh, have you become interested in swordsmanship Lucas?”

“Yes, since I can’t use magic like brother, I thought that learning the sword might open me more possibilities in the future. I would also like to learn how to defend myself and other”

“Don’t worry too much about your awakening, Raph here was an anomaly by awakening at four hahaha!”

“Hey that’s rude you know!”

“Yeah yeah, anyway it’s too soon to throw in the towel, try to wait a couple years more, you might awaken as well. In the meantime I’ll teach you the sword as much as you want!”

“Thank you father!”

“But be warned you’ll have to train hard before you can actually learn any sword style”

“There is no need for that, I was forced to train back in my past house”

“Oh I’m sorry to hear that, I hope it wasn’t too hard on you!”

“Don’t worry father! So, where do I start?”

And just like this, father gained a new disciple. Lucas wasn’t lying, he had indeed an incredibly fit physique, probably even better than mine who trained for the past years. I could not wonder what he had to go through in that house before he came to us. The first time we met I had the impression that he was fit but his physique was deteriorated by malnutrition so I could only estimate. But now that he gained back some volume and was way healthier than he was back then his body really showed his form. Wide shoulders and strong arms hinted that he had to either lift heavy weight as a training or he had already held a sword. Some faint abs could be seen forming on that toned abdomen, it was too soon for them to really show themselves since he was barely ten but if given time they’d become absolutely ironish. His legs were also fairly trained, slim legs yet strong muscles with a low mass. He probably had to run long distances during his training. His body made mine seem mediocre.

Our training didn’t differ too much. The same repeated sword swings, the same repeated sword thrusts, the same repeated footwork. Mostly it was basic training for the both of us since I was just barely out of the basic tier in the North Sword style. The difference was in what came after the basic training. While I focused on the North Style peculiar skills and footwork he was focused on improving his sloppy swings, just like I did in the past. I felt some sort of accomplishment feeling. Being able to surpass my “big brother” who looked like he excelled in everything he did was rather satisfactioning.

Alas, this feeling didn’t last long. After nothing but a month he had already started training in the North Style footwork. What took me years to achieve was easily conquered by him in a mere month. Of course father was all over him. He was finally able to pass on his techniques and style to someone and that person was someone with some real talent with the sword, unlike me. From then on Lucas shattered every achievement possible. In the matter of a month he broke through the basic tier and started training on the attack skills that came with the beginner tier. He showed great affinity with the North Style to the point where hints of unteached techniques could be seen in his swordplay. Father couldn’t contain his joy. Lucas was all the talked about and, when he reached his eleventh birthday and was about to break through the beginner tier, he brought his a short sword.

Birthdays are not really celebrated like they were in my past life. The only important ones are the tenth, fifteenth and twentieth. It is costume to hold a big dinner with family members and friends who eat and drink over the accomplishments of the birthday boy. At the end of the night everyone offers a gift, be it small or pricey it doesn't matter, that might help the person in his future. Because we didn’t know much about Lucas we basically skipped his tenth birthday and rather celebrated his eleventh. Of course there were none other than our family members, he too didn’t have any friends like me since he was focused between work and training. Father gifted him the short sword while mother gave him a handmade deep blue blanket. Since I had some money saved and didn’t really know what would be considered a proper and useful gift I decided to go for something easy. I visited the city’s shops a couple of times and decided that an all purpose belt would have been the best choice. It could carry a sword and had two little attachments in the back where one could stick some light weights. It wasn’t all that expensive since it wasn’t that high quality but it looked like Lucas appreciated my gift the most to the point where he started crying and tried to crush my lungs in what looked like a messy hug. He was both wider and taller than me so he had a lot more strength than I did which led to him soon realizing that he was hurting me and repeatedly bowing while saying sorry.

Ever since then his relationship with father and mother kept being steadily high while the one with me kept being the same as usual except for the fact that I couldn't keep my distance from him anymore and decided to just accept the fact that he was part of the family. My distrust though didn’t diminish that much. The turning point in that regard came soon after his birthday during one shift at the wine shop some weeks after.