~Chapter 56~
“Mage, what you’re saying, so…”
“I won’t be able to give you much time, but just a moment will be fine.”
“Uncle, when you go and meet Dad, make sure you say what you want to, okay?”
Right after the little one finished speaking, Relshiz also stopped walking.
They had arrived in front of the clock tower.
Felix first noticed his mother standing not far away, and then he saw the man standing next to her.
Felix froze.
His father looked exactly like the image in his memories. He had the same red hair, but his face was completely different. The gentle eyes and soft smile slowly came back to Felix’s memory.
“Father…?”
“Oh my, Felix? Is that you, Felix?”
Carlisle, hearing his son’s call, was surprised and looked Felix up and down.
“You’ve grown so much. And Lana too. What’s going on?”
Relshiz quickly noticed and moved Shiz out of Felix’s arms and stepped back.
Before Felix could process anything, his mind was pulled back into the past.
***
A flashback from Felix’s childhood:
“From now on, hold your breath inside this box. Do you understand?”
Even as an adult, Felix often had nightmares about his father.
“Don’t come out until everything is quiet.”
Inside the dark box, the young Felix obeyed his father’s instructions, holding his breath.
From outside, there were sounds of furniture and household items breaking, painful groans, and unknown liquids splashing.
Then, suddenly, everything became eerily quiet.
Clunk. Clunk. The heavy footsteps of boots paced around, growing closer.
The steps stopped right in front of the box.
Without warning, something sharp and long pierced through the box, barely missing Felix’s eyes.
With a burning pain, the young boy screamed as a dark figure roughly pulled him out of the box.
The nightmare always ended there.
Felix would wake up from the painful, fearful, and sorrowful dreams, with only the cold morning air left around him.
***
Back to the present:
Now, standing before his father, Felix understood why the mage had been so urgently searching for him.
Lana was already crying.
Carlisle awkwardly looked at his wife and son, then rubbed his chin.
“Well, well. You’ve grown taller than me, Felix. And that outfit… is it an investigator’s uniform? It looks a little different from when I was in service.”
“It was updated once.”
“Ah, I see. And Lana, you still look beautiful.”
Carlisle avoided talking about his aging with a smile. His appearance was just like in Felix’s memories, and both Lana and Felix were momentarily speechless.
“How did this happen? Just a moment ago, you were a child, Felix…”
Carlisle looked confused as Felix calmly explained the situation.
“This is the future. There’s a rift, and time has mixed. Once the rift closes, you’ll return to where you belong…”
As Felix spoke, his gaze fell to the ground.
“Soon, a mage with a grudge will come to hurt you.”
“You’re saying I’ll die from a mage’s attack? Impossible.”
Carlisle didn’t take it seriously. At the time, Carlisle was a very skilled investigator.
Felix’s expression twisted.
“If you were alone, you’d be fine.”
“Hmm?”
“Father, listen carefully.”
Felix, with determination, said the most important thing he had been meaning to say.
“If a mage comes and takes my younger self hostage, don’t come to rescue me.”
Both Carlisle and Lana stared at Felix, surprised.
“Just leave me be. I’ll be fine.”
Even though the rift would close and Carlisle wouldn’t remember this, Felix didn’t know that.
“I see… I was going to save you…”
Carlisle’s face darkened as he realized that in the future, when his family was around, he couldn’t save Felix.
A heavy silence fell between them. After some time, Carlisle spoke.
“Thanks for telling me, Felix. And…”
Carlisle placed his hand on his son’s head.
He awkwardly, but fondly, patted Felix’s head.
“You grew up so well. I’m glad.”
Felix’s eyes shimmered.
“Carlisle…”
Lana whispered her husband’s name softly.
This was the love they had never forgotten, even after years.
But a decade of separation had left a gap between them.
They both knew that even if Felix warned Carlisle about the future, nothing would change.
The rift was merely an irregularity in the timeline.
The Carlisle standing in front of them was just an image projected by the rift, not truly the Carlisle from the past.
Words now wouldn’t change the past. The “Carlisle” they were seeing was nothing more than a mirage.
“By the way, who’s going to take care of dinner when I’m not around? Lana, you’re not great at cooking, are you?”
“Father.”
“Oh, this is difficult. Very difficult.”
“Carlisle” muttered awkwardly as he looked around. His gaze landed on Felix’s right eye.
“Is that the scar from back then?”
“Yes.”
“It’s still there.”
He was silent for a while before he smiled gently.
“It healed well, though. Right?”
Felix’s heart tightened with guilt.
“Father, don’t you blame me? If it weren’t for me…”
“Felix.”
Carlisle gently stopped his son from blaming himself.
“You shouldn’t feel guilty about that. The one who hurt me was that mage, not you. Right, Lana?”
Lana nodded silently, her lips trembling. Felix had always feared that Lana might blame him, but now, she understood.
“Alright, I’ve solved your misunderstanding again. I’m truly a great investigator.”
Lana smiled through her tears. She recalled how Carlisle always stepped in to mediate when things went wrong with the children.
“Lana, Felix.”
“Carlisle” stretched out his arms and embraced both of them. Despite his semi-transparent body, they felt warmth from him.
“Thank you both for loving me so much.”
“…”
“Now, let go and move forward. I’ll feel at peace.”
With those words, the box that had seemed to trap Felix’s soul slowly opened.
For the first time, Felix’s soul stepped out freely.
“Will you do that?”
Felix nodded as he closed his eyes.
His body felt lighter as if he had let go of a heavy burden.
***
Later:
“Hehe, I’m glad I made them meet. Right?”
Shiz asked cheerfully.
“Yeah…”
Relshiz replied absentmindedly.
They were far away, with their backs turned, so Relshiz couldn’t hear what Lana and Felix were saying or see their expressions. But the atmosphere felt warm and peaceful.
Maybe they were catching up on things they never had a chance to say.
Relshiz wasn’t feeling like she had done something great by bringing Felix along, but she hoped it would help her later.
“Shiz, how’s the rift now?”
“It’s bigger than before. It’s scary…”
The distortion was spreading, and the clock tower’s hands were moving backward faster.
‘It’s getting dangerous.’
But she couldn’t bring herself to interrupt the reunion of that family. She was unsure when to step in as Felix turned around.
“Mage!”
Relshiz instantly understood what Felix meant.
