As Aeolos grew older and gained more experience, he gradually began to realize that the things happening to him weren't entirely natural. However, just because he noticed these peculiarities didn't mean he could change anything. What was meant to happen still happened, and each coincidental occurrence brought Aeolos some benefit.
Because of this, Aeolos didn't feel a strong urge to change his seemingly arranged circumstances. He simply wanted to uncover the truth behind these coincidences—why were they happening to him?
After thinking it over, Aeolos narrowed his suspicion down to one person: his seemingly ordinary father. Only his father, whose power appeared unfathomable, could be behind such orchestrated events.
But suspicion was all it was—he had no concrete evidence. So, Aeolos decided that during his next break, he would return home and ask his father directly if he was responsible for all of this.
...
"Dad, Mom, I'm back!" Aeolos called out with a certain anticipation as he pushed open the front door. But instead of the welcoming scene he expected, a musty smell of dust hit his nose.
"..." Aeolos let go of the door handle, standing dumbfounded as he looked at the empty room in front of him. Dust covered the floor, the dining table, and all the furniture, indicating that no one had lived here for a long time.
Staring at the empty house, Aeolos pursed his lips, turned around, and headed next door. He knocked, and a kind, familiar woman opened the door.
"Oh, it's little Ae! You're such a big shot now, why'd you knock on my door before checking your own house? Don't tell me you forgot where you live?" the woman, Mrs. Liao, teased with a smile.
"Mrs. Liao, there's no one at home," Aeolos said with an odd expression. "Do you know where my parents went? And my sisters, do you know where they are?"
"Your parents aren't home?" Mrs. Liao was taken aback. "But... sisters? Since when did you have sisters? I don't remember that."
"You don't know about my sisters?" Aeolos froze, his mind reeling. How could that be? He had three younger sisters—how could his neighbor not know?
"Gladius, Tiffany, Katia—three adorable five-year-old girls. You've never seen them?" Aeolos asked again, still unwilling to believe it.
"I've never seen any sisters," Mrs. Liao replied, realizing that something strange was going on based on Aeolos's reaction.
"How can that be?" Aeolos staggered backward, disbelief flooding his mind. His three adorable triplet sisters were already old enough for school. How could his neighbors, who lived right next door, never have seen them?
"What's going on?" A deep voice came from behind Mrs. Liao, followed by heavy footsteps. A large man, broad-shouldered and as strong as a bear, appeared in the doorway.
"Uncle Aemon!" Aeolos's eyes brightened at the sight of the man, and he quickly stepped forward.
"It's little Ae! You're all grown up now, but why do you look so shaken?" Aemon laughed, looking at Aeolos fondly. "What's going on? Tell me."
"Uncle, have you ever seen three little girls like this…" Aeolos hurriedly described his sisters' appearances, hoping for an answer.
"Well…" After listening to the description and seeing the anxious look on Aeolos's face, the middle-aged man scratched his head, his short hair bristling like steel needles.
"I'd like to say I've seen them, but honestly, I haven't. These three little girls you're talking about—I haven't seen any of them in recent years."
"That's impossible…" Aeolos's face fell. His neighbors had never seen his sisters, as if they didn't exist.
"Wait, you haven't seen my sisters, but what about my parents?" Aeolos asked with a mix of hope and dread.
"I've seen your parents, sure. But the last time we really interacted with them regularly was back when you were in elementary school. Once you entered middle school, they stopped coming around as much, and after you went to high school, I never saw them again," Aemon answered after thinking it over.
"I haven't seen my parents since I started high school!" Aeolos felt a flash of realization, as though he had caught hold of something. He absentmindedly flexed his hands, feeling the marks on his wrists grow warm, as if reminding him of something.
"Heh, little Ae, there's no need to worry too much. You've probably noticed, haven't you? Our city is different from other places. This city is home to countless reclusive powerhouses. Your parents might be two of them. So, it's not unusual if you can't find them right now—they're probably off traveling with your sisters," Aemon tried to reassure him.
"Aemon, you talk like other people are the odd ones. Aren't you a bit of a 'monster' yourself?" Mrs. Liao teased, lightly slapping Aemon's arm, which was as thick as a normal person's thigh.
"Hehe, don't be ridiculous. A 'monster' is called that because it's different from normal beings. But when a monster lives among other monsters, it becomes ordinary, just like everyone else," Aemon defended himself.
"Hm?" Aeolos suddenly lifted his head at Aemon's words. "Uncle, you call yourself ordinary, but why do you refer to my father as a monster?"
"Because, to me, he is a monster!" Aemon said with a chuckle, trying to soothe Aeolos's nerves. He revealed his thoughts about Muria, something he rarely spoke of.
"When I first moved here and became your neighbor, the moment I saw your father, I felt a heavy pressure. But when I tried to sense his strength, he seemed completely ordinary. Isn't that strange? There are no 'ordinary' people in Sacred Flame City.
"And as we interacted more, I noticed more oddities. Your parents rarely participated in neighborhood gatherings, and even when they did, they sat quietly in a corner without speaking much.
"At first, I thought they were just shy and didn't want to socialize with strangers. But later, I considered another possibility."
"What possibility?" Aeolos instinctively asked.
"Would a dragon soaring in the sky talk to the ants on the ground?"
"..." Aeolos fell silent, understanding the implication behind Aemon's words.
"Your father is the dragon soaring in the sky, and to him, we're the ants on the ground. He might lower himself to talk to us because of you, but without you, he wouldn't even bother."
"Uncle Aemon, you're overthinking this!" Aeolos instinctively wanted to refute his uncle's theory, finding it far too exaggerated.
"That's just my guess. There's no proof to back it up—take it with a grain of salt," Aemon laughed. As Muria's neighbor, he knew how terrifying Muria was, not from any overt display of power, but from his demeanor and subtle actions.
"Yeah, I'll think about it," Aeolos nodded. "Uncle Aemon, Auntie Liao, since my parents aren't home, I'll be leaving now."
"Little Ae!" Aemon called out as Aeolos was about to turn and leave.
"Is there something else?" Aeolos asked, his expression strained from the emotional weight of the situation.
"Don't worry about your parents or your three sisters. They're probably enjoying life more than you are right now."
"I know," Aeolos nodded, about to leave when Aemon spoke again.
"I'm sure you'll try to find out more about your parents. That's fine, but make sure to come back and have dinner with us afterward. Your aunt made extra today, so there's more than enough."
"No, I'll be—"
"If you don't come, the food will go to waste."
"…Alright, I'll be back later for dinner," Aeolos agreed, turning toward another neighbor's house. His eyes were slightly red, and his vision a little blurred.
"That kid… sigh!" Aemon sighed heavily, watching as Aeolos knocked on another door. He shook his head and went back inside, knowing he had no right to judge a being as powerful as Muria or the way he treated his own son.
...
Aeolos, filled with a sense of disbelief, visited several more houses in the neighborhood, but all the answers he received were the same. While everyone had seen his parents, none had ever seen his sisters. To them, it was as if his sisters didn't exist.
Finally, Aeolos went to the city hall and spoke to the official in charge of household registrations. After showing his Dragon Academy insignia, the initially impatient official respectfully pulled up the records Aeolos requested.
As Aeolos feared but had also anticipated, the official records confirmed that his parents were listed in the city's registry. However, under their names, there was only one child: Aeolos himself. There was no mention of his three sisters.
_________________________
[Check out my Patreon for +200 additional chapters in all my fanfics! $5 for all!!]
[w w w . p a t r e o n .com / INNIT]
[+50 PowerStones = +1 Chapter] [+5 Reviews = +1 Chapter]