CROSSFIELD TRILOGY : Volume No. 01

Chp 6.5: The Toy Maker

Mark gulped. He knew he wasn't ready for this. Not today and most definately not in this way. However, if he showed his vulnerable and insecure side to Tokyo, who knew when he would get the chance to talk about it again.
Looking at Tokyo straight in the eye, he gave a nod.

Tokyo gave a slight smile as he turned towards Mark.
"It happened about 4 years ago, in the August of 2014. Your Dad was the Vice Captain of the ABPAP, shortform for the American Branch Of Paranormal Atrocities Prevention. James Korowaz or just Korowaz as he was preferably called was the right hand man of your father. He had undertaken more than 700 plus missions with Fredrick and had a success rate of 91.2%. Having such a high success rate on 700 missions was a pretty big deal in itself. If we took into account that more than half of them didn't even require alchemists, then this was an even greater feat. Together, they were both equally responsible for improving the image of the American Branch of the GEA. I had met them regularly and can easily say that they were an inseparable pair. Almost like brothers. Although ofcourse, you might have probably figured that out given the fact that he was the best man at your dad's wedding." Tokyo stopped, making sure that Mark was paying attention, he continued. "As all good things come to an end, the relations between your father and James weakened after your dad's marriage. While your dad strongly believed that he should bear the responsibility of the card on his shoulders and continue working for the GEA, James had a diffrent view. He was of the opinion that your dad should probably retire or else take up a desk job in the organization. Afterall, there were a few good openings in GEA and considering the experience your dad had, it wouldn't be hard for him to get those positions. The pay would be good and that way he would be able to stay with your mother too. Your father Fredrick directly opposed James."

"Why though?" Mark asked in a low voice.

"Because, that would mean he had to give up as his job of being a Carrier." Tokyo replied calmly. "You see, the Ace Of Spades is a card quite diffrent than all the others. It's powers and conditions for the usage of those powers have never been constant. Your dad for some reason was reluctant to give his position as the carrier. According to him, he had made a contract with the card which needed him to be on the frontlines all the-"

"What's a contract?" Mark asked.

"Its like a business deal. A statement that grants you the title of being the card's carrier officially. I'll get to that part a bit later. As I was saying, your father was clearly opposing Korowaz which seemed to weaken their ties. This was visible in the way they talked. Then came a really big bump. You." The angel pointed at Mark.
"After you were born, Fredrick decided that he would need to cut ties with your mother. Your mom did know about your dad being an exorcist. However, for the path that he was going to choose, this was highly problematic. Therefore, with the help of a certified Alchemist, your dad changed your Mom's memories. He then staged a play where he threw pots and pans in the house to create a commotion which lead the neighbors to believe that he was being aggressive. The townsfolk thought that your father was a banker who had quit his job so they didn't take long to believe that your father was involved into domestic violence."

"But then...why didn't he change my memory?" Mark asked. He thought Tokyo would be angry for interrupting him thrice now. However, the angel smiled at him warmly.
"Thats because, he loved you. No matter how hard he pushed himself, he could never tarnish your memories. They were the only thing that connected him to you afterall. He knew the responsibilities he had to bear, the sufferings he had to face and the sins he had to atone for. He would do these happily but what he couldn't ever do was to look bad in the eyes of his son."

Mark felt the tears welling in his eyes but he pushed them back. This wasn't the time to feel sad, if anything, he should be thankful for having such a loving father.