A World With/Out Home

Chapter 24: Differing Reality (Part 2)

The bakery, closed for business, was now the home to a tense atmosphere. A hot pot of freshly brewed tea and three steaming cups sat on top the dining table in the kitchen. The ones holding them however couldn't bring themselves to take a sip as their expressions showed their individual concerns. Lillia gripped her cup tightly and knowing what Kyle was going to ask, was unable to say a word. Having been introduced as his girlfriend a sprout of happiness had bloomed in her heart causing her to fluster but the emotion was easily dwarfed by the tension between the father and son pair.

Kyle opened his mouth and closed it for not the first time. With so many thoughts going through his head he couldn't help remember his childhood. His father raising him in the village with genuine care, teaching him through thick and thin how to cook and to become the person he was today. All of that seemed to crack and speaking his mind now would shatter it. But there was no stopping, left alone things would only become worse.

"Dad..., you were once the Hero weren't you?" the question was more of a declaration and as the words left his lips the air in the room seemed to shake.

For a moment all his father did was stare until finally he released a tender sigh, "So you found out.... I was really hoping you wouldn't, but I guess there's no hiding it now." His eyes cleared showing a strength that Kyle hadn't seen before, "Yes I was the Hero once. Though that was a long time ago."

Those words of admittance, said without doubt or any hint of deception. Kyle's mind spiralled through all the memories of his father and childhood. Those innocent days where nothing at all seemed off suddenly were shrouded in mystery. In the end however, his more recent memories pulled stronger and looking at Lillia beside him, a gripping pain tugged his heart. A vision of the memorial located at the back of the Garden, hidden beneath the ground. The rows upon rows of tombstones each with a name, and some belonging to those he had known personally. Worse still was the spaces that waited for more. The expectation of the sacrifices to come and the next in line for all their efforts, the girl beside him.

"Why?" the word barely left Kyle's trembling lips. More than anything it was his eyes that asked the true question.

His father's age showed, "I was tired. No matter how strong I was, in the end I couldn't last. I needed to rest, so I left the job to others."

"You just left!?" Kyle stood abruptly causing his chair to fall. "Do you even know how many people died because of you?"

Through gritted teeth his father also stood, his actions however slow and purposeful, "Do you think I really left so easily? Being a Hero for that long... I had to make choices Kyle but in the end I couldn't stay. Trust me when I say we prepared for it as much as we could."

"But you still left..., you who was stronger than anyone else. And instead you left it to...," Kyle's words choked in his throat as Lillia stared back at him, "you left it to children who deserved so much more."

"I had no other option Kyle. At the rate I was going after even a few more years my powers would have been crippled forever."

"So what!" Kyle yelled unable to hold himself back. "Each time the demons attack the chance of survival is slim. They don't just cripple themselves they give everything they have and pay for it!" He looked away, "I'm disappointed in you."

A ripple of energy spread across the room causing the kitchen to clatter. The source was clear as a father stared at his son, his expression between anger and guilt. "I tried my best Kyle."

"Your best? All you could muster was three damn years before you vanished!"

"Three years!?" The table cracked. His father glowered beyond insulted, "Try three hundred!"