TBATE-PRODIGY

Chapter 74

Arthur Leywin POV

I stepped out of the portal to the front gates of the Helstea Estate. I stood there looking down as I felt a knife in my heart. I shut my eyes closed tightly as the last moments with Tess went through my mind. I didn't want to leave her; I just wanted to take her into a hug and never let her go.

I felt my eyes grow wet as tears fell from my face. As I stood there shaking while trying to hold myself together, I felt a hand on my shoulder. I looked back to see Mom looking at me with a sympathetic expression.

"Arthur, again, I'm sorry. If I could, I would keep you far away from this war. I want nothing more than to keep you safe," Mom said.

I gave a slow nod. "I know, Mom. I-I just don't want to leave her." I said through sobs.

"I know, sweetie. But you won't be gone forever. We will return, and you will see Tess again. Now come on, we should say bye to your dad and sister." Mom said.

I nodded. "Alright."

We both walked up to the front doors of the Helstea Estate, and Mom opened the door. We walked inside and heard voices coming from the dining room. We both walked to the dining room, where we saw Dad and Ellie sitting at the table talking. As we walked in, Ellie looked up and smiled when she saw us.

"Mom! Arthur!" Ellie yelled as she jumped out of her chair and ran to us. Dad turned around in his chair to face us and smiled when he saw us. Dad also stood up as he ran over to us. Dad and Ellie quickly took Mom and me into a group hug.

"I'm glad you two are back. Can you please tell us what's going on?" Dad asked as we broke the hug.

"Yes, it's time I gave you an explanation. Please sit down," Mom said as she gestured to the table.

Dad nodded as we all took our seats around the table. Dad and Mom sat on opposite ends of the table while Ellie and I sat together on one side.

"Where are Vincent and Tabitha?" I asked.

"They're with Lilia in her bedroom. She's not doing too well after Jarrod's death," Dad said, looking down.

Dad then looked at me with a concerned look. "Are you ok, kiddo? You look like you've been crying." Dad said.

I began to nod but slowly changed to shaking my head. "Not really," I said.

"What's going on?" Dad asked, concerned as his eyes flicked between Mom and me.

"First, let me explain everything. I have a lot to go over, so please save the questions until the end," Mom said.

Dad nodded in understanding. Ellie just sat next to me, taking me into a side hug as she saw I was upset. Mom took a long breath before she told her story.

Mom told Dad and Ellie about how she was a Djinn, how the Djinn were a peaceful race who used the power of aether. She talked about how she was the Djinn Princess and how her people died to protect her. She talked about how the Djinn and the Asura met and began to speak to one another, how the Indrath clan of the Asura and the Djinn became closer than the other clans. How eventually, over time, the Djinn showed the Indrath how to wield aether to a certain degree.

She went on to talk about Agrona and how he wanted to learn aether but was refused by the Djinn. After that, Agrona began to wage war against the peaceful Djinn. When the Djinn finally decided to fight back, her father ordered Mom to be taken somewhere safe since she was just a child at the time. Her father hid Mom in Dicathen and showed her how to seal her abilities so that she would be safe. She explained how with the power of aether, she was able to stay in stasis and wake up at a different point in time.