Inverted Deck

Inverted Deck (Chapter 28)

Chapter 28

I come down the stairwell from my room, holding the burnt black wooden box forlornly in my arms as I did four weeks ago.

"I got you the box you asked for mother." I say as I set the box on a table inside the rebuilt diner.

"Good." My mother replies as she begins to take items out of the box to put them on the table.

She leaves various old photographs of three individual women, one Elvien woman and one Druid and one human woman.

The first Elvien woman, playing what looks like a glowing piano with floating keys, dark skin, a lush of straight purple hair like mother's, adorned with various noble jewelry. The second human woman looking into a glowing flask, with a lab coat and thick framed glasses, light brown skin and a long thick braid say on top of her left shoulder. I don't know what it is but both pictures eminent feelings of familiarity. The final picture being a much older quality than the first two of an older looking Druid, with light skin, black and gray hair similar to dad's, familiar looking golden eyes, in a golden dot covered armor. Her facial expression is blank as she hands somebody that's cut out of the photograph, a woman it looks like, some type of item.

"What is that?" I think as I get closer to see the blurred item.

My eyes instantly widen.

The item is blurred but being I've seen the thing in real life I automatically recognized it. Excalibur.
The Sword Voncet used against me in our fight.

"Judging from your expression, your memories of who that is are returning." My mother says to me as she pulls out a strangely shaped key.

"Lux Atlas. My-!" I begin.

"-Grandmother. Before we go to visit your father there are three truths you need to know first, with this being the first. Our family is... a very interesting one to say the least, with this being only one of the interesting details."

"I-I have Druid blood inside of me!?" I ask in shock.

"That isn't the only thing." My mother points at the first picture of the Noble Elvien playing the piano looking instrument. "This is Mora Laverenti, my mother."

"No way... so, you're a half Elvien of Nobility?" I ask my mother.

She nods back in reply.

"So you're half Elvien and father's half druid, so what does that make me, so what does that make me? Am I still human?"

"Of course you are Finn, it's just-!"

"And I thought Druid's and Elvien's are supposed to be touched by Aether, of I have the blood of both inside of me why can I not use my own Aether as everyone else does!" I outburst.

"Well... that's something I'll let your father explain when you see him."

"And this woman here, who is she?" I ask pointing yo the photograph of the woman in a lab coat.

"That is Pa'rilla Atlas, your father's sister."

"So... my aunt?"

My mother nods in reply again.

"So... what happened to them? I have patches of memories here and there of them but..."

"Well... thst leads us to our second and third truth." My mother backs away from the table. "Follow me."

I follow her to a room in the diner I've never seen before, under the stairwell.

"Has this always been here?" I think.