The Family - Volume 1

Chapter 2

As soon as the silence was finally complete, the AS followed by the Ancestor appeared on the raised stage for all to see. They each positioned themselves so that everyone could see them, the Ancestor in the center, with two AS on either side, each separated by about a meter.

On the left, Aunt Alice with her short brown hair pulled back into a ponytail and Jihn, still wearing the same greasy black haircut. On the right, Emma, a young woman with curly red hair, and Tyna with her black bob. Despite his small stature and unimpressive build, the Ancestor was a real eye-catcher. Every time I saw him, I thought he was getting weaker and weaker, as if his days were numbered, even if he was considered "immortal". Everyone trusted him, and they all trusted his judgment, who knows what drama La Famille would plunge into if he were to give up the ghost. But anyway, I didn't want to think about it.

Emma, who presided over the hearing as always, took a step forward. Since the Ancestor was beginning to show signs of fatigue, we preferred to spare him so he wouldn't wear himself out talking.

- Good evening to you all, brothers and sisters, I hope from the bottom of my heart that you're all doing well on this rather warm weekend. There's not a lot going on at the moment, which is reassuring considering the hardships we and our ancestors have had to endure to have any chance of survival. So The Reunion won't be very long.

Next to me, I heard Lia breathe a sigh of relief.

- Phew, so much the better if The Reunion doesn't last long," she whispered in my ear.

- Yes.

For once, Ken and Jon were quite attentive and listened carefully to Emma's speech. But it didn't last very long, it was always the same scenario at every Meeting, they'd pay attention to what was new and then start their nonsense all over again.

I turned back to the AS to listen to the rest of the speech.

- ...to come back to an important point. A few days ago, an eight-year-old boy removed his bracelet. If it hadn't been for the immediate intervention of a member of The Family at that hour, we might have been found out. So I'd like to remind everyone here that bracelets are for our protection and should not be removed unless in extreme danger. At the same time, I hope that parents will be more careful with their children so that they don't take them off - it's very important. Apart from that, there has been no breach of the law to report. With that, I'll turn the floor over to the Ancestor.

Emma stepped back to allow the Ancestor to approach, as fast as he could at his age with his cane. He cleared his throat slightly before beginning.

- Greetings to you all, my dear family, I hope you're all well. Emma has made my work easier, so I don't have much to add except to ask you all to be in good health. I would also ask you to observe the traditional minute's silence for all our ancestors who tragically lost their lives in the Battle of Death.

With that, he fell silent and closed his eyes, leaning against his cane to commemorate the dead. Of course, I did the same, as did every member of The Family.

The Family had been through many battles, but never had a battle resulted in so many deaths. As far as I knew, more than twenty members of La Famille had taken part in the battle, and last I heard, none had returned.

It would have taken several whole armies to kill so many people, especially from The Family, but in this case, one person was enough, and his name was Nekrós. This nickname had been given to him as it was. In Greek, Nekrós (Νεκρός) meant Death.

Incidentally, Nekrós had also been a member of The Family in the past, but unfortunately he had inherited a type of forbidden magic, the rarest category of all. And, even though it had never been proven and no one really knew what his power had been, he had been exiled. The ancient Ancestor of that period had banished him at the age of six, the moment he had unlocked his power and made it impossible for him to use it. Nekrós' character also played an important role in his exile, as it seems he was very quarrelsome and always got into mischief. What's more, he had repeatedly come close to harming The Family by denouncing them, which had earned him a great deal of reproach. So, when the former Ancestor announced his banishment, few people stepped in.