THE UNBREAKABLE PIECE (FIRST BOOK OF THE HIDDEN WORLD) English version

CHAPTER FORTY-SIX BY MY SIDE

My father exerted pressure on the link between our hands, as if he never wanted to let go in this lifetime. We had come close to losing each other. The thought terrified me to the core, but now, with his scent of coffee and ink, I remembered that no matter the challenges we faced, I would always have him by my side.

We walked toward the same place, the same reunion. The prospect of seeing Christian again stirred my heart to immeasurable levels. I longed to give him the hug I had held back for years, thinking I would never see him again. Finally, I could release all the tears I had kept and shed for him without the hope of meeting again. Life now took on a different hue, as I had my father and brother by my side, and that was enough armor to face anything Drahceb might throw our way.

"Have you seen him since the day of the rock battle?" I asked nervously. My father smiled before answering, sensing my anxiety like a bloodhound.

"Yes, I had a talk with him after Helena tried to free him. Your brother Christian... still has a lot to come to terms with, and a long road ahead. But I promise you, Amy, even though he's not my legitimate son, I will always love him as I love you, and I will help him get through this."

I smiled back before raising my palm to warm the air around us. I still had little practice in it, and if my mind wasn't completely blank, sometimes my abilities failed to respond. I had barely managed to create a gust of wind in this hallway that extended a bit further with each step we took. How I sometimes hated this stone.

"Why didn't you ever block Christian from my memory?" My question startled him, but I kept looking ahead as I searched his mind for an answer to a question I hadn't asked since I found out he had manipulated my mind when I was 7 years old.

"I couldn't, not because the spell didn't allow it. We managed to block Eamon; I think we could have blocked your brother with a little more effort. But I couldn't..." He took a deep breath, the pain sinking into his bones, which I could feel because of my grandmother's gift still lingering within me like an echo. "I couldn't erase him from your memory, maybe out of selfishness, maybe because I didn't want to be the only one grieving his loss. But, above all, because I didn't want you to live a life, even if human, thinking there was no before where he had loved you until the last moment. I couldn't see pictures of him, but you could keep him in your memory."

I reached for my father's hand and squeezed it. I could sense only a fraction of all the anger and pain contained in his body. Not only had Christian returned and now had his mind fragmented, but he was the result of a violation against my mother, a violation of her soulmate. He noticed how I clenched my jaw, gritting my teeth, and he squeezed my hand back, as if he knew what was going through my mind.

"Try not to mention that," my father warned me. "Now that your memory has returned, and his too, you can try to have a sibling conversation like you used to when you were little. You were always best friends and good siblings."

Memories slid through my mind like a piece of silk falling into the void. Now that they had been freed from their chains, I couldn't help but smile and feel happiness about the past. About the beautiful childhood my parents tried to give me, even during my life in New York.

"I'll wait for you on the other side," my father kissed my forehead in a second that stretched through time. "You can handle this, my girl. Don't forget that he will always be your brother, no matter the circumstances, no matter how much time you've spent apart."

The weight of tears accumulated in my eyes, and I promised myself not to cry until I made sure Christian was completely okay. My posture had to be as firm as a rock. I wouldn't be the one to crumble.