Own Time

Chapter 28

Walking alongside the Second Klovis towards the center, I saw the Arazon, his son, and his brother standing together. As we approached, I scanned the area but couldn't find my mother anywhere. Strangely, instead of feeling nervous, an inexplicable excitement welled up inside me. It was preferable to the unease I might have felt otherwise.

We finally came to a stop in front of them. The man who had summoned us stepped aside, and I looked up at the imposing figures before me. The Arazon stood slightly taller than my mother, while the Fluris was a bit shorter, and the Grand Klovis was shorter still. They all regarded me with a gaze that could only be described as murderous; even a fool could discern their dark intentions.

"For the first time, you've proven yourself useful by bringing the so-called heir of Estevel, I hope this continue, Zayah " the Arazon sneered at the Second Klovis, a mischievous smile playing on his lips. His words were meant only for our ears. Zayah, the Second Klovis, bowed his head in silence. I noticed that all eyes in the room were on us, though none of the onlookers could hear what was being said.

"So this is her son? He's quite small for an heir," the Grand Klovis remarked with a grin. I stared at him in disbelief, thinking, 'Of course I'm small; I'm still a child, you hollow-headed fool!'

"Now, now, watch your language, Grand Klovis. We don't say such things in public, especially to the weak," the Fluris chimed in, smirking with a mocking tone. 'So, that's why you keep tormenting my mother,' I thought.

"Zayah, you can leave the heir with us; we'll take it from here," the Arazon commanded. Zayah tightened his grip on my hand, and I looked up at him and smiled. He took a deep breath and glanced at me, his eyes filled with an unspoken apology. He released my hand, bowed, and left the place. After he departed, I looked back at them with a blank expression, masking any emotion.

"Great, I think it's time to play and get to know you, Fake Heir," the Arazon declared, his eyes gleaming with a wild intensity. I smirked inwardly, thinking, 'Time to play the innocent child.'

"Excuse me, shiny mister, what are you talking about?" I asked, feigning cluelessness with a wide-eyed expression. 'Ugh, I'm already about to throw up,' I thought, suppressing my true feelings.

"How amusing," he sneered. "You didn't even bow to show respect, and now you claim not to know us." His glare was intense, but I tilted my head in mock confusion, holding back my irritation. 'Again, I'm a child; it's expected that I don't know everything. I'm becoming anxious about how these people treat their children,' I mused internally.

"That's the result of having a bad guardian..." the Frisu remarked, causing me to twitch slightly, though I maintained my composure. "Or maybe the mother doesn't recognize him as her own," she added, pushing me to clench my teeth while forcing a smile. 'Aidan, hold it in. Your mother trusted you; you can't lose your temper over simple mockery,' I reminded myself.

"I am my mother's son because she said so," I asserted, to which the three of them burst into laughter. 'Hold it, Aidan, we're almost done,' I thought, trying to keep my calm.

"How naive," the Frisu sneered. "I can't believe Estevel is this cruel, taking in a child who's not even hers and brainwashing him." Her fake concern was nauseating, but my rage was growing harder and harder to control.

"What do you expect from the world's most infamous monster? Of course, she's going to use this child for her own selfish gain because she's a dangerous and terrible being who cannot control her personality," the Grand Klovis said, smiling directly at me. I felt a heavy weight in my throat and a blazing fire in my heart.

"Mother is not a monster. Mother is nice. Please stop saying that," I replied, hiding my rage behind a sad expression.

"It's hard for a child to accept, but let me tell you something..." The Arazon straightened his posture, looking down at me with a cold gaze. "You're not your mother's son and you never will be. She will leave you as if you were nothing."

"That's not true! My mother loves me! You bad people!" I shouted, pointing at them. The room fell silent, the attendees gasping in shock. I realized they had used mahika to prevent our conversation from being overheard, keeping their image clean. My outburst had likely broken the spell, allowing everyone to hear and making me appear disrespectful.

"You insolent child! How dare you yell at the Supreme Family!" the man who had called us there shouted as he grabbed me roughly, glaring with fury. I braced myself for what was coming next.

"That's expected from the illegitimate child of the Monster!" the Arazon bellowed. 'Ugh, does he really need to shout like that? We can hear him just fine,' I thought, bracing for the next act in this orchestrated drama.

"Mister shouted at me, and now they're being mean to me..." I said, letting tears well up in my eyes. They smirked widely, thinking they had won, but I knew I held the upper hand. I started shaking and closed my eyes, then...

"Waaaaaahhhhhhhh!!!!!" I bawled loudly, releasing an enormous surge of fire around me. The man holding me dropped me to the floor, and even with my eyes closed, I could sense the three people who had been mocking me moments ago were now scrambling to get away.

"Somebody stop her!" the Arazon ordered, but no one dared to approach the blazing flames that reached the ceiling. I continued to cry and release a torrent of mahika. 'How dare you speak ill of my mother? Calling her a monster—it's clear who the real monsters are here, but you're too blind to see it, hiding from the truth because you can't accept it.'

"Someone do something, or the whole place is going to burn!" the Grand Klovis shouted, but there was no response. I continued to think, 'You deserve more than this!' Then, I felt myself being lifted gently.

"You can stop now," I heard my mother's voice say. Internally, I smiled and began to calm down, causing the flames to diminish and fade away. I heard everyone catching their breath after my grand display. "You can open your eyes now, Aidan," Mother said. I slowly opened my eyes, hearing gasps and whispers spreading through the crowd.

"Crimson eyes... that's impossible," the Fluris muttered, being helped up. She looked at her husband, who was also rising. I knew they were stunned by the sight of my now crimson-colored eyes. 'Who's laughing now?' I thought, feeling a quiet triumph.

"What's impossible, my dear Fluris?" Mother asked with a poker face, stepping forward and approaching them. Their eyes widened as they backed up, for with every step she took, a pitch-black energy enveloped both of us.

"E-Estevel," the Arazon stammered, looking horrified at the sight of my mother.

"I have a question," Mother said, her voice cold and steady. "And I expect a good answer: why are you with my child?..." She paused just a few feet away from them, her eyes narrowing. "And more importantly...

Why is my son crying?"