War changes people

Prologue

18 months after TLG.

Fowl mansion

Artemis had a hard time waking up today. He had had a long night on his project and he really couldn't stop his progress as it was at a critical point. The result being that he got, all in all, a measly 5 hours of sleep, pair that up with a fair share of nightmares, and his brain really wasn't ok with it. He felt as if he was down 20 IQ points although this was still fairly high considering he had the highest IQ in all of Europe. Dying can really keep you up at night.

The dream was always the same. It started with the kiss on Holy's forehead and ended with him floating just a few meters above her. Feeling tremendous pain and reliving the fear of dying over and over again. The worst part though was after that. It was when he felt for just a second that he was back inside that dark space. He could see nothing, feel nothing. It was like all his hope, dreams, support and intellect simply left him in a permanent state of emptiness. He tried repeatedly to meditate the trauma out of his system but it would seem that magic had taken root inside him punishing him for coming back to life.

The worst part? He couldn't show his sleeplessness due to trauma to his family as it would make everyone worry over him, which would in turn worry him making it worse for him making his family worry more and here you have a loop. In other words he couldn't rely on anyone if he wanted to leave the mental health of his close ones intact. Well, geniuses don't need support. All they need is their brain and they can cope. He thought half heartedly to himself.

He grudgingly got up and starting going through the motions of the day. After he got out of bed, tended to his personal hygiene, combed his hair and wore his trademark Armani suit he went down to join his family having breakfast on the balcony next to the kitchen.

The picture almost laid his uneasiness to rest as a heartwarming family breakfast was a very nice thing to start your day with. His mother was talking with his father about a trip they were thinking of going to in the Bahamas. She had those puppy eyes that could make both him and his father jump off a cliff to please. Next was Juliet (who had accepted to be his butler after Domovoi retired in some tropical islands pleasantly passing his time reading, sleeping and swimming) who at the moment was making breakfast for him in an apron with two Mexican wrestlers in a double headlock. His kid brothers had probably already eaten and went to their respective hobbies with Beckett going riding and Myles studying in the library.

He sat down at one end of the table admiring the view outside the balcony enjoying the light breeze on his face. He tried at first to jump start his brain with simple mathematical equations but he found himself getting pleasantly distracted by the view so he decided to let the sleepiness run its course. Although his family had given a large portion of the estate for farming, after the technological catastrophe caused by Opal, they had still held on to a wide enough range all around the house. He watched the sun go close to its peak while he enjoyed an earl grey wordlessly offered to him by Juliet. His eyes scanned the whole range watching the farmland and the people cultivating it in a distance while looking closer and closer reaching the beautiful garden in front of him full of colorful flowers. His gaze then, accidentally, fell upon his ex-laboratory now grave. He probably looked concerned because his mother stopped her passionate discussion with her husband and retracted her eyes to Artemis. Artemis noticed that but before he could say anything Angeline spoke

'Don't worry son we will get it out of there soon enough. We just have to make the arrangements for no one to see us doing so because it would raise suspicion.' Said his mother in a caring tone.

As serious as ever he gave a sigh and answered in a calm, flat tone

'Do not worry dear mother I just want my laboratory. If you let me, I could even work sitting on my own grave.' He gave a forced chuckle which gave the shivers to his mother making her mumble for one more time about IQ and EQ being inverse ratios.