Capítulo 31: SPLIT

The room was immersed in an eerie silence, the tension nearly palpable as all eyes remained fixed on Michael. Jay felt a knot of dread tighten in his stomach, struggling to come to terms with the revelation. "I mean, I thought of it... but I didn't want to believe it was true," he confessed silently.

As Michael began to stutter an explanation, Crystal advanced toward him, her expression a turbulent mix of anger, hurt, and disbelief. She didn't let him finish his sentence before her palm connected with his cheek in a resounding slap, the sound reverberating through the room. Maids and butlers discreetly averted their gaze, while the guards pretended to be preoccupied elsewhere, beads of sweat forming on their foreheads.

Michael attempted to gather his thoughts. "Oh... um... honey... wait, I can explain..." he stammered.

But Crystal's voice sliced through the air like a blade. "What is there to explain? I heard it with my own ears," she retorted, her tone icy.

"So, all this time, you've had another woman and a child, and you never even disclosed it to me?" Crystal's voice quivered with a mixture of anger and betrayal. "Don't call me that!" she snapped when Michael addressed her with the affectionate term.

"We leave," Crystal declared, her voice firm.

The weight of her words hung heavy in the room. Michael was bewildered, unable to fathom the magnitude of the situation. "Wait, what do you mean by that?" he implored.

"Tomorrow," Crystal clarified, pausing for emphasis. "We leave... Jay and I."

"You can't just leave, and he's my son too," Michael protested desperately.

Crystal's words cut deep. "You and whose son exactly? Who's this 'we' you're implying, Michael?" she demanded.

"Jay and I will leave... you and your first wife can live together," Crystal stated, her resolve unyielding.

With that, she walked away, seeking solace in the company of Eleanor, who had been trying to comfort her throughout this ordeal.

Michael remained behind, sinking into a chair as he grappled with the weight of what had just transpired. "What am I going to do now? I've lost my wife," he muttered to himself, a profound sense of despair engulfing him.

Deryl approached Michael, offering a glimmer of hope. "We can find a way to prevent her from leaving," he suggested.

Jay, torn by the rift between his parents, stood before them with a heavy heart. "Dad, I don't know what's happening, but I want to be with you and Mom," he confided.

Michael, though shattered, tried to reassure his son. "Don't worry, son... Mommy is going to stay here with Daddy," he said with a brave facade.

The day slowly wore on, and as Jay contemplated how to prevent his mother from leaving, he decided to seek solace and advice from his father. With determined steps, he left the palace's echoing halls and made his way to the Alchemy workshop.

Passing through the grand garden, he reached the workshop, a sizable structure reminiscent of a modern-day bungalow. Upon entering, he was met with an unexpected sight: Siena, Aria, and Damian were all present.

"My mind is too dirty to comprehend what might have been or was happening in here," Jay quipped to himself, a hint of amusement in his eyes.

"So, this is where the both of you have been hiding," Jay remarked, addressing Aria and Siena, his tone a mix of curiosity and bemusement.

"And when did you and Siena get this close?" Jay said addressing Aria.

Aria responded casually, "Well, you said that friendship will always be there."

Jay, reluctant to delve further into the matter, decided to go along with it.

"So, Jay, is this really your brother?" Siena inquired, curiosity gleaming in her eyes.

"Half... we are half-brothers," Damian clarified.

Jay nodded in agreement. "Yeah, that's right, we're half-brothers," he confirmed, his gaze shifting to Damian, who was busy jotting down notes in a notebook.

Aria chimed in, answering Jay's unspoken question. "Oh, we were just getting to know Damian is all," she explained.

"Ah, the new kid hovering... typical shit," Jay muttered to himself, struggling to focus on the present while his mind was preoccupied with his family's unraveling crisis.

"And you, what's your purpose for coming here?" Aria asked.

Aria's question hung in the air, and Jay replied that he had come to find his father regarding the pressing matters at hand, his concern evident in his voice.

Siena's curiosity was piqued, and she directed her attention to Damian.

"So, Damian, you mentioned having no mana but being able to perform magic?" she inquired, her expression one of genuine interest.

"Yes," Damian confirmed, his tone steady. "I was born with an exceptionally weak mana core, similar to that of a two-year-old child. However, I found an alternative to overcome this disability. I can only perform Barrier magic, but I've honed it to a point where I can use it in various forms to my advantage. For instance, I have a spatial armament, which renders me impervious to physical attacks, and even intermediate magic struggles to breach it."

Jay couldn't help but feel skeptical. "What the hell does he mean by having no mana and yet performing magic?" he wondered silently.

Damian continued to explain, his words captivating the girls. "I've also developed techniques to manipulate my barriers. I can form them into shapes, expand or contract them, and even distort the space within them."

"Bullshit!" Jay scoffed, unable to contain his doubt. He clenched his fist, and it began to glow with a fiery mix of yellow and red, flames dancing around his hand. Without warning, Jay struck at Damian with full force, sparks flying as he aimed for Damian's face.

Aria and Siena's expressions shifted abruptly, their eyes widening in alarm. "Jay! What do you think you're doing?" Aria scolded, her voice edged with concern.

In the blink of an eye, it happened. Jay's fist, just inches away from Damian's face, met an unseen barrier. It was like an invisible wall had materialized, preventing their collision. A surreal silence hung in the room as everyone processed what had occurred.

"No way... no freaking way," Jay muttered, his gaze fixed on his hand. His clenched fist had been stopped as though by some mysterious force, and the aftermath left him awestruck. A tiny bead of sweat trickled down his cheek, his heart racing.

Then, without warning, an incredible force seized Jay, hurtling him across the room and slamming him into the wall. A purple aura surrounded Damian as he stood there, seemingly untouched by the collision.

Jay struggled to regain his composure, his mind racing. He activated his Ethereal Gaze, observing Damian closely. The purple aura that enveloped him was unmistakable.

"That ominous glow..." Jay thought, his eyes narrowing as realization struck. "Aether..."

///NEXT CHAPTER: OPERATION:BARRIER ///

Edited by: JJ

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AUTHOR'S NOTE:

I eagerly await your feedback and comments on the book's progression. Your insights and thoughts are invaluable in shaping the narrative, and your Power Stones are the beacon that keeps my creative flames burning.