บท 2: A World for You and Me

"Listen, children, I do not have a lot of time left. Some of you are bright, and some of you are pitiful. But you are all gifted when compared to the world."

A youthful but stern-looking man with glasses spoke to the gathering of what amounted to children. Some were a little older being teenagers but for a man who had lived his life, they might very well have been children.

"Listen to me. Any who cowers before a challenge is not worth my investment. Any who cowers before a challenge when alone will cower when it matters.

"And so are not worthy of whatever I can give." Despite the biting words, his tone managed to remain even. He raised his hand to adjust his glasses.

"Get to the point old man." A teenager in the back spoke up. He wore a black shirt that said '#4'.

Including him, there were only 4 other youths present. And one more set aside.

"Right. Tristan here, is the only one who can help me with what needs to be done. So you all will help him when the time comes.

"I've perfected you all to serve your purpose." The man grinned, seemingly only inches away from laughter, until he calmed down.

"Papa? Is that why I have this thing inside me?" The boy looked down to his chest which glowed with a faint gold light now and then.

"To protect everyone?" Young Tristan said with a slight blush on his chubby face.

"You know they say it is hard to match my charm, but how come my son does it so perfectly?" His son was just too adorable.

As for who was saying it maybe only he knew.

The other children in the room looked at the boy with envy, some even looked at him with fear. But none dared to make a noise lest they disturb the pair.

Squatting back down so he could see his son properly, he sighed. "Listen to me… you won't understand what I'm doing now, but you will in the future.

"This is to create a world where we can exist freely. A world for you and me." Then he turned to the other children, causing their hearts to stir.

"For us."

"Yes, Sir." They all genuinely called out.

"None of us are blood related but... we are family. You are all my children as well. Please... help him."

"Hmph." #4 simply snorted and turned his head but that just earned him a laugh from everyone.

…

'I wonder...' Tristan mused to himself as he laid his head on thighs softer than clouds.

While Lilia, the pillow in question, held a constant smile, grinning beside herself. Ruth could hardly stop her face from twitching. What was this? A romcom?

If she knew this bastard was thinking of a man while taking advantage of her Madam like this one could only wonder how she would feel. Well, not that he would care about her feelings.

"Lilia can you go get us some of my special tea," Lilia spoke softly as she stroked his hair.

"...Yes Madam." Left with no choice she walked out of the room begrudgingly. Tristan on the other hand was lost in thought.

Those guys, things didn't work out as planned, unfortunately.

'Father...'

"You know it's strange." Suddenly a voice called out causing him to snap out of it.

He sat up looking at the source of the voice. Of course, it could only be Lilia.

"At any given moment, he always comes to mind." Lilia faced him with a smile.

"Yeah, you know how it goes..."

"Unparalleled before the World." They both spoke out simultaneously only to be stunned by the other's remarks.

But this only lasted a moment before they burst out laughing.

"Haha, he always did say that." Lilia chuckled.

"More like you repeated it so many times my ears nearly fell off..." Tristan spoke under his breath but unfortunately, it seemed he'd underestimated this woman.

Knock!

"..." He could only stare at her as he held back the urge to cry. Honestly, every time he looked at his father's picture, he couldn't help but feel aggrieved.

He was already in the prime of his youth, so how the hell was that shameless womanizer still more handsome than him?

It was only for this reason that despite clearly being more adorable she would still take his side.

"Hehe..." As if reading his thoughts Lilia responded with a chuckle, causing his expression to further darken.

'There was too much injustice! How could the world be so unfair?' The tears started pouring out, earning him an earful of laughter.

"So... did you manage to gather everything he left behind?" Lilia suddenly changed the topic.

"Mostly." Tristan was stunned before he shook his head wiping the glitter in his eyes with a smile.

Nostalgia hit him at her words. He remembered that day, 7 years ago.

The day he wrote a letter and left without a word. Of course, he was naïve at the time and truly believed he left without anyone noticing. But how could he possibly escape when Lilia watched after him?

How good it was to be naïve.

...

"Aunt Lilia. I'm sorry for writing this so suddenly but I have to leave. Since Father is dead I have and fill in his gap in the world. He left me a map with all the things I will need...

There was so much dialogue contained within it. How he liked the tea she always brewed for him. How he hated it when she cut his hair, how was he supposed to look good for the ladies if he couldn't even style it?

"...I can't help but suspect that his death was a part of his plan. The Heart Family will not fade. Please dont come after me. -Tristan."

Young Tristan looked at the letter he had written, his eyes filled with unshed tears that he didn't understand, before he folded it, hiding it under the pillow.

He quietly exited the shack they were in. They were still in The City of Blue and Opal but, Lilia had no ground nor footing here.

To be honest, she had barely ever been to such a backwater place, but they needed to be hidden.

They stayed in the loosest part of the city which would allow them to fly under the radar. Each of them had been assigned a different task and hers happened to be protecting this little boy.

And she had for over a year. They had grown closer than they already were and she already saw Tristan as her child.

One could only imagine her heartbreak as she watched the boy painstakingly write a letter for her using runes to ensure she understood exactly how he felt.

Lilia had spent the last few years trying to ensure he didn't die. And while most of them had given up, there were still a few stranglers who tried their luck from time to time.

She couldn't help but feel anger as she walked out of the shadows. Was this what he wanted?

For his child to chase the same goal as he did and die? She was so angry she knew she should stop him but she just stood there biting her lips as tears fell from her eyes.

It was then it hit her... She was weak! But this realization caused a smile to bloom from her eyes.

"If so I will wait here for you."

"I will create a World for you... and me."

...

Croft Establishments. She had abandoned her health and everything else to ensure he had a place to come back to.

There was only one reason she let him leave. And that was that she trusted his father. He wouldn't make any mistakes where Tristan was concerned.

Not to mention the tracker and talismans she placed on him if she ever needed to find him.

If he knew she put a tracker on him but was forced to think him dead when it no longer sent her signals maybe it would eat him up inside more than it already did.

And now he had come back to her only to tell her he would soon be leaving her again.

She had scoured that area for over a year before finally giving up and coming back in solemnity.

"...Thank you, Lilia," Tristan said as the memories of his past hit him in waves. That same smiling expression was still on his face but, it no longer did anything to stop the tears from pouring out.

It was a strange dichotomy. A tear that embodied the pain. A smile that embodied the pain.