Chapter 409: Another repentance.

The old man raised his brows curiously. It was quite brazen of Ian to accuse him of heartlessness after what he had done. If the boy had confessed his misdeeds on time, he would not have invited him over for breakfast. Now, Zyra was probably about to teleport back to her shelter and avoid him for a while.

"Go to the Holy church of Concordia after your divorce and ask for Father Romano. You will be given a job and a small apartment. From now on, you will have to survive on your own." The Grand Elder snapped, pointing a long finger at the exit. "You have a terrible character. I hope you can fix it and find peace in the decisions that you have made. This is the last thing I can do for you, for the sake of your mother. Now leave, before I take back my last kindness as well."

Ian bowed his head low, sniffling like a beaten dog, and shuffled out of the manor with his head hanging down so low, that he could not look anyone in the eyes.

Once the drama finally cleared out, the Grand Elder turned to his old friend, Master Grey-drake, looking genuinely embarrassed. "Ah... Frederick, my old friend, I am so sorry. I really thought Ian was a good kid."

Master Greydrake casually reached for a cup of warm tea, taking a slow sip. He patted his old friend’s shoulder with a sudden, hearty laugh. "Ah, don’t worry about it!" Grey-drake chuckled, shaking his head. "Luckily, it was Isabelle he married. That girl moves on from failed relationships faster than politicians forget their campaign promises. Hunter was the only one she clung to for so long. I should apologize for that, I suppose."

The two old men looked at each other, took a sip of their tea, and burst into loud, synchronized laughter, completely over the morning’s chaos. They had politics to discuss, and a world to keep calm.

***

Hunter found Zyra standing by the large glass window in the bedroom, staring down at the courtyard as Ian’s pathetic, slouching figure shuffled out of the gates. He gave the open wooden door frame a light knock to announce himself.

"Hey," Hunter asked gently, stepping inside. "Are you okay? I thought you would be reuniting with Mrs. Munch."

Zyra turned around, letting out a small, tired breath. "I’m fine. Ian is a completely closed Chapter in my life. I don’t care about him anymore and I will not pretend to do so just to please your grandfather. Mrs. Munch and Achilles just left because I don’t need sympathy." She paused, her sharp eyes scanning Hunter’s face, noticing the slight tension in his posture. She crossed her arms. "More importantly...did something happen last night? You only train like a madman at the crack of dawn when something is seriously bothering you."

Hunter pulled his brows together, rubbing the back of his neck awkward. "Well... my father told me something. He’s not my biological father...I had a lot of thinking to do all night. "

Zyra gasped, her eyes going wide as teacups. "What?! Give me the details!"

Hunter shared everything his father had confessed about the secret artificial insemination and the murky family origins. By the time he finished, Zyra was completely lost for words, her mouth hanging open for a good three seconds.

"Okay... wow," Zyra finally breathed out, shaking her head. "We need to drag Trinity out and dig every single piece of truth out of her mouth."

"I was thinking the exact same thing," Hunter said, nodding grimly. "Can we go right now?"

Zyra nodded, but before either of them could take a single step toward the door, she heard a beeping sound.

Both of their wrist link bands buzzed at the exact same time. A message popped up from the Grand Elder: Get down to the lounge right now.

They exchanged a look of sudden urgency and sprinted straight down the grand hallway. When they burst into the lounge, they immediately stopped in their tracks. Andrea was kneeling on the cold floor right in front of the Grand Elder, looking like a wet, defeated puppy.

Zyra threw her hands up in the air and started backing away. "Nope! Whatever family drama this is, it’s none of my business. I have already had enough! I’m leaving!"

"Hold on, if it wasn’t your business, I wouldn’t have summoned you here," the Grand Elder called out, waving a hand. He pointed down at Andrea. "She came here because she wants to ask the family for forgiveness for blindly following Sabrina like a fool."

Andrea lifted her head, tears streaming down her dirty face as she wept bitterly. "I... I am ready to testify against my mother! I am so, so sorry for all the pain and hurt I caused this family!"

Hunter looked down at her with a calm, practical brow. "You do realize that if you testify, you’ll have to serve time in prison too, right? You won’t get off free."

Andrea nodded frantically, wiping her nose with her sleeve. "I know! I’m ready for that! I don’t even want a lighter sentence. Yesterday, I tried calling my friends and none of them wanted anything to do with me. Our relatives hate me. My cards were frozen; I don’t have an energy stone to my name. The clan managers have already started reclaiming my properties, which they say used to belong to the clan and mother stole them. I don’t know where to run to or how I will survive. Especially if the Somnivores are planning another attack like the one on the stadium. So, I would rather stay here than run."

The Grand Elder stroked his white beard and nodded slowly. "Good. First, go and take a shower because frankly, you stink like a sewer monster. Then get some food in your belly, and go hand yourself over to the authorities. After your punishment is finished... I will think about forgiving you."

"Thank you! Thank you, Grand father!" Andrea bowed her head all the way to the floor, sobbed a bit more, and then slowly hobbled away to wash off her sins and her smell.

Once the rest of the lingering family members dispersed, Hunter stepped closer to the Grand Elder and whispered, "Grandpa, I need to tell you... I had a chat with my father earlier."

The Grand Elder shrugged his shoulders, totally unfazed. "Ah, he told me this morning. Kid, at the end of the day, you’re still a Kaelion that does not change."

"Even if I’m... half Somnivore?" Hunter asked quietly.

The Grand Elder gasped so hard he nearly choked on his own spit! His eyes popped wide open. "Where on earth is that coming from!? Horas left that part out!"

"We discovered it, and it’s the absolute truth," Hunter replied, rubbing his temple. "I am half Somnivore. Yesterday, after we found the spaceship, Trinity dropped a subtle hint about it."

The Grand Elder’s face crumpled into a massive frown. "So... the sperm donor was a Somnivore!? What on earth did those two crazy lunatics do?" He shook his head angrily.

"I’m actually on my way to ask Trinity about that right now," Hunter said, turning back toward the door.

"Hold your horses!" The Grand Elder raised a hand, stopping them both in their tracks. "Erase that thought for a second. I didn’t just call you two down here because of Andrea’s dramatic confession."

.