Chapter 60: CH. 60 | Secret Chest From Hana

Miya went quiet for a moment, her expression shifting from warm and friendly to flat and serious.

Then, before long, she burst out laughing, which startled Theo. Even Myra shook her head.

Theo had no idea why they were reacting this way. He wasn’t joking, and what he’d said didn’t even sound like a cheap punchline.

"What the...?"

"Sorry, sorry. I couldn’t help myself," Miya said.

Theo had assumed she’d be graceful and gentle, but that laugh shattered the image he’d built of her.

"I haven’t heard that in a long time," Miya said, "How many years has it been now, Myra?"

"I don’t know, Mother. But today’s the first time I’ve heard it again."

Miya turned back to face him, her expression sharpening as she looked at Theo, "It’s not just you. A few people have come to me claiming to be relatives of Aslan or Hana."

"But you... you’re the first one to say you’re their child," Miya said.

A lot of people have claimed that? Could they know how close Miya was to Hana and Aslan?

"I’m not lying," Theo said.

He pulled out Michelle’s letter and handed it over. Miya looked a little confused, but she took it and read it in silence. Even Myra read along, curious.

Before long, Miya’s eyes went wide after reading Michelle’s letter. She even rose to her feet and stared straight ahead, while Myra covered her mouth in shock.

"So you really are... Aslan and Hana’s son?"

"Yes."

"I came here to find out about..."

"THEO..."

Miya suddenly threw her arms around Theo, holding him tight, which startled him completely.

Her hand rubbed his back and the back of his hair, soothing him, telling him everything was going to be all right.

Theo smiled. He was glad Miya had recognized him. Now there was no barrier left between them.

He could ask her all sorts of things about Aslan and Hana.

She let go of him, wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes, and told Myra to leave the room and hang the closed sign on the front door.

Myra listened and left, obeying her mother’s request. Now only Theo and Miya were left in the examination room.

"So, how have you been, Theo?"

"I’m doing well," Theo answered, "Thank you for welcoming me, Aunt Miya."

"You’re the son of my best friend. Of course I’ll welcome you. I’ll treat you like my own child."

"You were asking about your parents, right?" Miya asked.

"That’s right."

"After they defeated the Netherrealm Empire’s Commander, the Nether Emperor announced a ceasefire to all the human kingdoms," Miya said, "But that ceasefire came after the tragedy of the Arash City explosion."

Theo went quiet for a moment, trying to take in what Miya was saying. There was only one event that could be closely tied to that explosion.

There was no harm in answering with that. Maybe that’s exactly what Miya meant.

"Was that explosion caused by my mother’s power?"

"H-How do you know that?" Miya asked, startled.

"I inherited my father’s power. So I can see what happened in the past, though only specific moments, not a wide view."

"I see. So you’ve already figured out how your power works?" Miya asked.

"You could say that. I just need to find a way to lower my Temporal Status percentage."

Miya listened and gave a short nod. She stood up, walked over to a chair, and pulled it out. Now she sat right in front of Theo, legs crossed.

"So are my father and mother still alive? Some people believe they’re still out there, living in exile."

Miya went quiet for a moment, then called for Myra and asked her to fetch something from her room, hidden behind the bookshelf. Myra knew what she meant and understood.

Before long, she returned to the room and handed over an unlocked chest, but one sealed by Miya’s holy sealing power.

Miya reached out and touched the core of the seal. The golden seal burst apart, spreading mana across the whole room, along with a strong gust of wind.

Theo watched as Miya opened the chest and handed him the mysterious items inside. Theo took them and held the papers in his hands.

There were photos of them with him, a photo of his mother when she was young, a photo of his mother with her party, and others. Theo’s attention landed on the letters, still neatly sealed.

"What is all this?" Theo asked, confused.

"Right before Aslan and Hana left for the red plains, Hana met me here. She left me this chest, unlocked, and asked me to keep it safe until you came."

"I’ve kept it for years, and for years I’ve had people show up claiming to be their relatives. But not one of them ever proved it," Miya said.

"The reason I believe you’re really their child is Michelle. At the bottom of your letter, there’s a seal with Michelle’s signature. That’s the seal of the commander of the White Rose Army, Aslan and Hana’s personal guard."

"That’s enough to prove you’re really their son."

Curious, Theo began reading the letters slowly, silently to himself. They weren’t about Hana’s daily life. They were about him, and about Hana’s hopes for him.

He really was their child, but he didn’t feel any emotional connection to them, as if they were his parents, yet also complete strangers to him.

The reason Theo had come here wasn’t because he missed them. He wanted to know why Aslan had passed his power down to him.

"So after that explosion, were they actually... dead?"

Miya went quiet for a moment, her arms crossed in front of her, then shook her head. She explained that she didn’t know the truth about their condition, but she was sure Hana wasn’t dead.

"Why do you say that?"

"Hana was stronger than Aslan. She had the ability to handle a situation that complicated, and an explosion like that couldn’t have killed her."

"But the kingdom declared them dead to preserve their heroism. They’re the human heroes who saved the continent from destruction."

"If that’s true, why did my father pass his power down to me?" Theo asked.

"That... I don’t know."

"It looks like you’ll have to uncover that truth as time goes on," Miya said. "Aslan’s power is an eye that sees the future. Maybe he saw something in the future that only you could do."

"I won’t know what to do if I don’t know the reason behind it," Theo said.

Miya let out a short sigh, then leaned forward to look Theo dead in the eye. Theo instinctively shut the chest again.

"Listen to me, Theo!"

"The future is a mystery. You can see the future or the past, sure. But if you look too much, that mystery loses its meaning."

"Even if Aslan had told you, then maybe the future he wanted would never have come to pass."

Miya reached out and gripped Theo’s hand tightly, "He passed it down to you because he believed you could do it."

"What you need to do is stay alive, live your life, and be of use to everyone around you."

"That’s what Aslan and Hana wanted for you, not some reason behind that inherited Authority."

"Maybe if you do that well, you’ll realize what your power is for," Miya said.

Theo took a deep breath. What Miya said was exactly what Avara had told him. Maybe Theo really did just need to live his life and let the mystery unfold on its own over time.

He held the chest Hana had left for him tightly, then stood up straight as the two of them finished talking.

"Of course," Theo said, "If that’s what they wanted, then I won’t let them down."

"I’ll use my power wisely."