Chapter 151: Until We Meet Again

Chapter 151: Until We Meet Again

The next few days passed faster than Noah expected. Alaric remained in the apartment without bringing the atmosphere of House Aelwyn with him, and for a short time, he was simply Noah’s father again.

There were no attendants constantly entering the residence, no formal meetings taking place around the dining table, and no family officials waiting outside the door. The absence of ceremony made it easier for Noah to forget that Alaric would eventually have to leave.

They developed small routines without ever discussing them. Alaric woke earlier than Noah and usually occupied the kitchen first, which meant something was already waiting on the table by the time Noah came out of his room.

The quality varied enough that Noah continued to question whether his father should be allowed near a stove without supervision. One morning, he stared at an unusually dark piece of bread before looking across the table.

"You burned it."

"It is toasted."

"There is a difference."

Alaric examined it before taking a bite anyway. "Then I prefer mine toasted more aggressively."

Noah shook his head and took one of the pieces that had survived. The ordinary arguments became more memorable than he expected.

They walked through the nearby streets once in the evening and ate at a small restaurant away from the academy district. Alaric wore ordinary clothes and attracted almost no attention, which Noah suspected was exactly what he wanted.

They spoke about people Noah had not seen in years. Alaric told him which distant relatives had married, which had moved to different family territories, and which elderly family members continued complaining about younger generations as though civilization itself had been declining since their childhood.

Noah shared stories from academy life that had nothing to do with rankings or battles. Alaric seemed particularly amused by the mistakes students made during their first attempts at planetary management.

At some point, Noah realized they were avoiding serious subjects deliberately. Neither of them needed every hour together to become another lesson.

That changed on the fourth morning. Noah entered the main room and found Alaric standing near the window with a communication projection floating above his hand.

The projection disappeared before Noah could read anything. Alaric turned toward him with an expression Noah had learned to recognize whenever unpleasant information had to be delivered.

"You are leaving," Noah said.

Alaric gave a slow nod. "This afternoon."

Noah had known the visit would end, but knowing did not make the words easier to hear. He walked toward the table and pulled out a chair while Alaric sat across from him.

"What happened?"

"Nothing dangerous," Alaric said. "The family wants several commanders back in their sectors before the next stage of the recovery begins."

"So they called you."

"They did."

Noah looked toward the dark communication device still resting in Alaric’s hand. Alaric placed it on the table before continuing.

"A few decisions have been delayed because they require the sector lord’s authority," Alaric said. "I cannot reasonably complain after leaving other people to handle things for several days."

Noah understood that, even if he still disliked it. His father had responsibilities that did not disappear simply because he had finally returned home.

"How long this time?"

"I don’t know."

The answer was more honest than comforting. Alaric saw Noah’s expression and added that the situation was stable enough that he expected to move between the ancestral territory and home more freely than before.

Noah nodded because he had already learned not to ask for promises nobody could guarantee. Instead, he shifted toward something Alaric could answer.

"What do they need you for?"

"Mostly decisions that nobody wants responsibility making without me."

Alaric sounded mildly annoyed by that. Some forces needed to be withdrawn while others required permanent assignments, and several local governments were already asking how much military authority they would retain now that emergency conditions were ending.

Noah listened without interrupting. The situation sounded less like war and more like the complicated work that followed once everyone stopped shooting at each other.

"Then there are the planets where civilian administration never fully stopped," Alaric continued. "Those are arguing that military commanders should leave immediately."

"And the commanders disagree."

"Of course."

Alaric leaned back in his chair and folded his arms. "Soldiers do not like leaving a defensive position when they believe the enemy may return, and civilians do not like living indefinitely under military authority after the fighting ends."

Noah understood both sides, which also made it obvious why someone above them eventually had to choose. Alaric had become that person the moment the sector was placed under his authority.

"So you decide."

"I listen to them argue first," Alaric replied. "Then I decide."

That earned a faint smile from Noah. The conversation became quiet afterward, and he found himself looking toward the window rather than at his father.

He had spent months becoming accustomed to the apartment without his parents. Four days had somehow been enough to undo part of that adjustment.

Alaric broke the silence first. "You are angry."

"No."

"Disappointed, then."

Noah did not answer immediately, but Alaric waited without trying to fill the silence. Eventually, Noah let out a slow breath.

"I wanted you to stay longer."

"I know."

The response lacked excuses, which made it easier to accept. Alaric reached across the table and lightly tapped Noah’s wrist.

"I wanted to stay longer too."

Noah looked at him, and his father smiled slightly. "You did not think you were the only person who noticed how quickly these days passed, did you?"

Noah looked away, mildly embarrassed by how much better that made him feel. Alaric stood and stretched before glancing toward the room he had been using.

"Since I am apparently abandoning you again, you can at least help me pack."

"That sounds like something the person leaving should do himself."

"You are learning to argue like your mother."

"You say that whenever you are losing."

"I say it when it is accurate."

Noah followed him into the room anyway. There was very little to pack because Alaric had arrived with one compact case and had never unpacked enough to make the room feel fully occupied.

Even so, Noah found himself folding shirts while his father collected several small personal items from the bedside table. Alaric eventually watched him fold one shirt and frowned.

"That is terrible."

Noah looked down. "It is folded."

"It looks like you attacked it."

"It fits in the case."

"That is not the only requirement."

Noah handed it to him. "Then fix it."

Alaric sighed dramatically and folded it again. Noah watched closely and decided that the result looked almost identical.

"You changed nothing."

"I restored its dignity."

Noah laughed quietly, and they continued packing. Once the case was nearly full, Alaric paused and looked around the room with a suspicious expression.

"I left something."

Noah looked around too. "What?"

"I don’t know."

"That is helpful."

"It is usually how forgetting something works."

They checked the shelves and drawers anyway, but nothing important remained. Eventually, Alaric admitted that he was probably imagining it.

Noah suspected his father was simply delaying the moment he had to close the case. He chose not to mention it.

By noon, everything was ready. They ate one final meal together without trying to make it ceremonial or filling the silence with unnecessary conversation.

Alaric eventually pointed his chopsticks toward Noah. "What are you planning to do after I leave?"

"Rest."

Alaric stared at him.

"For at least part of the day."

"That sounds more believable."

Noah rolled his eyes. "I also need to deal with some personal things before I leave for the camp."

Alaric nodded. "Good."

He did not ask Noah to explain every detail. Instead, he took another bite and continued watching him.

"Just make sure you actually rest before you disappear into another schedule someone else controls."

"I know."

"You say that too easily."

"Because you keep repeating it."

"That is how parenting works."

Noah almost argued, then decided it would only encourage him. They finished eating and cleaned the table together.

Alaric washed his own dishes despite Noah telling him to leave them. When the apartment was clean again, the departure suddenly became unavoidable.

The travel case waited beside the door, and Alaric checked the time before looking toward Noah. "The car should be downstairs."

Noah stood, but neither of them moved immediately. Then Alaric picked up the case and opened the door.

Noah followed him into the hallway. The walk downstairs felt longer than usual even though neither of them slowed their pace.

A black family vehicle was already waiting at the curb. The driver stepped out when he saw Alaric but remained beside the car rather than approaching.

Alaric stopped several meters away from the vehicle. For a few seconds, Noah looked everywhere except directly at him.

His father noticed. "You are doing it again."

Noah sighed. "Doing what?"

"Pretending something is interesting because you do not want to look at me."

"I was looking at the car."

"You have seen that model before."

Noah finally looked up. Alaric’s expression softened immediately.

"I am proud of you," he said.

Noah felt uncomfortable with how much the simple sentence affected him. He tried to hide it by answering quickly.

"You already said that."

"I am allowed to say it twice."

Noah lowered his eyes briefly. "I haven’t really done anything since the last time."

"That is not how pride works."

Alaric placed the travel case on the ground and stepped closer. "You managed while we were gone, and you made decisions without waiting for me or your mother to return."

Noah listened silently. Alaric did not try to make the words more dramatic than they needed to be.

"You also made mistakes and continued anyway," Alaric added. "That part is important."

Noah gave him a faint smile. "You really enjoy reminding me about the mistakes."

"They are more useful than compliments."

"That sounds like an excuse."

"It probably is."

They both laughed, but the laughter faded naturally. Alaric looked toward the waiting vehicle and then back toward Noah.

"There is one thing I want you to remember while I am gone."

Noah waited for him to continue. His father’s tone had become serious again.

"Do not let the fact that people have started expecting things from you convince you that you must always know what you are doing."

Noah frowned slightly, and Alaric continued before he could respond. "You are allowed to be uncertain, ask questions, and change your mind after learning something new."

Noah considered that carefully. Alaric had never been the type to praise confidence for its own sake.

"Just don’t use uncertainty as an excuse to avoid making decisions when a decision is actually required."

"That sounds contradictory."

"It is."

Alaric smiled. "You will understand eventually."

Noah shook his head, thinking that there were probably easier fathers to have. He was not interested in trading.

Alaric bent to pick up the case, but Noah stepped forward before he could turn toward the vehicle. He hugged his father without the hesitation that had been present during their reunion.

Alaric wrapped one arm around him while the other still held the case. The embrace was quieter this time because there was no shock, relief, or uncertainty surrounding it.

Noah did not cry. He simply held on longer than he normally would have.

Alaric rested his chin briefly against the top of Noah’s head. "I’ll come back."

"I know."

"And your mother will too."

"I know."

Alaric tightened the embrace once before releasing him. Noah stepped back while his father adjusted his grip on the case.

Alaric walked toward the car, and the driver opened the rear door for him. Before getting inside, he turned around again.

"Message me when you know when you are leaving."

"I will."

"Not three hours before departure."

Noah smiled. "I will message you."

"Good."

Alaric entered the vehicle, and the door closed behind him. Noah stood on the sidewalk as the car pulled away from the curb.

He expected it to disappear immediately into traffic, but the vehicle stopped briefly at the corner. The rear window lowered, and Alaric leaned slightly toward it.

"And eat properly."

Noah stared at him, but the car turned the corner before he could answer. He remained there for several seconds, somewhere between laughing and being annoyed.

Then he walked back inside. By the time he reached the apartment door, the silence waiting beyond it already felt different.

Noah stepped into the main room and closed the door behind him. The chair Alaric had been using stood pushed neatly beneath the table, and the second cup was gone from the sink.

Nothing remained out of place. Somehow, that made the absence more noticeable.

Noah stood in the middle of the room and listened for several seconds. A few days earlier, the silence had been normal, but now he could almost hear what was missing from it.

He walked toward the table and sat down. For several minutes, he allowed himself to remain there without immediately searching for work.

There was no urgent message waiting for him. No instructor was calling, and no family representative was asking for a decision.

His father had returned, and they had spent a handful of ordinary days together. They had eaten, argued about food and shirts, and spoken about things that did not matter beyond the apartment.

Then Alaric had left because responsibilities elsewhere still belonged to him. Noah could understand that without needing to enjoy it.

Eventually his eyes moved toward the small dark token resting on the shelf nearby. The Empire Military Training Camp invitation remained exactly where he had left it.

Noah stood and picked it up. The silver emblem reflected the light from the apartment as he turned it between his fingers.

His father had his road back toward the ancestral territory, and his mother still had responsibilities of her own. Noah now had a road waiting for him as well.

He placed the token on the table and looked at it for a long moment. The apartment was quiet once again.