A Thousand Years of Hope Ch 4-1

Tani sat in the library until the sun disappeared from the horizon. The night filled the skies and the house filled with light from the lamps mounted on the walls. The library door opened, and in walked a tall man. Tani looked at him because it was the first motion in the room. The tall man was dressed in a black tailored shirt and dark trousers. His feet were in leather sandals. His red shoulder-length hair was in a short bun. The light from the lamps illuminated his chiseled features, his sharp green eyes reminded him of a fox studied Tani. The tall man narrowed his gaze as he turned on the closest lamp.

“Why sit alone this long?”

“Uncle Amu,” Tani said in greeting not making a move from the armchair. He leaned his head back to stare at the mural on the ceiling.

“How is my mother?” Tani asked after a moment of silence. He knew his uncle had come from visiting the Ekho Realm. Unlike Tani, Amu could come and go as he pleased.

“She is well,” Amu said, not saying more. He sat in the armchair across from Tani and touched the lineage book on the stool where Cale left it. “You’re brooding over the mortal.”

“He’s no longer mortal,” Tani said. “He is a warlock born with fire.”

“Interesting,” Amu said with a sigh. “You are finally gaining some luck.”

Tani sat up then and met his uncle’s vivid green eyes.

“Did you interfere with his lineage?”

“Why bother?” Amu asked. “Tani, do you remember my first reaction to you binding your soul to him?”

Tani smiled and dropped his gaze to his lap.

“You beat me with a broom,” Tani said. “Then threatened to kick me out of your house.”

“I’ve never hidden my feelings on the matter,” Amu said. “I’m relieved your calamity is ending. You can return to the Ekho Realm and live the life you deserve. You’ll forget the mortal soon enough.”

“Uncle,” Tani said, used to this statement from his uncle. “I’ve been sitting here thinking that I don’t want to forget him.”

“Your inability to let him go is always your greatest weakness,” Amu said. “So, what have you decided sitting here in silence?”

“I wanted to give up,” Tani said. “Let it all go after all this time. Walk away.”

“How futile,” Amu said. “Tani, you took the step to fight for him, despite me, your father, and the Septum. Finish it. At least when you face your father at the end of it, you will have no regrets.”

Tani frowned.

“You think I have regrets?”

“Don’t we all?” Amu asked, his right brow rising in question.

Tani scoffed.

“Perhaps,” Tani said. “Okay. I’ll face Dante Arturo, to save him from whatever kills him.”

“It will be to save you too,” Amu said. “You’re lost in a world of wasted hope. I’d love to see you free of it.”

Tani shrugged.

Hope was starting to dwindle away. He did not have the strength to hope with the energy he had used at the start. Now, his hope resembled a very small candle burning in a dark room. A breeze threatening to turn off the light every second.

“One last time,” Amu said, as though reading his thoughts. “Tom has cleaned up your identification. In case your dealings with Dante make him curious.”

“Thank you,” Tani said, rubbing his forehead with his left hand. “Um, Uncle Amu, is it possible for a bloodborne warlock to sense an Ekho’s presence?”

Amu frowned.

“Never heard of it,” Amu said. “Our illusions are quite strong, unnoticeable to the mortal eye.”

“Even with a warlock?” Tani asked.

“Yes. Our magik blends different from a mortal warlock,” Amu said.

“Hm.”

“Why?”

Tani studied the bandage on his right palm. There was no need to hide his wound. Hera would have already shared the incident with Tom. Tom would have told Amu.

“How strong does an Ekho need to be to create a bloodborne warlock powerful enough to burn me?” Tani asked.

Amu’s gaze lingered on Tani’s right palm. When he looked up to meet Tani’s gaze, his green eyes were full of sadness.

“None in the lower clans can make a fire warlock,” Amu said. “Not even our fox clan can manage it.”

“So, it is an Ekho in the immortal clan,” Tani said.

“Yes,” Amu said. “Not just the immortal clan, someone in the Septum itself. This is dangerous knowledge to have, Tani.”

Tani scoffed.

“They punish me for loving a mortal,” Tani said. “Yet they are wandering the mortal realm leaving offspring behind.”

“They are not bonding their souls to mortals,” Amu pointed out, his voice tinged with bitterness.

“You’ve never forgiven me.”

“No,” Amu said. “Because it hurts your mother—”

“Hurts my mother,” Tani cut in, shaking his head.

Anger rose inside him so deep it threatened to choke him. He swallowed hard and glared at his uncle.

“She hurt me first!” Tani said, raising his voice, unable to hold back his dissatisfaction with his mother.

“Tani—”

“She. Hurt. Me. First,” Tani said, pointing a finger at Amu, as he stood up. “You don’t get to bring her up to me. I’m the child she still can’t stand to look at because of her forbidden love for my father. I remain abandoned by her to this day. I will not hear of what she’s suffered.”

Amu held his words.

Tani turned away from his uncle taking in deep breaths to calm himself. He worked at not thinking about his mother. Tried not to remember the expression on her face when she last looked at him. He wished he could forget the hate he read in her eyes. He did not understand why she broke down in heartbreaking sobs when she looked at him.

Tani stared at his right palm and shook his head.

“You’re right about one thing. It’s my fault for being as weak as she was with my heart,” Tani said. “I dragged Dante into my world. I’ll save him from it.”

“You can’t make such promises, Tani. I could not save your mother,” Amu said. “I could not save you from binding your soul to a mortal. What I’m trying to tell you is that you cannot save someone who doesn’t think they need to be saved. Free will is not something you can stop.”

“He will not die because of me,” Tani said. “I won’t let it happen. Do we agree?”

“Yes, sounds fair enough,” Amu said.

“I will not ask for forgiveness from you,” Tani said. “You are right about my choices to bind myself to Dante. My love was freely given. It is not wrong. I don’t regret my choices.”

“I don’t expect you to ask for forgiveness,” Amu said.

Tani nodded and started for the door, cured of sitting in the dark now.

“About your mother,” Amu said.

Tani froze, standing still, holding his breath.

“She asked about you,” Amu said, his voice low, careful. “Your mother gave me three apple trees she’s been tending to mark your born day. She was sorry she missed it last month. Do you want to plant them?”

Tani closed his eyes, fighting down the urge to lash out at Amu for bringing up his mother. Thinking about her always left him feeling unhinged. Like a wildling lost in the forest without kin.

“I’ll think about it,” Tani said, and left the library with fast steps.

*~*~*~*~*

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