We came inside the palace with our holding hands. And we found Haiban in the grand staircase, caressing Acro on his arm. He's on his own other than their pet. I presumed what I saw earlier was just an illusion. Also, Haiban is literally waiting for our arrival.
"You came back from the future, my child! You're my very first worthy challenger!" he greets.
"You came from the future?" my mate asks.
I said, "Yes."
"Wow... Lots of strange things happened because of my father. Does the future smell like pirates?"
"What? That's not important and it's a long story!" I couldn't help but sniff my skin! That lousy pirate schemed this! Haiban is laughing and says,
"I would like to hear that story! How did you get back? How do you plan to stop me now? I've already annihilated more than half of the werewolf population." 5 spellbooks appeared around him and he picks one before the other 4 ascend to disappearance. "I have more cards than you think."
"Are you trying to say that we're hopeless? No. You're the hopeless here, father. If you keep marching on this stupid decision you'd made, you'll be the most failed person I've ever known in the future that we're trying to prevent. Please stop this nonsense before your remorse does to you. Take back the lives you'd taken away and get a life with your son."
"... I see. You're using my son against me." His voice husks and he activates the spellbook in his hand. His happy eyes darkened. I forgot to speak respectfully again! The magic flinches when Hessuel shouts,
"Father!!"
"..."
I almost paused from breathing while waiting for Hessuel's impactful lines! I squeeze his reluctant hands. The problem is rooted in family matters. Other than claws or magic, this might be solved by family reconciliation, too. This is the first time wherein my success will depend on others. The best I can do is support him and keep the conversation toward a fruitful ending. My love for dogs helps my patience. And then he whispers to me,
"Dan, I don't know what to say. Could we rehearse outside for a while?"
"What!?" I screeched. We're doomed sometimes whenever we work together.
"We've never talked for centuries. I don't feel acquainted."
"For a professional seller like you? That's unusual."
We both froze when Haiban spoke. "You've restored your real body now? And you did not resist? What would happen if the moon called again? You're not saving your beloved."
Hessuel responds, "I would rather stop you than stop myself. Please clarify. Moon Goddess isn't calling anymore. Anything you do is your own choice and so am I. Are you still doing this for mother?"
"... Well, I lost her forever. How do you expect me to be the same? You're right. It's my choice. I want all the werewolves gone."
I know that loneliness. And I've been there. It's a powerful opponent inside one's soul that shall surely drown its victim in the depths of darkness. The curse of mate-bond. But there's a key in every curse.
There's a tiny light in every darkness... unless the victim chooses to close their eyes forever because they'll never see again the beloved person they'd lost. But knowing that Hessuel is here right in front of him, it's disheartening that he had lost his affection for his son, too. The gaping gap between them is getting wider.
Hessuel releases my hand in a blink to attack his father; he was on the stairs when Haiban magically turns the stairs into a slide, so I pushed Hessuel by my enchantment to his father, and he grabs his father's neck to press him on the wall. Hessuel's silver fangs and claws are unleashed.
"Do you think this will bring mother back!? You're putting disgrace to her name! You're not doing anything better on her behalf! This will only darken the reputation of silver wolves."
Gradually, Haiban grips Hessuel's wrists to push them away with the help of his beast strength too. He quickly spins to switch places with his son and now he's pressing Hessuel on the wall.
"Hessuel!" I automatically formed my enchast but he told me not to meddle yet. I canceled my magic and pouts.
"The notorious reputation of silver wolves is not my fault," Haiban continues. "We were born with the stigma. That was how the Moon Goddess created us. We are the living weakness of werewolves and we ought to be their fear. We will follow every word of the goddess. This responsibility came from her. Didn't Lerouka teach that?"
Hessuel swipes his father's clenches. "She did. But you taught me the opposite. I lived among humans according to your plan. I adopted humanity in some aspects. And one of the most precious rights they have is their ability to have their own thinking before they choose what instinct tells them which is better.
"You taught me that humanity can be adopted, that seeing the different lives of every pack can help me create a way to understand and unite them, and that werewolves can live in harmony with humans. You know these because you live among humans, too. So why do you keep on doing this?"
"..."
"Wasn't my mission to kill Sr. Amos enough? Wasn't using me to avenge mother and the silver wolves enough? Are you not proud… of me?"
"... No. Those were not supposed to happen."
I heard the crack of Hessuel's heart. They were truly torn from the same cloth, Hessuel was adamant like his father 6 or maybe 9 months ago. Now I'm pretty sure where this is going. Hessuel scratches his father's face and he is pushed on the stairs! I caught him but shifted onto a beast to escape me. Hessuel leaps above the stairs and harshly kicks his father!
"Hessuel! The plan...!?" I questioned but he resumed his fray against his father. I don't want to abuse animals from the beginning as much as possible!
Haiban shifts into his Intelligence, and shields himself inside the dome of enchast when Hessuel is unstoppable. He pierces his claws into the dome and says, "I used to be proud of you being my father. What a shame."
Haiban's tactics are inconsistent, this means he's emotionally disturbed. However, Hessuel is the same! His restored strength is enough to break his father's enchast and they exchange offenses. Meanwhile, I called Acro to study the magic within her. Hessuel said that he can hear Acro's voice. I concluded that she can be useful. On the other hand, I must stop their futile fray.
I tossed a tiny ball of enchantment, caught it in my clench, and threw that to them. A transparent wall intervenes between them and in my gesture, that wall pushes them away from each other by strong vibration. Their wounds are healing rapidly. I stood beside Hessuel, slid my hand to his hand with his furious claws, and pressed him on the chest.
"This will not work! Remember, he's still your father. Try to calm down first," I advised. He purses his lips to pull back his silver fangs and his claws roll in again. He did it while staring at me—if that helps him—so I smiled. "Father," I speak to Haiban, "Is your son as important to you as your wife? Do you love him?"
He can't smile anymore, and he responds, "... I don't want to give myself a chance to say no."
"Me, too. He's important to me. I love him. And if you love someone, you will do your best not to harm them. You will hold tenderly the things precious to you. Will you not do the same for him?" I touched the transparent wall and it reduced into dust. "The werewolves have their loved ones to protect too. I understand their agony. They are important to me. So if you're going to kill them..."
"You have to kill us first," Hessuel dignified. We're keeping our hands holding each other as we stand in front of his father.
"..." He's typically observing us silently.
"Can you do it, father?" I manifested my spellbook, then the glow radiated under my soles; a red carpet magically appeared, lights on the chandeliers glow, floral vases lined up, the hall turned brighter, thin white and yellow fabrics sprouted with the chandeliers, and it all showered sparkling petals of dandelions. I continue,
"You once told me you want to be a good father. You want to see your son fall in love, get married, and have his own family. You want to see the best in his life." I flicked a bowtie on Hessuel and his clothes transformed into a groom's outfit—even he himself is amazed. "You want to see your son enjoy most of the happiest things in life. Although werewolves don't have a marriage, we're both looking forward to our wedding day. And that will only happen with your blessing... and if you choose life instead of death—where there is no happiness forever for werewolves."
"... How shall I turn my back from my Lerouka?"
"No, we won't," Hessuel answered. "Not all presence comes from the physical. Mother is present in my memories, turning my back on her means forgetting her but no, we won't do that. We are all traveling on the same road, some will stop, some will not. Those who stop will watch others how far they'll achieve, and those who don't will keep the trek on behalf of those who stopped as well. That's the least I learned late from Alpha Shio.
"We won't leave mother behind. If we ever have to turn our back, we should turn our back from the pain of her death that contaminates our choices, and from the massacre which allures us to our ego. Because those are not humanity."
I said, "You told me to keep walking forward and looking forward unless it'll hurt your neck if you're walking forward while looking backward. Stop hurting yourself, father. Don't carry your remorse in your everyday present."
"Else, it'll make your future pale. We don't deserve her death... but we deserve to move on, too."
I look at my mate—who's filled with wonderful words at the present time, and he's smiling at me now.
"All I can see," Haiban speaks in a lowly voice, "is two love dogs guarding their romance." He smiles plainly.
"We're doing this for you, too, father," Hessuel said. "And one thing is missing." He lifted my hand gently to spin me and when I noticed his intention, I played along. After spinning twice, my dress enchantingly turned into a white wedding gown. When I look at him, he's completely mesmerized by the sight of me which makes me giggle at him. I squeeze his burning cheeks. "... Can I... kiss the bride?"
"For a prenup? Sure."
"No! Wait! Stop!" Haiban exclaimed. Almost every sense of me was shocked and apparently, all my illusions of a romantic wedding vanished—everything turned back to normal! "This love is too perfect to be ruined by other werewolves. Your love doesn't deserve to sprout in the center of these creatures."
"What're you talking about? Werewolves love, too. Destroying theirs' to preserve ours' is selfish love—"
"Yes. Perfection... But I'm warning you."
Hessuel says, "It's not about what will ruin the love, it's about how love can conquer the ruin. Right?" And he cuddles my arm to sniff my shoulder. It's cringing me but I can keep up!
"I'm sorry... but I cannot allow you to tread on thorns like me, son. I am a father too." He quickly manifests his other spellbook and it emits a sharp shockwave! Hessuel covers me in his arms and we both fall to the ground, later on, he's starting to shiver intensely. I caught a glimpse of Haiban crossing the door to Asfara. I don't understand what's in his complex mind. But one thing is for certain: he's still going to kill the remaining werewolves in Asfara.
"No! Father, don't do this!!"