After a while of holding it in, Eden finally asked, "He’s supposed to be gone... I had a fight with him and all..." He hesitated. "Why is he still able to take over soone’s body...?"
Mr. Albert sighed, staring at him. "I guess his soul beca a vengeful soul. Even after you cleared him of his body... the demon in him preserved his soul, and it road..."
He paused before continuing. "I didn’t expect to see him. Didn’t expect him to co for ... but he did. Suddenly, the Emperor summoned . I didn’t expect to be summoned by the Emperor. But I was. And then I realized... it wasn’t the Emperor..."
Eden gasped, shaking his head. "There was no way out of it. I couldn’t say no. He already had all the political power against , so I was forced to work under him. And for him to not harm my son... I did all his dirty work..." He looked down in sha.
Eden was silent, absorbing every word that Mr Albert said while letting his mind linger through the idea of it and think through it as well.
Mr. Albert added, "Even if I apologized from this lifeti to another, I know you wouldn’t forgive . After all I did to the two of you... it was so inhumane of to ruin your lives like that..."
"You were just kids. Like my son. You had futures ahead... yet I sacrificed all that for my son. I used the two of you... turned you into monsters... and then abandoned you..." He let out a deep sigh.
Eden closed his eyes, absorbing the torrent of emotions while trying to stay clear. After a while of silence and thoughts, he then said, "Even after all you did... did you know I was stupid enough to believe that you’d co back for us?"
He added, "I still had that stupid faith that you’d co back for us and fix everything like you always did. But... it never happened." He shook his head, a bitter chuckle escaping his lips in the mont. "How naive."
The rest of them stood quietly, watching. It was a heavily emotional mont for the two of them. Mr. Albert and Eden poured their hearts out, revisiting the past and the pain they had endured.
No one asked questions; they only listened, piecing together the fragnts of their shared history. And the more they understood, the sadder and more shocking it beca.
After a while of silence, Eden said, "I just hope you can find it in yourself to understand what you did and how grave it was. I could never bring myself to forgive any of that... and I doubt Kyle would either." He smiled faintly, staring up at Mr. Albert. "Maybe that’s your punishnt—living with the guilt of it forever."
They remained silent, staring at each other without words.
Suddenly, Felix asked, "Dad... is this true?"
Everyone paused. All eyes fell on Felix, who had slowly opened his eyes and was staring up at them. He looked pale and weak, but he still managed to scan the room until his gaze rested on his father.
"Son..." Mr. Albert approached him. "You’re finally awake..."
"Is it true?" Felix’s voice was firm; he didn’t want to hear anything else. He repeated the question, directing it at his father.
Mr. Albert hesitated, words failing him. "You... you just woke up..."
"Answer , please..." Felix’s expression was steady, demanding. "Everything I heard... is it true?"
It was clear that even while unconscious, he had heard the discussion—the painful truths between Mr. Albert and Eden.
Mr. Albert sighed. He looked slowly at Eden, who turned casually and said, "Let’s give them so ti alone." He walked out of the room, followed soon after by the others, leaving Mr. Albert and Felix to speak privately.
As Eden stepped out, he staggered slightly, almost missing a step. Adrian and Leo steadied him, their eyes filled with concern.
"Are you okay?" Adrian asked.
Eden nodded with a small smile. "Don’t worry about . I’m fine..." he assured them, though the exhaustion was clear.
They realized the power he had used on Felix must have drained him.
"Are you sure about that?" Elvis asked, standing before him. "You don’t look too well."
Eden shook his head with a faint smile. "I’m fine. Really. I just need so alone ti and so rest. I’ll be fine."
After a mont’s hesitation, Adrian nodded. "Okay. We’ll give you so ti to clear your mind. Call us if you need anything."
Eden returned the nod and smiled faintly. "Sure." Then he walked off.
Soon, he found himself alone on the balcony, looking out into the starry night. Mr. Albert’s words replayed in his mind, refusing to let him go. He couldn’t stop thinking about them.
He tried to make peace with himself, but it was difficult—almost impossible. To forget completely and move on felt beyond his reach. Yet, he wished to, at least to put the Wizard of EL to rest.
---
He stayed there for over an hour, standing by the balcony, gazing at the endless sky.
Not long after, Mr. Albert joined him, standing silently beside him. They both looked up into the stars, letting the quiet stretch between them.
Finally, Mr. Albert smiled faintly. "The stars look so beautiful, don’t they? I wonder... what it would be like to be up there with them. It would probably be beautiful every day..."
Eden said nothing. He continued staring into the night, letting the mont wash over him.
After another long pause, Mr. Albert turned to Eden. "I have a favor to ask of you. Sothing important... a favor I hope you can do for ." He t Eden’s eyes, waiting.
Eden stared back. "And what’s that?"
Mr. Albert hesitated, his voice heavy. "I know you won’t forgive for what I did, and I don’t expect you to. But... I want you to take care of my son."
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