Reves looked up at his father, confusion furrowing his brow.
"Father, are we really leaving the city? What about the company?" His voice wavered slightly, reflecting the turmoil stirring in his young mind.
Nathan didn't respond imdiately. He kept his gaze ahead, his expression impassive, like stone.
"I've already assigned soone to handle it," he said, his voice flat and devoid of any warmth.
"The company will manage without us for now." The finality in his tone made it clear there was no room for further discussion.
"But what about our things?" Reves pressed, casting a glance back at their house, where the warm glow of the windows seed like a cruel reminder of the normalcy they were abandoning.
"Aren't we going to pack? What if we need sothing?"
Nathan's jaw tightened imperceptibly. He didn't look at Reves, but his voice dropped, cold and urgent.
"There's no ti. We leave now."
Reves hesitated, an unsettling sense of unease crawling up his spine.
"Father..." he started, but the words caught in his throat. He could sense sothing was wrong—sothing his father wasn't saying—but he didn't know how to ask.
How could he question the one person who had always seed unshakable?
Nathan stopped abruptly and turned, his eyes hardening. He stepped closer, his hand gripping Reves' shoulders with a cold, almost chanical precision.
"Listen to ," he said, his voice still carrying the weight of authority, but edged with sothing darker now.
"We're leaving because it's no longer safe here. When the ti cos, I'll explain. But right now, we have to move quickly. No questions."
Reves searched his father's face, trying to read him. There was sothing… different in his eyes, sothing fleeting. It was the first ti he'd ever seen Nathan show any trace of fear—yet he buried it beneath layers of cold command. His heart tightened, a knot of unease settling deep in his chest.
"But, Father... you're never like this," Reves murmured, his voice breaking as the fear he'd been holding in began to slip through. "What's really going on?"
Nathan's face hardened further, his gaze snapping toward the street behind them, as if expecting sothing—or soone. He took a breath, exhaling slowly, before speaking in a low, controlled voice.
"You're right. I'm not usually like this." His eyes flashed briefly, sharp as daggers. "But tonight is different. I need you to be strong, Reves. Can you do that?"
Reves swallowed, his throat dry. He nodded slowly, the gravity of the situation pressing down on him like a weight he couldn't escape. "I... I'll try."
"Good." Nathan's voice regained a hint of its usual steadiness. He straightened, his eyes cold and distant once more. He placed a hand briefly on Reves' head—a rare gesture, but it held no warmth, only the sa control. "Let's go. Stay close to . No matter what happens."
Reves clutched his small bag tightly, his thoughts racing. The city, once bustling and familiar, now felt alien, its silence oppressive. Every corner seed to hold an unseen threat.
And for the first ti, Reves realized that even his father—always the pillar of strength—wasn't as invincible as he'd thought.
As they walked, Nathan's hand slipped into his coat pocket, retrieving a small copper watch. Its surface was intricate, designed with patterns that seed to hum with a strange energy. He held it out to Reves, his eyes flicking once again to the shadows around them, ever vigilant.
"Take this," Nathan said, his voice as cold and unyielding as the rest of him. "No matter where you go, always keep it with you."
Reves took the watch, his fingers brushing the cool tal. He turned it over in his hands, confused. "Why? What's so special about it?"
Nathan's eyes were cold, but his words were sharp, laced with urgency. "It protects those who aren't Walkers or Ruiners. The watch gives them the aura of a Reality Master."
Reves blinked, trying to process. "Aura of a Reality Master?"
Nathan exhaled slowly, his eyes scanning the area again. "When a walker or an ordinary person enters a Reality Master's Fractured Reality, they're forced to follow tasks set by the Master. Tasks that are personal, tailored to the Master's whims. They're never fair."
Reves shifted, the weight of his father's words settling heavily on him. "But you said—"
Nathan cut him off.
"When one Reality Master enters another Reality Master's Fractured Reality, the situation changes."
"A 'Main Task' is triggered. It's different from the rest. It's not sothing they can control. It's tied to who they are—their story, their purpose, their very existence."
"The Fractured Reality bends to reflect the essence of the Master. And they are forced to play out their own story, unable to cheat, unable to escape."
Reves stared at the watch, his hands beginning to shake. His mind was racing, trying to absorb everything his father had said. This was too much, too fast.
Nathan's voice softened, but only slightly, his gaze now hard as ever. "If you get forced into a Fractured Reality... without , promise you'll find a way out. No matter what."
Reves' mouth went dry, his thoughts tangled in the rush of information. His hands tightened around the watch, its cold surface a stark reminder of his father's words. His pulse thundered in his ears. He wanted to ask more, to push, but sothing held him back. A cold fear settled deep in his gut.
"F-father..." he began, his voice barely a whisper. His chest tightened. "I... I need to tell you sothing."
Nathan's sharp eyes flicked to him. He didn't speak, but there was a flicker of sothing—a shift—in his expression, almost like he knew what was coming.
Reves hesitated, swallowing hard, his voice trembling.
"I'm already a Walker." The words escaped him in a rush, like a confession, a burden he could no longer carry. "I've been one for a while. I didn't want you to know... I didn't want you to worry."
Nathan's expression didn't change, but his eyes narrowed, cold calculation replacing any trace of concern.
"I see," he said, his tone as detached as ever, the faintest flicker of annoyance crossing his face.
Reves recoiled slightly, the sting of his father's words cutting deeper than expected.
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