"E-Errol?" Shin was barely able to say his eldest child’s name. Looking down, all the Rank 78 Spirit Emperor could see was a glossy viridian head. The sweet, simple smell of shampoo tickled the man’s senses as his son’s body heat was transferred onto his chest.
No... It wasn’t just body heat that Shin was feeling. Errol’s eyes were overflowing as crystalline beads dripped onto the Spirit Emperor’s shirt. Snot flowed down from the ten-year-old’s nose and continued to stain Shin’s pristine white shirt.
Errol had just reverted back to calling Shin Papa, the word that Errol had used to refer to Shin from the very moment he could talk. As Errol grew older and learnt proper etiquette from the Kanari and Lady Seph, he’d changed his way of addressing Shin to the more formal ’Father,’ and it had been years since Errol had called Shin Papa. Thus, it had thrown the Spirit Emperor into a state of shock and nostalgia.
"Papa... Was it painful?"
"Huh?" Shin was baffled. In his imagination, Errol should be aghast that Shin had killed Junius, whether it be right or wrong. Shin was ready to be hated by Errol. He was even willing to take a knife to the gut if it meant that his eldest son would be appeased. However, a funny thing happened. Errol wasn’t showing any signs of rage or bitterness. He wasn’t even burning in hate for the man who killed his biological father. Instead...
He was asking if Shin was alright...
"Father... To be completely honest, I don’t understand a lot of what you’ve just said," Errol admitted. After all, he was still a ten-year-old who had just awakened his Spirit. Errol lacked the analytical intelligence to fully comprehend the gravity of what Shin had explained to him. However, the young boy’s emotional intelligence was anything but lackl.u.s.tre.
From a young age, Errol knew that he was adopted. After all, anyone with half a brain could tell that the young boy didn’t hold any of Shin or Kanari’s characteristics. Hence, Errol was forced to mature a little more quickly than his peers. Shin and Kanari might treat wholeheartedly treat Errol as their eldest son, but the reality was far from that. Hence, many servants and seniors barely paid Errol any heed.
Errol knew that he was treated differently by outsiders, and at times, it had hurt him significantly. However, Shin and Kanari never mistreated him one bit, often showering Errol with more love than that of his younger siblings. In the young boy’s mind, Shin and Kanari were his parents... His true family. It didn’t matter if he were adopted or not.
And to repay the family that took him in, Errol had made a silent resolution to grow up quickly so that he would no longer be a burden to Shin and Kanari. Awakening his Spirit was the best first step. Errol was thrilled to become his family’s sword, much like Shin was the heroic blade that protected the planet.
So... When Errol was told of the truth behind his heritage, he was somewhat... relieved.
For the longest time, the biggest question mark that Errol had was... Who were his biological parents? Did they abandon him when he was born? Or had they passed away during the war against the Black Masks? Errol wanted to know...
And fortunately, he would learn everything today. Errol finally understood why Shin had treated him so dearly throughout the ten years that he was raised. He was finally aware of his true parentage and more importantly... His true relationship with Shin Iofiel, the Prince of Water.
It had all begun with a dysfunctional pairing, one that brought both Junius and Shin into an abyss of endless pain. Errol wasn’t smart enough to comprehend everything that Shin was trying to say, but he could tell the amount of pain that his father was in. The young brain of Errol could tell... Shin was hurting from the deepest part of his core. Errol had never seen his father in such a state before. For the longest time, Errol had looked up to Shin with eyes of reverence.
Shin was called the World’s Hero, the man who brought the Black Masks to their knees and unified a fractured planet. When they would walk down any path, people would stop just to shake Shin’s hands. There was an air of nobility shrouding Shin, and everyone felt compelled to drop their heads to Shin’s dignified aura. He was the man among men. The King among Kings.
Yet... At this very moment... Shin looked so... damned... small.
"Papa, you were hurting right?"
"T-That..." Shin gulped, as his hands unconsciously reached for his son’s back. "Yes... Yes, I was..."
"I see..." Errol, who was still in the midst of tears, separated his face from Shin’s chest and looked the man in the eyes. "Papa... I don’t know whether what you’ve done in the past was right or wrong. I don’t know anything about my real father or anything about the Awter Clan... But, I know that you love me! I know that you and mother loved me like your own! How could I possibly come to hate you, Papa?"
"E-Errol! But!"
"Papa..." Downcast, the boy dropped his head while still in Shin’s embrace. "Are you taking care of me because you feel guilty for killing my real father?"
"T-THAT!!!" For the first time since entering the dojo, Shin raised his voice. Even if Errol were to raise his hand and smack him down to the floor, Shin wouldn’t feel the slightest bit of rage. However, the moment that Errol suggested that ludicrous claim, Shin felt his heart wince, and body convulse.
Yes, in the beginning, Shin admitted that he only took Errol in because of the guilt that he had. However, as the years went by, Shin had truly seen Errol as one of his flesh and blood. It didn’t matter if someone were to question his lineage, if Errol wanted to take over his inheritance, Shin wouldn’t bat a single eyelid and write Errol’s name in his will. That was how much Shin thought of Errol as his own.
Shin knew all of Errol’s tells. How he rubbed his nose when he was telling lies. How he would smile stupidly when caught misbehaving. And... How much Errol loved his younger siblings, much like how Junius did with the other orphans. To Shin, Errol wasn’t just Junius’ son... Errol was his own... legacy.
"How can you say that?! I would never-!"
"That’s all I need to know..." Errol smiled and dropped his head back on his father’s chest. It was comforting, staying in Shin’s chest like he did in the old days. Now that Errol was ten, he wasn’t all that willing to be pampered by his father as much as he did before, but ultimately, the young boy couldn’t resist the familiar warm embrace. "Papa... You don’t have to worry. I would never come to hate you or mother or Cassiel or Luciel or Uriel... Unless... You don’t want me here?"
"There’s no way!!!" Shin shrieked in a voice that even he didn’t know existed. How could Shin even fathom chasing his own eldest son out? He would execute himself if that mere thought crossed his mind. "I swear to you, Errol! As long as you’re willing, you can stay as my son forever! From this day to the end of time!"
"Then that’s enough..." Errol smiled before finally separating from Shin. He looked at his father in the eyes. Gone were the anxiety that made Shin seem small. Right now, as he gave Errol his oath, Shin was the indomitable Prince of Water, the Hero that saved the world.
"Papa... No, Father... I won’t blame you... I could never hope to..." Errol shook his head. "All I ask for... Is for you to love me all the same, then I’ll be content..."
At that point, Shin was unable to hold back anymore. His eyes reddened, and his throat got choked up. Like the hopeless father that he was, Shin brought Errol into his arms and wailed out like a child. "My son! My son!"
"Yes, yes..."
Neither of the father-son pair could tell, but a shadow waiting outside dropped to her knees and sobbed as well. Kanari, who had been listening in on the conversation, was virtually in the same state as her stupid husband and child. However, her tears weren’t one of sadness, but ones of pure bliss and joy.
Finally... Errol had finally become...
The Prince of Water’s Eldest Son.
✵✵✵
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