Genetic Ascension novel Chapter 2495

Chapter 2495: A Father’s Duty

Sylas returned to Sky Roaming without much fanfare. He appeared inside the City Lord Mansion, then made his way toward the familiar presence of his parents.

It had been 3 years since he’d last spoken to them. He had stayed aware of what was happening in his world throughout his seclusion, but knowing his family was safe and actually spending time with them were two very different things.

Isolde looked up when he walked in. For a moment, her expression softened, but it didn’t take long for something far more serious to take its place.

"Three years, Sylas."

Sylas nodded, though he didn’t offer an explanation. There wasn’t much to explain, and even if there had been, he doubted his mother would’ve cared to hear it.

"I’ve been taking care of Nosphaleen and Xarvenya while you’ve been gone. They’re both doing well, and I’ve made sure they have everything they need. But that isn’t the point."

Isolde walked up to him and reached out to straighten the collar of his shirt. There was nothing wrong with it.

"I understand that you have responsibilities, and I understand that whatever you’re dealing with isn’t something the rest of us can help with. But no matter what’s happening out there, if you’ve taken on the responsibility of being a father, then you need to be a father."

Sylas looked down at his mother.

He could have explained that he’d spent those 3 years in the laboratory precisely to protect his family. He could have told her that the danger he meant to face was far beyond anything even his current strength could handle without preparation.

However, none of that changed what she had said.

His mother wasn’t asking him to abandon his responsibilities to the world. All she was doing was reminding him that those responsibilities included the people waiting for him at home.

Sylas nodded once more.

Isolde studied his face for a moment, then sighed.

She had raised this boy. Even before the Summoning, getting him to say whatever was going on in his head had been next to impossible. Now he had enough strength to make even the most powerful existences tremble, and that particular habit hadn’t improved one bit.

"Go on, then. They’re in the courtyard."

Sylas gave his parents a final nod before turning to leave.

Isolde watched his back disappear through the doorway, and the longer she looked, the more troubled she became.

She had wanted to say more. She’d wanted to ask how he was feeling, or whether he’d made any progress toward finding Cassarae. But, the look on his face had stopped her.

She couldn’t remember the last time her son had looked quite so empty.

"Isolde."

Cedric’s voice pulled her out of her thoughts.

She turned to her husband, only to find him staring at the same doorway Sylas had just walked through.

"I’ve decided to leave."

Isolde froze. "What?"

"I’ve been thinking about it for a long time. The only reason I stayed this long was to wait for Sylas to finish whatever he was doing in that laboratory. I couldn’t leave without knowing whether he was alright."

Cedric said it flatly, but Isolde had known her husband for far too long to mistake that calm for indifference. It was exactly that calm that scared her.

"Cedric, what are you talking about? Where are you going?"

"I don’t know yet."

He turned to face her.

"But I can’t keep doing this, Dede. I can’t keep sitting around while everyone I care about is in danger, waiting for our son to fix problems I should be able to do something about myself."

Isolde opened her mouth, but Cedric kept going before she could get a word out.

"Paul was my best friend. I’ve known that bastard so long I can hardly remember a time before him, and now he’s gone somewhere I can’t even begin to imagine. And Cassarae..."

His face twisted.

"I watched that girl grow up, Isolde. I remember when she was just a cute little baby, and now she’s a firecracker who’d rip someone’s head off for looking at her wrong. She’s practically our daughter, and when she needed us, what could I do?"

Cedric shook his head.

"Nothing."

He looked down at his hands and slowly clenched them into fists.

"Then there’s Xarvenya. I can’t exactly say we’ve had the warmest relationship, but she’s my daughter-in-law now, and she’s carrying my grandchild. I couldn’t do anything while she was fighting for our sakes. Nosphaleen’s in the same position, and all I can do is sit here while you take care of them and Sylas handles everything else."

He went quiet for a long while.

"I don’t even feel like a man anymore."

Isolde’s eyes reddened.

"You know that’s not fair. You’ve done everything you could."

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