Chapter 401: Brother's Talk (1)
The dining hall roared with laughter, and for a moment, Ethan almost let himself get swept along. Almost. He forced a smile, rubbing the back of his neck as his family teased him relentlessly.
But even as the warmth of the moment wrapped around the hall, Ethan's mismatched gaze drifted to the empty chair. Trevor's chair.
The laughter began to dull in his ears, like sound fading through water. His wives' chuckles, Zark's booming laugh, Delphina's innocent joy—all of it dimmed as the hollow space across the table pressed in on him.
His fingers curled against the table's edge.
He wasn't here to laugh with us… he wasn't here to welcome me back.
Ethan's chest tightened, the earlier words replaying in his mind. Trevor is angry at you… betrayed… no faith.
He leaned back slowly, exhaling through his nose. His aura flickered, barely controlled, as his thoughts turned heavy.
The truth was, Trevor's absence cut deeper than he wanted to admit. They had fought side by side long before they were brothers by blood. They had survived wars, despair, and victories no one else could share. Yet now… there was a wall between them. A wall Ethan himself had built.
The laughter at the table softened when Zark caught Ethan's expression. The man's smile faded, replaced by knowing eyes that said this won't go away on its own.
Ethan stood, gently lowering Delphina from his lap. He ruffled her hair, offering a soft smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. "Daddy will be back soon, sweetheart."
"Where are you going?" Harley asked, her voice calm but carrying a note of concern.
Ethan's gaze slid once more to the empty chair. He straightened, shoulders squared, aura steady. "To find my brother," he said, his tone quiet but firm.
The room fell silent. The laughter was gone now, replaced by a shared understanding.
Ethan turned and walked out, the weight of the void and war still heavy on him—but heavier still was the silence of Trevor's absence.
...
Ethan moved through the mansion's corridors, his footsteps echoing faintly against the tiled floor. The light bulbs along the walls flickered as he passed, his aura bleeding out despite his effort to restrain it. His mind replayed Trevor's face at the table—forced smile, hollow eyes, the bitterness hidden behind calm.
He stopped in front of a large door. Trevor's quarters. For a moment, Ethan hesitated, his hand hovering just inches from the handle. A hundred battles, countless enemies, and yet this—this single moment of facing his brother—felt heavier than them all.
Finally, he pushed the door open.
Trevor was there, seated by the window. The moonlight spilled over him, outlining his tall frame and casting his features in silver and shadow. A glass of crimson liquid rested in his hand, untouched. His expression was unreadable, his gaze fixed outside where the gardens stretched into the night.
"Trevor," Ethan said quietly.
Trevor didn't turn. "What do you want?" His voice was calm, but beneath the calm was steel—sharp and unyielding.
"I came to talk," Ethan replied, closing the door behind him. "To explain."
A bitter laugh escaped Trevor's lips. "Explain? Now? After everything?" He finally turned, his crimson-red eyes gleaming like embers. "You left me in the dark, Ethan. You left all of us in the dark. Do you know what that felt like? To realize that even after twenty years… you still don't trust me?"
Ethan stepped forward, his jaw tight. "It wasn't about trust. It was about protecting you."
"Protecting me?" Trevor's chair scraped as he stood, his aura flaring in agitation. "I'm not a child. I'm not some fragile thing you have to shield from the world! I'm your brother. I was your friend before we even knew about blood. And yet, you still chose to carry everything alone. Do you know how that feels?"
The words cut deep. Ethan didn't answer immediately. His mismatched eyes softened, guilt flickering through them.
Trevor's hand clenched around the glass until it cracked, crimson spilling onto the floor like blood. He dropped it carelessly and stepped closer, his voice trembling with restrained fury. "You're supposed to fight with us, Ethan. Not for us. There's a difference."
Ethan finally met his gaze, unflinching. "…And what if I'm afraid, Trevor? Afraid of losing you. Afraid of losing any of you again. What then?"
For a moment, silence hung heavy between them, broken only by the faint howl of the wind outside.
Trevor's eyes narrowed. "Afraid?" His voice rose, jagged as broken glass. "Don't you think I was afraid? Don't you think we all were? But we still stood beside you, Ethan! We bled, we killed, we survived, because we believed in you. Yet you couldn't give us that same faith!"
Ethan's aura flared, the air rippling with the weight of his power. "You think it's that simple?!" His voice thundered, shaking the walls. "You weren't there, Trevor. You don't know the full extent of what we are about to face. This is just the beginning. If I hadn't hidden the truth, if I had hesitated for even a second, everything—everyone—would have been wiped out! It doesn't matter if you can single-handedly deal with an EX-Class beast!"
"Stop treating me like some damned liability!" Trevor's own aura erupted, crimson and black flames coiling around him, rattling the windows. "You always say it's about protecting us, but it's really about control. About you carrying the world on your back because you can't stand the thought of sharing the weight!"
The floor trembled as their energies clashed, silver-gold against crimson-black. The pressure made the glass shards on the ground shiver, the air thick enough to choke.
"You think I wanted this?" Ethan shouted, his mismatched eyes blazing, one like the sun, the other like a frozen star. "You think I enjoy making decisions that tear me apart? That I sleep soundly knowing I've shut you out? I've done nothing but sacrifice—and it's never enough!"
Trevor's chest heaved, his fangs bared, the fury burning in his gaze threatening to consume him. But beneath the rage was hurt—raw, bleeding hurt.
Ethan saw it. And for the first time, his own fury cracked. His aura faltered, dimming. He took a shaky step closer, his voice lowering, breaking at the edges.
"…I wasn't just afraid of losing the world, Trev. I was afraid of losing you. You're my brother… my best friend. If something happened to you because of me… I don't know if I'd survive that."
Trevor froze, the storm inside him stalling. His fists trembled at his sides, power still coursing wildly, but his expression wavered.
The silence that followed was deafening, broken only by Ethan's ragged breath.