Chapter LXXIX

Blood's Tale (Part I)

Adriaas led a life in Sectum filled with conflicting emotions. She lived in exile, separated from the aequiteist society where she had grown up, falsely charged with a crime she hadn't committed. In Imperia, however, she found a sense of fulfillment by belonging to Capahuento. Her closest friends, Elchome, Miveria, Remian, and Gruvin, pushed her daily to improve and contribute to the community. Gidit showed her love in ways she hadn’t known before, and even family showed up in a unique and unlikely manner.

It took Bitlan a couple of months to fulfill his promise.

"I was told Zaraz would be here," he said to the new assistant, Libeth, whom Gruvin had hired after firing the previous seven. Libeth was eccentric, hyperactive, overly confident, and annoying to Adriaas. "Is she?" her grandfather asked.

For a while, it felt like their mission to help Pink Camp was part of a surreal dream. Before Libeth could respond, Bitlan’s grandchild entered the main tent, her face a mask of shock.

“It took you a while!” Adriaas greeted him with excitement.

“You can’t imagine the amount of work it takes to get transferred while being a council member,” he replied, his smile warm but weary. “Do you have time? I can come back later if you’re busy.”

It was a slow day, so Adriaas left her apron hanging on the hook. "Libeth, you’re in charge. Gruvin should be back soon," she instructed.

"Copy, solo mission, boss. Furk yeah, I’m in charge! Anything I should do while you’re gone?" Libeth asked, her thrill evident.

"Just make sure Farhias takes his relaxers. Kindalia should stay a couple more hours until his arms fully recover," Adriaas instructed before leaving with Bitlan trailing closely behind.

“Let’s find somewhere private, kiddo. I don’t want anyone to know we’re related. You understand, right?” Bitlan said, scanning the area with caution.

Adriaas nodded, understanding the need to maintain a professional and unrelated appearance to others. “Follow me.”

Having spent almost a year at that camp and exploring the surrounding areas during breaks and moments of solitude, Adriaas knew exactly where to go. She had discovered a small river originating from the nearby mountain. While exploring its course, she had stumbled upon a range of caves that offered privacy . Sometimes, she would sneak away to those caves with Gidit to engage in activities she didn’t plan to share with her grandfather.

“How have you been? I’ve heard you’ve earned a few insignias already,” Bitlan asked once they had walked a decent distance from the camp.

Adriaas smiled, pleased that he had taken an interest in her accomplishments. “People won’t suspect anything about us if you go digging into my life?” she voiced her concern about their relationship's secrecy.

“I have years of experience playing the fool, but those abilities weren’t needed here. My transfer to this council required knowledge about the camp’s essential members,” he explained with a hint of complicity. “Besides, I didn’t even have to ask. My assistant shared details about you the moment questions about the healer situation in Silver Camp came up. I already knew about Gruvin through his reputation, but I was glad to learn that you’ve been building a reputation of your own, Zaraz.”

The compliment was well-received as they walked through the wilderness. “You’re one to talk,” she remarked. “I’ve learned more about you in the past few months from people’s gossip than I ever did from Annevan’s mouth in nineteen years.”

“I didn’t expect any less from my beloved child,” he said sarcastically. “We didn’t have what you could call a good relationship.”

“We’re here,” Adriaas announced as she showed her grandfather the place where they could speak freely without the risk of being overheard.

“Delightful spot,” Bitlan turned to her. “Sorry for taking so long. I had to settle many affairs before leaving Pink Faction. May I have a hug from my granddaughter? It’s been a while.”

Before he could say another word, his grandchild wrapped her arms around his ribs and placed her head against his chest. They connected despite the brief time they had known each other. Whether it was their shared blood, their time in Sectum, or their spirits recognizing each other, it was fulfilling and genuine.

Stolen novel; please report.

“You’re a great hugger,” Bitlan’s smile was filled with tenderness.

“I rarely hug, but I guess these are special circumstances.”

“Of all my grandchildren, you’re the one who most embodies your grandma’s spirit,” he gazed into her silver eyes. “She was a remarkable woman.”

“There isn’t much I know,” Adriaas admitted, feeling a sense of shame. “What little knowledge my brother Zeban and I have comes from our mother, who learned a few details from being with our father.”

“Dealing with pain isn’t one of Annevan’s strong suits, and I’m sure both your grandmother and I are sources of feelings he prefers to avoid,” Bitlan shared, contemplative of their surroundings.

Adriaas walked toward the river, sat on the edge, and removed her shoes, dipping her feet into the water.

“Oh, great. And here I was thinking of taking a drink,” Bitlan rolled his eyes.

“You can go up the stream,” she said, unsure if he was serious.

“Ha! I’m joking with you,” her grandfather chuckled as he joined her by the riverbank and took off his boots. “You can’t imagine the things I’ve put in my mouth to survive.”

Not wanting to delve into that conversation, Adriaas quickly changed the subject. “What happened between you and my father?” She had harbored this question for decades, unanswered.

Bitlan’s posture tensed upon hearing the question.

“I understand if you don’t want to share—”

Bitlan waved her off with a gesture, diminishing the gravity of the issue. “Nah, it’s fine. It’s your family history too, and, if we’re being honest, maybe it’s best if you hear it from me rather than your father. Annevan has a tendency to twist the truth to suit his own interests, stretching the Edictum Vitae as far as he can.”

“I couldn’t agree more.” Adriaas felt refreshed to be with someone who truly understood her father’s nature. “He lied a lot while I was growing up. My brother and I didn’t know what Kabbalistic Centers were until my eight birthday. Supposedly, Annevan was trying to protect us from people who wanted to harm our family.”

“Damage caused by Malkuthians who oppose his centuries-long power accumulation, right?”

Adriaas nodded in agreement.

“Things haven’t changed as much as I thought they would in forty-five years,” Bitlan admitted, his voice tinged with disappointment. “Cases like your father’s make me think Aequiteism needs an update, or Malkuth needs a new system to manage equity, as it was truly intended by the Murmuratus.”

Adriaas pondered how the world would function without the social system that governed their galaxy.

“Well, if you’re ready, I’ll answer your question,” Bitlan said, taking a deep breath and relaxing his feet in the water.

“Since he was a child, we never saw eye to eye. Your father made me feel he wasn’t satisfied with our life. Annevan grew up always wanting more, hardly content with what he had. Your grandmother and I were happy living a simple life, both members of the Tipharet,” Bitlan revealed. “The Third Sephirah was a third branch for Yzenia, smart as only a few.”

“I did not know you we're both part of the Sixth,” Adriaas admitted, taking a moment to process this new information. “I assumed one of you had to be a Binah, like Annevan. Tipharet is the only branch you studied?”

“Yes, and that’s all I needed. Annevan didn’t like that. He was always trying to push us into different Sephirah and explore new things. But, as I told him, once you’ve found what you love and what makes you happy, nothing else can fulfill you in the same way.”

His words made Adriaas reflect on her own path and how she had never felt truly fulfilled until she started training to become a member of the Fourth Sephirot.

“We were Ecobiologists, and our aspirations remained rooted in the soil of Malkuth. We took care of our farm and contributed to the world with our crops. Our home was near one of the first Civitas Permacolae in the world, in Katara, India, where your father grew up until he was fifteen. By then, he had decided that our path wasn’t for him. Annevan was tired of life on the ground and spent his days exploring the nearby Stagnums.”

Imagining her father living on the surface was not a simple task for Adriaas.

“He found an internship in Lodanette, where he trained to become a Chokmah before realizing the Third Sephirah was his true passion. Once he reached superiority as a Binah, Annevan’s ambition was to achieve mastery in every branch emanation before reaching the path to Yesod. Has he accomplished it?” Bitlan inquired.

“The last I heard, seven years ago, he was struggling to complete the Sixth and Seventh branches. Which now makes sense,” Adriaas’ response made Bitlan break into a half-smile, realizing that his son was still struggling to complete his goal.

“Your father has been chasing Netzach ever since your uncle Ennazil effortlessly achieved it at nineteen. I doubt he’ll ever reach it. One’s ego is the biggest obstacle when seeking a place in any of those Sephirah,” Bitlan shared with wisdom.

“So, my dad is jealous of Ennazil?” Adriaas was curious. “He’s the only person Annevan trusts. Not even my mother reached that level of loyalty with him.”

“I would dare to say that he’s the only person Annevan sees as a worthy adversary,” Bitlan gazed at the sky, lost in his thoughts about his children. "Ever since Ennazil reached adulthood and shattered records as a member of the Seventh, Annevan has regarded him as an equal, despite their divergent paths."

"My uncle was born after my grandmother passed away, right?"

"Yes, he was my firstborn from my third entanglement. He has a sharp mind," her grandfather shared, a detail that Adriaas had overlooked, not very close to her uncle. "I was his father for eighty years before my exile."

Eager to uncover more about her past, she decided to ask without constraints, "What happened?"

****

Thank you for reading! See you in "Chapter LXXX - Blood's Tale (Part II)"

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