Chapter Eighteen

P A R E N T A L C O N T R O L : GUIDANCE

Osiris became vile.

Mikael watched as Lambert had to knock his son out once again for another check up.

“Fuck.”

Fuck indeed, the King agreed.

She gently laid him down on his bed.

His feet were a mess, again, mana pouring from his soles. Mikael cringed. He recently had to safety proof the entire castle to keep Osiris from burning the place down just from taking a stroll.

Lambert whipped the sweat from her brow.

The little bastard was strong. Not strong enough to do much, if she got serious, but his growth was already that of a twelve year old. Lambert rolled up her sleeves and got to work. She knew being the imperial doctor was hectic, but this… Lambert had to cast a divine circle before she could continue. The little fucker was exhausting her reserves.

“I’ll bring my sister tomorrow.”

Mikael’s eyes widened. He was shocked.

“Is that even a good idea?”

Mikael has yet to see a person his son hasn’t tried to attack. If they get within a spitting distance of him he throws rocks or puffs up like a cornered badger on tonics. On top of this he’s eating everything. This castle has already eaten as much as Zayd’s, and that was telling him something. Osiris was barely nine.

“What else do we have?”

“....”

Lambert finished healing his feet, not that it mattered much. His mana was already recovering so that he could do it all over again tomorrow.

She had to do something.

They were losing him. He was going to kill himself. Lambert’s eyes watered.

She really hoped this helped.

P A R E N T A L C O N T R O L : WEAKNESS

The knock came right as he was waking up.

Adam grunted.

It was the ass crack of drawn, who the fuck-

“Osiris, it’s me, Lambert.”

Fucking Lambert.

“We’re coming in.”

We?

“Hello?”

A child.

Adam shot up, only to smack the fuck out of his forehead.

“Fuck.”

Lambert covered her sister’s ears.

“Language, please.”

“Fuck you.”

Adam paused.

“Go suck a fruit.”

Lambert's smile tensed, but when nothing followed she released her sister from her hold.

“What was that! What’d he say?! Was it a bad word??”

Adam cringed.

He couldn’t act like he usually did around kids.

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The bastards.

Adam’s face twisted nastily into hate.

He really did need some time alone. It’s been nothing but Lambert, the King, Guards, Knights, workers, bells- The enemy was everywhere and the King and Lambert were treating him like a victim. Like he could not function if they were not around. A parasitic, codependent relationship.

Adam knew he needed a hug.

But he’d be damned if he let anyone in this house touch him.

Adam crawled, then rolled out from under the bed. Face grumpy. Once he was in the open air he hopped up and glared at Lambert. He tried really hard not to look at the child. It wasn’t fair when adults use kids as bargaining tools.

“What do you want.”

Lambert released her shoulders. Adam bit his tongue.

“We are here for a check up!”

Adam glanced down.

The little one was cute. Her hair was a richer, deeper black, eyes a dark golden brown. Her face was round and soft. Adam looked back to Lambert.

They must be related.

“I’m watching my younger sister, if you don’t mind.”

“I mind.”

The little one’s eyebrows pinched and her face got stern.

“That’s not very nice.”

Adam watched the child’s eyes tear. He had a cousin once who would cry a lot. No one really noticed that he cried out of anger. He broke a lot of things once those tears stopped.

“Sometimes people aren’t nice.”

“But why?”

The eyes began to shine. The tears were about to spill.

Adam shrugged.

The tears fell. She was upset.

“That doesn’t make any sense. Are you slow-”

Lambert covered Richie’s mouth.

“Let’s be nice, please.”

Adam did not respond to that.

“Why are you here so early?”

“I have a few questions about your gifts for the registry. When a child awakens they are registered to the Blue Tower after their gift traits are confirmed. I haven’t had a chance to document yours yet.”

“What are the towers?”

“Towers are where mages work. Blue is for Intelligence. Red is for Country Defense, such as monitoring the local monster population. The Black Tower is the Prison. Just recently half of the building needed rep-”

Lambert paused before she had the gall to look embarrassed.

“And you want to bring a child around me?”

Adam raised a brow.

Lambert looked a bit scolded. The eye seemed to find it funny as her hands waved and belly slapped the air. Adam hated that thing. He was also no fool. Lambert entered the room guns blazing just in case he attacked her sister. It was nice to see the protectiveness, but it always stings to be on the receiving end.

“It’s just a quick chat, and maybe a meal?”

Adam did need a chill day.

“No.”

“Can you just hurry up so we can go home?”

Adam actually thought about it. He could get behind that.

“What do you want to know?”

Lambert looked at the disheveled, spunky looking boy.

“How about you shower and we go to the garden?”

Fuck.

“Well played, you dollar store dart gun.”

Adam rummaged through his room as the girls went to wait outside. He found clothes, still too big, and went to take a quick rinse. He knew he smelled, it really wasn’t on purpose. He was scared all the time. Showering just so happens to be the last thing you think about when you see a bell roaming the halls.

He stood at the door freshly dressed and ready to go.

“What about your hair?”

“Hm?”

“Your hair. What about your hair? You can get sick if you go out with it wet.”

Adam thought about it.

“True.”

He started the trek to the garden.

The girls were fast to follow.

“You don’t care if you get sick?”

“It’s not going to kill me.”

“No, but it doesn’t feel good.”

“It doesn’t.”

“Then why do it?”

It was really pink in the garden. It was clear his father made it for his mother and the center canopy was decorated with a silver table and chairs. The shade of the surrounding trees looked cool. Different layers of shadow showed just how lush the surrounding greenery was.

“Sometimes I just forget.”

Adam just didn’t have time.

The conversation continued back and forth until Lambert finally decided to start talking.

“So tell me a bit about your gifts.”

“What do you already know.”

“Your feet gift is fire based. We aren’t sure about your eyes since it doesn’t seem to impair you in any way, but that’s all we have. Not much is needed for the registry, but we can’t put your eyes unknown unless you are dead, missing, or unavailable to reply.”

“..”

Adam sipped on some tea.

“I can see in the dark.”

Lambert nodded then scrunched her brows.

“Does it impair you in any way?”

“..”

Adam wondered about this. Telling these people about his gifts. He was sure they would tell him more and he could possibly learn more. But he was also sure his step mother would get ahold of that information as well.

“Sometimes it’s hard to see through the right side.”

Adam settled for half truths.

The rest of the morning went slowly. Adam’s nerves were fried and everyone, but him, looked happy when they left.

He spotted a bell watching through a window.

Adam spent the rest of the day training in his room.