Sitting at the dinner table, Kaden still felt shocked from what happened earlier.

Ava’s parents had come by for dinner, and when her father had been introduced as Senator Barlowe, a myriad of things suddenly clicked into place for Kaden.

And if that wasn’t enough to clarify his importance, the man was also accompanied by a unit of combat outfitted men that were obviously there to protect him.

“Congratulations on the landslide re-election, senator.” Camden said, taking a swig of his water.

“Ahh, thank you.” Senator Barlowe smiled. “Politics is alright, and I care about this planet a lot, but my true heart still lies with the company. That reminds me, have you given any further thought to the tier 9 awakening crystal?”

“I’m afraid my stance is the same, I don’t have time for a contract right now. I want to wait until all the kids are off to school.”

“Commendable, really. It’s good for them to have a father figure. But, we can’t hold it for you forever. Perhaps we could wait a year or two, but we can’t have this crystal sitting in our storage forever, it’s too great of an asset,” Senator Barlowe said.

“I understand, senator. Don’t save it for me, you should use it.”

“Very well. But you must return soon Camden, you’re one of our best and it has already been seven years. At most, we can give you, six years, maybe. That’ll give you enough time to send the youngest off to study.”

“This…” Camden looked conflicted. “I have another child coming senator, I’m afraid I won’t be able to return soon.”

“Oh, right. I had forgotten about that.” Senator Barlowe gave Casey’s swollen stomach a glance, not looking the least bit pleased with the matter. “You’re putting me in a difficult situation here, Camden. You still owe quite a bit to the company for providing you with your tier 8 awakening crystal.”

“I understand this senator. But I should still have ample time left to repay it.”

“That you might. Well, just take some time to think it over for now. We’d like to see you back as soon as possible. The company has secured the license to a lot of dungeons, but we don’t have nearly enough personnel to explore them all. We desperately need a capable team leader like you.”

With business out of the way, the rest of the dinner was more relaxed. But Kaden suddenly found himself with a lot to think about. The conversation had been difficult to follow, but he had gotten the gist of it. And with this, he finally understood why Ava was so highly regarded.

Not only was her father the senator representing this planet, he was also the owner of a company. And it was one that Camden owed a debt to.

After they finished eating dinner, the senator and his wife started getting ready to leave.

“By the way, hows the pregnancy going?” Senator Barlowe asked Casey. “Are you feeling alright?”

“It’s rough, but I’m managing. Back is killing me though, and I feel nauseous all the time,” Casey said, shrugging. “I felt like that with Kaden too.”

The senator gave her a friendly smile, the kind that put people at ease.

“Yeah, it was like that for Marlene too, also with both our children. I admire her for going through it a second time,“ He said, looking fondly at his wife.

“Oh, you…” Marlene’s cheeks reddened slightly. “Doctor Lee helped me a lot with the second one. His treatment did wonders for me.”

“That’s true, I had forgotten about that. His son became a doctor too, I believe he is working for the company these days,” Senator Barlowe said and then seemed to have an idea. “You should swing by some time. Maybe he can do something to relieve your pain. It’ll be on me.”

“You really don’t need to.” Casey waved him off. “I appreciate the offer, but I don’t want to be a bother.”

“It’s no bother at all, we're family after all. And besides, if you’re in good shape, perhaps Camden will feel more secure returning a bit earlier.” Senator Barlowe winked at her. “In fact, you’d be the one doing me a favor.”

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“Thank you senator, that’s very kind of you.”

“Think nothing of it, as family we should help where we can.” Senator Barlowe reached into his pocket and took out a sleek black card. “Here, take my card. My secretary’s number is listed on the back. If you call her, she’ll take care of setting it up.”

Looking at the card, Kaden was just able to make out the words Blackfell Corporation embossed in bold golden capital letters.

Taking the card, Casey thanked him again as the senator and his wife took their leave.

***

Casey soon started seeing that doctor on a weekly basis, and she continued to do so for the last few months of her pregnancy. Initially, it had helped a lot, relieving all of her back pain.

But the nausea had gotten a lot worse, and now she found herself dealing with massive head splitting migraines.

The doctor prescribed her some medicine she had to take in the morning and evening, but it didn’t relieve the symptoms.

As the weeks ticked by, she became increasingly worried, afraid that there was something wrong. But the doctor reassured her and insisted it was just normal side effects of the pregnancy.

She sucked it up and dealt with it, silently counting the days, just waiting for her water to break. And when it did, she rejoiced, eager to finally get the troublesome baby out of her womb.

It happened in the middle of the night, and Kaden couldn’t help but wake up from the loud screaming reverberating through the manor.

Soon everyone else in the house was woken up one by one. It was impossible to sleep through it, with the banshee like screams penetrating the walls.

Servants soon came running one by one, with Camden close behind. Kaden just lay in bed, listening to their heavy and rushed footsteps.

Luckily the noise didn’t last forever, as Camden and Casey were soon being taken to the hospital in a flying car.

With his mother gone, things calmed down again and Kaden was thankful that he was able to return to sleep.

He slept peacefully, with his little brother appearing in his dreams.

As he woke up from his dreams, Kaden still had that image of his little brother, lingering in his head.

What did he actually look like? He was excited to find out.

But he never would.

***

Losing his mother had been hard.

She had passed away that night, taking the unborn baby with her.

Kaden had a hard time dealing with the fact that he would never see her again, or ever meet his little brother.

It was his first time coming into contact with death since he had arrived in this world. And to have it be someone so closely related to him? It was tough.

She hadn’t been the best mother, and had been missing for a big chunk of his life… But right when things had been turning better, she was taken from him.

It wasn’t something one could just shake off, but he was doing better, bit by bit, step by step.

But life moved on, and just because she was gone, did not mean he didn’t have his own life to live.

They held the funeral soon after, and Kaden was dressed up in a tailored black suit for the occasion.

Every member of the family was present, both distant and close. There were even many strangers that he had never seen before.

It was Kaden’s first time being outside the manor’s grounds. Looking up at the bright blue sky, he couldn’t help but think that it was unfortunate that it was for something like this.

The cleric said a few words, and then his mother was lowered into the ground.

Standing here on the Holy Church’s grounds, Kaden hadn’t even known they were religious.

They stood in silence for a while, all thinking their own thoughts. The crowd slowly thinned out, as people left to go back home.

When it was just the close family left, Camden took him on a walk through the graveyard forest.

They walked for a bit, just taking in the scenery, not speaking a word to each other.

With a loud sigh, Camden placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. “It’s okay to be sad, I miss her a lot too.”

“I just…” For Kaden, it was hard to put his feelings into words.

“I know,” Camden said, patting his back. “I know.”

“I can’t believe it.”

“Me neither, it was too sudden for all of us.”

They walked in silence for a while, and then Camden kneeled before him, holding both of his shoulders.

“I owe you an apology,” Camden said.

“Why?”

“I… have made some mistakes. Now that she’s gone, I can’t help but feel regret. Maybe if I had been a better husband, she would still be here with us.”

“It’s not your fault, no one is to blame.” Kaden could see the wetness form in the man’s eyes and felt his heart sink on behalf of him.

“But it is. If I hadn’t been so obsessed with potential, she wouldn’t have tried for a second child. No matter how good all of your potentials were, I was never satisfied. I always wanted more.” His father, the strong and confident man who Kaden had never seen cry before, wiped his eyes as the tears started streaming down his face.

“It’s okay…” Kaden’s small arms wrapped around his father. He did what he could to comfort the man.

“I even accused her of being unfaithful. I was so… so blinded by my own arrogance.” His voice quivered. “I’m sorry… I’m truly so, so sorry. It’s all my fault your mother was taken from you.”

“Nobody could’ve known,” Kaden said, pulling back from the hug and placing his own tiny hands on his father’s shoulders, looking into the man’s eyes. “I don’t blame you.”

“It’s okay, I understand if you do.” Camden hung his head in shame, unable to look his own child in the eyes.

“I don’t.”

“R-Really?” Camden hesitantly looked up.

“Yeah, really.” Kaden nodded.

They held each other’s gaze for a while, and Camden slowly pulled himself together.

“Hah…” Camden shook his head, chuckling slightly. “I was supposed to be the one comforting you.”

Camden stood up, sniffed, and then wiped his eyes once more. “Thank you, it means a lot to me. Let’s go back and say goodbye to your mom.”