Side Story: Missing Alper part 4
House Luminari POV
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House Luminari, a minor clan under the umbrella of the major House Celestium, may not have rivaled the strength of their main house, but they were far from an entity to be taken lightly.
Maintaining a stance of neutrality amidst the intricate web of major and minor clans, House Luminari wasn't met with either intense animosity or ardent admiration. Nevertheless, they commanded respect for their astute decision-making and adherence to a principled code of conduct.
While they were generally passive, House Luminari was far from powerless. Despite not actively forging alliances, they had earned the respect of others, and crossing paths with them meant provoking the entire community.
When Alper, the sole heir of House Luminari, went missing, the assumption wasn't an immediate leap to kidnapping or assassination. Rather, the prevailing belief was that Alper had merely lost his way, prompting an immediate launch of a search party to locate the missing heir.
However, the initial optimism and hope started to wane as hours turned into days.
"Could Alper really have gotten lost? Or perhaps, he's been kidnapped?"
"Could there be a spy among us, orchestrating this disappearance?"
"Are we facing unseen enemies, plotting to weaken us before a major attack?"
"Could bandits have captured him, selling him into slavery?"
As time passed, the speculations turned darker, spanning from the common soldiers to the highest echelons of House Luminari. The unsettling truth was that Alper, with his sweet and innocent demeanor, had endeared himself to nearly everyone in the clan. A child who only wished to play and contribute to the well-being of his people, who was now lost.
While the entire clan shared the burden of anguish, none bore the weight as heavily as Alper's family, especially his parents.
Lord Alaric, a charismatic and chivalrous leader with a strong sense of duty, had transformed from the affable friend of everyone to an impatient and depressed figure. His once benevolent orders now carried a harsh edge, and he constantly teetered on the brink of snapping, the turmoil threatening to engulf everything around him.
Aria Stormweaver, Alper's mother, embodied a scholarly spirit and a walking encyclopedia. Her jolly and adventurous nature had previously drawn people toward her, but now she languished in her room. Consumed by depression, she clutched a picture of herself with her son, tears long dried. Aria neither ate nor slept, seemingly resigned to the pain life had dealt her.
Her weakness had reached such a point that she had collapsed three times already. The maid assigned to care for her health was repeatedly dismissed, as Aria seemed to have given up on the will to live.
Upon learning about his wife's deteriorating condition from her maid, Lord Alaric immediately delegated all responsibilities related to the search for Alper to his commanders. He rushed to his wife's side, fear gnawing at him, fearing the loss of another loved one.
"Aria!" he cried as he burst into their room. The sight that greeted him shook him to his core. The pent-up anger and frustration that had festered within him for days dissipated in an instant, replaced by profound concern.
The night light cast a feeble glow through the open windows, revealing a dark and cold room. The chilling breeze sent shivers down Lord Alaric's spine as objects lay scattered, creating an eerie, abandoned atmosphere. Aria sat on the bed, hugging her legs, with a picture of her son by her side.
Seeing his wife, Lord Alaric's worry deepened. Aria exhibited no emotions, having refused food and appearing extremely frail. "Oh, Aria," he called out again, his words now filled with genuine concern. Aria seemed like a mere shell, her body giving up on life, eyes devoid of luster, and her once-white platinum hair now appearing grey, as if she had aged a hundred years.
She lifted her head from her knees, the effort seemingly taking a toll on her fragile body. A flicker of hope crossed her eyes upon seeing her husband. "Alaric... Did you find him?" Her voice, weak and strained, added to the pain evident on Alaric's face as he witnessed the state of his wife.
There were countless things Alaric wished to express, but, above all, he longed to witness a spark of life in her eyes. "... Have you eaten anything yet?" he inquired, attempting to shift the focus.
"...I'm not hungry."
"You haven't eaten anything for two days!" Alaric, struggling to maintain composure, found himself raising his voice.
"...You still haven't found him yet, have you?"
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Alaric clenched his teeth, the lack of an answer weighing heavily on him. His son had been missing for days, and uncertainty loomed over his fate. They had no confirmation of whether Alper was still alive. The evidence they possessed suggested that Alper was lost, the more perilous scenario compared to the less dangerous prospect of him being captured.
Despite having no ongoing conflicts with other clans, they had sent letters to every nearby and distant clan, anticipating negotiations if Alper had been captured. Negotiations implied Alper's survival, but the possibility of him being lost for nearly a week, lacking survival skills and possessing a frail body, tilted the odds towards a more grim outcome. The refusal to accept his loss persisted, despite all evidence pointing to the contrary, and ultimately...
Alaric shook his head. "We've readied our entire scout team, everyone is looking around for him, whether it's clans, bandits, kingdoms, or anything. We will find him soon… it's just… taking a bit of time. But we will find him," Alaric assured, although his words seemed more like an attempt to convince himself than to reassure his wife.
"...He's gone, isn't he?" Aria said, a statement that startled Alaric.
"No! It's just taking a bit more time than normal, but we definitely will find him! I'm sure of that!"
Aria finally looked at her husband, her eyes reflecting unimaginable sorrow. She uttered, "... We have no enemies. Even if bandits have caught him, they would ask for ransom. If it's an assassination attempt, they would make sure we see his dead body. If he's captured by any clans, they would tell us before attacking. The only option left is that he's lost. No kid can survive in the wilderness for days, much less Alper… He's gone, isn't he?" Tears streamed down Aria's face as she spoke.
Alaric's face contorted with pain. Deep down, he knew that any plans or ideas he entertained were futile. He was aware that his son was gone, but no matter how logical he tried to be, his own emotions and love for his son refused to accept the harsh reality. If it had been any other child, he would have immediately deduced that the child was dead, but when it was his own son, he found himself incapable of embracing that inevitable truth.
“I…” Confronted with the undeniable truth, he couldn't refute it, yet he couldn't bring himself to give up. The fear of losing his son paralyzed him. As he glanced at his wife, he saw a completely different person from the one he knew. He realized that similar thoughts were likely running through her mind. Both were grappling with the heart-wrenching reality that they couldn't recognize the person they loved.
Suddenly, a ringing voice emanated from Alaric's belt bag. He swiftly retrieved a small black tablet with a 9x9 grid of buttons and pressed one before speaking into it.
“Hello?”
“Lord Alaric?” a familiar voice echoed from the black tablet. It was Erza Ironshaper, a veteran of House Luminari who also held the roles of a teacher and a commander.
After hearing the unmistakably somber tone in his wife's words, Alaric's heart clenched in fear. The sheer terror he felt made it seem as though he was convinced Erza was about to deliver exceptionally grim news.
“Erza, what do you want now?" Alaric inquired, with Aria also drawing closer to listen. Both clung to a picture of their son, their faces etched with terror.
“It’s about your son, Lord Alper.” The moment Erza uttered those words, time seemed to come to a standstill. It was as if both of their hearts had momentarily ceased beating, and every passing moment felt like an eternity.
“… What did you find out?” Alaric asked, fear seeping into his voice.
"Firstly, I must commend your child's ingenuity. I owe you an apology—" Erza's words were not providing the information Alaric desperately sought. Frustration and rage consumed him, and in a fit of unbridled anger, he snapped.
"IF YOU HAVE BAD NEWS, THEN SPIT IT OUT! STOP BEATING AROUND THE BUSH!" Alaric witnessed his wife sobbing again, not because he had yelled, but because they both had convinced themselves that they were never going to see their son again. The anticipation and the dread of impending news were torturing them.
"Our young lord Alper is alive." The words echoed in the air, and as if a warm breeze washed over them, Alaric and Aria exchanged stunned glances. Aria almost leaped to seize the tablet from her husband, eager to demand the whereabouts of her son. However, her weak body betrayed her enthusiasm, and the moment she tried to get up from her bed, she stumbled. Fortunately, Alaric's quick reflexes caught her before they both settled back onto the cold wooden surface.
Aria, overwhelmed with the desire to scream and inquire about her son, found herself unable to respond as much as she wanted. Sensing his wife's unspoken questions, Alaric hastily inquired, "Erza, are you speaking the truth?"
"That's precisely why I'm contacting you. While I can confirm Alper's current state as alive, I cannot ascertain for how long," Erza's voice conveyed a sense of urgency.
As the realization that his son was in imminent danger struck, Alaric shot up from his seat. "W-What do you mean!?"
"Prepare a scout team of 20 individuals skilled in cave navigation. I will send two members of the rescue team, Eva and Olyver, back to the barracks to brief you on the situation. In essence, someone attempted to assassinate Alper, but he outsmarted them and is now lost in a cave. That's what I was attempting to convey earlier, but it seems you misunderstood. Regardless, I am on my way to search for him before he falls victim to some monster. Hurry, time is of the essence."
As soon as Erza conveyed the crucial information, the call abruptly ended, leaving Alaric staring at the tablet with a mix of hope and urgency. Life returned to Aria's eyes, and with as much strength as she could muster, she uttered, "Go!"
“I swear I’ll bring back our child alive!” Alaric's determined scream echoed through the room as he dashed out.
Feeling the weight of an immense burden lifting from her shoulders, Aria, still on the ground, finally recognized the hollow feeling in her stomach. "He’s alive…” she whispered to herself while clutching the picture of her son tightly. "Thank God… Thank God..." she kept repeating, a mantra of gratitude.
“Madam!” Aria heard the voice of Jillian, her loyal maid whom she had previously dismissed. “You can’t be on the ground! You’ll catch a cold, and why is the window open!? The room is cold as snow!”
Feeling guilty for neglecting herself in the midst of worry, Aria replied, “Jillian, …Sorry about the mess. But could you get me something to eat? I’m famished.”
Jillian, witnessing her madam's renewed hope, felt a surge of emotions. “Don’t worry, I’ll make the best meal you’ve ever tasted!”
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Arc 1: In the Depths of Alchamara – Finish.