The morning aboard the ship was calm, its steady hum filling the air with an almost comforting rhythm. Vesper stood by the medical bay, meticulously adjusting a tray of herbs and tinctures she had gathered from the ship’s stores. Erik’s father stirred faintly on the central platform, his groggy movements catching her attention.

She turned, her sharp eyes softening.

“Good morning,” she said, her voice even but gentle.

Erik’s father blinked slowly, his gaze unfocused. His voice was hoarse as he spoke.

“Where… am I?”

“You’re safe,” Vesper assured him, stepping closer and placing a firm but careful hand on his shoulder to steady him.

“This is Erik’s ship, or rather, the ship Erik commands.”

“Erik?” His brow furrowed, the name sparking recognition, though confusion clouded his features.

“My son? Where is he?”

“He’ll be along,” Vesper said as she began checking his pulse, her tone calm but with a touch of warmth.

“He didn’t want to overwhelm you. You’ve been through a lot.”

He nodded faintly, his movements sluggish.

“Feels like I’ve been dragged through the Void... My lungs…”

“That was the corruption,” Vesper said,

her expression tightening.

“It’s gone now. Erik dealt with it.”

His eyes widened slightly. “Dealt with it? How?”

Before Vesper could answer, the door to the bay slid open, and Berndhardt entered, his usual casual stride accompanied by an irrepressible grin.

“Well, look who’s finally awake! About time. I was starting to think you’d sleep through the journey.”

The older man turned his head slowly toward the voice, his gaze narrowing as he took in Berndhardt’s imposing frame and boisterous demeanor.

“And… you are?”

“Berndhardt,” the man replied cheerfully, resting his axe on his shoulder.

“One of Erik’s trusted companions. I’m the muscle of this operation. Pleasure to meet you.”

Erik’s father blinked, his expression incredulous.

“Trusted companions? Erik has companions?”

Berndhardt let out a booming laugh. “Oh, he’s got a whole crew now. Not what you expected?”

Vesper rolled her eyes. “You’re not helping.”

The door hissed open again, and Oswin entered, his flowing robes brushing lightly against the floor as he approached with a measured step. The Grand Magus inclined his head slightly, his expression polite but curious.

“Ah, awake at last,” Oswin said smoothly.

“I was wondering when we’d get the chance to speak properly.”

The older man squinted at Oswin, the fog in his mind slowly lifting.

“I know you… don’t I? You’re… the Grand Magus. We met years ago, at the Concord assembly.”

Oswin smiled faintly.

“Indeed. I remember our meeting, though it was brief. You were as sharp then as you seem to be now, even after your ordeal.”

The older man’s gaze turned searching, darting between Oswin and Berndhardt before returning to Vesper.

“Why am I surrounded by people I don’t know? And why… why does my son have a ship like this? He shouldn’t even be—”

“Alive?” The voice came from the door, low and calm.

Erik stepped into the room, his presence quiet but commanding. His father’s eyes locked onto him, widening further as he took in Erik’s figure-the crimson-tinged eyes, the steady posture, and the unmistakable air of authority.

“Erik?” his father rasped, his voice dry and weak.

Erik moved closer, his movements hesitant, almost cautious.

His father’s eyes locked onto him, and for a long moment, neither of them spoke. There was something searching in his father’s expression, a man trying to piece together scattered fragments of his reality.

There was a flicker of realization in his father’s eyes, followed by something deeper…shame.

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“The corruption,” he murmured.

“I could feel it... like a shadow, growing inside me. Twisting my thoughts, my memories. But I didn’t know…didn’t understand... Erik, what did I do?”

“You survived,” Erik said firmly, his voice cutting through the rising emotion in his father’s.

“That’s all that matters now.”

“Where... are we?” his father finally asked, his voice steadier now but still rough.

“You’re aboard my ship,” Erik replied, his tone careful.

His father’s brow furrowed, confusion flickering across his face.

“Your ship? I don’t understand. The last thing I remember... I was being taken east. The Concord said they were helping me. Healing me.”

Erik’s jaw tightened. “They lied. They kept you locked away, and the corruption... it was spreading.”

His father closed his eyes briefly, his breathing evening out.

“You shouldn’t have had to come for me. You shouldn’t have been burdened by this.”

Erik’s expression darkened.

“You’re my father. That’s not a burden.”

His father looked at him again, and for the first time, Erik saw the man he remembered from his youth; not the fractured, paranoid figure the corruption had made him, but the steadfast, proud man who had once been the foundation of their family.

“You’ve changed,” his father said quietly, his eyes scanning Erik’s face.

“You’re not the boy I remember. There’s... something about you now. Something I don’t understand, your eyes.. they are crimson?”

Erik’s gaze didn’t waver.

His father hesitated, then nodded faintly.

A shadow of pain crossed his father’s face. “I wish it hadn’t come to this. I wish I’d been stronger…”

“Erik… I need to tell you something. Something I should have told you a long time ago.”

Erik turned back, his crimson eyes narrowing. “Now’s not the time for riddles”

His father shifted on the medical platform, the weight of years pressing down on him as he struggled to sit upright. Vesper moved to steady him, but he waved her off gently.

“This ship… this power you wield... it’s not something you stumbled upon. It’s who you’ve always been. Erik, you’re not like us. You never were.”

Erik’s expression hardened. “You’re going to have to be clearer than that.”

His father sighed deeply, his gaze meeting Erik’s. “You’re Aetherian, Erik. The last of your kind.”

“Years ago, before you were even old enough to remember, there was a war; a genocide…on your home world. The Aetherians, a race of unparalleled magical and technological mastery, were hunted to extinction. Entire cities, entire planets, wiped out by forces we could never comprehend.”

He gestured faintly to the walls of the ship, their glowing runes casting shifting patterns across the room.

“This ship- your ship - was their final act of defiance. The Seven Court Captains, leaders from each Aetherian-aligned world, came together to save what they could. And what they could save was you.”

“They sent you here to this planet, this world to give you a chance to survive. To escape the slaughter. You were their last hope. Their legacy. This ship was programmed to guide you, to protect you until you were ready to learn the truth.”

Erik’s expression was unreadable, his crimson eyes steady as he watched his father. There was no shock, no confusion; only the slow realization that the man he had trusted to be his anchor had kept this truth from him for years.

“You thought hiding it would help?” Erik asked finally, his voice even but cold.

“That letting me grow up in ignorance would somehow protect me?”

His father flinched at the edge in Erik’s tone.

“You were a child, Erik. You weren’t ready for the weight of it. Knowing would have put a target on your back, made you question everything. I thought… I thought I was doing what was best.”

Erik took a slow breath, his hands resting on the back of a nearby chair. The hum of the ship resonated faintly, a steady rhythm in the tense quiet.

“You’re wrong,” Erik said, his voice cutting through the silence.

“I found out anyway. And it wasn’t from you.”

His father’s eyes widened, a flicker of confusion crossing his face.

“What do you mean?”

“I’ve met them,” Erik said simply. “The Seven Court Captains. I know who I am, what I am. I’ve known for some time.”

His father stared at him, the shock evident. “You… you’ve met them? The Captains?”

Erik nodded, his voice steady. “They told me everything. About the genocide, about the ship, about the core. They didn’t leave me in the dark. But you did.”

The older man’s expression crumpled, a mix of guilt and disbelief.

“Erik, I thought I was protecting you. I thought if you didn’t know, you could live a normal life.”

“A normal life?” Erik’s laugh was bitter, the sound devoid of humor.

“That was never an option, and you knew it. I was never going to escape what I am. Hiding it didn’t protect me; it just made the truth harder to bear when I finally learned it.”

Erik’s gaze softened slightly, but his tone remained firm.

“You need to know something, too. I’m not that boy anymore. I’ve faced things you couldn’t have imagined. I’ve made choices that I’ll carry for the rest of my life. And I’ve done it knowing exactly who I am.”

His father looked at him closely, his voice hesitant.

“And who are you now Erik? After everything you’ve learned, everything you’ve done… who are you now?”

Erik met his gaze, his expression resolute.

“I’m the last Aetherian. The one they entrusted to carry their legacy, their hope. But I’m also your son. The one who survived because you gave me the chance to.”

The silence between them was heavy but not uncomfortable. His father’s eyes glistened faintly, a flicker of pride and sorrow in equal measure.

“You’ve become so much more than I ever imagined.”

His father closed his eyes briefly, as though the weight of Erik’s words was something tangible.

“I’m sorry,” he said finally.

“It’s not much, but I owe you that.”

Erik watched him for a long moment, his expression softening. “rest. We have a lot to catch up on.”

The hum of the ship deepened slightly, its presence almost soothing as Erik turned and left the room. Behind him, his father lay back, his thoughts a swirling mixture of guilt, pride, and resignation. For the first time in years, he felt clarity; both in his own mind and in the realization of who his son had become.

***

Erik emerged from the medical bay, his expression unreadable as he walked through the ship’s softly glowing corridors. The hum of the vessel felt like a steady heartbeat, grounding him as his thoughts churned. Vesper, Berndhardt, and Oswin were already gathered in the main hall, their attention snapping to him as he entered.

“Well?” Vesper asked, her tone cautious but curious.

“what do you think?”

“He’ll recover,” Erik replied, his voice even.

He moved to the central console, placing a hand on its surface as the ship’s runes glowed faintly in response.

Berndhardt leaned casually against the wall, his arms crossed.

“What’s the next move, then? We’re not exactly swimming in safe havens.”

Erik looked up, his crimson eyes sharp.

“We’re going back to the capital.”

Vesper arched an eyebrow.

“The Concord’s capital? After what we just pulled there? Bold, even for you.”

Oswin stroked his beard thoughtfully.

“You have something specific in mind, don’t you?”

Erik nodded. “My father was infected with eldritch corruption; enough to spread it with every breath he took. If they kept him in the capital as long as they did, we need to know if that corruption reached others. If it’s growing.”

Vesper frowned. “And if it has?”

“Then we deal with it,” Erik said firmly.

“Before it becomes another Ebonfield.”