Eric, in his own opinion, managed to live quite well without his father.

Sure, he could count on his fingers how many times his mother smiled at him, but that was a laughable problem when he compared his with other atypical families.

Sure, he was bullied in school because of his absence, but many kids were bullied for stupider reasons, and that experience taught him how to solve problems on his own.

Sure, he had a self-esteem problem that hid in complex and effective ways, but in the fast-paced, results-driven Earth society: who didn't ever struggle mentally?

Many times before his trans-worldly teleportation, he heard that depression was the new plague of the present era.

In a way, it was born from the constant comparison and dissatisfaction our minds went through with social media. On the other side, it is the simple and abyssal difference between our dreams and our reality.

Somehow, even the successful folks acquired mental problems through what they called 'Impostor syndrome':the illogical fear that all we obtained isn't well-earned by us and that it will disappear one day or the other when the truth is discovered by other people.

Eric could be defined as lucky on that side: or maybe more concrete in approach.

He was interested in psychology research and knew the risks in social media, in comparison and in achievements so grand that may seem too big for us.

For these reasons, he designed his life just slightly above average.

He didn't use social media, if not strictly necessary for his work, and aimed for an average job that was easy, so easy for him to do that boredom became his substitute for all the possible mental problems he tried to dodge.

When his energy was sucked away by his ever-so-predictable routine...he was luckily run over.

He discovered an exciting world that remembered him the books he read as a child.

His will to live was rekindled and burned ever stronger until Pugio pierced his heart.

Did he ever think about his father on Ouroboros?

Obviously not! He was constantly fighting for his own survival!

The only exception to this rule were the nights when he remembered the frail, lonely figure of his mother or when he remembered that fated Saturday night before his teleportation.

In the first case, he felt rage because of what his absence caused in her mind and heart.

Instead, in the second situation, he felt somehow relieved that he died before having the chance to kill his father.

Eric wasn't the violent type and knew that there were more effective ways to punish someone without touching them with a finger.

Even though all of this was true, when he thought about all the pain he and his mother suffered because of that man, his instincts took control of his mind.

If all of this was true, why didn't he feel angry about not being able to kill him before leaving Earth?

It was all because of his mother: firstly, he still hoped that when she would be alone because of his departure, his father would, for whatever reason, return to reduce her loneliness.

Finally, he instinctively knew that. If his fatherly revenge came to fruition, the person suffering the most would be her.

Eric was selfish, intelligent, manipulative, lying, objective-oriented, determined, and ruthless...but he also had flaws.

The main one in his otherwise impregnable mental fortress, was his affection for his mother.

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In a world of boredom and loneliness, she was the reason he kept going on, not to make her suffer like his damned father.

Destiny used this kind of sick joke with him, making him die before his mother, and he couldn't do anything about it.

All this grief, hatred, and rage became energy, and his body became one raging Inferno.

Rubra was observing him all of this time.

She was worried about his facial expressions while clearly talking in his mind with someone.

The sudden burst of fire made her startle instinctively, even though she knew fire couldn't damage her that much.

''Eric, what happened?! ''

Her voice couldn't reach him, and her worries grew bigger and bigger.

She had to stop the flames. Hereditary powers didn't consume mana, but if used long enough, the user's life energy would be used.

At that moment, Eric was risking his own life.

She couldn't stop her body: in a second, she found herself enveloped in the intense flames of Eric, his chest touching her head.

The surrounding smoke and heat didn't allow her to open her eyes, and she couldn't use her flame.

The first thing she did, was assess the intensity of the flame. Then, through a link she had just discovered, she managed to 'touch' Eric's soul.

This was possible because of her inherent abilities as a phoenix regarding souls.

Slowly but surely, she managed to calm down the fire that burned in his soul, and consequently, the external followed the internal.

For around a minute, Eric kept his eyes closed, continuing the mental conversation, with Rubra fainted in his arms.

When he opened his eyes and saw her, he gasped for hair and felt his heart stop.

*Fuck! *

Her usually white skin was red and slowly regenerating, her hair red as flames were actually on fire, even though the intensity was rapidly decreasing, and the clothes she wore were burnt, leaving almost nothing to the imagination.

His mind was in disarray, he didn't know why all of that happened, but seeing the surrounding fire with him in the center of it and the conditions of Rubra, the answer was instantly found.

*I lost control of myself. *

He didn't have the time to self-critique himself or think about what Aka told him about his father.

*First Rubra! *

His priorities were changing radically, and while he was conscious of this, he wasn't unhappy about it in the slightest.

Then he used his regenerative powers to heal her fully and stop any fire left on her clothes or hair.

In around a minute, the only trace of the incident was what couldn't be described anymore as a dress.

Instinctively covering her with his shirt, he proceeded to lift her in a princess carry and fly towards her house.

Arrived at the perfect lake he became used to, he tried using his blood to open the submerse door and, to confirm his thoughts, he managed to enter the house.

*I became part of the family, uh.

The current situation isn't the best, but at least something that accursed Aka said is true. *

His thoughts while he walked in the corridors of the underground house were slowly becoming calmer and happier.

After changing her dress using the slowest and most delicate movements, Eric placed Rubra on her bed and left the room.

Or so he would have done if he didn't feel a hand tug at his trousers.

''Eric...''

He turned around as if attracted by the melodious voice, and his eyes opened instantly as the surprise was too strong for him.