The Earth After Rebirth

"I-i don't want to lose you, any of you. Dad, you don't know what it was like. Losing all of you and I was left just all alone...all alone..."

The words died in his mouth and he couldn't stop the tears from falling. Images of the past came rushing back, Kiro thought he was over the trauma but it seems he didn't actually deal with it—he just shoved it down until the money lulled him into a false sense of security.

Sekani pulled him closer for a hug. He understood his son and the need to keep them in a glass house but a glass house was just that. Someone only needed a stone—a weakness to find their way in.

And everything he'd worked for would've been for nothing. What his son didn't understand was that, no parent wants to bury their children, it was just too unnatural. A parent's instinct will always be to keep their young safe, this was no different.

Kiro never once considered involving his family into this, all he ever wanted was to keep them far away from the dangers, keep safe. It never crossed Kiro's mind what it would be like for them to lose him.

"I'm right here, we all are. Kiro, please let me help you. Trust me as your father, to protect you."

For the first time in a long while he felt safe in the embrace of his father, reminding him of when he was just a boy. Just a little boy naive to the world.

"But—"

"It's alright Kiro, your father will take care of the rest. I'm sorry you had to go through that, I'm sorry you didn't think you could trust me."

Kiro also knew his father, it would be pointless to try and convince him otherwise and if he was honest with himself, with all the otherworldly travels, he didn't have time to fix his own broken society.

He pulled away from his father's arms and wiped his face.

"Promise me you won't die." He childishly asked.

"I promise I won't die." Sekani knew that this wasn't anything he could promise but Kiro needed to be reassured, even if he knew it was a lie, he needed to hear it.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

"Promise you'll have Wilfred train you."

"That won't be nec—" He saw his son's insistent face. "I promise I'll train with him."

"Not with him dad, under him, be his student."

"Kiro, I can fight."

"..."

With that declaration, the atmosphere in the kitchen shifted. Kiro burst into laughter, the tears of sorrow turned to ones of amusement. He'd always seen his father as a pacifist, he couldn't imagine him fighting and killing people.

Sekani gave him an annoyed expression, the serious and sad atmosphere was broken but it was at his expense.

"My father was your grandfather Ki. How else do you think he got that information if he wasn't ruthless."

The laugh turned into a smile, which turned into a serious look. Of course, that's another thing he never considered.

"Papi came to you first?"

"Not really. But he did train me up until I went to the academy. I never really knew what it was for so the minute I had the choice to be independent, my relationship with him suffered." Discover stories at empire

"Seriously? You abandoned him?"

Sekani could tell this conversation was about to take a different turn but his son had to know, he was old enough. He didn't want there to be secrets between them.

"You could say that. He wanted to train you too but—"

"What? That wasn't your decision!"

Kiro couldn't contain himself. Couldn't believe his father was a coward, Sekani was a lot of things but he didn't bank him for a quitter too.

"You have to understand Ki, the man you knew was very different from the one who did whatever it took. If he had trained you, you'd have hated him too. I couldn't have that, I couldn't let him strain his relationship with you too."

Now he felt bad for jumping into conclusions quicker. He didn't know where all the emotions were coming from, but they were overwhelming. He needed a break to come to terms with everything. But with everything going on, he knew that was just wishful thinking.

"He treated you badly?"

"As I said, he did whatever it took. And I'm grateful for that now, with what he'd taught me I can keep my family safe. I understand him better now, there's nothing a man won't do to protect his own."

They sat there and talked for hours about his father's childhood and how different it was from Kiro's.

From everything Sekani told him, Kiro decided then that he may have been the one to find and decrypt the information but the person trained to restore balance in their society was sitting right across from him.

So he told his father everything, from start to finish. He didn't leave anything out, even the underground ring and what they did to Hiro's father—down to the children they found, which they created an orphanage for.

Sekani sat there and listened attentively, he didn't want to miss anything. He was grateful that there were rich people on their side, especially the Jesús Silva since Kiro was very sweet on his daughter.

When they were done, light was already creeping into the window.

"What are you too doing so early in the morning?" Freya's voice sounded from behind Kiro.

His head turned mechanically, remembering all the trouble he'll be in with his mother now that she knew about Loki joining the ranks for a multiversal war.

"Mum, what are you doing down here so early?" He attempted a smile, possibly to make her forget.

"You have siblings who wake up very early wanting to be fed," she turned to the fridge to take out their breakfast so she could warm it. "Speaking of which, your brother, I hear you allowed him to join this saving the world business?"

"Mum, I swear, he will not be in the front lines. He won't even enter dungeons. He agreed to go under Hiro to learn craftsmanship. He'll only create armour for us." He said frantically.

Freya walked up to him and kissed him on the forehead, "be careful."

Kiro sat there dumbfounded even after she'd gone.