L.E. Miranda
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SSR - Chapter 79: Family
🕑 Added 2025-02-05 20:23:53 +0000 UTCAlmost simultaneously, everyone frowned. Before they could say anything, Rylan pointed to the Titles section on the floating System window that the Crystal had created. They looked at it, zeroing in on his “Reincarnator” Title. Once he knew he had their attention, Rylan willed the Scrying Crystal to show the Title’s complete information in a separate window. Once it appeared, everyone started reading it.
Their expressions changed in real time. All of them widened their eyes and looked like someone had just punched them in the gut, but Rylan could tell the differences. Sarah nodded as if she had finally gotten an answer to a difficult question, while Regis and Lillia twisted their faces in confusion. Excitement slowly filled Aelfric’s expression. Elizabeth, on the other hand, looked progressively more worried.
Silence.
This delicate standstill continued for almost fifteen seconds. Everyone read the System windows again and again, as if that would change their contents. They looked at him once more, myriad emotions in their gazes.
“Father already knows,” Rylan continued. His voice was unsteady and nervous.
Would they accept it or would they deny the truth? How would they treat him after this? Did he even deserve to hope for their acceptance and affection? It didn’t matter; in the end, this was the only possible first step toward rebuilding his relationship with the ones that mattered most. In order not to repeat Roland’s mistakes and atone for them, Rylan needed to begin by telling them the truth, just like he’d done with Gerard.
“…You bastard. How did you tamper with a Scrying Crystal?” Regis snapped with a frown.
Rylan blinked before his heart sank.
“…You would rather believe I somehow messed with an artifact, brother?”
“What other explanation is there? This is bullshit. A past life? And do not call me ‘brother.’”
Bitterness filled Rylan’s chest. This was a reaction he’d predicted, but it didn’t make things any more pleasant. The fact that his own family doubted everything he said and did, to the point of considering that he’d tampered with a System artifact, was immensely disheartening.
“Rylan didn’t even get close to that Scrying Crystal before,” Elizabeth said as she turned around and looked at Regis. Rylan couldn’t see her expression. “He didn’t do anything to it.”
Regis gritted his teeth. The room went silent again.
“…That makes no sense. Why would remembering your past life change the person you are?” Regis suddenly said, sounding like he couldn’t even believe he was really asking that.
“My change went deeper than simply remembering lost memories. I don’t know why or how, but it’s the truth,” Rylan replied a bit more firmly. At the very least, he knew he had changed for the better. It was undeniable, even to himself.
“And because of this change, we’re supposed to forgive you and pat you on the back?” Lillia said, her voice dripping with confusion and anger.
Rylan hurriedly shook his head, flustered.
“No. I can’t undo my mistakes so far. I’m only telling you that I’m no longer the same person I was. Forgiving me or not is your choice. I don’t deserve to have a say in it.”
More silence. Regis and Lillia raised their gaze and read the Title’s information again. Meanwhile, Sarah only smiled brightly and bowed at Rylan. This calmed him down a bit. He sent her a helpless grin, still feeling like he had no idea how to manage something like this.
The seconds ticked by one after the other, like grains of sand in an hourglass.
Elizabeth stepped forward and gently cradled his face between her hands. Sadness marred her expression.
“…Doesn’t that mean my son was lost too?” she asked in a low tone.
Rylan smiled bitterly.
“Father said the same thing. I can’t deny it. But it’s better this way. The best parts of Rylan are still here.”
“Rylan had no ‘best parts,’” Regis said with a cold voice.
Rylan didn’t try to deny it. He merely looked at the ground.
“What else did your father say?” Elizabeth asked softly, still grabbing his face.
“He asked me to tell him about my past life.”
She stared into his eyes.
“…Tell us about it too, then.”
Rylan’s heart ached at her sad expression but he didn’t let himself waver. He started his story as she pulled her hands back. He told them almost everything he remembered, from start to finish. Roland’s entire journey to power was laid out, alongside how he had died. A few minutes into it, he could tell he now had everyone’s full attention. Even Regis and Lillia watched him closely.
The reactions to his story varied. Aelfric and Sarah visibly tensed up once he explained some of Roland’s closest calls, while the anger and distrust in his older siblings’ eyes vanished. Only his mother’s expression didn’t change.
An unknown amount of time passed.
“—And that’s how Roland died,” Rylan finished. “I don’t want to make the same mistakes. I’ll never forsake any of you.”
Elizabeth immediately stepped closer to him and wrapped her arms around his torso, laying her head against his chest.
“It must’ve been hard, my son. To remember such painful memories.”
Her voice was filled with endless affection. Rylan hugged her back.
“…Thank you for never giving up on me, Mom,” he looked at Regis and Lillia, who were staring at him. “I won’t ask for your forgiveness. I only wanted to tell you the truth. Even if you hate me, I’ll never turn my back on you.”
They stayed silent, eyes trembling. Aelfric walked closer to him, then hugged him as well. Rylan tore his gaze away from his older siblings. He didn’t deserve to expect anything from them.
“If I may, I think it’s best if the lady and young lords return for the time being. There’s much to think about,” Sarah suddenly said from the corner of the room. Rylan looked at her. “I will accept any punishment for intruding on this conversation.”
He could tell the way she looked at him had changed, but he wasn’t sure in what way. She was looking at him with a gaze different from that of any time before.
“Sarah is right,” Elizabeth stated as she took a step back, still staring at Rylan. “For now, we should go.”
“When will you be able to see us again?” Rylan asked with a furrowed brow. A complex mix of emotions filled his chest.
As if they had just realized this, Regis and Lillia looked at Elizabeth, as did Aelfric. She sighed and shook her head.
“I don’t know. However, there’s something I need to warn you about, Rylan,” her eyes gained a sharp edge as she furrowed her brow. She looked like she was about to jump into a fight. “My father wants to sink his claws into you. He told me things about you that I only understood in this conversation. He knows you killed a Fourth Circle Mage and told me to rope you into the family.”
Rylan’s eyebrow twitched.
I underestimated the Astassier’s house’s ability to gather information.
No, to be more precise, he simply hadn’t thought that such an important family would try to learn more about him, to the point of asking questions in Cantavega. Either way, the present situation wouldn’t change. The cat wasn’t entirely out of the bag, but it was only a matter of time before the Astassiers started asking questions that only had answers if one knew his secret. It all began with inquiring how he had been able to defeat Evenon.
“That’s all so far, but now that you’re in the semifinals, my family will probably make advances of their own,” Elizabeth continued, Her voice caught in her throat as she clenched her fists. “…I don’t mean to tell you that you shouldn’t join them. They have the resources to support you, but… I hope you don’t. Especially because of what you just told us. I think—”
“Don’t worry, Mom,” Rylan smiled softly. “I believe in you. I’m sure you have your reasons to believe it’s a bad decision. I won’t join them.”
She stared into his eyes.
“…Tell me, son. Are we always right because we’re your family?”
Rylan tilted his head but stopped himself as he was about to nod. He understood what she meant immediately.
“I think I’m starting to understand why you feel that way,” she continued. “But your past life’s memories shouldn’t lead you to trust us blindly. You must judge for yourself whether what we say is true or not.”
This wasn’t about joining the Astassier family or not. Her question went deeper into how Roland’s memories had changed him. Rylan hesitated.
She’s right.
He was trying to atone for his mistakes and protect his family from the wind and rain, but that didn’t mean they would always make the best decision for him. Just like him, his parents and siblings were only human and made mistakes. Even if they believed they were trying to help him, that didn’t mean their actions or words would always be the best possible.
“I’ll leave you with that to think about. Regis, Lillia, it’s time we leave,” Elizabeth said, gently running her right hand on Rylan’s hair.
Sarah immediately walked to the door and opened it. Rylan knew that meant she would escort them to their destination. Still looking a bit out of it, Regis and Lillia started walking toward the door. Lillia froze next to Rylan and stared at him.
“…I can’t help but doubt the Scrying Crystal. But it’s not the kind of artifact that you would have been able to tamper with. Even if everything you said and showed us is true, all the shit you pulled in the past already had consequences.”
Rylan nodded as Regis and Elizabeth turned around to look at her.
“I know. The past can’t be changed, and my mistakes haven’t disappeared. But know this – it won’t happen again. Ever. Even if you hate me and even if you never forgive me. I’ll never go back to who I was.”
Her blue eyes continued to stare at him.
“…We’ll see, Roland.”
“No,” Rylan immediately replied, his tone a degree colder. “I’m not Roland.”
Lillia flinched and blinked, then nodded slowly. After Elizabeth called out her name again, she left the room with the rest of the group. Now, only Rylan and Aelfric remained in the bedroom. It felt strangely empty. Was it because he had spent such a long time without meeting them? The tense, nerve-wracking conversation about the truth had passed by so quickly.
Rylan looked at Aelfric, who met his gaze. They smiled at each other almost at the same time.
“I’m glad you aren’t Roland. No matter how impressive you were in your past life, I would still rather you were my brother,” Aelfric stated.
Rylan kept his smile as he walked closer to his brother.
“So you believe me?”
He sat down next to Aelfric, who was looking at him with a mix of emotions.
“I had been wondering why you had changed so much. Your way of speaking, walking, and even thinking. Everything was different after your birthday. I finally understand why.”
Rylan wrapped his arm around Aelfric’s shoulders.
“I’m sorry for everything I put you through, Aelfric.”
Aelfric smiled.
“Don’t worry. We’re different now. Better. I haven’t remembered a past life, but that doesn’t mean I can’t change too.”
“Damn straight. We’re gonna keep improving, until we’re the very best we can be.”
Rylan continued to talk to his youngest brother with a smile on his face.
It was something Roland hadn’t experienced for decades.
Comments
musashi
Great chapter. Builds on his brotherly friendship with Aelfric, his mother further establishes herself _as_ a mother with her children and his older siblings now have a way to hurt him by revealing his secrets thus creating an opportunity to show their true character in the future. Deft disposal of the best theory against his change by Sarah. Busy chapter and cleanly and efficiently written. Very nice. tftc
Broseph
Wholesome bromance. That's one of the best parts of this novel
Justin Mott
TBH I was hoping that would be addressed in a next chapter PoV of the siblings and Mom
BH
Great chapter! I expected a touch more of a reaction from his siblings to his master swordsman skill as well as when his mom mentioned the 5th circle mage he killed.
Gopard
Thanks for the chapter! I loved this chapter everyone had their part to play in this conversation and they all felt genuine and realistic for what they experienced with the Old and New Rylan very well done!
Gopard
Agreed! And I actually also love the part Regis plays... The part of the one most hurt and emotional. It doesn't make sense to assume he tempered with the artifact but as the older brother who probably was close enough to be hurt the most and tried to save him the most before giving up... He can't accept Rylan got a new chance, because it would in a way for his feelings at least mean that giving up on his little brother was wrong and that he should have tried to help him more. That's at least how I read it!
Raymond Mouton
Thanks for the chapter.
The Lost Pages
I am really happy for Aelfric's attitude here. Very nicely done.
