[2nd of July 2064, Wednesday, 9 PM, Berendin Manor.]
LUCAS’ MESSAGE LOG
Yesterday was weeeeeird!
I couldn’t even message you until now.
TAVIA’S MESSAGE LOG
Same here!
The techies were LOSING their minds!
LUCAS’ MESSAGE LOG
I can imagine. I saw airports getting grounded, banks not functioning, even hospital equipment failing.
And it’s all because of Securiarty’s software systems going on the fritz.
It shows just how much everyone relies on Dad’s technology.
Didn’t something like this happen a couple of decades ago? We’re repeating history now?
It’s scary just how homogeneous security tech can be.
TAVIA’S MESSAGE LOG
Any idea what caused this?
LUCAS’ MESSAGE LOG
Probably because of Patch Tuesday. Again.
Most big tech companies launch their updates on that day like it’s a tradition in and of itself.
What happened was a super rare convergence of events where a bunch of updates from separate apps, from different firms, created a fatal conflict within the company.
As the saying goes, rare is not zero…
Dad is insisting that he didn’t approve anything that might muck up the system.
He’s also making sure Mom stays out of the line of fire, since she’s one of their main coders.
TAVIA’S MESSAGE LOG
Lucas, you gotta beg your dad to lawyer up.
This is huge! MEGA HUGE!
Those other firms would jump on any opportunity to turn your dad into their scapegoat!
LUCAS’ MESSAGE LOG
I bet he already formed a legal team to hash that out. This is not his first rodeo, y'know.
My parents will be fine… I hope.
TAVIA’S MESSAGE LOG
What about House Berendin? Is everything okay over there? The Magus Association seems to be deceptively high tech behind their olden day front.
LUCAS’ MESSAGE LOG
Well… if there were any problems, Uncle Mez and Aunty Lucy weren’t showing it.
Training continued as if nothing happened. Guess they didn’t want me to worry?
TAVIA’S MESSAGE LOG
That’s not too strange. I think they’d rather decompress with training than tear their hair out over the tech failures.
LUCAS’ MESSAGE LOG
Ugh. When training becomes a decompression routine, that’s how you know stuff’s ROYALLY screwed up.
TAVIA’S MESSAGE LOG
No kidding!
* * *
[3rd of July 2064, Thursday, 9 PM, Berendin Manor.]
TAVIA’S MESSAGE LOG
Oh no
Oh nononononononononononono
Luc! Luc! Did you hear about the MASSIVE data leak? Apparently Tuesday’s big patch crash weakened cyber security across the globe.
LUCAS’ MESSAGE LOG
Yeah. The entire internet is talking about it. VR Milsims included.
The community just discovered that every single VR set has had a backdoor vulnerability all the while. We’re warned to lock our accounts extra tight, unplug, and don’t go online for a couple of weeks.
Ugh what a fucking disaster.
TAVIA’S MESSAGE LOG
Eldritch Fields seems to have been hit the hardest. The latest breach is rumoured to sell the ENTIRETY of their clientele’s magic biometrics to dystopian foreign military and criminals!
LUCAS’ MESSAGE LOG
Whoa there, glad I didn’t opt in to their stuff. I think I’m on the safer side. My data would be limited to standard mail and payment accounts. Which sucks in itself, but not that badly.
TAVIA’S MESSAGE LOG
Phew, talk about being Lucky Luc again. That reduces the scary factor by half.
Either way, I’m going to issue an announcement to The Evergreen Court. It’s my duty as the webmaster to help everyone stay safe!
* * *
[7th of July 2064, Monday, 9 PM, Berendin Manor.]
TAVIA’S MESSAGE LOG
It’s your uncle’s birthday… And there’s no dinner party ;_;
LUCAS’ MESSAGE LOG
Tavi, you of all people should know my uncle is the type who’d celebrate the birthday of others but never his own.
TAVIA’S MESSAGE LOG
I know, I know. He’s a very private person.
Even so, I hoped for a miracle this year.
Then again, with the recent company drama, maybe it’s better they keep a low profile.
S&L Accountings is already working overtime with all the insurance, damage, and lawsuit calculations. I can’t imagine the social circumstances would be remotely comfortable.
LUCAS’ MESSAGE LOG
Sounds like things are tense in the upper crust.
Oh, by the way, I still managed to get myself some free cake!!!
Aunty Lucy apparently shares her birthday with Uncle Mezil.
TAVIA’S MESSAGE LOG
What?
WHAT?
WHAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!?!?!?!?!?!
ARE YOU SERIOUS??!?!??!?
LUCAS’ MESSAGE LOG
Heh heh. That’s a fun reaction.
Yup. It’s the very same day. The 7th of July!
TAVIA’S MESSAGE LOG
That’s so unbelievably romantic! And adorable!
My heart is dying from cuteness!
What flavour? I need reference for future gifts.
LUCAS’ MESSAGE LOG
This year it’s coffee praline. Last year it was black forest.
Auntie Lucy is NOT a sweets person, so the cakes are always reduced in sugar.
TAVIA’S MESSAGE LOG
Oh my god.
That means even though your uncle never celebrates his own birthday, he would always be celebrating his wife’s!
Luc Luc Luc wanna know something even CUTER???
Coffee praline is your uncle’s favourite cake flavour. He mentioned it once during his Harbinger days.
In other words, Lady Lucidia intentionally ordered this year’s cake for her husband!
The fanfiction is writing itself!!!
LUCAS’ MESSAGE LOG
Hey Tavi, let’s take their example.
When we get married, we’ll treat each other like Uncle Mez and Aunty Lucy.
TAVIA’S MESSAGE LOG
That would be a dream come true.
I love you, Luccie.
LUCAS’ MESSAGE LOG
I love you too, Tavie.
* * *
[10th of July 2064, Thursday, 9 PM, Berendin Manor.]
TAVIA’S MESSAGE LOG
Are you alright, Luccie Sweetie?
LUCAS’ MESSAGE LOG
Better.
Thanks for asking.
TAVIA’S MESSAGE LOG
I didn’t expect your dad to visit the Magus Association in person.
I thought he was anti-Magi.
LUCAS’ MESSAGE LOG
Like it or not, his security tech is used everywhere across the globe, Magus Association included.
Business is business I guess.
TAVIA’S MESSAGE LOG
Did you try to talk to your Dad again?
Or… rather… Did he try to force his way to you? Sneak all the way to Berendin Manor?
LUCAS’ MESSAGE LOG
Yeah. He did. If this was a Milsim he would have done a full stealth mission to get to me.
I guess all of us Moriartys still have that criminal mastermind streak inside of us.
I mean, we have Uncle Scott, Phantom Thief extraordinaire.
TAVIA’S MESSAGE LOG
More like ‘Retired Phantom Thief’. If you ask me, he was getting too old to continue living that life.
Well… Do you wanna talk about what happened today? With your Dad, I mean.
Letting some time pass always helps thoughts and feelings settle.
LUCAS’ MESSAGE LOG
Suppose so.
I could see… fear in his eyes. Today was the first time we met face to face after I tore up the garden swing with rage-fueled turbine magic.
And… I was afraid I’d hurt him too. What if he pushed all my buttons and I went berserk again?
TAVIA’S MESSAGE LOG
But you didn’t, did you?
No magic nor rage got in the way this time.
If anything really dang bad happened, you would have already told me about it.
LUCAS’ MESSAGE LOG
Yeah. Nothing exploded. Uncle Mez’s training paid off.
Still, seeing Dad again was just incredibly awkward.
He’s always trying to be a better father… but his idea of being a ‘better father’ was to plan my entire first semester at uni. Where I‘d go. Which course to take. Who to meet.
It’s as though he’s still homeschooling me! And he thought I’d be happy about that?!?
Dad is as bloody stubborn as ever, trying to press whatever he thinks is best for me.
I’m an adult for heaven’s sake!
So I got mad and said a lot of pretty ugly things to Dad. Like, way more than I meant to say. Still, this time, they were my own words. Unfiltered and true.
It all boiled down to: ‘I don’t need your advice anymore’.
He took this about as bad as you’d expect. It hit him like he got slapped in the face.
Dad just stared at me blankly, mumbled some stuff for a moment, before turning around and leaving.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen him so… crestfallen?
TAVIA’S MESSAGE LOG
OF COURSE he won’t take that well!
Harsh delivery makes everything worse than it needs to be!
From my perspective, both of you are equally bad at communicating.
And two wrongs NEVER make a right.
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LUCAS’ MESSAGE LOG
We’re both not as level-headed as you are, Tavi. You know it. I know it. And I wish it wasn’t so.
Either way, I found out later that Dad booked a flight to the United States of Vinland.
He should be boarding the plane as we speak. I’m not going to know where things stand between us until he gets back.
TAVIA’S MESSAGE LOG
Sounds like he’s in a rush to go overseas. Is it because of the software crash?
LUCAS’ MESSAGE LOG
Yeah… I heard from Mom that he’s trying to fix his reputation in Vinland. The plan is to work out a new deal with the current CEO of Eldritch Fields.
TAVIA’S MESSAGE LOG
I see…
That should be Gareth Paxton-Temple.
Hope it all goes well.
LUCAS’ MESSAGE LOG
That’s quite a name. Clearly Vinlandian.
Come to think of it, I think I shook hands with the man before? I don’t remember much else, though.
Well, you’re more in touch with the business world than I am. Got any juicy tidbits for me?
TAVIA’S MESSAGE LOG
As I’ve told you before, Eldritch Fields fell apart after the death of their founder. Declining quality, constant infighting… you know, the stuff that sinks even the biggest of enterprises.
It says in their latest investment meeting: ‘With renewed determination, Paxton-Temple has the vision and creativity to revive EF with cutting-edge magitek products’. His final aim is to export to more magic-friendly parts of the world. Like the VR system I told you about.
LUCAS’ MESSAGE LOG
Oh, so he’s the one who approved those types of projects.
Hmm, wouldn’t that mean they’re going back to their roots?
Aunt Lucy told me that the founder was an eccentric magitek genius.
TAVIA’S MESSAGE LOG
Thinking about it, you’re right. Good catch!
Oh, I’m being called to help.
Talk to you later, Sweetie Luccie.
LUCAS’ MESSAGE LOG
See ya.
[Lucas notices that he has messages from his grandfather, Edmund.]
EDMUND’S MESSAGE LOG
Are you alright, Lucas?
LUCAS’ MESSAGE LOG
Better.
Hey, Grandpa…
Were you the one who convinced Dad to go to the Magus Association instead of sending a delegate?
EDMUND’S MESSAGE LOG
Guilty as charged.
I sent Art there under the guise of work. Pitched the idea that maybe he should handle the case directly for image’s sake.
In reality, I just wanted Mez and Art to meet again. Try to talk it out.
LUCAS’ MESSAGE LOG
Don’t blame yourself.
We know how stubborn Dad can be.
Did Uncle Mez talk to you at all?
EDMUND’S MESSAGE LOG
He did.
Mez wasn’t angry at me, though I kind of wish he was. I was being too cunning for my own good, after all.
He won’t press any charges for Art’s trespassing at the manor either.
LUCAS’ MESSAGE LOG
Can I ask you a question? It may be sensitive.
Family stuff y’know.
EDMUND’S MESSAGE LOG
Better now than never.
What would it be?
LUCAS’ MESSAGE LOG
Why was Dad so obsessed about my future?
Like for example, if he wanted me to make friends, he should have plunked me in a normal secondary school like Tavia’s parents did.
I wanted to join her.
Look, I understand why he would’ve wanted to shield me from primary school brats.
But in secondary school? C’mon, let me go already!
Whenever the topic was brought up he would get really grumpy and go on a rant about how public schools suck. Saying it’s useless and full of bullies.
…It’s just… after I remembered the whole ‘trying to hide Red Majors’ deal, I wondered if there were more reasons piled on top of that.
EDMUND’S MESSAGE LOG
Alright, I can share some info, but you gotta keep it between us. Promise?
LUCAS’ MESSAGE LOG
Promise.
EDMUND’S MESSAGE LOG
It was because of Mezil.
When your uncle was a kid, he was mocked as ‘Wallflower Winston’.
Mez had a lot of difficulty making and keeping friends because of his reclusive attitude.
Before long, a clique of bullies ruled the roost. Anyone who tried to befriend then-kid Mezil would be ‘convinced’ to give up on him by that bunch of little thugs.
This made Mez withdraw further into his shell. Isolated and outnumbered, he could only endure.
Mez started falling behind classes after he became old enough to be employed.
And Art became his tuition teacher for the final year exams.
If your dad didn’t step in to help, your Uncle Mezil would have become a school dropout.
It’s been Art’s fatherly fear to have the same happen to you.
LUCAS’ MESSAGE LOG
…I couldn’t imagine that Uncle Mezil, of all people, was the bullies’ target.
No wonder Dad had so much sway over Uncle Mez’s career choices…
Still, there’s something I don’t get. Why didn’t he fight back? None of that sounds like the actions of a determined person at all.
EDMUND’S MESSAGE LOG
Based on what I’ve learned, the ways of willpower are not always so cut and dry.
At his tender age, your uncle lacked the experience to take meaningful action.
His only solution was to stay out of trouble, rolling with the punches.
From the outside, it was as though his bright red had turned into purple.
LUCAS’ MESSAGE LOG
Purple is ‘Perseverance’, right?
What makes it different from Determination?
EDMUND’S MESSAGE LOG
Perseverance is Determination’s passive cousin. The main difference lies in their disposition.
To persevere means to keep moving at all cost, but only on a course dictated by circumstance.
Determination instead seeks to pave its own path despite everything, fuelled by an unquenchable inner fire. Your Uncle Mezil never lost that drive.
LUCAS’ MESSAGE LOG
And yet, in all his determination, Uncle Mezil chose to clam up.
Determined to Persevere…
I can see why you think he looked like a ‘purple’.
Thanks for telling me this, it’s certainly been insightful.
It’s almost time for my training again, though.
See ya, Grandpa!
EDMUND’S MESSAGE LOG
Have a good one, my grandson.
Knock those training targets dead!
[Tavia’s message log pops up again.]
TAVIA’S MESSAGE LOG
Phew, crisis averted.
I tell you, all the accountants are on the verge of dying from overwork…
We just don’t have enough staff to deal with this huge influx of urgent requests.
LUCAS’ MESSAGE LOG
Yikes. That sounds bad.
By the way, Tavi.
Your parents sent you to a normal secondary school, right?
I remember you told me you left the homeschool system.
Was it fun? In public school, I mean.
TAVIA’S MESSAGE LOG
It was fun for me.
They had plenty of activities that I couldn’t have done otherwise.
Did you feel like you missed out?
LUCAS’ MESSAGE LOG
At first. Yeah. But now I’m not so sure.
TAVIA’S MESSAGE LOG
Eeeeeh? Why the change of mind?
LUCAS’ MESSAGE LOG
Because… uh… dammit…
Sorry, I can’t elaborate.
TAVIA’S MESSAGE LOG
I bet I know why. It must be something to do with your uncle!
Don’t try to deny it!
All the context clues point towards him, especially given your dad’s current beef.
LUCAS’ MESSAGE LOG
Sorry, I promised Grandpa to not talk about it.
Let me go this time, please? Just this once?
TAVIA’S MESSAGE LOG
Your grandfather insisted? Well… okay, since it’s him, I won’t pry any further.
LUCAS’ MESSAGE LOG
Thanks, Tavi, for hearing me out. I really appreciate it.
TAVIA’S MESSAGE LOG
No problem.
Ah, I’m being called again. Back to the grind I go.
Goodnight sweetie!
* * *
[11th of July 2064, Friday, 3:30 AM, Berendin Manor.]
[Lucas’ training session ends after many hours of gruelling training.]
MEZIL
That will be all for today.
LUCAS
Finally…
[The young man yawns with dark circles under his eyes. He looks at the wall mounted clock nearby.]
LUCAS
Gosh. It’s that late already? All this Red Magic training is messing up my hours.
…Uncle Mezil, could we start earlier? I don’t think I need to be at full power all the time. Sunset is getting way too late to keep up.
MEZIL
Not yet. It seems that you’ve lost sight of the purpose of your training regiment. I’ll explain again.
The power of Reds grows stronger in the shadow of night. Therefore, the idea is to make you accustomed to your maximum output before scaling it down. Had we done the reverse, you’d be caught off-guard and lose control the moment the sun goes down earlier than expected.
LUCAS
Like in the colder months?
MEZIL
Exactly. Or whenever you should travel abroad. Seasons in the southern hemisphere are reversed compared to their northern counterparts. On the other hand, the equator has an extremely short period of twilight, causing sudden nightfall.
However, the good news is that you’re almost ready for the daytime regiment. Please bear with one more night. We’ll switch to regular hours after that.
LUCAS
Alright.
[Lucas sighs.]
LUCAS
At this rate I’ll match the stereotype of a poorly-managed college kid before I even enter college.
Uncle Mez, this night power buff… Is that why you tend to work evenings and nights?
MEZIL
Partly so. I also find that it’s more efficient to apprehend heretical mages in the later hours of the day. If they are day larks, I’ll force them into an exhausted state. If they’re night owls, I’d have plenty of stamina left for the pursuit.
LUCAS
I see… But, wouldn’t that mean they just have to wake up at a time when you’re the one getting tired?
MEZIL
Many foes have tried to employ such tactics against me. No matter when I sleep or wake, there will always be a dead zone. I have to assign people to cover those.
LUCAS
What about Aunty Lucy?
MEZIL
She adjusts her timetable accordingly, and has her ways to manage the irregularity. Though, I prefer her to take a day off after a full night mission. Those are too taxing on her otherwise.
Likewise, Lucas, it’s now time for you to get some rest and recover. Sleep well.
LUCAS
Goodnight, Uncle Mez.
* * *
[12th of July 2064, Saturday, 10 PM, Berendin Manor.]
[Lucas snaps wide awake from his accidental nap. His gaming device had long slipped out of his grip by then, falling on his bed.]
LUCAS
Crap. I fell asleep mid game. Man, I’m really getting worn out.
[Lucas hears two knocks on the door.]
LUCAS
Uh, right. Training. I’ll be right there, Aunty Lucy! Just gimme a minute, I just woke up!
[After straightening out his clothes in a haste, he scrambles out of the bed to answer the door.]
LUCIDIA
I’m sorry for the short notice, but tonight’s training is cancelled. Please get some sleep as soon as possible.
LUCAS
O-okay? Wait, what’s going on? Aunty, what do you mean by ‘please get some sleep as soon as possible’? I’m not even sure if I could do that today, what with my schedule turning into a vampire’s.
LUCIDIA
Problem acknowledged. Initiating emergency sleep aid.
LUCAS
Huh??? Wait--
[The Chronographer touches Lucas’ forehead with the tip of her fingers, sending him to sleep in an instant.]
* * *
[13th of July 2064, Sunday, 10 AM, Berendin Manor.]
[Lucas wakes up groggily from his sleep.]
LUCAS
What the… What time is it now?
Ten?!? Did I just sleep for twelve hours??? Jeez.
I… I don’t quite remember everything that happened before I fell asleep again… Aunt Lucy told me training was cancelled, and then?
…I better check my messages first. Now where’d I put my phone???
[He finds his phone laying on the side of his bed. As part of his morning routine, Lucas checks for any overnight messages sent by his friends and family.]
LUCAS
Huh? Grandpa?
‘Call me ASAP’.
[Sensing something amiss, Lucas dials Edmund’s number.]
LUCAS
Hello? Sorry Grandpa, I just woke up.
EDMUND
Lucas, I… I have bad news.
LUCAS
Oh. What is it?
[Edmund falls silent.]
LUCAS
Did something happen to great-grandma?
EDMUND
No, no. She’s still healthy. As much as she can be in this situation, anyway.
Lucas… We’ve received news from the Vinlandian Embassy. Your father… he… he was in a car crash. They’re sending the body back tomorrow.
LUCAS
B-b-body…?
EDMUND
Your father is dead, Lucas. He’s dead.
[Lucas’ Mark appears on his chest. The objects in the room rattle in response to his swirling emotions. However, the symbol soon dissipates and the disruption stops. All that remains is an empty silence.]
LUCAS
…
* * *
[13th of July 2064, Sunday, 12 PM, Berendin Manor.]
[House Berendin has arranged a taxi to return Lucas to his family home. The young man has already packed his clothes. He sits in the Magus Association lobby, waiting patiently.]
[Mezil settles down beside Lucas.]
MEZIL
…How are you feeling?
LUCAS
Weird. Unreal. Grandpa told me it’s okay to cry. At the same time, I can’t bring myself to do so.
MEZIL
Lucidia informed me that your Mark briefly activated after you had heard the news. Could you tell me how you felt at that moment?
LUCAS
…A ton of anger. Maybe even rage. Dad was always such a pain in the ass. And then… he… he’s suddenly gone. How DARE he just vanish from the planet like that!
Then it dawned on me that I don’t even have a dad to get mad at anymore. Everything just deflated at that point. Popped like a balloon.
God. I’m not even sure how I’m able to talk at all.
MEZIL
It can take a while for the reality of grief to set in. More so with an unexpected death.
LUCAS
Gee Uncle, sounds like you had first hand experience.
MEZIL
You’d be right. My mother passed away a week after I introduced Lucidia as my formal wife. Liver failure complications. She seemed to be hanging on, and the papers to grow a new organ were just approved. But by nightfall, she never woke again.
LUCAS
…Great, now I feel like a colossal jerk. Sorry.
MEZIL
No offence was taken. There’s no way you could’ve known.
LUCAS
So, how did you feel back then?
MEZIL
Absolutely terrible.
Rage. Resentment. Regret. Pent up in a bottle. People thought I was a cold, heartless, ruthless stoic. In reality… I didn’t know how to process anything.
I didn’t attend her wake. Her eulogy. Her funeral. I couldn’t even bring myself to visit her grave until ten years later, and that was only because I had to bury my father next to her.
LUCAS
…Did you cry?
MEZIL
No. And that was the worst of it.
My logical mind deduced that I should be screaming and bawling to let the grief flow out of me, yet that reaction never happened.
I’ve seen doctors. Therapists. Priests and holy men. Nonetheless, the issue remained. I’m an example of abnormal behaviour. It’s not something to be idealised, and it speaks nothing about my inner strength.
[Mezil’s phone rings. He answers it for a brief moment before putting it away.]
MEZIL
The taxi is waiting for you outside. You should make your way there now.
LUCAS
Alright…
Bye, Uncle. Uh. Thanks for everything.
MEZIL
Safe travels.
[As Lucas walks away, Mezil begins to sniffle from the tears.]
MEZIL
…I wish Art hadn’t insisted on going to The Far West…
* * *
[13th of July 2064, Sunday, 10 AM, Berendin Manor.]
[The young man tosses around in bed before waking up, accidentally knocking his phone to the floor.]
LUCAS
Huh? I thought I slept in my old room back home…
Was that all a nightmare?
[To his surprise, he notices tears streaming down his cheeks.]
LUCAS
I’m… I’m crying?
[He wipes his face with his sleeves.]
LUCAS
…Where’s my phone?
Dammit, it’s all the way there.
[After picking up his phone, he checks his messages.]
LUCAS
No… no, no, no.
Grandpa’s message is the same. ‘Call me ASAP’.
[He dials the number with greater urgency.]
LUCAS
Did… something happen to Dad?
EDMUND
Huh?! How did you know?
LUCAS
I-I… The ominous message. I saw it, and I thought maybe something bad happened in the Far West.
EDMUND
Well, you’re not wrong there. The Vinlandian Embassy called. Art was involved in a car crash.
LUCAS
…Is he dead?
EDMUND
Not yet… EMT found him alive, but… but we were told to prepare for the worst. There was nothing else the doctors could do.
Your father’s secretary managed to buy tickets for the whole family. You and I included. There will be bodyguards, so don’t worry about security. The next flight is about five in the evening.
LUCAS
Uh. Okay. I get it. Um.
What about Uncle Mez?
EDMUND
He’s not following us.
Don’t get mad at him. It’s just, he’s not on great terms with the Far West. Especially with the Vinlandian government. They banned him from entering the country a long, long time ago.
At the very least, he’ll help you get home.
LUCAS
I see…
EDMUND
Take it easy. See you soon.
LUCAS
See you.
[The call ends.]
LUCAS
…The details changed. What’s going on? Am I… still sleeping? Or?...
I don’t know what’s real anymore.
[END TRANSCRIPT]
