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The following is a fan-based

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Chapter 23: Secrets Told

Beta-Reader: Ant0nius

"How are you holding up?"

Alejandra merely blinked at the question as she continued staring at her glass of water.

We were sitting alone by the table in the kitchen, with Randal staying within Diana's room to help her with the basic needs. The older Prime was doing well, considering how weakened her body was. There wasn't any reason to lie to myself about the gravity of her conditions, but I couldn't help but be lulled to a tense peace at the fact she was doing well.

She could still walk. Barely, but still, it was possible for her to go to the bathroom. I wasn't optimistic and I couldn't really feel myself pulling a jovial look with how grim the situation. Especially in front of Alej.

The young woman had a panicked expression when she arrived at the farm just a few hours ago. Giving a curt greeting, she quickly asked to see her surrogate mother. I complied without protest, aware that she needed to see the truth for herself.

Diana happened to be awake. She was in a rather joking mood as she weakly teased her oldest child. Randy was more than happy to accept the shots, retaliating with even weaker remarks.

It was odd to see that kind of scene unfold because, while it sounded so similar to what I had seen in the last few weeks, I could tell that the overall emotion among them was underlying sadness.

After getting scolded by Diana, I limited my interactions with her. It wasn't something I did out of uneasiness of being around the kind lady. It was more of a… need to let her close family take all of her attention.

Randal deserved to be there, same for Mora and Alejandra. They were her family, and she needed that kind of affection.

What about me? I guess the question is a fair one, especially with the last couple of days here at the farm.

As much as it felt there was an effort between the two of us to bond in a familial way, I wasn't going to barge my presence within that delicate moment. It would surely be despised by Diana upon hearing about it, but the truth was terribly harsh for everyone as things were right now.

"I'm… I'm doing well," She muttered quietly, her blue-eyed stare failing to move away from her glass. "Still, I can't help but feel like this should've been much worse for me."

…

"Is it wrong if I… can't get more worried than this?" The young woman inquired and I sighed.

"No," I replied, my eyes moving to stare the central decoration of the table. "You're just… unnerved by the eerie peace."

She blinked, this time looking at me with a confused look. "What?"

"When I called to reach the hospital that night-" I paused, my chest tightening at that very remembrance. "I waited four hours before I was told what really happened."

The antiseptic smell of the hallway. Truly a detestable thing to be experiencing for that eternity. My nose itched - burning with the stinging sensation it left on its passage.

But that wasn't the worst sensation to endure. No, the real problem was…

"It's the silence," I admitted without shame or restraint. I felt a burden return to my shoulders, but this one was worse than I remember it being. "Diana is still sick, but we don't know if this is a fall she's going to recover from or not."

A grimace appeared by Alej's lips. "I… I think I remember it from when Dad was dying. But… but I don't remember it being this oppressing."

I didn't answer that. Emotional pain wasn't objective, and I wasn't going to press her into talking more about the matter. But while I didn't plan to ask for more, the Cow Prime was ready to offer her recollection of that specific event.

"I remember crying. Mora and I were sitting together in the school bus when I received that message from Dad's driver. As she understood what was going on, she started stubbornly hugging me up until we were back at the farm," Alejandra narrated with a quiet tone, her stare once more returning to her glass. "Diana had received a similar message and… she was quickly made sure that I was coping well. I wasn't… fine back then, and she knew it."

Listening to her words, I merely nodded as she went on with the details about that situation. I could relate to a fair point, but I kept myself from asking anything as she continued with her remembrance.

I was so immersed that I failed to notice that as she concluded with her explanation, Alej was giving me a curious look.

"What about you?" She asked, swiftly pulling me out of my reverie. "Did you have someone that helped you with the pain?"

"Hmm?" I hummed 'intelligently', trying to make sense of what she was asking from me. "I… what?"

The Cow Prime sighed, but she nodded at my confusion.

"When I lost my father, I had Diana, Randal, and Mora," Alejandra corroborated. "But I don't think you've ever mentioned having anyone to help you through the grieving. I know that you have relatives but-"

"But we weren't that close to begin with," I interjected tightly. "My father and uncle were barely on talking terms before the event and… I know that my aunt and uncle didn't have the means to house me in their home. Their income wasn't good enough to tank more expenditures."

"That's not what I'm asking about," She calmly reminded me, and I sighed.

"It's not," I confessed, leaning back to my chair as I thought back about that specific part of my existence.

Everything was numb, my certain future felt gone from my grasp, and I could remember a distinct uneasiness at even pondering about what had happened. I remember attempting to hide the pain through hard work.

Photography was something I was amateurish back then, but I was decent at writing articles, and my experience with the school's newspaper back in highschool was proof of it. I had asked one of my former classmates, someone I knew that was interested in a good life as a journalist, if he wanted to offer help in an ambitious endeavor. To try and catch the attention of important editors by posting independently through an online website.

We got the attention we needed to make a big jump for a proper career and… then ended up splitting to expand our opportunities in that chaotic line of work.

I was a drone to my job. There were never certainties in the first few years, and I was unwilling to cooperate with people beyond the assignments provided by my various bosses. Colleagues didn't mind most of the time, but rumors started to circulate over the reasons driving me away from befriending those at the workplace.

I didn't care, or at least I forced myself to focus only on the primary objective. Work, work… and more work.

Assignment after assignment, I made myself wealthy enough to lessen up my approach in hounding for more work to do. I was desperate to do something every single occasion, and sleeping hours shortened to less than healthy with the absurd pacing I had gotten at that point.

When I got my own house, the very place meant to be my haven, which was as modest and safe- as nice and as peaceful as it could get, that I finally… tripped on myself. An ungraceful fall ensued and… things were blank most of the time.

Drinking booze became a habit. One that I despised from the very beginning, but couldn't get away from after two years of constantly visiting the bar. Therapy ensued after this habit had started severely influence my clean streak at work.

Some of my bosses had noticed that my neat shirts were smelling of beer and other alcoholic beverages on a daily basis. A stern reminder of the workplace's rules got me to back away from that unpleasant… side of myself.

I didn't do any of that Anonymous Alcoholics. I didn't believe that throwing myself at a crowd of people suffering my same problems was going to work well with me. Especially since my general dislike of social situations making interactions of that kind a taboo for me.

Spending half of my savings on that blasted 'doctor' managed to reduce my interest in drowning myself in booze. I had a mean to just stop drinking… but it wasn't complete healing on my part.

I still had a toxic love-hate relationship with alcohol, but I could just say no to the urge when it swelled inside.

"I had someone," I answered with a hint of tension. It was a lie, but I prayed that I wasn't really going to dive-bomb in that unpleasant discussion.

"Truly? Whom?"

"People." I needed to say something smart. Something that would deter her from continuing. "A former classmate of mine. Someone that helped me with work and-"

"The one that eventually tried to slander you through some media campaign?"

...Oh right, he did come around to try and stab me in the back when I achieved success and he hadn't. That entire situation ended up in a bad manner. I didn't pay much to have a proper defense to that attack, but he needed a lot of coin to avoid the worst punishment when his plans backfired on him. He ended up jailed for the stunt he tried to do backstage.

Truly a tragic story, but one that literally screwed with my attempt of avoiding pressure to the twist this conversation was taking.

"You're not even putting an effort into that," Alej commented dryly. "I thought you would've been a little more… creative about it."

"Never been a good liar anyways," I confessed with a nod. "Lies aren't just my thing."

"Which makes for an interesting flaw to have," The young woman said with a fascinated tone. "But I think we shouldn't digress. I asked a specific question after all."

I sighed. "Fine- I had no one."

…

"And?"

"And what?" I rebuked with a hint of irritation in my voice.

"You just went with the pain… without anyone helping you through it?"

Confused by her skeptical tone, I still managed to nod. "There wasn't much to do at that point. I had nobody to trust about it. I… I wasn't a social butterfly, and I tried to really focus on my… job."

"A job that wasn't what you initially wanted," She pressed on with quite the confidence. I was almost baffled by the way she was carrying herself around that topic. "You had a bright future. One that bestowed you wealth, peace, and prosperity. One that you ditched… because you didn't want it."

I kept quiet. I had already told her about this and… I was unsure what she was aiming to do by bringing this up once more.

"Even now… you still think that by taking that path you're in the right," Alejandra commented with a sad frown thrown at me. "You think that by punishing yourself about it- that by condemning your only chance to a happy life, you're redeeming yourself of guilt that shouldn't be yours to be feeling. You didn't cause your parents' death."

I didn't?

I kept quiet. I could've protested, I could've easily shredded that silly assumption. But the Cow Prime had hit the heart of the matter. And she continued hammering without hesitation.

It was a situation driven by good intentions, but I was feeling less and less willing to delve deeper in the can of worms that was my past. I didn't want to suffer through it all… again.

Maybe, surely- or maybe it was just a dumb scenario to even consider. I was stuck in a crossroad that either had me return to the things I despised in the last couple of years, or make a step in a new direction.

I was still unsure if the novelty would have granted me happiness or more despair.

I didn't know what to do and what to think. And I was stuck on my own dilemmas about it as the silence continued.

Finally, I managed a sigh and a nod. "You're… right."

Blinking a few times, Alejandra leaned forward with a curious look, while holding a concerned glint that shined from her blue orbs.

"I should've been more mindful of this and… I'm sorry that this had to be repeated so much before I accepted it," I paused, I looked at the young woman with a genuine regretful expression. "You know my pain, or at least you can understand it to a fair point."

"Which makes it easier for you to trust me about it and… I'm glad," She said with a smile. "I really am. I know how difficult it is to open up about this very topic, and I want you to know that we're all here to help if you need it."

I nodded, cracking a tiny smile at these words. Still, I soon discovered that the Cow Prime wasn't done speaking.

"Also… how are you holding, Matt?"

I almost snorted at that sudden question, but I merely shook my head.

"Did Randal tell you of the scare I got yesterday?"

"He told me that you went to the local pub and returned smelling of alcohol," She flatly remarked, making me sigh at it as I prepared to explain that very circumstance.

"I was- I didn't do it out of a whim- it's just that-"

"You needed a break and… a way to clear out your mind."

I sighed. "Can you not do that?"

Alej blinked with faux-innocence. "Do what? Interrupting you by guessing right?"

"Are you playing with me?"

"A little," She admitted shamelessly. "And I guess we both need to get our minds out of the sadness. At least for some moments."

"Oh?" I muttered with some interest. "Then I assume you can tell me if Tootsie had asked you to come with you."

The young woman frowned at the mentioning of her trusted second-in-command.

"I don't know if I should be impressed or shocked with the fact you thought right about Ms. Roswell. Mind you, it was kind of tragic to refuse her assistance in this case… but she seemed to take it well with my request to come here alone," The businesswoman pointed out. "But I think I will settle with confusion. How did you get that one?"

I shrugged. "Kind of a secret. But I can hint that Tootsie seems to be the kind of girl that would stick with you to the very end."

"She's incredibly loyal. And I consider her the most valuable asset in the organization," She confirmed without hesitation. "I don't see how this detail should 'help me' understand what you've just said."

...To be fair, I find her denseness to Tootsie's romantic efforts kind of cute.

With the aching persisting even now that he had applied medical ointment and bandages to his nose, Minos started to remember why he was meant to dodge punches thrown by someone like the Grand Knight.

It was something he should've expected, especially with the kind of emotions being displayed by the drunk human. Matt was a pacifist nowadays, but that didn't mean he was unable to retaliate physically.

The emotional toll, the growing distress over the situation unfolding at his temporary home, and the fact he was now aware that Minos knew important secrets about him. Everything was starting to channel into the intense frustration that his friend had been enduring up until that moment.

The pent-up stress had erupted in a brilliant moment of raw violence. The punch had been easy to notice, but the overall speed and precision was impeccable. The power behind it… sublime.

Still, the punch had hurt him. A lot. And because of his forgetfulness, the Bull Prime ended up facing issues in trying to sleep the night before, either because of the soreness or because of the memories that furious fist slamming on his face had triggered.

None were pleasant as the main theme was around the first encounters with the stubborn human. At the time Matt had been younger, weaker, and less inclined to start fights if it was possible to avoid them.

His main priority had been to keep everyone in his group safe. To avoid unneeded risks that could've delayed their main mission.

But now that there was no mission to uphold or a group to keep a watch over?

Matt was unrestrained by any ulterior situations. He wasn't limited by other tasks, he didn't have to protect anyone. And with no outlet to let out that aggressiveness, Minos quickly became the prime target for vindication because of his bulky and tall appearance.

Even now, as he sat on the couch, the Bull Prime couldn't help but groan at the aching pain coming from his nose. That hook had been rather unforgiving, and this was the first time he had obtained an injury of this caliber in centuries.

He didn't go soft. His training had been the same, if not more refined, to keep his body prepared to face challenges akin to those he had faced back in the War… but nobody had landed this much damage in a single hit in a long time now.

Which is why, despite his high pain tolerance, Minos still brooded in his house, trying to think how he should address the issue that he had indirectly caused. Part of him wanted to contact someone else and ask for advice.

He was tempted to try and strike a conversation with Carmesi about the matter. She was tolerable in most situations, only growing irritated at the mention of the Ravenhurst family. But the brunet was unsure how using any 'hypothetical' scenarios about the Grand Knight could've ended well for him.

The Fox Prime was a prideful woman. Someone that lived by the mantra of 'the Strong consume the Weak' in a normal circumstance. But that wasn't always the case. There was a time when the Crest of Fire had been happier with 'waddling among the weaklings'.

A time when she had reason to be nice to those around her.

…

That time had burned out fairly quickly when Matt 'disappeared'. Carmesi took that hit with a scowl and a shrug, but everyone could tell, even back then, that she was holding back her real reaction without saying much of a word about it.

Howl had eventually married her. The two had struck a strong relationship out of their commitment to the war and… one could say that their romantic bond was connected to the 'subtle' attempts from a 'cheeky knight'.

Still, the very idea of contacting the fellow Crest didn't sit well in his stomach. The woman was incredibly difficult to speak to, especially with how busy her schedule was during the early months of the year.

With that choice no longer usable, there was another individual that would certainly know more about Matt's own moments of anger and… how to approach him without escalating the situation even further.

Activating the device and sitting back on the couch, Minos made a small prayer to the Gods that the one that was going to answer wasn't going to be her. As much he would like to ask Grace about this matter, it wouldn't have gone well for him if she saw his bandages.

He waited tensely as the communication device activated. Soon contact was established and… he was met with a pair of pink eyes looking at him from the other side.

Panic swelling up in his chest, Minos' worries melted away as he realized that it wasn't the Crest of Love on the other side of the call.

"Joy, good morning."

The girl smiled. "Good morning, uncle Minos," She greeted back with a nod. Then froze up at the sight of his bandages. "Uncle, what happened to your nose?"

There was a hint of amusement in that question, and he sighed.

"Let's just say your clumsy uncle discovered that tripping down a flight of stairs isn't a fun activity."

Joy giggled at that joke, but soon she sobered up as curiosity replaced mirthfulness.

"Do you want me to call mom?" She asked with a calm look. "She was finishing repainting the doorstep at the entrance-"

"Actually, Joy- I need to speak to your father about something important," The Bull Prime interjected with a serious voice. The girl instantly tensed up at the request, frowning at the sudden comment.

"But not Mom?"

"It's… complicated. Just don't tell her that it's me and, if she asks, say that I'm a technician that wanted to talk with one of your parents."

It wasn't too odd for societies to call around to offer promotional deals, and he really didn't need for Grace to grow suspicious of any secret talk between her husband and him. Especially with the kind of topic he was meant to discuss with Kayin.

"Okay and… can I stay and listen?"

Should she? The topic itself wasn't much taboo, but would it be correct if she learned about the Grand Knight?

He sighed. "If your father agrees, then I see no issue for you to keep around."

She nodded, a bigger smile replacing the previous one as she swiftly ran away from the communication array to find her father.

A few seconds later, a confused Coyote Prime paused at the sight of Minos' broken nose.

Then he snorted. "Don't tell me. It had to have been a trip down at least three floors."

"Kayin, I really don't-"

"I mean, I understand being afraid of telling Grace about this. But why do you need to tell me first about it-"

"It's not about the nose," Minos answered, irritation growing behind his voice. "I need your help in getting some facts straight and… it's about someone that I don't wish to mention to Grace."

…

Green eyes narrowed at the Bull Prime as he said those words.

"Considering the fact that there is only a single topic that nobody would want to bring up in front of her, I just want to ask… why?"

"It's something that Ambar was asking to be two days ago," The brunet quickly lied. "It's about something about him that didn't make sense to me when she first talked about the War."

"Who?" Joy inquired quietly, her eyes were brimming with interest at the secretive tone adopted by both adults.

Kayin glanced at his daughter with a small grimace… but sighed.

"Someone that was a close friend to us… and is no longer here," The Dragon Knight replied with a soft tone.

Minos almost flinched at that answer, a quick correction stopping by his tongue before he made 'that' mistake. Not with the chance of Grace coming to check in case of any loud outbursts from her husband.

"Oh," Joy deflated a little bit at that answer. "But… why would you need to bring him up if he isn't… here anymore, Uncle Minos?"

"It's correlated to some past experiences we had with him and… about his rare moments of anger."

"What?" The Coyote Prime frowned again. "Minos, I understand if Ambar had mentioned to you one of the few secrets we had about him but… why would you want to know of the times when he was angry?"

"Consider it a stupid curiosity of mine," He rebuked without a pause. "I just thought back at the times when he was furious about some of the battles and-"

"Teo isn't exactly someone I wish to remember for those situations, Minos," Kayin pressed on with barely veiled nervousness. "Especially when our first encounter was with him mercilessly attacking me."

And that detail was enough to gain Joy's attention back at the conversation.

"Attacking you? Dad, if he was your friend then why did your first encounter with him end up like that?"

"There was a misunderstanding happening," The Dragon Knight answered before stopping for a moment to think about it. "Actually, it was more of a half-misunderstanding."

"One that almost costed you your life if it hadn't been for Ambar," Minos reminded with a sigh. "Seriously, I still don't understand even now why you went that far against Carmesi."

"She- She was attacking me while I was holding onto Grace," The father shot back with an annoyed tone. "I really didn't have the means to hold back with one of my hands busy."

"I'm still confused," The younger Prime commented with a frown. "Why do you want to know about the times this 'Theo' was angry?"

Before the Bull had a change to reply, it was Kayin to respond.

"Theo was someone that hardly got angry about anything. Terribly patient, it was almost infuriating at times but he was a good diplomat whenever possible," Her father answered. "As the Grand Knight, it was quite impressive to see him retaliate against his foes and… at the time, I had been one to him."

"A mistaken foe at that. You had already turned away from the Emperor's cause when you arrived to Earth."

That very development had been one of the worst news he could've received at the time. Kayin was a powerful warrior, and one of the few Primes that was capable of drawing power through Chaos. An asset that had been as valuable to keep as it had been to hunt down and destroy when the Coyote had surrendered to the Rebellion.

"What's a… Grand Knight?"

They both stopped for a moment, looking at Joy as the girl looked… excited about the term. There was no doubt in their respective minds that she was correlating the title to something a Knight could achieve nowadays.

"It was a special title that was established when the former Queen of Prism decided to bestow his daughter and heiress with a grand hero to serve as her protector," Kayin started to explain to his daughter. "Teo was the one chosen by the Gods to always stay by our Queen's side. He wasn't powerful at first and… what made him into the legend that is nowadays known by many other knights is that he made the greatest pilgrimage possible."

"He traveled through worlds," Minos continued with a sigh. "Ending up exploring part of the galaxy as he made way with his group right to Earth."

"I thought that space-travel was limited," The girl blurted out with a surprised voice. "I mean, didn't mom say that the High Prime didn't want to focus on space until 'things are properly settled'?"

"That's correct," The Bull Prime quickly answered. "But while today, the chances of exploring the 'final' frontier are close to zero, back when the War was still happening it was common for our race to make use of spaceships."

"That… sounds so cool!"

Kayin chuckled. "It's kind of amusing now to think that he too said something like that multiple times. He used to be quite… childish when he wanted to."

"Hey," Joy huffed at that indirect jab at her. "I'm not childish."

Minos almost snorted at that. The more he stared at his niece, the more he could see a reflection of what Matt was.

A naive young man with a brighter outlook at life, and a cast of friends that was incredibly chaotic… but amazing. Then life itself took it upon itself to change that and here was the current mess the Bull was partly responsible for.

"Returning to the question, I wanted to know how Teo would calm down from these rare moments," The brunet asked with a fascinated tone. "I've always thought it was the Queen, but Ambar mentioned that someone else that could do that."

"Oh?" Kayin seemed to think about it with a confused look. "I mean, there was Grace; I think Geecku was also capable of doing that- but I think the best choice was shared between the Queen and Carmesi. Both were the ones that knew him the most and he trusted them both equally."

Which meant that the situation wasn't solvable considering that he couldn't just ask one of those to- Wait.

"Geecku could actually calm him?"

The Dragon Knight shrugged. "I'm not sure, but I think we can both say for certain that he had a soft spot for her. I wouldn't be surprised if she could've been able to accomplish that too."

Now that meant that he had to call Ambar to get in contact with the Crest of Life. And that was going to be another awkward situation to explain, since his bandages were going to make some of the worst teasing possible out of the Bear Prime.

"That's… good to know."

"Yeah, but about that- since I've answered to you, how about you tell me who punched you?"

...Oh. That's… that was quite sudden.

"I just tripped-"

"Minos, you're the Crest of Earth. Tripping down the stairs shouldn't hurt you this much," Kayin pressed on with some interest. "Plus, the damaged area is way too focused on your nose, and that's quite difficult to achieve as the only injury you could receive from tripping down some stairs."

And now his cover had been blown to pieces. Even Joy looked intrigued by the matter and was staring intensely at him.

"It's… complicated."

"If you want, I can bring Grace here. I'm sure she can unravel whatever this 'complicated matter' is if-"

"Don't," Minos interjected tensely, taking a moment to sigh. "I want you both to promise me you're never going to mention this to her. I… it wouldn't go well for anyone if she discovered this."

There was no other way around with the pressure exerted by the Dragon Knight. Plus it wouldn't be convenient to keep any longer that crucial secret to only himself.

Thus, as the two nodded at his request, Minos started to explain what was truly going on.

But while the trio continued with their important discussion, an unaware Grace suddenly froze as she happily continued with her painting job. She shivered, knowing that something strange was happening as she was busy. And why was this sensation feeling so oddly familiar to her?

AN

Seven more chapters- things are intensifying and…

…

…?

Hmm? Is there something wrong?

Not… truly. Ambar, are you alright?

I'm actually happy. Why do you ask?

Well, you've been staring at the table for some time now and you've been giggling from time to time.

Oh? Oh! That is- Well, that's actually awkward to explain. Hmm, let's just say that tomorrow's going to be a fun day.

...Why?

Nothing! Absolutely nothing that concerns you… (Not).

What was that?

Nothing~!