Inertia: Beneath The Starlit Veil Chapter 49: Chapter 49

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Chapter 49 Ezra POV I don't know the exact amount of time that has passed since I was imprisoned within this barrier, but based on the rotting of the corpses slain by Adam and the depletion of my cosmic energy, I would say it has been around a couple of weeks. During this time, I had a lot of opportunities to mull over the events that led to this situation. With very few people left to trust on this continent, I wanted to have faith in someone I held as a friend. After all, the only person I spent more time with during my years in the academy and military was my brother. I didn't want to believe that the time we spent together and the bond we built would be cast aside so easily. But I knew the signs were there. I guess he just never truly had the chance to show his real intentions and desires while being overshadowed by my older brother and me. My brother always said I was too trusting and that one day it would be my downfall when I least expected it. If he were here, I'm sure I would have gotten some type of I told you so comment, coupled with some way to mock me. I hoped he was still alive and had found a way to escape that day. Other than our father, he was the person I looked up to the most. He had characteristics I wished I had and strived to develop them when I was younger. He was a brash leader—someone who didn't hesitate to take action, someone who always had a firm grasp of the situation. He was the first to act when we found out that our mother had been kidnapped while visiting her family. He disregarded everyone's advice on the matter. He went in alone, wiped out the entire squad, and retrieved her. That was something I wished I had the resolve to do back then. I often overthought things in my head, too focused on doing everything the right way, the perfect way. It made me slow to react and hesitant to make decisions in moments that demanded urgency—just like now. "I guess I still have a ways to go, brother." With my mind wandering back and forth over past mistakes, I realized how I might have pushed those same ideals onto Cyrus. How I tried to make him similar to me when, in reality, he had traits I wished I possessed at his age. He was much like my brother in many ways, and I had begun to see the influence of his uncle shaping him in recent years. I was afraid that the same characteristics he shared with my brother would consume him entirely if it went unchecked. I needed him to have balance. I needed him to develop discernment. With how things are now, he may never rule Arthenos as he was bred to, but he can still fulfill the purpose our clan was placed on this earth for. He can still be a beacon of peace and balance in this world. "So, how long is it going to take for you to notice I'm here, old man?" A familiar voice snapped me out of my deep trance, the state I had kept myself in to conserve as much cosmic energy as possible. I searched all around me but couldn't find the source of the voice. I was also handicapped, unable to expand my cosmic energy to sense anything without it being reflected back at me. Then, my eyes finally settled on a figure emerging over the horizon of the small valley nearby. I saw unruly curls forming into freeform dreads. I saw skin that resembled mine. I saw the tattered clothes of the boy's astral form. I saw the weapon he dragged through the soft exterior of the astral realm. What I saw was my son. He had done something I didn't think he was capable of. When I sent out that burst for him to escape, I had no intention of him coming back to save me. I just wanted him to flee and try to reach the western border. I thought I was going to rot here until Adam deemed enough time had passed for my core to run out of cosmic energy. "Hey, Dad, I hope you know you owe me big time for this. I can't even tell you how many times I nearly died." My son's sarcastic tone pulled me further from my daze as he approached the barrier I was trapped in. "How did you do it? Who helped you? It was a catego