Inertia: Beneath The Starlit Veil Chapter 96: Chapter 96

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Chapter 96 (Cyrus POV) The next day, my father and I finally got to a terminal and got into contact with Grandpa. After spending so much time in the woods and in the Astral Realm with little to no technology, I had almost forgotten what modern society had access to. When I saw and heard Grandpa through the screen, it didn't feel real. I hadn't seen him in several years, but he looked just the same as I remembered—his white locks tied neatly behind his head, his dark brown eyes as radiant as ever, and, of course, our clan jewelry made of dazzling gold that wrapped around his hair and forearms. Leave it to Grandpa to let everyone know he is royalty. Grandpa eased the nerves of my father, reassuring us that he had the situation handled and that there was nothing to worry about. The only thing he seemed to be upset about was that his favorite tunic was tattered in the battle against the Tidal Abyssal. He also informed us that we would have sanctuary in the city of Xhatal and would be safe there. Even during all this good news, I could tell that something else was on my grandfather's mind as his attention shifted from my father to me. "Cyrus, how are you doing, my dear grandson? Is your core okay? Your father said something happened to it during your Starbirth Trial." "Something happened, but I'm fine, in all honesty. I've got everything under control now," I responded, not wanting to say too much out in the open. We still didn't know exactly who was all around us. Grandpa Zaire gave me a worrisome look, not taking my response at face value, but decided to go along with it after another glance from my father. "Well, alright. I guess we'll revisit that in private then. But we should have this Rift situation cleared up in about a day or so, and then I should be in Gavelon the day after." "Sounds good, Dad. We'll see you soon," my father said. "Alright, champ. I love you both. And Cyrus, I found those candies you liked when you were little. When I was in Xhatal, I got several bags of them for you." "Wait, really?" "Yeah, I really did," he said as he lifted the big bag of cherry sours. "But I'll give them to you with one condition." "And that is…?" "You have to give me all the details on what it was like living in the woods with your dad. Believe it or not, there was a time he was scared to go hunting with your uncle and me." "You got a deal," I said as I overheard my father give a deep sigh in response to Grandpa's lighthearted jabs. After my father finished up speaking about other formalities and logistics, we left the terminal. The ship we were supposed to take back with Grandpa would not be in the greatest of shape to sail back to Xhatal, but luckily, the Prime Minister already had a backup plan for us. Now, all we needed to do was grab supplies for our long trip across the sea. Heading back to the market center in the port city of Gavelon, I decided I wanted to get a gift for Grandpa since he got me one. There was a trinket shop next to the place my father needed to go into. My father was hesitant to let me go into the shop alone, but I convinced him it was fine due to how close it was to where he was going to be. "Fine. Remember, if anything goes awry, you know what to do." "Yes, Dad, I know. But come on now, I can handle myself pretty well now. Besides, I don't sense any strong signatures around either." "Just because you don't sense them doesn't mean they're not around, Cyrus." "Yeah, yeah, I understand. I'll meet you back here in a bit." "Yes. Be careful," my father said as he walked into the other storefront. Before walking into the trinket shop, I raised my hood so that my face wouldn't be recognized. The shop seemed like any other shop I would have seen in any major city while I was growing up. The inside was littered with all types of posters, postcards, and figures that related to the port city and its culture. There were models that varied in size. I saw murals of the aquatic life that were native to the area. But the th