The Arcane Guardians Chapter 85: Chapter 78: What Promises Are Worth (Part Two)

Read chapter 85 of The Arcane Guardians by Mercynarie on NovelPedia.

“Felix… Felix, wake up!” His eyes flew open as he sat up straighter than a parade soldier. Felix rubbed his eyes groggily as though he had actually been sleeping— No. He must have passed out somehow when he went through the portal— “Get up, sleepy head.” A small hand tugged at his forearm playfully. “C’mon, c’mon! It’s almost time! Gods, how can someone be late for his own birthday?” Felix took a cursory look around as the small footsteps pattered away, leaving a plain brown door slightly ajar. It didn’t take a second glance to recognise his surroundings. He was back in his house. In his own room, to be specific. Everything was as he remembered it, from the posters of breakdancers on the turquoise wall to the five-hundred-kilogram weights that he used to train his telekinesis, hanging on the anti-gravity racks. Even the bed he was still sitting on didn’t feel all that small either, despite being only long enough to accommodate a teenager. He stood up and took a good look at himself in a conveniently positioned mirror. The man— No, the boy now— instinctively reached for his chin, feeling for the stubble he would come to sport some twenty years later. It was as smooth as it could get. Felix’s eyes softened as his memories came flooding back to him. After all, there was no forgetting the fateful day he became an orphan. Balloons and a buffet of food greeted him as he walked down the stairs, taking his time to take in the sight of his old house. A large sign that read ‘HAPPY 13TH!’ hung on top of the main door, while photos of his family were pinned against the wall. Felix narrowed his eyes as he noticed the setting sun through the window. This wasn’t right. If his memory served well, his entire family had gone to a theme park for his thirteenth birthday. It wasn’t until dark before they finally decided to leave. And his parents never made it back home. “Happy birthday, lad.” A familiar voice caught his attention. Felix tilted his head in confusion, staring at the man walking towards him. “Look at you all grown up, young man.” Alcaeus Vulcan gave him a soft pat on the shoulder. “I’m so proud to call myself your godfather.” Godfather…? I never had a— “Happy birthday, big bro!” A small figure threw itself at him from behind, hugging him tightly. Surprise flashed across Felix’s face before recognition settled on it. The teenage boy embraced his five-year-old sister as Vulcan patted her head lightly. “Father, you’re here already?” Marcia piped. “Oh, this is going to be the best day ever!” Felix shifted uncomfortably. Gods, this is a new kind of messed up. “Weren’t we supposed to go to a theme park?” he asked testily. It was obvious that he was in Marcia’s twisted delusions, but he had to shake her out of this as quickly as possible. Anger blinked in Marcia’s eyes for a millisecond, before joyful innocence quickly covered it up. “The theme park is down for the week.” His mother’s voice drifted from the kitchen. “Real sudden, but nobody could have predicted that.” “I thought your sister would’ve been disappointed; she’d been begging for us to go for the past month.” His father walked down the stairs. “But you’re a mature girl. Aren’t you, Marcia?” Apollo Pagonis wrapped his arms around his children. “Happy birthday, my son. I love you. I love you both.” Felix’s eyes welled up at the sound of his father’s voice. Gods, what he would give to stay like this forever… But he couldn’t. And neither could she. “Marcia,” Felix began. “I need you to listen to me—” “Hmm?” Marcia looked back at him with an innocent smile, her big round eyes blinking slowly as though pleading with him. “I… I’m not— This isn’t real. None of this is real.” “What are you talking about, Felix?” The girl tilted her head in an adorable manner. “Is this not good enough?” “It is,” Felix whispered. “This is the best birthday I could ever have, Marcia. But it is not real. This never happened. We went to a theme park and… And…” Words rose up in his chest but remained stuck in h