CHAPTER 43: TEN SECONDS

Orion snapped out of his thoughts, startled.

Destruction and chaos.

The prized garden where they had hosted the wedding was in complete devastation.

Orion had expected it; he could tell a big fight would occur here. Those terrorists had struck, and they must have struck hard.

"Father!!!" Alice shouted.

Elara brought them down, as soon as their feet touched the ground, Alice bolted forward.

Orion looked around, taking in the chaos, members of the Ivory family walked around, clearing the debris and trying to put everything in order.

He noticed their heads were hung down in depression, and he could hear sobs coming from them.

’Something’s wrong, ’ Orion thought with a grim expression.

He hadn’t known the Ivory family for a long time, but he had come to accept Alice as a very close friend, and she was an Ivory. The thought that his father might have been a participant in this brought an unknown weight on him.

"Michael!!!" An orange-haired woman burst out of the crowd, running towards Michael beside him.

Michael, who had been gloomy and brought down by the environment, immediately brightened up, tears flowing from his eyes as he ran towards his mother, who enveloped him in a hug.

"Ohh my boy, I thought I’d lost you." The mother sobbed out, pressing him to her chest. Michael responded with his own sobs.

"I’m sorry, mother, " he said.

Orion’s heart warmed at the scene.

No matter how mature he acted, any seven-year-old boy separated from his mother for such a period of time would be devastated.

But he didn’t have time to watch this now.

He left Michael to his devices, his feet carrying him forward in search of Alice. Elara trailing behind.

"Haaa, no no no it can’t be---"

His sensitive ears picked up her voice, and his legs hastened from her direction.

His heart pounded in concern and fear, her tone and choice of words already painted the scene he’d meet.

There he saw her kneeling in front of three bodies.

"No, you can’t do this to me, father!!, father!!, wake up, father!!, brother!!. No, why would you- why would you leave me!!" She sobbed out, her voice taking on a bitter tone.

Alice clenched her clothes, wailing and declaring for her family to come back.

Orion just stood there, tears at the edge of his eyes threatening to fall.

He could feel her grief; anybody would. He knew Alice for her rather fickle personality, from her cute and shy exterior to the sassy one, and then her intellectual and perceptive persona.

But he never wanted to see her like this, so vulnerable.

"Why would they do this" She sobbed, tears and snot falling down freely.

"It was their wedding, they wanted to get married and be happy. Father was so happy--" She choked out, her throat already acting from the wailing.

"And they just came and killed them, who would do such a thing" She said with that same vulnerable voice.

"Why would they do this, mom is gone and now father and brother." She sobbed, her voice slowly fading.

"I don’t want this, I don’t want them to go. Bring them back, please, please bring them back," She said, her voice practically gone.

Orion was about to go forward and check on her when a commotion caught his attention.

He didn’t know when, but somehow, a grieving and sobbing entourage had formed around the wailing girl, everyone giving her enough space to grieve.

A grown man with short white hair, his eyes red from most likely crying and his face hard with bitterness walked forward, picking Alice up and enveloping her in a hug.

"It’s okay, Alice, " he said, trying his best to muster a soothing voice.

"Brother, tell me this is a lie. If it’s a joke or prank, I swear I won’t get angry," Alice said, sobbing into his shoulder.

"It’s okay, Alice, " the man repeated.

"Okay, it’s not okay, first Mother and now father and brother and Tyla. Why would they do this?" She retorted back between sobs.

"It’s okay, Alice, " he repeated.

The back and forth went on for a while, both siblings trying to cope with the loss in their respective ways.

Orion watched this. He was confused. In his past life, he had seen death and witnessed many people lose their loved ones and grieve like this. His studies gave him ample experience.

But he had never really felt more than superficial sympathy for them, he had never had an intimate relationship with the grief that came from the loss of a loved one.

Some part of him wanted to go forward and show his support, but it didn’t seem like a good time, so he stood put.

He suddenly recalled what he had planned on testing out.

He willed his mana and activated the The Seer.

Since he’d awakened he had only had one increase in proficiency for The Seer, from low to mid.

At low, he could only randomly see the present in other locations and very rarely the past, and only once had he seen the future, but when he transitioned to mid.

He gained the ability to willingly see the present from any location provided he could account for the man.

Now that he was in high, he believed he should be able to willingly see the past, though the mana cost was likely going to be very high.

As expected, his vision became clouded before he started seeing scenes rewinding, from Alice’s brother arriving to his arrival and further and further, he could feel his mana draining but he had to see it.

He had to see for himself what exactly happened.

Elara, who had stood with her closed eyes and rigid posture, noticed Orion’s dazed look and turned towards him. She seemed curious at first before she placed her hand on his shoulder.

She could tell whatever he was doing was draining his mana severely but for him to continue regardless meant it was important.

So she transferred her mana towards him.

Orion watched it all, from their arrival to Marcus and Tyla’s death at the Marquis’ hands.

He watched as the Marquis dominated the fight only to fall from their strategy.

He watched the level of their battles, their concept Awakening, and their attacks that were practically destruction incarnate.

He never got their names, he couldn’t hear, only see, but he could read their lips, and he doubted they ever mentioned it, but their faces were stored in his mind, he’d never forget.

He watched Ymir’s death, and his father’s appearance, he watched their mouth move, picking up their conversation.

He finally understood the full picture, the reason for his father’s actions and the reason all this had occurred.

And finally, he watched the Duke take his last breath.

Orion finally snapped out of his dazed state. He checked his mana and found it at its initial state. He wasn’t surprised; he could feel Elara’s hands on his shoulder.

He turned towards Alice and her brother, a complicated expression appearing on his face.

’I’m really in no position to comfort her’ He thought with a heavy heart.

He turned back about to walk away.

"Wait!"

He half expected Alice to stop him, but surprisingly it was her brother’s thick voice that called out to him.

He turned back, where he was met by the venomous stare of her brother.

"Where are you going" The brother asked, his voice hard and tinged with subtle malice.

Orion stared at him, confused about how to answer.

"Running away" He heard another voice.

An old man walked forward, a scowl on his face. Orion recognised him; he was the librarian, Grandpa Jude, Alice called him.

"I knew the Duke’s presence was ominous,"

The old man said.

The old man had always disliked him for some reason.

"We aren’t foolish, we know the Duke has something to do with this." The man said, his words causing everyone in their surroundings to stare at Orion and Elara.

"Where is the Duke? I heard he was in the estate until the morning of the wedding, " the brother said, walking slowly towards Orion.

"Where’s your father, boy. All of a sudden, he’s conveniently vanished," He said, his voice rising.

That was the last straw. Orion’s pride allowed no further insult.

"Try to restrain your foolish tendencies, while I understand you are grieving, that doesn’t grant you the leeway to speak out of turn, your thoughts and accusations of my father’s involvement should remain simply that, accusations, I will overlook it once, but you will not disrespect my father again. I suggest you correct yourself." Orion said, his face taking on a defiant look.

They all looked shocked, surprised by the boy’s audacity, although he was right, most people won’t have the guts to say that in the middle of members of the Ivory house much less a child.

"I suggest we detain him, Dennis, " the old man said, referring to Alice’s brother, malice dripping from his voice.

The other members flinched, prepared for the orders from their current patriarch.

As foolish as detaining Orion was, they could probably find a way out of it; they had to place their bet on the fact that the Chronos deeply valued their heir. This thought ran through Dennis’ mind.

"Ten seconds,"

They all heard a feminine voice coming from behind Orion.

"You filthy animals have 10 seconds to retract your killing intent from my lord before I massacre you," Elara said with a stoic face, her closed eyes adding a chilling undertone.

"And trust me, your wretched bones won’t protect you from the wrath of space, " she finished.