Abyssal (ManxMan)

The Reunion

I'm starting a new story that I'll be announcing soon. Stay tuned. 

The Reunion

The moment he stepped foot into his house, Kai felt it -the illusion. It was like piercing a thick barrier. At first, the barrier repelled him, keeping him from entering. But then it recognized him -he wasn't sure how else to put it- and let him slip through like a spoon through jelly. Even he, who had no appreciation or fondness for magic, was forced to admit how truly fascinating this particular magic was.

Once he was in the house's lobby, the familiar scent of home hit him like a wall of collapsing brick.

Home. Home. Home.

He closed his eyes and inhaled it thoroughly, allowing a combination of his mother's, his own and their unique household's scents to permeate his soul. It was just the refresher his starving soul needed to go on. Everything was just the way he remembered it. After all he'd gone through these past few days, he was finally, finally, finally home. A more sentimental man would have shed a few tears.

Kai forced back the tears pricking at the corners of his eyes.

When he opened his eyes, he saw Marius watching him intensely.

He felt a twinge of embarrassment at being caught.

"Call off your men." Kai said.

"They're already outside." Marius said.

Kai was impressed knowing that they'd teleported themselves outside as he entered, though he'd never outright admit it.

"Your mother is in the kitchen."

Kai nodded. He headed there straight away, his heart racing.

He found her bent over the kitchen island, slicing some vegetables. She had to be making stir fry, her favorite.

She noticed him standing in the doorway immediately. "Kai!" His mother's beautiful face lit up the moment she saw him, and the breath was knocked out of her son's lungs with the force of a sledgehammer.

Mom.

The sight of her was like cool water drizzling down his head on a hot day. There she was, standing in the kitchen looking like the day he'd last seen her. She wore a floral apron over her pink sundress, her long hair cascading down her back. She was beautiful as always.

Behind her on the stove, something was starting to burn from the smell of it. The once pristine kitchen was in a state of disarray; used pots and cutlery were strewn across the surfaces, burnt milk had burned and crusted on top of one of the electric burners, and the fridge's door was left slightly ajar, causing the machine to beep incessantly.

"Come help me make dinner." Her green eyes were glazed over, as if she was sleepwalking.

"W-What?" he breathed. She was acting like Kai hadn't gone missing these last few days.

"Don't just stand there, come help me! Oh, you have a guest? The more the merrier!"

Kai whirled on Marius and pierced him with his accusatory scowl. "What the hell is wrong with her?" he hissed loud enough for only the King to hear.

"As I've told you," Marius started to say in a strained voice as if his last thread of patience was about to snap, "The illusion kept her from realizing you were gone. To her, you could be coming back from the market for all she knows."

Beep.

Kai was having a hard time accepting this so-called solution. On one hand, it kept his mother from freaking out and losing her mind over him being taken. But on the other hand, he absolutely loathed that the illusion robbed her of awareness. It was as if she was hypnotized. Worse, it was like she didn't even care; his mother would never allow her kitchen to reach this chaotic point.

Beep.

His mother didn't even realize that the 'guest' was her husband's killer. Well, how could she? According to her, the two had never met. Not even in his darkest dreams did Kai imagine he'd ever bring his father's killer into their home.

"None of this would be happening if you hadn't barged into my life." Kai said venomously. He could feel the hate building inside him and rising like poison.

Beep.

Marius rolled his eyes heavenward. "If not me, then someone else would have taken you. Someone with no qualms about using your mother to get to your power."

He was starting to sound like a broken record.

"So you keep saying. You want to give me names or am I supposed to just take your word for it? You, my kidnapper who practically enslaved me."

Beep.

Marius visibly bristiled, his eyes' pupils thinning until they were nothing but a black line. He looked more predatory than ever.

When something concerned his mother, Kai would never back down, even against an angry Marius. His mother was where he drew the line.

Eyes flashing, Marius growled, "Would you rather I leave you for a day and you can see for yourself who comes for you and your mother-"

Kai got in Marius's face. They were practically a hair's breadth away. Kai didn't appreciate being manipulated one bit. "I've survived this long, I don't-"

Beep. Beep. Beep.

"Kai!" his mother called, interrupting them both.

They both turned their heads to look at her.

"Aren't you going to introduce me to your guest?"

"I..." Kai was at a deep loss. He felt utterly torn. He still wasn't done putting Marius in his place, but he so wanted to rush to his mother and gather her into a bone-crushing embrace.

"I am Marius." Marius introduced himself, brushing by Kai and into the kitchen. He gave his mother a smile that made Kai question if he'd cast a spell on his face just to muster it, because the Marius he knew didn't smile like that.

"Marius," His mother said, trying the name. "Like the Roman God of War, Marius. Or Male in Latin."

Marius cocked an eyebrow, a glint in his eyes. "Or another name for the planet Mars.." And then sounding impressed, he said, "You know your names."

"Names have meanings that affect their owners." His mother said as she botched the carrot she was currently slicing. His skilled mother didn't even seem capable of cutting vegetables in her state. "Or so I believe."

"Allow me." Marius reached for the knife in his mother's hand.

Kai tensed. "Wai-"

"What are you making?" Marius asked.

"Stir fry." His mother said and then went to sit on the kitchen table, awaiting dinner.

Be-

Kai slammed the fridge door shut, the sauces on the inside of the door rattling. 

*~~~~~~~~~~~*

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