Draconia Offline vol. 2

95.3. A Family Dinner - Part 3

"I'm only half-Celestial," I say quickly and look at my shocked partners and Viceroy. "I'm sure that I'll live as long as any Celestial."

"Aefener, do your feathers store mana?" my father narrows his eyes. "We did steal your feather for DNA testing, but we couldn't test that. We can't feel it, you have to tell me."

"Ehm... yes?" I say extremely slowly, scared by where this is going.

"Then you're immortal because that's the main sign of the true embodiment of magic," he smiles victoriously, looking both content and relieved. "Aren't you happy about it? We certainly have a reason to celebrate, the Divementis Royal bloodline won't end with me."

"I... that's not... I mean... I can't be...," I stutter and my wings start trembling.

The ability of my feathers to store mana isn't that miraculous, right?! I've always thought of it as a handy battery of sorts, nothing else. I can't be immortal, can I? Because that would mean... I look at Erik and Gotrid and my heart skips a beat.

I still haven't come to terms with the fact that Erik will die in a few dozen years, but, at least, I was comforted by the fact that Gotrid has the same lifespan as me. Except now I've learned that maybe he doesn't. No one has. Am I destined to spend eternity alone?

"I thought that you suspected already," my father remarks when he sees our shocked expressions. "The embodiment of magic is one with mana which means that their cells are being rejuvenated constantly whereas, in the case of normal Celestials, it happens mainly during sleep."

"No, I don't believe it!" I decide and shake my head stubbornly. "I'm half-Divementis anyway."

I stretch my hands to the sides and clutch both Erik and Gotrid. They still haven't overcome the initial shock and even though nothing's confirmed yet, their heads are full of potential scenarios about our future together. Erik especially is thinking frantically and his thoughts are so fast and chaotic that I have a problem deciphering them.

I try showering them with love, but I can't calm them down when I'm not calm myself. I feel Liana more distantly because I'm not directly touching her, but, unlike my partners, I can sense careful optimism coming from her. Is she actually happy about it? I focus on my guards, who are silently standing by the walls, and they feel more excited than shocked.

"Well, we will know for sure when we check your body," he shrugs it off for now. "We planned a thorough medical examination for tomorrow morning. Your research team should arrive in the afternoon so we'd better do it as early as possible."

I turn pale when he says those words: medical examination.

"What's wrong, son? Aren't you curious about which parts of you are Divementis and which Celestial?" he doesn't understand my reaction.

"His Majesty's mother conditioned him to be afraid of hospitals and doctors and avoid them at all costs," Liana explains instead of me because I don't say anything. She managed to digest the shocking news surprisingly fast.

"She conditioned you?" that astonishes him. "Well, I guess that makes sense. She was good at behavioural psychology and she needed to protect you. What else did she condition you to avoid?"

"You," I whisper, my wings still trembling.

"What?" my father frowns, confused.

"She told me to never look for my father," I explain in a shaky voice, "and I never did. Every time I thought of you, I felt dread."

That leaves the Divementis Emperor speechless. I wish I could read his emotions and thoughts right now. What is he thinking? Is he remorseful? Angry at my mother? Disappointed? Irritated?