Chapter 5: Father and son
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Two days later.
After the events of his battle against the nightlight master who could manipulate bones, Theodore returned. With his father, the mask, he goes to one of their many safe houses he has built over the years.
Theodore walks with him down into the laboratory. Theodore sits quietly in a chair, waiting for his father. To give him his regular check-ups, the mask sends him on after every battle. Keeping detailed records of the dead zones and other known locations he fought in, alongside the opponents he's gained experience against in battle.
Mask sits down at his desk, typing up a few notes of interest based upon the last battle his son had fought through.
"Theodore, on a scale of one to ten. How would you describe the output of your own attacks, versus the nightlight master, and as well the strength behind the creature's own trigger ability attacks."
Theodore sits in silence for a few moments. lightly scratching his head,
As he comes to a thought of what to say.
"The nightlight master was very powerful, possessing hollow energy output that was enormous. greater than anything I've seen before in my most recent battles, and on top of that, the thing possessed high intellect. With the capacity to utilize its own kind as a means to heal itself without wasting much of its own reserves."
His voice remained soft-spoken as Theodore continued accounting for the events that had occurred, "When it came to my own strength against the creature, I won't say that I wasn't partially scared, Father. I didn't fully know what attacks would be best used on it, most especially since the hordes of nightlights almost endlessly attacked me with the help of the nightlight master using its trigger ability of bone manipulation & control."
Soon after, the mask turned his head slightly to look back at his son Theodore and smiled warmly at him, "Listen… son, as your father, I want nothing but the best for you. I've seen, Theodore, the raw talent in the skills you're developing, even more than what you have exhibited, showing why I must push you to even greater heights ." Finishing his desk work, he fully turns around to face his son.
Theodore looks at his father, watching as the comedy mask on his face shifts into a neutral, solemn expression.
"You know, son… I've watched your growth closely. Most importantly, while in the battle against the bone user, I sent you out to that black star ship. I'm going to test you on how much you've improved since the last time we had a check-up like this. The documents I'm reading and researching, I am proud of what you have achieved, son ."
The mask leans forward, interlocking
His fingers were above his covered face.
"But… there is still much you need to practice that involves your assassin skills & training. Coupled with the knowledge of our family history of where the morning-falls come from, son."
Theodore sits silent for a moment.
Slowly, he turns his head up towards the mask, looking curiously at what he would say, "If we were going to learn more of the family's history, uhhh, where would we go for it?"
The mask quietly leans back into the seat, thinking for about a second or two.
"We're traveling to my family's old residence off into a dead zone. Raised alongside my siblings, Lillith & Lucien."
Still sitting in a neutral position. Theodore, out of the corner of his eye, noticed that his father, reclining in the chair, began shifting the masks on his face ever so slightly as he spoke of his family.
"The home of Morning Falls and an area that was completely closed off from normal spacefaring society, becoming a dead zone location, named ' Forgotten Shores'."
Theodore raised his eyebrow, then asked his question in a sincere tone of voice, "Are your siblings still around, Father, or has tragedy struck more than what you are telling me about this family?"
The mask leaned back up. After being lost in thought for an instant, he looked back towards his son, smiled briefly, and patted Theodore's shoulder, "Do not worry, son. When the time is right, I will be there to explain everything. I promise not to withhold any information in the future.
Although what I can say for certain is our family still holds strong influence despite the loss of my mother and the leader of the house, Marinina."
The man gets up from his seat, looking down towards his son. "Let us go now; we are traveling to forgotten shores to pay history a visit."
Tap!
Behind Theodore's father, a large, shadowy black door forms behind the mask, signaling his son to follow him
Theodore rises and follows after his father as the two make their way through one of his black doors. The mask had manifested from his body beforehand.
Stepping through the black door, for a moment, there was a deep silence ringing in the back of the door's ear, and next instant he appeared inside the forgotten shores' dead zone with his father.
He turned around, looking off into the distance. Theodore, all that was visible was a bleak gray sky with planets and stars floating in the distance. At the same time, his father showed him that everything around was in black and white, and other parts of the galaxy system had color but were dimmed to a bleaker expression of it.
After the mask led Theodore a little farther ahead of him, he finally saw signs of what his father had spoken of: the old home of Morning Falls, still intact by some grand miracle.
Walking up to his shady black steps, Theodore looked in awe of the home or palace he would call his own in his mind, ' This place is huge! I can't imagine how my dad must've been living like in something this grandstanding.'
Theodore averted his gaze from the house for a moment, then looked over at the black trees planted in front of it.
The Mask chuckled every so lightly and walked up the steps into his old home.
"Come, son, let me show a piece of my life." Theodore walked up as well, entering the home of Morning Falls.