Highschool DxD: Dryadic Dragon

Chapter 18: Sona Sitri's Present

To say that the atmosphere between my older half-brother and me, whom I was meeting in person for the first time, was awkward would be a grave understatement. We decided to head to the secluded balcony for the sake of privacy, but we were both clearly struggling to break the ice.

The air of discomfort was ever-present over our heads. Every time the words started to rise through my esophagus, they'd get caught before they could make it out of my mouth. There was so much I wanted to say to him, but I couldn't for the life of me figure out how to organize my racing thoughts.

Whenever I looked at his scrawny appearance, I couldn't help but bite down on my lower lip. Unsure whether expressing my condolences would be appreciated or interpreted as me looking down on him.

I could sense it with my Senjutsu as clear as day, how broken his lifeforce had become. Even with Martha's help, it still shows no signs of a full recovery.

Is this why Sebastian kept me away from him? Because he thought I'd be discouraged or lose confidence in completing the awakening ceremony?

No, the old man would never be that mindful.

However, I wouldn't exclude the possibility that Ladora's the one he's caring for—through not letting him be plagued by the lament of what could've been—my own existence.

One that possessed both Buné and Sallos solely for the sake of combating the deviation that was afflicting him as we speak.

Come to think of it, if Sebastian had me only after Ladora failed his awakening ceremony. Doesn't that mean he's almost twice my age? I'm shocked Sairaorg still brought him into his peerage considering that.

The one and only time I've ever seen Sebastian put away his pride is when he pleads with Martha to have her administer treatment to Ladora.

It's almost ironic, in a way, that you failed your awakening ceremony. Yet you're the only one who can invoke any emotion in him. Somehow, I feel as if that won't change even if I pass mine. 

As for Ladora himself, I had an endless number of thoughts regarding his perspective of me. Did he resent me? Had he wanted to meet me just as badly as I did? Or did he not care altogether? All of those possibilities frightened me to my very core.

Damnit Alduin, get it together! Standing around like a deer caught in headlights isn't going to get anything done.

I felt my eyes start to gravitate towards the glass of foam-laden champagne I was holding as if it were a solution of some sort. My eyes narrowed as I pressed my lips together in deliberation.

"Fuck it," I muttered under my breath. In one swift motion, I lifted the rim of the glass to my lips, slurping it down with abandon.

"Woah," Ladora's lusterless eyes expanded in response. A bit of judgment was evident within them, which I didn't mind in the least. "You alright there?"

"No, I'm not," I replied reflexively, unintentionally frightening him. "Do you know who I am?"

He paused for a moment, probably wondering how this conversation was going to progress, much like I was.

"I do," he performed a slow, stiff nod that was chock-full of unease. He proceeded to eye me up and down, paying particular attention to my mane of ash-gray hair. "Although this is the first time I'm seeing you in person, I can see without a shadow of a doubt that you bear Father's likeness."

There was noticeable remorse in his voice when he uttered that word—'Father'. 

"Speaking of him," he gulped nervously. "I've heard that he's… changed as of late."

Cutting straight to the chase, are we? I suppose that's fine with me.

"If you want any answers out of me, you'll have to tell me about how he used to be first. I won't be able to play 'spot the difference' for you otherwise." I insisted, part of me wondering if I was being a little bit too forthcoming with him.

What's wrong with me? Why can't I flush this needless spite out of my voice? 

"Well, Father was always a man who loved to masquerade his compassion and support for me and the people around him under layers upon layers of firm austerity." He wore a faint, longing smile that shook me to my core. A small fragment of my mind convinced me he was talking about some disillusioned version of Sebastian's character. "Mother would always point that out, regardless of how much it embarrassed him."

I couldn't help but feel my interest surge tenfold once he mentioned his mother, the sleeping woman on the fourth floor that Sebastian keeps guarded like a dragon's treasure pile.

A woman I had only come face to face with a handful of times when I was no taller than Sebastian's calf.

"I don't know much, as it's been a hot minute since I last visited home, but is it really true that he's—?"

"—different? Yeah, definetly." I finished the sentence for him. "Honestly… I'm not sure how to best word this, but I'll say this much. The version of father you just described and the version I've been living with all my life aren't the same person."

His lips quivered momentarily before he made a shoddy attempt to recompose himself.

"I see…"

Shit, this isn't what I'm supposed to be doing—I shouldn't be trying to make him pity me. I'm here to have a genuine discussion with a blood relative.

"However, I wouldn't say that I find it impossible for him to be such a person again." He looked up at me, a glimmer of hope sparkling in his eyes. "I do believe that the Sebastian you just described to me could still be in there, somewhere."

I said those words despite knowing that I was lying through my teeth. I can read the emotions of other people thanks to my Senjutsu, and not once have I picked up on so much as a morsel of warmth within him.

As things stand, his heart is ice-cold, just like his pupils—and I'm starting to understand why.

"Could you tell me more about your mother? She's been, well, you know how she's been. I regret not having an opportunity to ever get to know her." It was only now that I was starting to realize just how difficult it was to lighten the mood when discussing the clusterfuck of a family that was House Buné.

"I'm not sure the words to describe her have been invented yet." He exhaled while reminiscing. "She was the light of our family, that much I can say with full certainty. Regardless of what situation we found ourselves in, financial or political, she'd voluntarily put herself right in the epicenter of it all. No matter how desperately father would insist she let him handle things."

"She sounds like quite the remarkable woman."

"That's because she was," just talking about her caused his mood to do a complete one-eighty. "What about Martha? I've only ever met her when she graciously administers my treatment, but she seldom communicates with me." His voice dimmed to a low whisper. "Honestly, I'm kinda scared of her."

Now, that doesn't surprise me at all.

"Don't take it personally. That's just how she is. Mother prefers to take a more reserved approach to life, even back home—she hardly leaves the private forest she conjured for herself unless something that piques her personal interest arises."

"Oh." He scratched his cheek, probably unsure what to make of my explanation.

An awkward silence descended between us once more, and we were both struggling to make this conversation a smooth experience.

"You two are surprisingly secular. What's the matter? Are the accommodations not to your liking?" A stern, feminine voice called out to us from the veranda's entrance. However, I remained unsettled thanks to my Ki-enforced perception.

I turned around, finding myself met with the figure of a young, bob-cut-sporting, bespectacled woman who appeared to be around my age. She wore an elegant, light-blue ribboned dress that had a sapphire oval embedded in the middle of the chest area, and she wore a horizontal yellow hair clip.

Oh shoot! I've been spotted by the birthday girl.

"It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Lady Sona Sitri." I quickly got into my noble character, putting one hand on my chest and performing a courteous bow. "I assure you that I take no issue with your estate. Actually, I was planning to approach you sooner, but I happened to get caught up in a little family reunion of sorts."

"Family?" She raised a brow, glancing at Ladora expectantly. "You're from House Buné?"

"Haha, I understand it's a little hard to match our faces." I continued, noticing that Ladora was having trouble responding to Sona for some reason. Don't tell me, does he have anxiety around women?

I watched as a bead of sweat ran down his face.

Yeah, he definitely does. Good grief, you're from the House of the Dragon, for crying out loud! Show some backbone!

"Hold on a second," she adjusted her dark-purple-framed glasses. "You're not Alduin Buné? Are you?" She inquired in disbelief.

I almost forgot—I'm an urban myth around these parts.

"For better or for worse, I am in fact a living entity." A spark of recollection hit me, causing me to raise the briefcase I was holding. "Oh, and by the way—happy birthday."

"Ah. Thank you, the sentiment is much appreciated." From her tone of voice alone, I could decipher that she wasn't a big fan of excessive formalities either. I suppose we're kindred spirits in that aspect.

"A chess set?" She opened up the metallic case, and little enthusiasm was visible on her face once she did so. Which, funnily enough, was the exact reaction I was expecting.

"Fret not. I'm not so thoughtless as to give you such a bleak present." I chuckled, faint flickers of intrigue now palpable. "Try imbuing some of your demonic power into it. For the sake of creativity, I decided to add a homemade touch to your gift. One I think, or at least I hope you'll like."

"Very well."

Clack! Clack! Clack!

All of a sudden, a wooden, rhythmic clicking noise started to emanate from the case, roots sprawling out from the base of the pieces, all of which were designed in the image of medieval, humanoid troops, replacing the traditional chess piece design.

Without any further input, the pieces organized themselves onto both sides of the board, hopping across the squares in an organized fashion. A result of Thora's handiwork and teachings, which had helped me learn how to use Earth Magic in order to "wire" the pieces without any technological assistance. It was a rather fascinating process, really, the fact that you could magnetize and command the pieces to do as you pleased without the use of even a single circuit.

Of course, the pieces first needed to be reconstructed with my Wood Manipulation to make them commendable in the first place—but it still warranted my genuine inquisitiveness nonetheless.

Magic is fun. 

"That's quite ingenuitive—"

"Don't be silly. It can do a lot more than that." I wagged my finger, trying my utmost not to appear overly prideful. "Try capturing one of the pieces."

She did as I requested, and what unfolded before seemed to finally catch her wholehearted enamoration.

The Pawn that she had positioned to capture a Bishop created a shortsword out of thin air, much like I would with my Wood Manipulation, and began to grow even more animate alongside the opposing piece. Dueling with one another until the Pawn's shortsword thrust itself through the Bishop's midsection, causing it to dramatically topple over and briefly leave a white, commemorative flower in its place.

"There's a few other features I added. For example, if you promote a pawn, it'll actually spawn little buttons you can control with your demonic power, and utilize to select which piece you'd like it to transform into without needing to replace it the orthodox way. Still, I think you get the gist of what I attempted to create already."

"Yeah, I think I do." She beamed, satisfaction welling up inside me as I watched her express genuine appreciation for myself and Thora's creation. "This is truly quite thoughtful of you Alduin, thank you."

"I aim to please, Lady Sitri." I performed a playful, maidenly bow.

"Just Sona is fine. I know the setting for the event has been organized in quite an extravagant manner—but I'd rather not let it suffocate the room if possible." I certainly have no qualms with that. Formalities are the carbon dioxide of our society's atmosphere, if you ask me. "If you'd like, we could play a round to—"

"Oh my, isn't this quite the sight for sore eyes?" An obnoxious, deep, nasally voice that I really wasn't keen on hearing brazenly decided to cut Sona off. "The lizard is coiling his tongue around the little Leviathan's waist, and the latter seems to be enjoying his grotesque advance. How unseemly."

"It's been a while, rooster." I retorted, staring at the blonde, blazer-wearing man before me down with fierce indignation. "I see you haven't grown much stronger since our last interaction. How unsurprising."

Sorry, Thora, but if you don't get here quickly, I'm afraid I won't be able to hold up my end of the bargain.

———

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