My Soul card is a Reaper

The long dining table now stood nearly abandoned, and only Leah and Affea remained in the room. Azzy stood there in silence, his head hung down, and he constantly tapped the dining table, his thoughts unreadable.

Affea finally stood and walked over, placing a hand on his shoulder. "You tried, Brother. You did what you could."

"Don't," he muttered without looking up. "Don't console me. Not now."

Affea blinked, taken aback. She looked to Leah, who sat with her arms folded, watching Azzy quietly.

Azzy finally raised his head. With a blank expression on his face, he spoke. "Leah. Go after Zion. Don't let him wander off angry. Go and talk to him."

Leah stared at him for a few seconds in silence. She nodded wordlessly and stood up.

"Affy," he added, turning to her. "Find Fiona. Convince her to stay. Given some time, she will cool down her head. But, if we let them leave like this… We'll never get our parents back together. I can see that she was dragging him to the exit. Go and catch up to them. Don't waste time. Go."

Affea hesitated, then nodded. "Alright."

Once he was alone, Azzy sighed again, staring at the incomplete leftovers all over the table.

*Clap* Clap* Clap*

A servant walked to him with his hands in front. "Milord?"

"Clean up the food. Regarding untouched food in the vessels, distribute among yourselves and take to your homes, or do as you fit."

The servant bowed in understanding.

*Sigh*

Later that night;

Egrein City, Northern Qudour;

The air outside was cool and sharp. A silver moon hung above Egrein City, casting a white glow over the outskirts. Azzy stood alone outside Affea Mansion for a few seconds. Letting out a heavy breath, he passed through the iron gates of the overgrown graveyard that sat behind the estate.

Among the marble markers, he knelt in front of one particular gravestone, old but polished. The name Affea Night was engraved with loving care.

He sat cross-legged before it, the wind rustling the dry leaves around him.

"Auntie, I don't know what to do," he said quietly to the stone. "I have strength and perhaps have my own vision for the betterment of my clan or family, but I don't know how to deal with family."

He traced the edges of the name with his fingers. "You know, Auntie, I never got to spend much time with my parents or loved ones or even friends. Back then, I thought that when I would create my family with Claire, I would have that sense of it, but not only did I lose Claire, I also missed my son's entire childhood. I don't understand him. For one moment, I thought I broke down those barriers and got closer, but in the next moment, he kept on acting like he didn't move on from his frustrations at all. However, if only he were the only problem, I could have thought of a solution. But, I see that there are a lot of cracks in the family. Zion hates his mother. Leah wants Zion to be the Camelot's Prince only. Fiona wants respect from the family and doesn't want anyone to scold Dad. As for Orion, my son, I don't even know what he wants. Today, I brought them all together, hoping to atleast have a nice family dinner. I thought it would be atleast a start. But, they just… sigh…"

Azzy took a deep breath and continued. "I might be too unfilial to say this, but I wish I had stayed in the past. My life could have been very simple. Of course, I saved my parents. I made Affea's birth happen. I transformed the clan into my vision and all. But all of this cost me my peace. When I was here, living with you and Grandpa Oakley in the past, I was happy. Genuinely happy…" Azzy's eyes welled up as he spoke those words, his voice cracked along. Grabbing the stone, Azzy spoke. "Auntie… I wish… I wish you were alive right now."

It was then that a sudden familiar voice broke the silence. "That's not how you drink with the dead, boy."

Azzy looked up to see Grandpa Oakley walking toward him with a six-pack of dark ale in one hand. Azzy looked away and wiped the tear drops that just went down his moist eyes.

"Grandpa, you still awake?" Azzy said.

Oakley sat down beside him, cracking open two cans and handing one to Azzy. "Graves talks better when there's beer involved. Try it."

After a while;

"So," Oakley began after a swig. "Clan trouble?"

Azzy chuckled dryly. "That obvious, huh?"

Oakley snorted. "The moment I heard about the family dinner you planned, I knew it was going to be a failure. And a person like you wouldn't like to show your vulnerabilities to a living person. So, I'm sure that you will either come here or to your former Master's grave to speak of your frustrations. People think that you were strong and all. They could only see that you are a Monarch and expect that you can take everything. They often forget that you are still a young man who is in his 30s and 18 at heart.

Azzy sighed and leaned back on his elbows. "I can figure out what to do with the clan. All it needs is my fist. If they can't listen to my sincerity, I can show my fist to do what I want. But family, I… I don't know how to fix any of those problems, whether it is Orion, Fiona, Zion, or anyone else."

Oakley nodded, sipping again. "Sounds like a complete family."

"I don't know. It seemed too broken to me."

"All families are broken in some way, Azzy," Oakley said. "Of course, you need to sort out the problem. The trick is whether it needs fixing from you or let time take its course."

Azzy looked over. "You mean I should do nothing?"

"You can't do it trying to please everyone. Because people want different things, and they often collide with one another's ambitions. It's natural. Don't try to force them. Instead, give them the choice to do what they want with their future and hope that it will align with your path. Whatever the result, respect it and move on. You just have to show them that regardless of their paths, you will always be there for them."

Azzy thought for a moment, and suddenly something clicked inside his head. "Isn't that what I have been doing so long… Yes, instead of thinking what I want, let them pick what they want, instead."

He looked at the old man and lunged at him to give him a hug. "Thanks, grandpa."

"Haha…" Oakley patted his back twice, letting out laughter.