In the Evangelion Mansion, Arthur walked into the dimly lit study room, his boots making a measured yet firm sound against the polished wooden floor.
His face was set with grim determination as he closed the door behind him, the weight of unspoken truths pressing against his chest.
His father, Edward—stood by the grand bookshelf, his hands clasped behind his back, his usually commanding presence weighed down by something heavy, somber.
Alice, his wife, stood next to him, her cold, unreadable gaze betrayed by the tightness around her lips.
Arthur exhaled sharply, his brows furrowing as he broke the silence.
"We're finally in a safe place to talk. So please tell me, Father." His voice was steady, but there was an edge to it, a simmering urgency beneath the surface. "Just what kind of man is Derek truly? Just what all things have you been hiding from me?"
His hands curled into fists at his sides. "I know you wouldn't do it if you didn't think it was necessary. But... It's already too late. I have to know before things get worse."
Edward let out a deep sigh, the sound of a man who had carried too many secrets for too long. He finally turned to face Arthur, his eyes dark with regret.
"Your suspicions aren't wrong, son." He paused before adding, "Derek is more evil than most of the demons you have fought. He betrayed and turned the world against Golden Prince, stole demons from the other side when they were babies to raise them into weapons like Anna. He has been doing a lot more on Mars. He has been doing so for decades."
Arthur staggered back slightly, his breath hitching.
"W-What..." His voice barely left his lips as his entire world tilted.
The man he had respected. The man he had followed like a son follows a father.
A hero.
No.
A monster.
His stomach churned, his pulse pounding in his ears. He suddenly felt sick.
He shook his head, his voice breaking slightly. "Why... Why hide all this from me? I blindly respected and followed him like a fool. Even if it could put me in danger, I indirectly helped him. Who knows how many people died because I didn't bring down those I should have?"
His jaw clenched so tight it ached.
"My life doesn't matter more than the people who trust Hunters like us to protect them from all kinds of evil and not just the demons. You shouldn't have succumbed to his threats, Father."
Edward's expression hardened at his words. Guilt flickered across his face, but there was also something else. Something far worse.
"Arthur, do you really think someone like him would succumb to simple threats?" Alice suddenly spoke, her eyes filled with heavy emotions, something Arthur had rarely seen in such a cold woman.
Arthur's breath slowed. His heart pounded in his chest.
Something was wrong.
But he then saw his father lowering his head with a heavy expression as he asked, "I am sorry. She is right. Father, you are the strongest man I know. You wouldn't give in to a man like Derek without a good reason. Just what did he threaten you with?"
Edward clenched his fists as he hesitated to say it.
Alice's cold mask finally cracked, her hazel eyes shadowed with emotions as she finally said what Edward couldn't.
"Because... he threatened your mother's life."
Silence.
Arthur froze.
His mother's life?
His mind reeled. "My mother?" He felt the words leave his lips, but they sounded distant, foreign. "She... she is still out there? But held hostage by Derek? But you said she—"
Edward lowered his gaze. "I lied."
Arthur staggered back again, his breath turning shallow. "No..."
"I lied about a lot of things." Edward's voice was filled with sorrow, with years of regret.
Arthur shook his head violently. "No. No, that doesn't make sense. Why would you lie about her? What other things did you lie about?"
He stared between Edward and Alice, his pulse pounding against his temples.
Edward hesitated. He exchanged a look with Alice, and for the first time in his life, Arthur saw true emotion in Alice's gaze—a deep, unshakable sadness.
Alice's lower chin quivered as she spoke, her voice fragile yet firm.
"It's time he knew, Edward..." she whispered. "I also want him to know..."
Arthur's heartbeat thundered in his ears.
His fingers trembled slightly, but he clenched his fists, forcing himself to stand his ground. "Know what?"
Edward finally met his gaze, and his next words shattered everything Arthur thought he knew.
"You are not my son."
The world stopped.
Arthur forgot to breathe.
His vision blurred.
His mind froze.
"What?" he whispered.
Edward's face was heavy with grief. "You are not my son, Arthur." He exhaled shakily. "But you are my grandson."
Arthur felt his legs weaken.
His throat tightened.
"I...I don't..."
"Your mother is Aira Evangelion," Edward continued. "She was never your sister. She is your mother, Arthur. The only daughter of mine and Alice."
The room tilted.
Arthur's ears rang.
His entire body went cold.
Alice looked at him with moist, heavy eyes, filled with emotions he had never seen before in this woman who had always been cold to him.
"I am so sorry, my child," she whispered, her voice trembling. "I couldn't bring myself to tell you how much I loved you because I was afraid I wouldn't be able to hold back from telling you everything. It hurt me every single time to push you away... to keep you at a distance. But know that your grandfather and I care about you more than anything."
Arthur shook his head violently. "No... No, that can't be true... My memories... I remember playing with my sister and my father taking us to parks as kids... I remember—"
Edward sighed deeply, his voice filled with regret, "Those were false memories, my boy. Implanted by Derek to keep you under his control."
Arthur's breath came in ragged gasps.
His vision blurred with anger, confusion, and despair.
But one final question still burned in his mind.
His voice cracked as he whispered, "Then why... Why do I look almost as old as her? How can I be her son when we are nearly the same age?"
Edward's lips pressed into a thin line.
Alice looked away, as if the answer was too painful to say.
Edward held Arthur's shoulder and said, "Derek forced her to use a forbidden method to age you faster. He also took the help of multiple powerful mindforce experts to hasten your mental growth as well through fake memories and experiences so that you will be an adult physically and mentally. Of course, these fake memories were curated in a way that made you feel like obeying him and supporting his lies."
"Why? Why would he want me to grow up so fast? What does he need me for?" Arthur asked with furrowed brows.
"That I do not know. But we do know that he wants to take advantage of you in some way. For some reason, he hasn't forced you into doing anything or controlled you like he controls his demon slaves. That must be why he even let you live with me for all these years but never let me train you or teach you the powers and knowledge of our ancestors," Edward said with a hardened expression.
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