Chapter 34: Family of facade
Eiden remained still, frozen in place, as he watched the woman his mother place her disguise into her bag and walk away, calm and composed, as if nothing had just happened. No confrontation, no tension, no explanation. It was as if the alley hadn’t just become a crime scene in his heart.
He didn’t try to go after her. Didn’t shout. Didn’t move. Because in that moment, Eiden didn’t recognize her. She looked like his mother, Dally Forth. Her face was the same. Her hair. Even her scent that lingered briefly in the air. But he would rather believe she was a doppelgänger. Or maybe a twin. Something absurd. And yet he himself was walking around with an absurd phenomenon called a system in his head. So was it really that far-fetched?
As her figure finally disappeared down the alley, swallowed by the dimming light, Eiden stood there for another thirty minutes. Frozen in place. Rewinding the image over and over in his mind, hoping that somehow it would rearrange into something less terrifying. It never did.
Eventually, as dusk crept in, he stepped out of the alley, walking aimlessly until his body found its way back home. The hesitation in his heart grew heavier with each step closer to the gate. His fingers gripped the cold iron for what felt like hours before he finally pushed it open and walked in.
As he approached the kitchen, his chest tightened. Part of him was desperate to see her to ask why, to scream, to demand the truth. Another part of him didn’t want to see her at all. Didn’t want to hear a single word.
Two sides of him waged silent war. "Eiden, why are you coming back late these days?" a voice rang out casually. It was her. Dally. His mother. He forced a smile and looked at her. She stood by the stove like usual, a calm, warm expression on her face. As if she hadn’t just
His gaze shifted slightly. A second figure sat at the dining table. Familiar. Grounded. His father.Algir. "He’s a boy after all," Algir chuckled, stretching lazily. "Let him live a little."
Eiden looked at the two of them and had to clench his fists. So many questions burned inside him. So many accusations. But he said nothing. If not for Face Master, he thought grimly, I would’ve already cracked and exposed myself. Instead, he laughed awkward, dry, and distant. "I was out with my friends. Sorry, ahahahaha..." He then turned to his father. "Welcome back, Dad. How was your business trip?"
"It was the usual," Algir replied, his tone relaxed. "Tiring."