Chapter 10 The Glint Of The Blade!!!

Author’s Point Of View :

"He stopped eating."

Zephyr continued, his voice trembling.

"He would sit for hours staring at his ice skating shoes, the ones he kept even though he can walk now. He told me once that he felt like he stole his legs from the devil, and that's why Shiloh had to pay the price."

Orion’s fist clenched on the table, the wood creaking under the pressure.

"He believes in a trade. A life for a life. A limb for a limb."

"Yes."

Zephyr nodded.

"And the guilt is worse because he can't talk to you about it. He feels like every time he sees your face, he sees the man who had to become a father too soon because of him. He doesn't see your love, Brother Orio. He sees your sacrifice, and it makes him feel like a debt that can never be paid."

The room went silent. The gravity of Astra’s mental state was finally clear. He wasn't just sad. He was convinced of his own criminality. He was a prisoner in a cell he had built out of his own love for his family.

Orion stood up, his eyes hard as diamonds.

"No more. No more silence. No more secrets. If he won't speak of his pain, I will pull it out of him. Lyra, you prepare for it. I want this house full of noise today. I want laughter, I want music, I want every reminder that life is still happening."

"And Astra?"

Lyra asked.

"I’m going to talk to him."

Orion said, walking toward the stairs.

"And for the first time in ten years, I’m not going to talk to him like a 'Little Star.' I’m going to talk to him like an Empyrean."

…

Orion entered Astra’s room. The curtains were drawn, the space bathed in a dim, grey light. Astraeus was awake, sitting in his armchair, staring at the photo of Alaric and Elara. He looked fragile, as if a strong breeze might turn him to dust.

"Big Brother."

Astraeus whispered, not looking up.

"I’m sorry about last night. I didn't mean to wake you."

Orion didn't answer. He walked over to the window and ripped the curtains open. The morning sun flooded the room, harsh and unforgiving. Astraeus winced, shielding his eyes.

"Look at me, Astraeus."

Orion commanded.

Slowly, Astraeus turned his head.

"Zephyr told me everything. The dreams. The guilt. The hunger strikes."

Orion stepped closer, leaning down until he was eye-to-level with his brother.

"You think you’re a murderer? You think you’re the reason our parents died?"

Astraeus flinched, his bottom lip trembling.

"If I hadn't wanted to participate in that charity play…"

"If you hadn't wanted to perform, we would have stayed home. And maybe a fire would have broken out. Or maybe a different accident would have happened."

Orion interrupted sharply.

"Life isn't a series of transactions, Astra. You were a child. A child who loved his parents. Do you think Dad would want you to live like this? Do you think Mom died so you could become a ghost?"

"But Shilon..."

Astraeus choked out.

"I was with him. We were laughing, and then... and then the blood... it was everywhere, Brother. Why am I walking when he can't even open his eyes?"

Orion grabbed Astra’s hands, forcing him to feel the warmth of his skin.

"Because fate is a cruel, random bitch, Astra. Not because you are a monster. Ahiloh loved you. He gave you your legs back because he wanted to see you fly, not to see you crawl into a hole of guilt."

Orion’s voice softened, but the intensity remained.

"You are an Empyrean. Our name means 'The Highest Heaven.' You were born of Light and Void, Astra. You have the strength of Dad and the heart of Mom. I will not let you throw them away. Do you hear me?"

Astraeus looked into Orion’s eyes and for the first time in months, he saw something other than pity. He saw a challenge. He saw the ‘Shield’ standing ready to fight the demons with him.

"I’m tired, Big Brother."

Astraeus whispered, a single tear falling.

"I’m so tired of being the one who survives."

"Then lean on me."

Orion said, pulling him into a hug.

"Lean on me until you’re strong enough to stand on your own. But you will never, ever keep a secret from me again. We will fight this together."

Downstairs, the sound of Artemis’s laughter bubbled up, followed by the soft notes of a piano. The Empyrean Villa was coming back to life unaware of the upcoming storm.

.....

The breakfast table at the Empyrean Villa was a sprawling expanse of white marble, laid out with an array of silver platters and crystal carafes that caught the morning light. It was a scene of domestic perfection, with Lyra elegantly managing the tea service and Zephyr sitting quietly across from the head of the table. Little Artemis was perched in her chair, swinging her legs and humming a soft tune. Yet for Orion, the atmosphere was charged with a hyper-vigilance that never truly slept. He sat at the head of the table, his eyes moving restlessly until they landed on Astraeus.

Astraeus was sitting to his right, reaching for a bright red apple. His movements were fluid, but as his fingers wrapped around the handle of a paring knife, the air in the room seemed to vanish.

“Astra...”

His voice was a low, fractured warning. To any onlooker, it was a simple term of endearment, but from Orion’s lips, it carried the weight of a heartbeat skipped in terror. He didn't see a brother preparing a snack; he saw the glint of steel against the skin of the person he had spent a lifetime trying to keep whole. The clatter of Lyra’s teacup against its saucer seemed to echo the sudden, sharp spike in his pulse.

“What are you doing with the knife Astra... Please put it down...”

His hands, usually steady enough to sign away billions, trembled slightly as they gripped the edge of the table. Every muscle in his frame was coiled, ready to lunge and intercept a tragedy that existed only in the archives of his trauma. The plea in his voice was raw, stripping away the mask of the powerful tycoon to reveal the terrified brother underneath. Across the table, Zephyr’s breath hitched, his eyes darting between the two brothers in shared anxiety.

“Big Brother...”

He froze, the knife hovering inches above the fruit. He looked at his brother with wide, silver-flecked eyes that were filled with a sudden, startled confusion. In that single phrase, he voiced the bewilderment of a boy who was trying to reclaim his life, only to find his brother still standing guard over a ghost.

“Why are you holding the knife...”