After leaving the training ground of Soames Noble Academy, Soshyan was about to board the Thunder Eagle to go to the Winter Palace to handle some matters, when he saw a hesitant figure at the gate of the academy.
He didn't recognize the person, but his instinct told him that the person was here to find him.
In a sense, the kind of thing that person represents is what he has been deliberately avoiding.
"Go meet him."
Gently, a hand was placed on Soshyan's shoulder.
"You should know who he is. Avoidance is not an option for a warrior."
Thor's soft whisper made Soshiyang make up his mind. He jumped off the levitating Thunder Eagle and walked towards the gate of the academy in front of everyone's surprised eyes.
They were sweaty, slightly obese, bald men wearing the work uniforms of Nathan Star Port.
He had been lingering at the entrance of the college for several days. The guard once wanted to drive him away, but at the signal of the college's senior management, this action was not carried out and he was not let in.
Only a handful of people know who he is.
Seeing the Space Marines approaching with heavy steps, the door guards immediately raised the iron gate and stood respectfully on both sides of the gate.
As for the man, after seeing the person he expected to appear, he hesitated and hesitated for a long time, not daring to step through the door.
In the end, it was Soshyan who walked up to him.
An extraordinary angel and a poor mortal, facing each other, are like an absurd drama.
The man took out a greasy handkerchief from his pocket and wiped the sweat from his forehead. Facing an Astartes at such a close distance put a lot of pressure on his spirit.
But compared to others, he had more reason to talk to the other person at such a close distance.
After stuffing the handkerchief back into his pocket, the man clasped his hands cautiously, bent down, and said tremblingly:
"Cousin, cousin..."
His voice was very soft, but it was enough to make the surrounding guards look sideways, and they all trembled neatly at that moment.
But for Soshyan, it felt a bit strange to be called brother by someone other than the Astartes.
Soshyan mused on the mysteries of family, the bonds that mortals struggle to understand once they become Astartes.
Often, their brotherhood within the Chapter is described as that of a family.
Doesn’t the word “brother” itself mean a member of the family?
But father, mother, son - Soshyan was not so far removed from humanity that he understood that those things were completely different.
Although their emotions were alien to him.
"you--"
Soshyan raised his hand slightly, but then put it down.
He didn't even remember the man's name.
"Cousin, I am Nelio. I was only 6 years old when you left."
Looking at the man's sincere face, Soshyan did not feel any sense of closeness caused by blood.
"Nario, what do you want from me?"
Soshiyan tried his best to soften his tone, but it sounded harsh enough to Nellio, which made him a little discouraged.
The expected joyful meeting was torn to pieces.
Perhaps the angels turned away from humanity in order to protect the empire, as rumored.
"Cousin, I...I want to tell you something, something that happened after you left."
"Sorry, but I'm very busy right now and have a lot to deal with."
"No no no!"
Nelio waved his hands and said in a protesting tone:
"You must listen and take a look!"
Soshyan's brows immediately wrinkled...
————————
In the Alexey family cemetery, looking at the tombstone that had been tempered by the years, Soshyan fell into deep contemplation.
Here lies his father - not the "genetic father" in the sense of the Chapter, but the father who contributed to the birth of his body and accompanied him during his mortal years.
Nelio stood beside him and said with some sadness:
"After you left, cousin, my uncle began to indulge in studying family history. He forgot to eat and sleep, and finally fell ill ten years ago, and he was very ill. However, he refused any life-support devices and was still studying the ancient family history. history."
Regarding the man lying in the grave, Soshyan could only glean a few scraps from the fragments of memory.
The neat beard, the oily pipe, and the lingering smell of ink.
But whatever he was before, he is dead now, a dry bone in the tomb.
That's all.
Only--
Soshyan felt the ring on his chest again. Although it was always on his body, it was rarely felt. Soshyan always deliberately ignored it.
He blinked and whispered:
"she--"
Soshiyang didn't know how to say the next words for a moment. Nelio was stunned for a while and suddenly realized who Soshiyang was referring to.
"Aunt, she..."
Nerio sighed.
Later, Nelio led Soshyan to his former home, which is now an abandoned house overgrown with vegetation.
When the two old servants in the house saw the towering Astartes, they fell to their knees in fear. When Nerio revealed the identity of this giant, both of them were stunned.
"It turned out to be... Master Soshiyang!"
"Master Soshyan is back!?"
Soshiyang looked at the two wrinkled faces, but there was no memory in his mind.
"My cousin is back to see my aunt."
After hearing Nelio's words, the two quickly got up and led them to a simple chapel built of wood behind the mansion.
"Since you left, Master, my wife has been praying for you day and night. No matter whether she was sick or widowed, she never stopped for a day. After Master passed away, she even moved your former house to the church. Lived in it.”
An old servant said, tears falling down.
"She misses you so much, but she doesn't dare to say it. She can only pray to the God Emperor for your safety. Many people say she has gone crazy and is a crazy woman, but Madam..."
"She is now..."
Soshyan interrupted.
"……How about it."
The two servants looked at me, and I looked at you, and shook their heads.
In the end, it was Nelio who told the truth.
"Five years after my uncle passed away, my aunt also fell down. She only slept four or five hours a day and spent the rest of her time praying. Along with other diseases, her organs had severely failed... The doctor installed a set of primary vitamins for her. Health system, but it is said that it can only last three years."
As he said this, Nerio also choked up.
"But a year ago, the doctor said that my aunt's brain was dead and the life-support device was removed, but she... she actually persisted and was still breathing. She just couldn't speak, couldn't see, and she didn't have any sense of touch. Feel."
Soshyan didn't speak, just stepped forward and gently pressed his hand on the wooden door.
After taking a deep breath, he carefully opened the door...
