Chapter 23: 23 - Who Was The Mysterious Saviour?
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Wade was quite subdued when he arrived at Ren's house. He was shown into the study straight away by Steward Paul.
Ren was sitting in his wheelchair by the window, poring over a collaboration proposal from a company in Island Country. If it succeeded, Ren and Wolf would be able to gain an important ally for their secret project. Ren also had a premonition that he may be able to get a clue about the Magic Guild in Island Country, which was a small but extremely powerful nation, both in terms of economy and military.
Pax had taken Fang away for a photo shoot. The marketing and advertising teams were in love with Fang and pestered him until he agreed to be Sirocco's exclusive model for pretty much everything. Fang spent more time in Sirocco these days than Ren himself. Ren found himself wondering idly if this was the feeling of the abandoned mother when the long-absent father appeared and the child hijacked him.
To Wade, it looked like his brother was a fragile creature about to disappear. Even Ren's smile appeared melancholy.
"Big Brother...? Are you... are you ok...?" Wade asked, suddenly frightened. What if Ren really disappeared one day? Wade had never considered the possibility. In his mind, Ren was a constant, a fixed point. No matter what he did, no matter what happened...he had always believed that his Big Brother would be there to save the day for him. He had never imagined that Ren may not be there for him some day...that he may prioritise someone else, or that he may be a fragile, injured person. Wade seemed to have long forgotten that his Big Brother was a human being too, that he could be injured, that he could die. However, recent events had made him take a step back and think seriously. It was a classic case of "the value of something is not known until it is lost."
Ren looked up at the protagonist little brother. "Oh, hi, Wade. Come on in. Would you like some snacks?"
For the first time in his life, Wade didn't act like a spoilt brat and immediately rattle off a list of his favorite things to eat and drink. Instead, he stood quietly and raked his brother with his eyes, examining him carefully.
Ren simply sat back and observed.
Wade approached him slowly. "Big Brother...are you really all right?"
Ren smiled. Perhaps there was hope for this child after all. "Just a broken leg this time; nothing life-threatening," he replied nonchalantly.
That remark made Wade remember how Ren had been nearly shot to death by some gangsters a few months ago...and how Wade himself had refused to come and visit his mortally wounded Big Brother who was lying in a coma at the time. He felt so ashamed of himself that he wanted to dig a hole in the ground and bury himself in it.
"I'm sorry," Wade cried tearfully. "I'm sorry, Big Brother!"
Ren sighed. "Wade, you know that I'm not the one you owe this apology to, right?"
Wade shook his head. "I will apologise to Fang separately; I've been horrible to him." He bowed his head. "But I owe you an apology, too. I've not been a good brother to you at all, even though you did so much for me. I've been such an idiot..."
Ren patted the teenager's shoulder. "Well, it's not entirely your fault," he said kindly. "We've all had our stupid moments. We should move on now, yes?"
Wade felt a pang of guilt and promised himself that he would treat his Big Brother well from now on. He would also try to reconcile his parents and Big Brother. Now that he thought back... wasn't it too cruel to abandoned Big Brother like that? He had been only fifteen, then...younger than Wade was right now. And yet Ren had achieved so much already, while he had just been mooching off Ren's hard-earned money.
Seeing Wade in a daze, Ren tapped his arm. "You said something about being attacked earlier?"
Hearing the concern on his voice, Wade felt even worse. "I lied," he confessed. "I didn't lie about being attacked, but I lied about seeing one of those rogues again...I just wanted you to help me find my saviour."
Ren frowned. "Your saviour?"
Wade nodded shyly. He narrated the entire story to Ren.
"I see," Ren muttered. "But tell me, Wade, why are you suddenly looking for this person now? It has been so long already."
Wade flushed. "I...want to thank him. And I want to be friends with him."
"Have you considered that he may have been killed that night?" Ren asked.
"No!" Wade cried. "He can't be dead! The police would have a found a body if he died, wouldn't they?"
"Not if the corpse was thrown into the river," Ren muttered.
"Please, Big Brother!" Wade begged.
"I'll see what I can do, Wade...but I'm afraid this like looking for a needle in a haystack. I may have been able to locate him easily if you'd told me at the time...but after nearly a year...I can't promise anything."
Wade nodded, his eyes brimming with tears again. "I have something which may be of help," he said quietly. "I picked it up on the road and I know it belongs to him, because I saw him wearing it earlier when he protected me."
"What is it?" Ren asked curiously.
"A pendant," Wade said, handing over a small pouch to Ren.
Ren opened the pouch, took out the pendant and held it up to examine it.
An ominous feeling welled up from his gut.
Before he could say anything, though, the door opened and Fang appeared.
"I'm back, Ren!" Fang said happily, walking over to his boyfriend. He noticed Wade and greeted him politely before turning his attention back to Ren.
Then Fang saw the object in Ren's hand.
"Why do you have that pendant?" he asked, shocked.
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Wade was quite subdued when he arrived at Ren's house. He was shown into the study straight away by Steward Paul.
Ren was sitting in his wheelchair by the window, poring over a collaboration proposal from a company in Island Country. If it succeeded, Ren and Wolf would be able to gain an important ally for their secret project. Ren also had a premonition that he may be able to get a clue about the Magic Guild in Island Country, which was a small but extremely powerful nation, both in terms of economy and military.
Pax had taken Fang away for a photo shoot. The marketing and advertising teams were in love with Fang and pestered him until he agreed to be Sirocco's exclusive model for pretty much everything. Fang spent more time in Sirocco these days than Ren himself. Ren found himself wondering idly if this was the feeling of the abandoned mother when the long-absent father appeared and the child hijacked him.
To Wade, it looked like his brother was a fragile creature about to disappear. Even Ren's smile appeared melancholy.
"Big Brother...? Are you... are you ok...?" Wade asked, suddenly frightened. What if Ren really disappeared one day? Wade had never considered the possibility. In his mind, Ren was a constant, a fixed point. No matter what he did, no matter what happened...he had always believed that his Big Brother would be there to save the day for him. He had never imagined that Ren may not be there for him some day...that he may prioritise someone else, or that he may be a fragile, injured person. Wade seemed to have long forgotten that his Big Brother was a human being too, that he could be injured, that he could die. However, recent events had made him take a step back and think seriously. It was a classic case of "the value of something is not known until it is lost."
Ren looked up at the protagonist little brother. "Oh, hi, Wade. Come on in. Would you like some snacks?"
For the first time in his life, Wade didn't act like a spoilt brat and immediately rattle off a list of his favorite things to eat and drink. Instead, he stood quietly and raked his brother with his eyes, examining him carefully.
Ren simply sat back and observed.
Wade approached him slowly. "Big Brother...are you really all right?"
Ren smiled. Perhaps there was hope for this child after all. "Just a broken leg this time; nothing life-threatening," he replied nonchalantly.
That remark made Wade remember how Ren had been nearly shot to death by some gangsters a few months ago...and how Wade himself had refused to come and visit his mortally wounded Big Brother who was lying in a coma at the time. He felt so ashamed of himself that he wanted to dig a hole in the ground and bury himself in it.
"I'm sorry," Wade cried tearfully. "I'm sorry, Big Brother!"
Ren sighed. "Wade, you know that I'm not the one you owe this apology to, right?"
Wade shook his head. "I will apologise to Fang separately; I've been horrible to him." He bowed his head. "But I owe you an apology, too. I've not been a good brother to you at all, even though you did so much for me. I've been such an idiot..."
Ren patted the teenager's shoulder. "Well, it's not entirely your fault," he said kindly. "We've all had our stupid moments. We should move on now, yes?"
Wade felt a pang of guilt and promised himself that he would treat his Big Brother well from now on. He would also try to reconcile his parents and Big Brother. Now that he thought back... wasn't it too cruel to abandoned Big Brother like that? He had been only fifteen, then...younger than Wade was right now. And yet Ren had achieved so much already, while he had just been mooching off Ren's hard-earned money.
Seeing Wade in a daze, Ren tapped his arm. "You said something about being attacked earlier?"
Hearing the concern on his voice, Wade felt even worse. "I lied," he confessed. "I didn't lie about being attacked, but I lied about seeing one of those rogues again...I just wanted you to help me find my saviour."
Ren frowned. "Your saviour?"
Wade nodded shyly. He narrated the entire story to Ren.
"I see," Ren muttered. "But tell me, Wade, why are you suddenly looking for this person now? It has been so long already."
Wade flushed. "I...want to thank him. And I want to be friends with him."
"Have you considered that he may have been killed that night?" Ren asked.
"No!" Wade cried. "He can't be dead! The police would have a found a body if he died, wouldn't they?"
"Not if the corpse was thrown into the river," Ren muttered.
"Please, Big Brother!" Wade begged.
"I'll see what I can do, Wade...but I'm afraid this like looking for a needle in a haystack. I may have been able to locate him easily if you'd told me at the time...but after nearly a year...I can't promise anything."
Wade nodded, his eyes brimming with tears again. "I have something which may be of help," he said quietly. "I picked it up on the road and I know it belongs to him, because I saw him wearing it earlier when he protected me."
"What is it?" Ren asked curiously.
"A pendant," Wade said, handing over a small pouch to Ren.
Ren opened the pouch, took out the pendant and held it up to examine it.
An ominous feeling welled up from his gut.
Before he could say anything, though, the door opened and Fang appeared.
"I'm back, Ren!" Fang said happily, walking over to his boyfriend. He noticed Wade and greeted him politely before turning his attention back to Ren.
Then Fang saw the object in Ren's hand.
"Why do you have that pendant?" he asked, shocked.
Wade was quite subdued when he arrived at Ren's house. He was shown into the study straight away by Steward Paul. Ren was sitting in his wheelchair by the window, poring over a collaboration proposal from a company in Island Country. If it succeeded, Ren and Wolf would be able to gain an important ally for their secret project. Ren also had a premonition that he may be able to get a clue about the Magic Guild in Island Country, which was a small but extremely powerful nation, both in terms of economy and military. Pax had taken Fang away for a photo shoot. The marketing and advertising teams were in love with Fang and pestered him until he agreed to be Sirocco's exclusive model for pretty much everything. Fang spent more time in Sirocco these days than Ren himself. Ren found himself wondering idly if this was the feeling of the abandoned mother when the long-absent father appeared and the child hijacked him. To Wade, it looked like his brother was a fragile creature about to disappear. Even Ren's smile appeared melancholy. "Big Brother...? Are you... are you ok...?" Wade asked, suddenly frightened. What if Ren really disappeared one day? Wade had never considered the possibility. In his mind, Ren was a constant, a fixed point. No matter what he did, no matter what happened...he had always believed that his Big Brother would be there to save the day for him. He had never imagined that Ren may not be there for him some day...that he may prioritise someone else, or that he may be a fragile, injured person. Wade seemed to have long forgotten that his Big Brother was a human being too, that he could be injured, that he could die. However, recent events had made him take a step back and think seriously. It was a classic case of "the value of something is not known until it is lost." Ren looked up at the protagonist little brother. "Oh, hi, Wade. Come on in. Would you like some snacks?" For the first time in his life, Wade didn't act like a spoilt brat and immediately rattle off a list of his favorite things to eat and drink. Instead, he stood quietly and raked his brother with his eyes, examining him carefully. Ren simply sat back and observed. Wade approached him slowly. "Big Brother...are you really all right?" Ren smiled. Perhaps there was hope for this child after all. "Just a broken leg this time; nothing life-threatening," he replied nonchalantly. That remark made Wade remember how Ren had been nearly shot to death by some gangsters a few months ago...and how Wade himself had refused to come and visit his mortally wounded Big Brother who was lying in a coma at the time. He felt so ashamed of himself that he wanted to dig a hole in the ground and bury himself in it. "I'm sorry," Wade cried tearfully. "I'm sorry, Big Brother!" Ren sighed. "Wade, you know that I'm not the one you owe this apology to, right?" Wade shook his head. "I will apologise to Fang separately; I've been horrible to him." He bowed his head. "But I owe you an apology, too. I've not been a good brother to you at all, even though you did so much for me. I've been such an idiot..." Ren patted the teenager's shoulder. "Well, it's not entirely your fault," he said kindly. "We've all had our stupid moments. We should move on now, yes?" Wade felt a pang of guilt and promised himself that he would treat his Big Brother well from now on. He would also try to reconcile his parents and Big Brother. Now that he thought back... wasn't it too cruel to abandoned Big Brother like that? He had been only fifteen, then...younger than Wade was right now. And yet Ren had achieved so much already, while he had just been mooching off Ren's hard-earned money. Seeing Wade in a daze, Ren tapped his arm. "You said something about being attacked earlier?" Hearing the concern on his voice, Wade felt even worse. "I lied," he confessed. "I didn't lie about being attacked, but I lied about seeing one of those rogues again...I just wanted you to help me find my saviour." Ren frowned. "Your saviour?" Wade nodded shyly. He narrated the entire story to Ren. "I see," Ren muttered. "But tell me, Wade, why are you suddenly looking for this person now? It has been so long already." Wade flushed. "I...want to thank him. And I want to be friends with him." "Have you considered that he may have been killed that night?" Ren asked. "No!" Wade cried. "He can't be dead! The police would have a found a body if he died, wouldn't they?" "Not if the corpse was thrown into the river," Ren muttered. "Please, Big Brother!" Wade begged. "I'll see what I can do, Wade...but I'm afraid this like looking for a needle in a haystack. I may have been able to locate him easily if you'd told me at the time...but after nearly a year...I can't promise anything." Wade nodded, his eyes brimming with tears again. "I have something which may be of help," he said quietly. "I picked it up on the road and I know it belongs to him, because I saw him wearing it earlier when he protected me." "What is it?" Ren asked curiously. "A pendant," Wade said, handing over a small pouch to Ren. Ren opened the pouch, took out the pendant and held it up to examine it. An ominous feeling welled up from his gut. Before he could say anything, though, the door opened and Fang appeared. "I'm back, Ren!" Fang said happily, walking over to his boyfriend. He noticed Wade and greeted him politely before turning his attention back to Ren. Then Fang saw the object in Ren's hand. "Why do you have that pendant?" he asked, shocked.
