Theo raised his head, and their eyes intertwined. There was a sense of longing in his heart, but it was overcome by the disappointment that had been drastically increasing since a few months ago.
Edward had short blue hair like Theo, but his eyes were light blue instead of ocean blue, making him slightly different from Theo.
He wore a white t-shirt and long blue pants, but he seemed to be tidy enough for someone who lived in this place for a long time.
Noticing their gazes, Avarice closed her eyes and turned around. Although she chose to stay, she didn't want to disturb them. She chose to wait for Theo in the woods.
Like Ava, she could listen to their conversation and knew if Edward tried to do something funny to Theo. At that time, she wouldn't hesitate to kill Edward, considering she was Theo's ally, not Edward's.
After Avarice left, Edward blinked a few times and said, "We should talk inside."
Theo remained still for a moment before using his Telekinesis to lift his body to the treehouse while Edward turned around and reached the door, opening it for him and Theo.
He entered first to show Theo there was nothing bad inside, and Theo followed him carefully.
Back then, Edward was his sole goal. He was his motivation to survive. It was quite ironic since he didn't share the same feeling as his past self.
Theo sighed inwardly and walked inside. The treehouse was quite small. On his right was a brown wooden door without any sign to show what kind of room it was.
Next to the door were electric stoves and a few other cooking utensils. It seemed Edward managed his own electricity by getting it from Solar Energy.
He then turned in the opposite direction and found a bed with a red quilt. It was a tidy and sturdy single-person bed. There seemed to be nothing that separated the room from the rest of the house other than the door on his right.
Not far from the bed was a long couch and a huge table. He could see Edward's Skylink on top of it, showing a few people's faces. Unfortunately, he didn't know about those people, so he made no remark.
Last but not least, he found a series of physical training equipment, a small window with his clothes and a fridge.
"Pardon me for this small house," Edward said while walking to the couch. He tidied up the table while getting another chair.
He also pointed at the soft couch and offered Theo to sit. "Please."
Theo took a deep breath since this was the first time he saw his brother after a long decade. He didn't want to have an outburst because he needed information from him.
After calming his heart down, Theo gradually walked to the couch while Edward brought him cold water.
"You must be tired. Have a drink first."
Theo looked him in the eyes and shook his head. "I'm good."
Edward raised his eyebrows and looked away awkwardly. He scratched the back of his head and sat on the chair, saying, "Okay. That must mean you don't want to waste your time. I understand…"
Although disappointed, Edward knew Theo's feeling was the result of his actions. So, he let everything go and moved on. "What do you want me to explain? I will tell you everything without a single lie mixed in it."
"…" Theo remained silent and looked down as if contemplating his question. However, there was one question he always wanted to ask this whole time. "Are you… really my brother?"
Edward's body shook from his first question. He closed his eyes for a moment and answered with a calm tone. "Yes and no."
Theo continued to stare at him, demanding an explanation.
Edward waved his hand, assuring him he would tell him in a moment. "I have told you in the letter. My name is not Edward Griffith, but Edward Sangaria. I was adopted by our… your parents to deal with the ones who were and are trying to conspire against you."
"Conspire against me?" Theo squinted his eyes. "With the Griffith Family's ability, I don't think no one in this country has the proof that I am one of them… In other words, I am just a random boy from a random family!"
"You are right and wrong." Edward pointed at Theo's chest. "Your pocket watch is releasing Magic Power the whole time. Supreme Rank Experts have no trouble in finding the fluctuation of the Magic Power."
Theo raised his eyebrows, not realizing any of it. He took out his pocket watch to check it but still felt nothing.
"I know your Control is good, but this is not related to Control. It's sense. As you may already know, when people rank up, their Five Aspects will improve. When you reach Supreme Rank Expert, your senses will be more sensitive to Magic Power. This is the first full difference from the 250 levels gap between the two ranks.
"That's why the Supreme Rank Experts may think about snatching your pocket watch. Normally, your parents or Griffith Family's vassals will handle that job, but there's no movement from both of them for a certain reason that I will explain later."
Theo crossed his arms as his expression turned grim. "So, you protected me this whole time? Couldn't you just explain this to me?"
"Your parents told me not to." Edward shook his head. "They wanted me to wear that necklace to attract everyone's attention, making me the target. After that, I would pass the pocket watch to you without anyone realizing."
"You keep blaming them even though you understand they are not here, right?" Theo clenched his fists. He wanted to thank him for protecting him this whole time, but Theo knew Edward could choose a different path.
After all, his little brother would be suffering because he chose to obey them. Theo believed even his parents wouldn't realize if he told him secretly.
If he didn't trust the small Theo to keep it a secret, he could simply wait for a few more years and release the information from time to time, explaining the circumstances.
It would make the whole thing easier to swallow. However, he chose this path, and Theo needed to take all these things and endure this emotional rollercoaster.
Theo gritted his teeth and glared at Edward.. He raised his voice in disappointment, saying only one word. "Why?!"