The Way Back Home's

Truths

Alan Eden, Farrell's father, certainly did not expect that his son would return so soon to him. When he saw Farrell back in front of him, he was dumbfounded. Questions about the release of Milo and Libby were also lost. His eyes could only stare at the disheveled Farrell. Her hair was no longer tidy and a sweat was wetting her forehead.

“Why are you, Farrell? What happened?” Alan asked first.

Farrell had already opened his mouth but not a single word of it had worked him out. He finally threw his gaze down with his mouth closed.

“Farrell?” Alan asked again. “You look tired. Is there something bad that happened? Please don't scare me.”

Farrell could not see his appearance at the time. If he could, he would no longer care. He could feel his hands clenched. Farrell gulped and sighed deeply. He looked at his father right in his eyes, expecting honesty. “Dad, has uncle ever been here and asked for a blood sample from you?”

Alah stroked his beard and was silent for a moment. “Ngak. Why did your uncle ask for a blood sample from me? If anyone has ever taken a sample of my blood, at most the officers are here. We are required to undergo a health test every six months.”

“I met a potion expert to make an antidote to mannequins. She said that when Denise made the mind-control potion, she used father's blood as one of the essential ingredients for the binders.”

Alan nodded. “It makes sense. I've heard that a person's blood can be used to add special effects to various potions. Especially the blood of witches. I heard the effect can be many times over. Jeez... They used my blood?”

“They use father's blood because dad is their parent.”

“It also makes sense.”

“Dad, I also ate the food that was given the herb but was not affected by it at all.” Farrell spoke as he stared fixedly at his father and observed every change in expression. “Dad, has anyone been hiding from me all this time?”

“Ke— Why do you ask that? Haha..” Alan scratched the neck. “If you can be honest, a lot of anyway. I've never been honest about the secret door of the inn, about the magic world, about the pie I made when your mother's birthday, then.. Um.

“Dad, you hide a lot of things as if you don't believe me.”

“I'm just waiting for the right time.”

“Including my identity?” Farrell felt his words tremble.

“Hah? Haha..” Alan forced himself to laugh. “Why, Farrell? Why do you ask that?”

“Dad, it's a good time to be honest with me. Please, tell me! Am I not your real son?” This sentence also shakes.

Farrell saw that his father's face had changed. The face was no longer happy because it saw the child, it was pale as if frightened. Even a red color was beginning to appear on his cheeks. Father avoided his gaze by looking to the right and then to the left. Dad's mouth was open as if he wanted to talk but closed again. Not a word he got from his father.

“Dad, why are you silent?” Farrell's urging.

Alan shook his head. “Only confused by your question. Where'd you get an idea like that, Farrell? You son. If— about why the potion didn't work on you, maybe— might be because there's a spell Denise misspelled when she made it. Or— Or maybe the potion expert mistakenly thought that the potion contained my blood. Oh, you could eat something different from them. Fruit or something? Something that makes you immune to that potion?”

Farrell shook his head. “No, dad.”

“Daddy, why don't you tell me the truth?” Farrell expected honesty but his father instead uttered a variety of strange sentences. His tone was high, his voice was hard. “Dad, tell me the truth!”

“Ke— What reality?”

“It's hard that dad said that I'm not your real son?”

“Ka— You— You—”

“Who am I?!” Farrell's whole life, that was the most painful question he'd ever heard. Funny thing is, he said that sentence. His heart felt stabbed. Her face was hot either from sadness or anger. His throat hurts from holding back tears.

Farrell suddenly felt he no longer knew the figure of the man in front of him. I dare not see it. Though Farrell was eager to see his father's eyes, seeing the figure who had been by his side as a child and raised him, as well as the figure who disappeared without news for years after. Farrell doesn't know where his father's loss of respect and longing goes. All feelings vanished, as if the plants withered dry. Numbness.

“Farrell...” Alan can only name his son. “Farrell..”.

Farrell shook his head. He felt his heart and mind malfunctioning, allowing him to take over. Without speaking again, Farrell stood up from the chair and stepped away. Even though father repeatedly called out his name, he had no desire to turn away.

Enough's enough! Enough already!

His heart was mixed. His mind is fucked. He doesn't want to feel or think about anything anymore. Her body was tired and cold. Hungry and thirsty but full and nauseous at the same time. Sleepiness accompanies, fatigue haunts, but not strong enough to master. He was fully awake but not aware of where the steps took him to go through the crowd, through the portal, down the road, down the stairs, across the bridge, through the trees. Various sounds accompanied his footsteps but his ears would not listen. His eyes looked but his gaze glared far down.

Diverse ideas rising on the surface. This latest idea begins with a story.

Father and Uncle set up a hotel together where there is a portal to the world of magic. One day, my father went to jail for murder. Uncle took over the hotel, ran his own business, gambled, went into debt, and needed money. Uncle also wanted to sell the hotel but it turns out the hotel certificate was hidden in a secret place. This secret place could only be found by his nephews. Uncle decided to poison his own nephew for money.

Is that how the story is? It's a family story that's fighting over each other's possessions. Money often causes problems. As a teacher, he often educates his students to be careful about this. This time, it was his family who got into such trouble.

Waitaminute!

Farrell stopped in the middle of the snow. Rows of trees rarely observe it from afar and the moon awaits it from above.

Waita minute!

Farrell's mind suddenly opened. That's not his family. The story that emerged was not the story of his family. It's the story of a family called Eden. It's a family thing called Eden. It was a family affair called Eden. Farrell has no Eden blood in him. He no longer needed to make a pledge on how to defend the inn from uncle, no longer needed to find a way to free two children from magic potions, no need to bother with the evil witch named Denise.

It was no longer his business because he was not an Eden.

“Who am I?” Again the word came out of his mouth.