After leaving the training ground of Soames Noble Academy, Soshyan was preparing to board the Thunder Eagle to go to the Winter Palace to handle some matters, when he saw a hesitating figure at the gate of the academy.
He didn't know 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 and 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 words 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 has been lingering at the entrance of the college for several days. The guard once wanted to drive him away, but after the instructions from the college's senior officials, this action was not carried out and he was not let in.
Only a few 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.
But when the man saw 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 meditated on the mysteries of family, a bond that mortals struggle to understand once they become Astartes.
Often, their brotherhood within the Chapter is described as a family.
Doesn't the word "brother" itself mean a member of the family?
However, father, mother, son - Soshyan is not so far away from human nature that he understands that those things are 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 this person'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?"
Soshyan 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 just torn to pieces.
Perhaps the angels really 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 of things 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 cemetery of the Alexey family, 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 no matter what he was like before, he is dead now and has become a withered 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 ignored it deliberately.
He blinked and whispered:
"she--"
For a moment, Soshyan didn't know how to say the next words. Nelio was stunned for a while, and suddenly realized who Soshyan was referring to.
"Aunt, she..."
Nelio 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!?"
Soshyan 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 people quickly got up and led them to a simple chapel built of wood behind the mansion.
"Since you left, young master, my wife has been praying for you day and night. Whether she was sick or widowed, she never stopped for a day. After the 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 that she has gone crazy and is a crazy woman, but Madam..."
"She is now..."
Soshyan interrupted the other party.
"……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, Nelio 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 or see, and she didn't have any feeling of being touched.
Feel."
Soshyan didn't speak, just walked forward and gently pressed his hand on the wooden door.
After taking a deep breath, he carefully opened the door...