The Number One Star in the Interstellar Era

Chapter 743: CONFRONTATION BETWEEN BROTHERS (I)

CYNRIC almost faltered when he saw Wulfric waiting by the lake. His step hitched for a fraction of a second. But he caught himself. He forced his shoulders back, clenched his jaw, and met his brother’s gaze with a hard, determined look. He would listen to whatever Wulfric had to say. But if it turned out to be nothing more than his brother’s usual nonsense, he would simply log out without another word.

He walked toward the lake and stopped a few steps away from Wulfric. "Well, if you have something to say, then say it. I do not have all day."

Wulfric remained silent for a long moment, just standing there as if he were gathering his thoughts. Cynric felt his patience thinning. He was just about to demand an answer or simply log out when Wulfric finally moved. He bowed his head, a gesture so uncharacteristic and humble that it caught Cynric completely off guard. Then, his brother spoke.

"I’m sorry."

Cynric just stared. This was not a simple nod of the head. Wulfric had bent fully at the waist, a formal ninety degree bow that was meant as a clear and deep apology. Cynric could only look at his brother, this proud and stubborn man who never lowered his head for anyone, now holding that position solely to say he was sorry. The sight was so unexpected, so completely foreign to everything he knew about Wulfric, that he could not find any words to respond. He just kept staring, trying to process what was happening.

But it seemed that Wulfric was not expecting him to answer, anyway. The other straightened his back and continued speaking.

"I need to apologize, Cyn. Not just for today, but for... a long time. What I said earlier was cruel. I knew it would hit a wound, and I said it anyway because I was angry for Aster. That was selfish, and you never deserved that from me."

Wulfric drew in a slow breath, the words dragging out of him. "The truth is, I failed you long before today. For years, I saw the weight you carried, and I did nothing. Not because I didn’t want to, but because I didn’t know how. That part of me, the part that should know how to comfort, how to care, it just isn’t there. I couldn’t understand your pain, not really. I knew what you went through was tragic, I knew it was cruel, and I was furious on your behalf. But that rage was all I had. It never became the kind of understanding you needed. As such, I knew I would never be able to reach you. So I took the easy way out. I buried myself in fights, in violence, in anything that let me ignore what I couldn’t fix."

If Aster hadn’t come into his life, he might have stayed that way forever. Aster hadn’t just changed him, he had given him something he’d been missing since the start. It felt like being handed back a piece of his own heart, the piece that knew compassion, that longed to understand, that ached when someone he loved was in pain.

That was why he could say these things to Cynric now. Before Aster, the words would have felt strange in his mouth, the emotions too tangled and formless to name, let alone speak aloud. He would have buried the guilt under more anger or another bout of violence, too uncomfortable and too unequipped to face it.

It’s not that Aster had fixed what was broken in him, but he had given Wulfric the language to finally begin trying.

"I see now how wrong I was. How absent I’ve been. How I left you alone when you should have been able to rely on someone. No, not just someone, but on your brother." He paused, the silence heavy between them. "I am sorry, Cyn. For all of it." His tone softened further, almost hesitant. "And if you’ll allow it... I want to be there for you now. However way I can."

Cynric could only stare, completely stunned. This couldn’t be real. This had to be some kind of trick, a dream, or a cruel joke. Wulfric didn’t just say those things. Wulfric didn’t apologize. He certainly shouldn’t have sounded so damn regretful and sincere. A deep confusion settled over him, his mind struggling to make sense of the words he was hearing.

Then, as the shock began to fade, a hot wave of anger rushed in. How dare he. How dare he say these things now, after all this time, after all the years of silence and careless words? The anger felt familiar and sharp, a shield against the part of him that wanted, desperately, to believe this was real.

Cynric’s voice shook with anger. "You don’t get to say those words now. You don’t get to apologize and expect me to just smile and accept it. You’re a decade too late, Wulfric." His hands clenched at his sides. "You say you didn’t know how to reach me? You didn’t even try. Back then, I would have accepted anything from you. A word, a nod, even a pat on the back would have been enough. But all I ever got was your back turned to me."

He took a step forward, his voice cracking. "You saw what he did to me. You killed him for it. And then you... you never spoke of it again. Do you know what I believed all these years? I thought you were disgusted with me. That what happened made me something broken, something unclean in your eyes. Your silence felt like confirmation of every horrible thing I believed about myself."

Cynric was glad they were in VirtualNet right now. Here, his body was just data. Here, tears were optional. In the real world, he knew the dam would have already broken. He would have been crying for the second time that day, and the shame of that weakness, on top of everything else, would have been too much to bear.