Reincarnated in the Astral World

Chapter 55: The Pitiful Hero

While Arthur talks with Alicia, Draven has a serious discussion with Aria. He keeps using the same arguments about how the shadows within their son is a problem, and that they have to follow him back to the Leonheart Kingdom, but she doesn't share the same opinion.

Draven realizes that no matter what he says about Arthur, it only makes Aria more furious, so he tries to appeal to her feelings. "You have to come with me, Aria; you owe me that after everything I've done for you!"

"I have no obligation to offer anything to you in return." She responds in a calm tone, containing the wrath inside her. "I told you that you should leave many times, and you chose to stay for our children... well, I used to think like that, but now I'm not sure if you ever cared for them indeed."

"What the fuck?!" Draven clenches his fists but keeps a distance from Aria. "How can you say that?? Damn you, Aria, I spent fifteen years, fucking fifteen years trying to do the best husband for you and the perfect father for our children!"

The cold expression Aria gives Draven makes him even more bitter, and he continues yelling. "I don't understand, seriously... in fifteen years, you only let me touch you once, lights off, and that was so quick that I'm not even sure anything really happened... did it mean anything to you? Or was it just to make your precious and beloved son?"

Draven shows a truly pitiful expression. "I thought that by giving you time and space, you would start to treat me as your husband, but you became even more distant... to the point of asking for my seed to use a damn spell and have Eve! Do you know how degrading that was for me? No other man would accept it, but I did it for you and our family!"

"I..." Aria can't help but react to Draven's words; she looks at him with a genuine sorry expression. "Ah, that's really my fault, it's just that... I simply couldn't make it work. I tried; I genuinely gave you a chance; you were a good and reliable friend once, but when we tried for something more, I just... I don't feel it for you; I never felt."

Her words pierce Draven's heart and ego like a harsh and cold truth. "I see; now I realize that nothing I did was enough for you. But why? What's wrong with you? I know I gave my best, so it's your fault if it didn't work out!"

"I don't know, Draven," Aria replies honestly. "Maybe something is wrong with me; maybe I simply couldn't love you that way. I am sorry for that, and I tried, but for the same reason, I didn't care if you slept around. So don't act as if I'm the only one to blame."

Draven's eyes burn with fury and frustration. "That was because you never treated me as your husband! Of course, I needed to satisfy my basic needs..." A jealous gleam appears in his eyes. "But look at you, you never looked at me with loving eyes, but you look at Arthur all the time like that! What kind of mother-"

Aria loses control for a second and moves her hand in the air as slapping, and a large hand made of solid gray energy appears in front of Draven, truly slapping his face. *PAH* The sound echoes through the room as her eyes grow even colder. "Don't you dare redirect your frustrations towards my son, Draven, or the next one will be a lot worse."

Draven doesn't care about the pain in his face because the pain in his heart and ego are much more torturous. "Why are you doing this to me, Aria?!!" He asks, and she just away coldly, leaving him even more bitter. "Why can't you be a good wife and mother??"

Those words upset her, and she quickly responds. "I can't be your wife because I'm disgusted by you." She casts a frigid look of disdain at him. "And you can't say anything about me being a good mother; that's up to Arthur and Eve to judge, not you."

Draven instinctively moves his hand towards the hilt of his sword in its sheath. "You're wrong! As the father of our children, I have rights; you can't just do whatever you want!"

"Oh," A dark gray glow appears in Aria's blue eyes while her aura intensifies, causing her hair to start floating up and the whole house to tremble. "You are such a small man, Draven... and you still wonder why I never saw you as my husband, tsk…"

"YOU-" Draven is furious at Aria for stomping on his pride even more, but before he can draw his sword, Alicia and Arthur enter the room through the back door.

"Draven!" Alicia shouts at him while holding her halberd with both hands, her eyes shining golden with determination. "Don't do something stupid."

Arthur quickly steps in front of Aria, his hand instinctively on the hilt of his sword, just like Draven. But his eyes, when looking at his father, are completely cold, like his mother's. "What the hell are you doing? A man should never raise his hand against his wife!"

Arthur's actions and words arouse something very good in Aria's heart, the corners of her lips naturally curving into a proud and loving smile. But for Draven, she only has a look of disappointment. "I was never his wife, and he can't just deal with that."

"FUCK!!!" Draven clenches his hands into fists as he feels like punching the wall, but if he did something like that and destroyed the house, Aria would only be more upset with him; so he just turns around, leaving the house huffing furiously.

Aria just shakes her head; she doesn't regret anything since she loves her children so much, but a part of her feels sorry for things ending this way.

Arthur looks at his mother, and his gaze immediately becomes loving and caring. "Are you okay, Mom?" He feels like hugging her to try to make her feel better, but she smiles at him, caressing his face first. "Mommy is fine, darling, don't worry."

Alicia approaches them and strokes Arthur's hair. "Hey, boy, let me talk to your mother for a bit?" He nods, and she signals towards the living room door with her head. "How about you go talk to your father? You might not see each other for a long time, so at least say goodbye to him."

Arthur is very upset with his father now, so he looks at Aria, seeking her opinion. She smiles gently at him. "It's okay if you want to say goodbye to him; we're not going anywhere."

"Alright," Arthur had expected his mother would not want to follow Draven and Alicia, so he leaves her talking with his aunt and exits the house. Outside, he sees his father sitting on the grass across the road, staring at the horizon.

He approaches his father and stands beside him. "How do you manage to keep making things worse?" Arthur asks, causing Draven to frown. "This isn't my fault; I did everything right, but your mother... she's the one who's wrong here."

"Maybe that thought is what keeps you from seeing your mistakes," Arthur muses aloud, and Draven shoots an inquisitive look at him. "Since when did you become a relationship genius? Having a girlfriend doesn't make you one."

"She seems quite satisfied with me, tho," Arthur comments in an amused and proud tone.

"Oh," Draven shakes his head but ends up smiling too. "Seems like you inherited your father's charm then. Although, even that wasn't enough for your mother..."

Arthur isn't sure if Draven is genuinely charming; it was natural for him to view his father as a role model while growing up, but that changed significantly recently. On the other hand, he sees more and more qualities in his mother, so he thinks it's natural for such a perfect woman to be very selective, and his father just isn't good enough for her.

'It's a good thing she gave him at least one chance, otherwise I wouldn't be here.' Arthur sighs, grateful for that miracle. He also can't help thinking about the part of the conversation between Draven and Aria he overheard, specifically the part where his father said she only let him touch her once, and Eve was conceived with his seed and a spell.

'That means they only lay together a single time ever...' Arthur feels pity for his father; Draven's stupid heroic mindset is just one of his many flaws, and his ego only seems prone to bring more frustration to him.

As Arthur contemplates how miserable Draven's life seems, his father looks at him with a curious expression. "I don't want to give up on you, Arthur; not on you, not on Eve, and not even on Aria. But I'm in a tough situation here; your mother is acting irrationally, and Alicia…"

Draven looks genuinely lost, his eyes confused, seeking Arthur's honest opinion. "What would you do in my place? I mean, if it were Eve begging you to come back home and protect her and your mother... would you do it even if it means leaving your new family aside for a while?"

Arthur tries to put himself in his father's shoes, and the feeling is terrible. He loves Aria and Eve deeply, but he also loves Nyx, and even Margaret has a solid place in his heart, so the idea of abandoning any of them is unimaginable.

"I wouldn't let the situation get to that point," Arthur tells his father, but Draven doesn't accept that answer. "You're not perfect, son, no matter how much your mother tells you that. Now think, if you made a mistake and ended up in this situation, what would you do?"

"I don't know," Arthur truly believes he wouldn't make the same mistakes as Draven, causing his wife to refuse to follow him. But since Draven seems unable to understand that, Arthur thinks of another answer. "But I actually think the best thing for everyone right now is for you to go with your sister."

"Hmm…" Draven nods. "I also think that's best; we need time to put the mind in order; your mother needs that time to realize how she's wrong in rejecting me like this. And when we meet again, maybe everything will be resolved, right?"

'No way,' Arthur sighs, thinking his father is more naive than he could have imagined. 'It's evident that mother would never accept someone like him as her man...' Arthur doesn't just think Draven isn't good enough for Aria, but also that no other man seems to deserve her; no one could love her as much as himself.

But since saying that won't help at all now, he just shrugs to his father. "Who knows? Either way, leaving now seems the right decision."

Draven recognizes the possessive gleam in Arthur's eyes, which awakens his jealous side. But before such feelings can create a rivalry that shouldn't exist, he stands up and pats his son on the shoulder. "Good talk, Arthur... I hope we have more of these in the future; I really won't give up on you and your sister."

"I see," Arthur always thought he needed Draven's respect like any son would want their father's approval, but now, he understands that it doesn't seem so important anymore. How could he want to be like someone who failed as a husband and father?

Nyx can feel how Arthur feels through their connection, and as he watches Draven walking towards the house, she speaks in his mind. 'Don't worry, darling, I'm sure you'll never end up like that... I'll always be by your side, and I bet your mother will be too.'

'Thank you, honey,' Arthur responds lovingly.

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A/N: Many things I plan don't look good when I put them into practice, and I always count on you, my readers, to help me understand how to please you the most. Draven and Aria's relationship, especially the beginning, is a case that leaves me in doubt. I've seen some readers asking to make Aria a virgin, but I don't think that's the best.

I think Arthur has to be Aria and Draven's son in the right way for his better interaction with both, and I also think Aria would have to have tried at least once to know that she didn't really love Draven; it will make a lot more sense for her to be with Arthur in such a way.

I think I made it clear that Aria didn't even let Draven see her naked body because she was already uncomfortable being so intimate with him. Likewise, I have no problem with her using a spell to have Eve since she wouldn't try it a second time with Draven, but she wanted to have a daughter and also give Arthur a sister.

This is the way I think is most balanced, but I'm willing to listen to your feedback. I know at least two readers want Aria to be a virgin; she could have used an illusion spell on Draven to get his seeds. I don't like that idea, but if most readers prefer it that way, I have no problem changing to it. I just don't want you to focus on such small thing and not enjoy Arthur and Aria's relationship.

So you can use this paragraph and chapter to leave your opinion as well as you can always tell me if I'm making a mistake and I'll fix it.