Augmented Aspects: Chapter 402 Saying Hello And Goodbye (Patreon)

<<<Author's Note: Home stretch, four final chapters left before the end of book 9 and the entire series>>>Chapter 402

Saying Hello And Goodbye

Laughter, deep belly roaring laughter that comes from someone who is unapologetic in the fact that they have found something to be truly funny.

“Bwa-hahaha!” The type of laughter that causes you to stop look, judge, but finally chuckle yourself at the absurdity of just how intense and jovial the laughter is.

That is what first drew me to Trober, honestly just looking at him, I was filled with multiple fond memories from that wormed their way to me through my shared synchronized dreams with Ship and Pirate-Ulacrum.

I remember the laughter being a big deal for them as well, but not to this extent. Not to this level of intensity. Only now hearing him laugh at something stupid that Raygunnr said do I even find myself laughing. Not in the fact that I finally find what Raygunnr said amusing enough to laugh, but at the deep-seated belly laughter that Trober is now providing for all of us.

Fortunately, I am not alone in this, as multiple others are also laughing in the way a single odd, but jovial laugh can become contagious. A quick glance shows that Mallory, Jhonny, and especially Penelope are also laughing. Again, their laughter seems to not come at Raygunnr’s comment, but at the sheer magnetic impulse that comes from the laughter being provided by Trober.

Yet, the more he laughs, the more I have an odd sense of déjà vu, as if I have heard and felt this warm laughter before. Yes, I feel echoes of it from my distant dreams, making me think it is part of my shared experiences with Ship and Pirate-Ulacrum, but it is only when I see the look of shock on Gwen’s face that I stop. Seeing her expression, I too pause and stare, but not at Trober, but at Gwen who has suddenly stopped.

Then as if the energy of the sustained laughter gets pulled, everyone slowly stops laughing, until even Trober stops his laughter. As everyone first stares at me, and then traces my stare to Gwen, who in turn is staring directly at Trober, as if she has seen a ghost.

I open my mouth as if to ask, what exactly she is staring at, or rather why she is staring at Trober, when she hits me with a word that sends me reeling with buried memories and finally allows a deep puzzle piece within my mind to click into place.

“Grandfather?” Was the one word that Gwen spoke, a word that caused everyone to stop laughing and suddenly become serious. At Gwen’s word she began moving closer, opening her third eye, the one eye that was not affected by her Tier V version of Angel’s Sight. A sight that let her see things naturally, which she now used to its full effect and truly began to stare at Trober.

For a moment I want to ask who she means, as she was too young to actually remember her grandfather, as he passed away before she was born. Then she spoke, explaining how she knew him.

“I remember hearing you speak,” Gwen began getting closer, “she had a recording of your famous capers and adventures that she hid under the floorboards in her room. I remember hearing you speak, and your laugh.”

That’s when I remember the anthology recordings I purchased. I got them, and intended to listen to them constantly, only to chicken out every time I tried, the thought of hearing their words were too much to bear. Then when I finally wanted to listen to them, I found that the tapes were gone. I figured I had misplaced them long ago, but now I realize I might not have.

“Wait, you were why those tapes were moved?” I ask, realizing that I wasn’t going senile. Or at least I wasn’t as forgetful as I originally thought. At my question, Gwen looks first confused, and then seems to smile embarrassedly.

“I mean, I put it back the first few times, then when I moved out, it was in my player, and you never asked so I just kept it,” Gwen replied. Hearing her, I feel stupid, and realize I should have asked. Then again, I don’t know how many people think to ask their kids if they raided their secret stash area of memorabilia before they left.

“You know my misplacing those recordings is why I decided to join Biprism early?” I ask her.

“It was?” Penelope, Gwen, and Mallory all ask in unison. Seeing that others are part of this conversation I pause and reply to them as well.

“Yeah, I thought I had started getting dementia, that I was slowly losing my mind.”

“You did?” Gwen asks.

“What else was I to think. I had just been kicked out of my job, due to automation taking over need for my mathematical expertise. Then when I tried to go back and relive my memories, I found that they had been gone, and for quite some time given the state of the dust that settled. Meaning that I had misplaced something for a while. Fearing that my mind was going, I decided to upload my consciousness here, before I forgot my parents entirely.”

There was a pause, as I had never spoken that last part out loud. That final push on why I chose to immediately upload my consciousness the moment after I retired. Not that I needed more reasons to, but I did feel better knowing that I was cognizant enough to realize that I was starting to forget things, or at least I thought I was starting to forget things.

“Wait, so you joined early, because she stole your memorabilia from your secret stash, and that caused you to join Biprism when you did?” Penelope asks, trying to make sure she has the sequence of events spelled out correctly.

“Yes,” I reply, as if feeling vindicated. Of all the people here, I know Penelope will be the first to have my back. At least that is what I expect to happen, but then she twists this completely terrible event and tries to make it seem like Gwen did something noble by stealing from me.

“Then, I owe you a huge debt of gratitude. I don’t know where we would be, or if we would even be here today, without your random theft,” Penelope says while going over and giving Gwen a giant hug of gratitude. “Also, I don’t know what others might think, whether this is all a coincidence or not, but if it was just a coincidence that cause that chain of events to play out, that led Cass to join when she did, making it so she would be qualified to be a teacher and gain my attention, then I say it is all worth it.”

“Wait? You are encouraging her theft?” I ask.

“Really mom, you of all people suddenly stating that minor theft is wrong?” Gwen replies and I open my mouth to try to say something along the lines of theft always being wrong. But then realize I cannot lie, and as the Master of the World’s End Thieves Guild, I realize I don’t have a leg to stand on in this argument.

“Fine,” I finally admit. I feel a bit angered at the fact that I was almost gaslight into joining early, but any hesitation I had is quickly dissolved when Penelope dashes over and hugs me as well. Feel her warmth, I inhale and swear I smell the scent of jasmine and sunshine.

“Wait, I think we are all missing the main topic that should be addressed here,” Mallory state, drawing our attention and then shifting our attention back to where it should be, towards Trober, the boisterous laugher. “You said, this man laughs like your grandfather?”

Hearing her words, I turn my full attention towards Trober, an NPC. Or at least, that is what my mind initially associates as an NPC, as he has a faint spark of life, but it is muted and dulled out compared to the rich tapestry of life that the other regressors around us have. Then I see it, a crack, faint and almost unnoticeable, a blemish that I might normally dismiss, but after being on the Moon and having to carve away excess from three different cursed individuals, I now feel that I have a better sense of what blemishes to look for. I can see where old caster molding has been applied as a protective outer shell around something deeper, something real.

“Huh, what?” Is all Trober gets out before I am on him. Teleporting behind him, as he already seemed to be backing away slowly. With me now positioned behind him, I gently reach out and grab him, my fingers piercing through his protective suit that Penelope made him. A suit that is so good, that it apparently also protects against moderate and severe exposure to my Auras. Which might explain why there were no real signs, even after spending long periods of time with Ship and Pirate-Ulacrum.

“Ahh!” Trober cries out, but his reaction is mostly due to the sudden shock of finding me right behind him. And finding that someone now has complete control over their arm. Still I move quickly, infusing Qi, Karma, and other energies into my fingers to first cut through the outer layer of clothing, and then to pierce directly into the minor blemish that now stands out like an old scar on Trober’s body. A scar that seems to make no sense where or how he got it, especially as I remember earlier memories showing this same arm without any injuries.

Almost instantly, I feel an intense heat and burning sensation of light that glows from just under the skin.

At first everyone seems to react as if I am crazy, but then everyone pauses the moment the glow from his arm erupts outwards. This is good, as it means that the glowing golden sheen is not seen by me due to my Angel’s Sight, but something that can be experienced by others as well.

Seeing that this is successful, I say the first thing that comes to mind.

“Take off your suit,” only after I say the phrase do I realize how inappropriate it could sound to others.

“Hey now, I can’t. I need my modesty, after all I’m a happily married—” Trober begins, only cutting himself off when he realizes one fact. A fact that he seems to know deep down at his core, but has somehow forgotten due to the external layer over top of his skin. “Wait, I’m married, but I haven’t been with anyone in this lifetime. . .”

Trober trails off, as he realizes that something deep within him is being awakened. Pausing he looks first at the golden glowing gash in his arm. A gash that should be pouring blood if it was a real wound, but is perfectly fine. After a second of staring and seeming to come to some conclusion, he shrugs to himself and then takes off his suit. Pausing as he expects to have a hard time breathing the shallow air, only to find that even this concern is now missing from him.

With the layer of protection missing, I get to work, quickly peeling off the dried layer of dirt, revealing more and more of his true golden form. Once his arm is completely clear, I shift and reach my hands up to wipe away the dirt from his face and eyes. Each swipe revealing more and more. Then with his eyes clear, he blinks once and then sees me. I know it’s the real him, my father, Gwen’s grandfather for he calls me by a name that makes me feel both young and alive again all at once.

“Pumpkin? Is that you?” He asks, and suddenly the world becomes blurry as dust from his outer shell gets into my eyes.

“Dad,” I cry out as I hug him, by now he is finally awake and self-aware enough that his spirit no longer needs my help to clean itself of the shell that has been holding it back all this time. Instead, he just hugs me, a deep warm hug that feels like sunshine on a crisp summer morning. As he hugs me, more and more of his form begins to break off and erode away.

“It is you? I thought those girls looked nice, turns out they were part of you all along—” Trober trails off.

“Oh dad, there is so much I wanted to tell you. I met mom, she has already moved on,” I reply.

“She has?” Trober asks, and then seems to look up off into the distance at something that is outside of my viewing range. “So it seems she has.”

“I messed up a lot dad, I’ve made mistakes, so many mistakes,” I find myself telling him all the things I’ve said privately to his gravestone.

“Shh, none of that now, you are here and you did a great job. Is this one of my grandchildren?” Trober asks, peering over my shoulder at Gwen. Gwen for her part seems to hesitate for a moment, before charging forward and tackling Trober in a hug as well. “Looks to me like you’ve done just fine for yourself here pumpkin.”

My dad replies, which is when I have to apologize. “No, you were right, Robert was a bad choice, and I should have listened to you.”

“Hey, none of that now. Had you listened to stupid old me, then my charming granddaughter wouldn’t be here.” Trober begins, then leaning down conspiratorially he begins speaking in my ear as he sees someone in the background. “Besides, it looks like you have the right one for you now just behind you.”

Following his gaze, I already know where he is looking, but I find myself following his gaze anyways as I turn to lock gazes with Penelope. Hearing that he gave anyone his seal of approval for me, is high praise. That was part of why I stuck with Robert as my dad never approved of anyone. So for him to approve Penelope at a glance seemed to say a lot, but I had to check.

“You mean it, she has your approval?” I ask, then pause as I look and wonder if he has some type of deeper insight that I might not be aware of at this moment.

“I mean, nothing is set in stone. If you want it to be a real lasting relationship, then you are going to have to work for it,” he states and pauses, but finally continues, “but I can see it working out. As long as you put as much effort into her as she is clearly putting into you.”

At that, I feel the last of his mortal shell break free as his body seems to become lighter and begins rising up even through Gwen and my embraces.

“Wait, you can’t go, not yet.” I cry out, I just got him back, and I want to experience this moment for as long as possible. Mother lasted for twice as long, though she awoke naturally.

“Pumpkin, you know it is well past my time. Especially now that I have finally made all my goals,” Trober replies as his body floats into and then through my arms as if he was less than air and vapors.

“What goals?”

“I finally got to tell you how proud I am of you, and how I know you will make the world better just by being yourself.” My father says, his energy signature burning brightly for a moment, causing me and everyone around to turn our heads away involuntarily. As his form rises, I can feel the moment his spirit seems to disappear first into a cloud of floating lights and vapors that rise up like a miniature cloud. Then I see the moment that the glowing cloud disappears, or at least the moment that the cloud is supposed to disappear.

I say the moment it is supposed to disappear, as my mind is not just watching the rising energy, but also the way everyone else is tracking the rising energy. They all watch, like miniature sunflowers following a tiny sun rise, all turning their heads to face the floating cloud until it finally disappears from their view. I watch as everyone looks up at one spot, then all blink in unison, as if blinking will somehow bring the image they were tracking back. Then they all seem to turn away as one. Yet, I know the burning cloud, my father, is still there. I can still feel his presence and residual cast off energy from myself still burning and resonating from his now invisible form. A form that I take comfort in knowing that he is still there and still looking down on me. The way everyone talks about, but now I can finally prove happens, as I can feel him there. Well, I can feel myself there, resonating where I know his incorporeal form to have disappeared. A form that still seems to hold some of my embers that are trackable even now.

“Everything okay mom?” Gwen asked, seeing that I was still staring up at the same spot where I could feel my energy resonating, despite everyone else already moving away.

“You can’t feel that?” I ask.

“Feel what?” Gwen replies, but hearing her question, I realize that there might be something to this odd sensation that I feel. Even as I feel the distant ember of myself that had been attached to my father move away, I realized I could still feel it, and that gave me an idea.

“Uh-oh” Mallory began, seeing the look on my face.

“Yeah, I’ve seen that look before,” Penelope added playfully.

“She’s going to do something crazy I bet,” Gwen replied adding into the banter. Hearing them talk, I knew they were all trying to help cheer me up, but I was already happy. Still, I could use their help, that’s why smiling devilishly, I played up what I was already thinking. My mind already working and moving trying to find ways I could use this newly identified distance perspective of my energy particles, and put them to good use. Especially with Planetary positioning battles about to happen. That’s when I hit them with seven words that send shivers down their spines.

“Want to help me with an experiment?”

Silence, which only makes my smile grow a bit wider.