Chapter 266: Visiting Serah, Meeting Parents

Solomon stopped in front of the polished headstone. "Hey, Serah," he greeted softly.

Solomon gently placed the white lilies at the base of the stone. He crouched down, resting his elbows on his knees, and buried his face in his hands. Jasmine stood a respectful distance away, keeping a firm grip on Barbaros’s leash while giving her brother the privacy he needed.

A few minutes passed in silence. Solomon finally raised his head, wiping a few unshed tears from the corners of his eyes. He looked at the engraved name on the stone and offered a sad, lingering smile.

"You were right," Solomon whispered, his voice trembling slightly with suppressed emotion. "You were right about everything you told me back then. I was foolish to think I could just brute-force my way through every problem without facing the consequences. You warned me that the world does not wait for anyone to catch up, and I finally understand what you meant."

He traced his fingers over the cold stone lettering. "I spent so much time holding onto the past, trying to prove myself to a ghost. I thought that if I just became the strongest, it would somehow fix the fact that you are gone. But it does not change anything. I miss your strict lectures, and I miss how you used to beat me into the dirt during our sparring sessions just to teach me a lesson."

Solomon took a deep, steadying breath. "I have decided to finally move on, Serah. I am making new friends now, and I am learning to trust people again without keeping them at arm’s length. I just wanted to come here and tell you that I am doing okay."

He continued talking to her for a while longer, pouring out the heavy thoughts he had carried since his departure for the academy, acting as if they were sharing a private conversation only the two of them could hear.

After ten minutes of quiet reflection, Solomon placed his hand on the top of the headstone one last time. He stood up and brushed the grass from his jeans.

"I will visit you again when I return," Solomon promised.

He turned around and walked back to where his sister and the dog waited patiently. He offered Jasmine a reassuring nod, signaling that he was ready. Together, they left the quiet cemetery and headed straight toward the commercial district to find their parents.

A short while later, they reached the local commercial district. They walked up to the familiar diner, but the front ’Closed’ sign was still hanging in the window.

They walked around to the alleyway and entered through the back door. They passed through the bustling kitchen and stepped into the main dining area. Several early-morning employees were busy wiping down tables and prepping the counters, but there was absolutely no sign of Johan or Elara.

Solomon walked over to the attached convenience shop next door, assuming his parents were stocking the shelves. But when he went to check, he found a single employee manning the register.

"Have my parents arrived yet?" Solomon asked the cashier.

"No, Solomon, they have not come in yet this morning," the employee responded, shaking his head.

Solomon frowned. He and Jasmine had left the house significantly later than his parents, and they had even taken a long detour to visit the cemetery. No matter what route Johan and Elara took, they should have arrived at the diner long before them.

Solomon turned to Jasmine. "Where exactly did you say everyone was gathering?"

"At Mr. Henderson’s hardware store down the street," Jasmine replied, pointing toward the center of the commercial block.

"Stay here with Barbaros," Solomon instructed. "I will go check on them."

He left the diner and jogged down the sidewalk. The hardware store was only a three-minute walk away.

’I assumed it was just Jasmine being Jasmine, but it seems that there is something really going on in district six.’

As he approached, he saw a large, tense crowd of local shop owners gathered tightly inside the building, visible through the large glass storefront.

Solomon pulled the brass handle, but the door was firmly locked. He knocked loudly against the glass. The sharp noise alerted the entire crowd. Every single person inside stopped talking and turned to look at the entrance simultaneously.

At first, they simply assumed it was an early customer trying to get in. However, Johan Ketzer squinted his eyes, peering closely through the glass. Recognition flashed across his face. He realized he was looking at his own son.

Johan quickly pushed his way through the crowd of shop owners, rushing to the front entrance. Elara noticed his sudden panic and immediately followed after him.

Johan unlocked the deadbolt. Instead of letting Solomon inside, his father stepped out onto the sidewalk and quickly pulled the glass door shut behind him the moment Elara slipped through.

Johan placed his hands firmly on Solomon’s shoulders, gripping the fabric of his hoodie as if making sure his son was actually real. Then, he pulled Solomon into a tight, desperate hug. Solomon hugged him back warmly.

Elara stepped forward a second later, wrapping her arms around both of them while gently caressing Solomon’s cheek.

"What are you doing here?" Johan asked, stepping back to look at his son. "When did you arrive? You should have told us you were coming home! We would have prepared a proper welcome and cooked a feast for you!"

"I arrived a little over eighteen years ago," Solomon responded with a casual grin. "You guys already welcomed me back then."

Johan let out a breathless chuckle at the familiar joke, though the worry did not entirely leave his eyes.

"Gosh~ you haven’t changed a bit," Elara laughed.

"How was the academy? A few of your friends visited last month. They were asking about you. Are you on a vacation or just visiting us?" Johan asked.

"Uhh... yeah. Just visiting. We can talk about this later." Solomon glanced over his father’s shoulder, peering through the glass doors at the anxious crowd inside the hardware store. "What is going on in there? Why is everyone gathering like this in the middle of the morning?"