Chapter 472: The Haggard's

The uncomfortable dampness of the rainy weather soon came to a standstill. Heat warmed the inside; an hour had gone. Courtney brought over a fresh pair of change for her 'son'. 

"I'm going to order food," came her echoey voice from below, "-anything you'd like?"

"No," he returned, "-do you have ingredients?" 

"Yeah," she replied with footsteps heading for the stairs. 

"I'm sorry, guess I caught you at a bad time," she stood with only a bath towel wrapped around her body and hair. 

"It's fine," said she unbothered by his presence, "-are you going to cook?"

"I'd love to."

"I'll leave you to it then," her pink fluffy slippers noiselessly made for the large rest area where multiple items were laid. A piano, a large television, a computer, a guitar, and a few more. It was neatly separated into differing hobbies. There even hosted a small library with a literal divine view as one would gaze onto the ground as if gods. 

'She's got good ingredients. The kitchen seems nice and fast, won't take long.' As the clock struck 19:30, the fragrance of spices eluded the kitchen's ventilation and sunk into the rest area. 

'Smell's good,' thought she putting down the glasses. The television played in the background as she continued work.

"What are you making?" 

"Oh, sorry, did I disturb you?" asked he in full motion of readying the next batch.

"No, no, the spices riled the appetite," her gentle hands slowly rested upon the stool to ease onto the tall counter. "Must feel weird."

"Weird?" 

"Yeah, me being your mother and all…"

"I'm still not convinced. Sorry, even if it's true, I apologize."

"Don't worry about it," an easeful grin settled his awkward expression.

"Thanks," and so he continued until 20:00 where the receptionist called.

'Must be the lady she spoke to earlier,' thought he plating the meal. 'I'll have three readied just in case.'

"Lady Courtney," stood a drenched and shaking silhouette hidden by the dim corridor, "-I'm here," the paleness of her face and body was miserable. Droplets fell, her handbag and clothes were soaked through.

"Elvira, go take a shower," returned she courteously. 

From kitchen to the dining area, "-should I set dinner?" 

"Please," she smiled, "-I'll complete a few things and come back right away, sound good?"

"Sure." The crashing of the rain turned into a raging thunderstorm. Lightning flashed over the horizon; the thunder came after a delay with an even more fearsome roar. Steam rose from the plates, '-I wonder what's going to happen next?' 

The ladies soon came one by one, Courtney arrived in her pajamas followed by Lady Elvira with matching attire. The two seemed close by their relaxed nature, '-must be nice,' thought he avoiding eye-contact. The news played on a small vintage radio beside the well-stocked bar.

"Delicious," complimented they with satisfied expressions. 

"So, Igna," interjected Elvira, "-I'm guessing lady Courtney hasn't explained anything yet?"

"No…" the handkerchief slowly cleaned the lips as a glass of water concluded the meal. "Can I ask something?"

"Go ahead."

"What's my real name?" 

"That…" she turned to Courtney; "-your mother will tell you."

"It's Igna," said she, "-Igna Haggard, not Lyoko Igna. I heard from lady Haru that the name came all of a sudden?"

"It did."

"There you have it," she coyly winked at a flustered Elvira.

"Let me give you a summary of the name Haggard," voiced Elvira, "-our whole dynasty and legacy was spawned by the will of a single man, Blood-King Staxius Haggard of Arda. He was once the most powerful entity in the world with powerful in terms of money, fame, and military prowess. Things happened, between you and me, I suspect foul play, and he vanished without a thing said around five years ago. The Haggard's have always been involved in ruling the kingdom, from the shadows to the light, we spared no stone unturned. Lady Courtney here is the twin-sister of King Staxius, making him your uncle," paused she snickered, "-I see the perplexed expression, you're directly related to royalty. There's the Queen of Arda, Shanna Islegust – your aunt, the first princess, Eira Haggard, prince Julius Arnet Haggard, and the younger princess, Lizzie Haggard. They are your cousins. I'm told you're a nightwalker too?" she bared her fangs, "-it's proof of thy heritage. Not to go into details, as a member of the Haggard dynasty, you've got the right to a lot more than money. We're leading in the world of military and magical research. Entire kingdoms fear our name, tis the truth. I'll recount more at a later date. Besides," her eyes met with the tag, "-you're an adventurer. If thee visit the Tower of Aris, platinum ranked adventurer Viola Haggard will sure come to aid. She's your aunt."

"It's all good an all," paused to think,"-I don't get it," he shrugged, "-just who is my uncle. The man sounds like a god… wait, if lady Viola is a platinum adventurer, does that mean she was part of the infamous Kniq?"

"You know of them," smiled Elvira with her sharpened fangs showing, "-Kniq, the adventuring guild symbolized by the wing-shaped crest, a group of people that terrorized and pioneered what it meant to be a warrior." 

"I mean, I know," the index made small circles on the table, "-the whole academy speaks of it during lunch. Many want to become the next Kniq, some going as far as saying they'll be stronger than Xenos."

"Igna," spoke Courtney, "-let's stop the chatting," she stood brusquely, "-come with me right now," her demeanor felt tense. Ignoring the dirtied dishes, she stomped into the rest-room.

"What are you up to?" wondered Elvira watching her movements closely. 

"I'm frustrated," mumbled she reaching for a glass-cabinet, "-here."

"Excuse me?" a sword caught him by surprise.

"It's a wooden-sword," she got into a fighting stance.

"Wait, don't!" 

"Shut up," no time wasted, the blades made contact. The sheer force of the impact sent numbing vibration at the hand and body, "-you're my son," said she continuing her onslaught, "-I've taught you swordsmanship at a young-age. Remember the muscle memory!" the resolved frown had him parrying each attack from reflex alone. 

'She's strong,' desperately holding,'-how?' *boup,* a four-stroke combo had the boy on all fours. '-Fast…' she aimed for the neck, the heart, the lungs, and the stomach. 

*Cough, cough,* '-I can't breathe.'

"Stop complaining and get up. You think being a Haggard is easy?"

'How did it come to this?' managing to stagger on his feet, the relentless assault resumed without warning. Her merciless aura had him fighting defensively. The body began to lighten; the sword felt familiar. '-I can read her moves now. The next combination is the heaven-and-earth strike,' the upward stroke narrowly missed his chin, *smack,* he blocked the downward stroke. 

"Good, good," she smiled, "-you countered the heaven-and-earth strike. Are the names and memories coming to you?"

"Yes," he grinned, "-fighting with the sword is fun," the mouth said one thing and the body, another. A badly beaten face, bruised arms, and legs, one eye couldn't even stare properly.

'I guess channeling the mana of my death-element into him by force has worked. The swordsmanship is returning to how it was. Igna can't stay defenseless. He'll need to fight with only the body without enhancement. The soul is there – how cruel must you be, brother. You've returned as a new person devoid of hate and anger, most importantly, devoid of the curse of the Death Reaper. Was this planned? Did you get yourself killed by Lucifer and Zeus to cleanse the curse – if so, the gamble might pay off.'

"Lady Courtney," he panted, "-sorry…" taking a deep breath, "-mother, can we please continue the spar?"

'Mother,' her face flushed, '-it feels so warm,' she readied her posture, "-sure." The fight continued till midnight where they finally ended. 

"I've reawakened the muscle memory of the sword fighting days," said she with his sword against her neck, "-remember, the style is offensive. Don't ever go on the defensive. It's a means for self-defense. It should help with adventuring."

"Thanks, lady mother," said he with her sword against his heart. 

"On that," came Elvira with coffee, "-welcome back home, Igna."

"Thank you, lady Elvira."

"No, no," her head shook in dismissal, "-call me aunt Elvira."

"Are you sure, both of you look so young, it feels unnatural?" 

"Oh, calling me aunt feels unnatural?" her warm hands pinched the earlobe tightly, "-you have no problem calling Lady Courtney 'mother'."

"Lady Mother," he added with her grip strengthening, "-sorry, I'm sorry, aunt Elvira, please, stop."

"Fine," she laughed.

"Lady Mother?"

"What is it?" asked she lounged on the couch.

"May I use the computer to call a few friends?"

"Sure, anything here is yours," the screen turned off, "-we're heading to bed. Leave the lights on amber setting when you're done, understood?"

"Yes," he nodded with the duo crossing into the next room.

'Fighting her feels like I've regained part of myself. Why am I so confused now?' without care, '-I'll call Jen.' 

"Hello Jen?" the phone answered without reply. Only murmurs and moans came through, 'what's this?' 

"Leonard, come on, don't be so rough," her melted voice came with the slow rocking of the bed.

"Shut up," came another, "-I love you so much, and don't worry, the others aren't coming back soon."

"S-stop, I-I c-can't hold it," her pitch rose, *beep.* 

'What?' the mild showers burst onto the window at a more aggressive rate, '-were they having intercourse… Jen, Leonard, how did it come to this. Should have seen it coming. There's no way I had a chance; I wanted us to become closer. Whatever, I can't help but feel happy, it's almost relieving. Guess there's no need to worry about them.' The night continued with him feeling lost. 

The next day came after an arduous night. "Good morning, lady mother, aunt Elvira." 

"Good morning, Igna," said Courtney breathing a yawn, "-why up so early?"

"Figured I'd make breakfast and clean the apartment a little," said he proudly.

"What a responsible boy," added Elvira playfully rubbing his head, "-breakfast looks delicious, will you eat with us?"

"No, I had my meal earlier. Lady Mother, might I please ask where the dirtied clothes are?"

"In the basket at my room, why?" her bed-hair didn't do any favors. Imagine tall grass being swept by a strong gust, instead of it returning to normal, the latter would be stuck at an angle. The wrinkled outfit all but enhanced the unseemly state. Compared to her, Elvira's tidy hair and attire were naught but spotless. 

"I'll do the laundry and house-chores from now-on, don't worry about anything," he beamed with joy. Sun entered the curtains of the dining room. The radio played news paired with olden style music.

"Lady, are you sure about this?" wondered she biting into a crunchy crocket. 

"Yeah, Igna's my son from today on. Is everything ready for later?"

"Yeah, I've created an account on his name, the bank's given their approval. Still, that much for a young adult, you sure?"

"Elvira," she facepalmed, "-that's the founder of Phantom, granted, maybe a little lost at the moment. Still, everything we have is due to him, a few million Exa is nothing compared to what we make bi-yearly."

"Well, I can't argue with that logic. He's very dependable," they watched as he went left and right with a broom. "Will he be involved with the underworld?"

"Not now, he's weak. The swordsmanship will take a few days to assimilate and reawaken. First things first, we formally add him to the family."

"The family crest, I totally forgot. Yves should be on the way with the item."

The day continued into the afternoon where Lady Courtney drove to Onela. 

"Why are we at the bank?" 

"To formally have you join the Haggard's," said climbing the elevator of the tallest building in the vicinity. The dress-code was obnoxiously formal, everyone spoke respectfully with fine accents. 

"Lady Elvira, Lady Courtney, it's a pleasure to see you here," said a bald-man in his late-fifties. Chubby neck and chubbier body, the hands were same as surgical gloves being blown as if balloons. 

"Silia," added Elvira coldly, "-I'm afraid the feeling isn't mutual."

"Cold as always."

"Silia, is everything ready?"

"Yes," a leather briefcase slammed across the table, "-Igna Haggard's ID, the family crest proving the heritage, birth-certificates, and the personal bank card account. We received the last smart-phone from Elon's Research division earlier."

"Good, good. Igna, come here."

"Yes?"

"Here, all of these belong to you," she reached for a warm embrace, "-I'm glad you're back, son."

"T-thank you, lady mother."