Civilization Chronicles: Rise of the Divine Creator

Not surprisingly, the stories the bakery siblings told were quite different from the ones they had heard already from Farah and Danika, but rather than being more grounded, they were actually more exaggerated and over-the-top.

Eris was a paragon of virtue and generosity, though she could also be a bit violent when provoked.

Christina was as smart as she was pretty, and she was very pretty. She was also incredibly strong and incredibly caring.

Lucas was... weird, in a good way. All of the siblings deeply respected and looked up to him as both a leader and benefactor, but it somehow felt wrong to call him a ’friend’.

Curious, Edward took the initiative to ask, ”Do you mean that Lucas is... hard to get along with?”

”Not at all,” Jenny shook her head, ”Lucas is very kind and respectful. He’s also easy to talk to and always listens attentively whenever we’re together, it’s just...”

Here, the young girl paused, as did all her siblings, like they were searching for the right way to describe something that didn’t quite understand.

Ultimately, it was the youngest, Jeremy, just 6-years-old, who came up with the answer, ”Talking to Big Brother Lucas is like talking to an adult!”

”That’s it!” Jake, the eldest snapped his fingers and nodded, ”Lucas is like an adult, but not just any adult. He’s like a wise old elder who sees things entirely differently from us.”

It was certainly an odd way of describing an 11-year-old boy, but seeing all the bakery siblings nod in agreement, Edward, Amalia, and Braden figured there had to be at least something to this.

Seeing the pensive looks on their guests’ faces, Jessie just laughed and shook her head, ”You have to spend time with Lucas to understand. He’s just too unique to describe.”

.....

Surprisingly, it was actually Sasha who made it back to the residence next, arriving even before Elly, Toby, and Mabel did.

It had been a long day for her as she had been busy making final preparations for the latest group of settlers to leave Misty City and head towards Falcon’s Bend. From there, this group of 300 South-West Province refugees would disperse to Maple Town and the new villages being set up in the vast forests to the west.

Cracking her neck and stretching as she entered Disciples House, Sasha was still busy reviewing how many more refugees were left to re-settle when Reginald swiftly approached her and delivered some shocking news.

Throwing all other thoughts from her head, Sasha dashed down the hallway to the rear of residence, weaving down a couple corridors before arriving at a certain set of double doors.

Normally, the ever-mindful Sasha would have knocked, even though this was technically her own home now, but today she didn’t have nearly enough patience or presence of mind for such niceties.

Throwing open the doors, Sasha barged into the room, causing everyone inside the go silent and turn to look at her.

Ignoring the surprised looks from the bakery siblings, Sasha first spotted an unfamiliar young man who bore some resemblance to her husband and figured he must be the son of her sister-in-law who she had shared some small correspondence with over the past half-year though had never actually met in person.

He seemed like a fine young man and Sasha was certainly looking forward to getting to know him, but it was the older couple sitting next to her suspected nephew who really held her attention.

Their faces were slightly more wrinkled than she remembered, with a few more grey hairs here and there, but there was no way Sasha wouldn’t recognize them with just those few changes.

Feeling a rush of emotion wash over her, Sasha’s lips trembled slightly and her eyes grew slightly moist as she greeted, ”Mother-in-Law, Father-in-Law, it’s good to see you again.”

Rising from their seats, Edward and Amalia quickly made their way over and embraced Sasha, all three of them becoming somewhat teary-eyed.

”It must have been hard on you, Sasha. We’re so glad you’re alright,” Amalia spoke for the couple, with Sasha just holding the pair closer.

When Sasha first arrived in Redwood Town, it had been several years since she originally left home as a young, impetuous girl.

She had matured greatly over those years and realized that running off in search of adventure had not only been irresponsible, but also incredibly hurtful to her family. Her parents might have been strict with her, and her older siblings a little annoying at times, but Sasha never doubted they loved her dearly.

Sasha even thought about returning home for a time before settling down in Redwood Town, but before she could make a decision, she found herself pregnant, making such a long and stressful journey all but impossible.

Edward and Amalia, while technically not her parents, filled that role for Sasha in her time of need. The two of them were also extremely happy with this daughter-in-law of theirs and felt their son Charles had really lucked out when he won her heart.

Their first impressions of each other were quite good, and they only got better over time as it became obvious that while Charles was well liked by the townsfolk, he was never going to be a great ruler.

Sasha, on the other hand, could deftly handle any kind of paperwork, record-keeping, business negotiation, or even noble dispute. Compared to the education she received in the Balfour Family, the tasks necessary to keep a small place like the Newton Barony running smoothly were fairly trivial.

That didn’t mean things were easy, mind you. Over the years, Sasha had run into a fair number of issues she had no idea how to resolve at first, but she was able to overcome each one in time with help from those around her.

In any case, when Edward and Amalia left Redwood Town, they had left almost all authority and decision-making power with Sasha, an arrangement Charles was perfectly fine with as he was much more a hands-on type of person than a desk-worker.

Sasha could still remember her in-laws scolding their youngest son, telling him he had to be more responsible and help her out or she would quickly grow tired of him and leave to find a better husband.

Naturally, Sasha had laughed and interceded on her husband’s behalf while also thanking Edward and Amalia for their trust.

Now, more than a decade later, the three of them were finally reunited, and considering the circumstances which had forced this meeting, it was no surprise that a few tears were being shed.

As for the youths and children in the room, they all wisely decided to excuse themselves, allowing the adults to have a private talk.

It took a minute or two before Edward, Amalia, and Sasha were able to regain their composure, at which point they all took a seat and the critical question came up once more, ”Do you know how Charles is? Or even where he is?”