Chapter 38: Alistair Rothschild
The moment I addressed him, the crushing aura surrounding Alistair Rothschild vanished like smoke in the wind. A warm, deeply fond smile spread across his weathered face, his sharp eyes crinkling at the corners as he chuckled softly.
"Ah, look at you!" Alistair said, his deep, booming voice filled with genuine affection as he gestured to the space beside him on the sofa. "Come, come! Sit beside your old grandfather, my boy!"
Mom gave my back a gentle, reassuring pat. "Go on, sweetie. Don’t let his reputation scare you, your grandfather is an incredibly loving, doting man when it comes to family."
I happened to glance over at Dad, catching a subtle, deeply exasperated grimace flicker across his face at Mom’s words, though he wisely chose to keep his mouth shut. I held back a smirk as I walked over and sat down beside Alistair.
The patriarch of the Rothschild family immediately clapped a heavy hand onto my shoulder, patting it with obvious satisfaction. "I can’t tell you how happy I am to have you back home, Seth! Do you have any idea how exhausting it is being surrounded by girls all day? Every single one of my other grandchildren turned out to be spoiled, dramatic young women."
Alistair let out a loud, booming laugh. "I love them dearly, of course, but I always prayed for a fine grandson to carry on the family pride... and now here you are."
I kept my expression perfectly neutral, maintaining a polite, warm smile while silently screaming in my head.
’If you only knew I’d spent all of last night getting thoroughly rocked by your most famous granddaughter...’ I thought, mentally sweating. ’Yeah, let’s keep that secret buried six feet under forever.’
"I’m happy to meet you too, Grandfather," I replied with a smile.
"I was originally planning to meet you at your official welcome banquet," Alistair explained, his eyes locking onto mine with quiet earnestness. "But the moment I received news of your Astral Soul awakening yesterday, I dropped every international meeting, boarded my jet, and flew straight here. An awakening is a monumental event, Seth. I needed to see with my own eyes that my grandson was safe and sound."
I stayed silent for a moment, genuinely touched by how much my new family cared about my safety
Dad stepped forward, setting a fresh cup of tea on the coffee table as he looked at me with a calm, reassuring gaze. "Seth, I know all of this must seem confusing and sudden. You spent twenty-one years living in the normal mortal world, so jumping straight into the reality of high society and the supernatural is a lot to process. But as we promised, we’re going to explain everything to you right now."
I nodded, leaning back against the sofa. "Thanks, Dad. Honestly, I’m really curious."
Dad took a seat beside Mom, crossing his legs as his expression grew focused. "To start simply... the supernatural world is entirely real, Seth. Everything normal humans consider myths, legends, or fairy tales exists right alongside us in the layered realms. The ghostly specter you encountered at the theme park yesterday was just the tip of the iceberg."
I tilted my head, deciding to start with the most obvious question. "Wait... so are Vampires actually real?"
Dad nodded patiently. "Yes. The Vampire Truebloods govern several hidden territories across Europe and possess high-tier Astral bloodlines."
"What about Dragons?" I asked.
"Real as well," Dad answered without hesitation. "The Dragon Clans reside in higher-dimensional planes and isolated sea realms."
Sitting beside me, Alistair let out another hearty laugh, slapping his knee. "Hahaha! Look at that! The boy still has a wonderfully curious child inside him! I love it!"
Alistair leaned back, his eyes shining with quiet wisdom as he looked at me. "Listen well, my boy. Every race, entity, or creature you’ve ever read about in books or seen in movies exists in this world-and many more that humans haven’t even conceived of. From ancient Dragons and immortal Phoenixes to High Angels, Arch-Devils, and the legendary Immortals of the Chinese Eastern Realms."
He paused, his smile turning thoughtful. "And every one of those ancient factions... revolves around the power of Astral Souls."
Even though I had already learned a bit about the supernatural layer of reality from Paige during my brief out-of-body experience, hearing it confirmed by the Patriarch of the Rothschild family still felt surreal.
"So... what exactly is an Astral Soul, Grandfather?" I asked, leaning back against the plush velvet cushions.
Alistair rested his silver-headed cane against his knee, his sharp, ancient eyes fixing on me with a serious, almost reverent expression. "To understand the Astral Soul, Seth, you must first understand the architecture of existence itself. Beyond the physical world lies the Astral World, the primordial realm that manifested at the very dawn of creation. It is a perfect, non-physical plane where all Fundamental Concepts reside."
I tilted my head, processing his words. "Wait... does that mean the concepts came first, and the physical universe is basically just a manifestation, a shadow cast by them?"
Alistair blinked, a flash of genuine surprise crossing his weathered face. He exchanged a quick, impressed glance with Dad before looking back at me. "That is... a remarkably sharp deduction, Seth. How did you arrive at that conclusion so quickly?"
"I used to read a bit of philosophy when I had free time," I replied with a casual shrug. "It sounds a lot like Plato’s Theory of Forms, the Platonic Realm, where abstract concepts and perfect archetypes exist before taking physical shape in the mortal world."
Alistair chuckled, nodding slowly in approval. "You can certainly think of it that way, my boy, though the reality is far more complex. The Astral World remains an absolute mystery even to the greatest scholars and oldest beings. None of us fully comprehend it. It is a vast, dangerous, utterly incomprehensible realm. Even the most powerful entities must exercise extreme caution when interacting with the Astral Plane."
He sighed, "Yet, everyone still tries their best to uncover those mysteries."