The dining hall was now in full attendance with its usual constituents. 

Dreymond sat at the end of the table. To his right was Dawn, Demi, two spaces open for the boys, and then Mr. Rigby, the family groundskeeper. To his left was Mox Delia. The old Durgen woman was the Ryker family’s next door neighbor and long term friend. She looked different than the Duna surrounding her. Other than her aged skin and slightly hunched back; Mox’s skin had a pinkish tone to it in comparison to the Dunas lack of pigment, her blue eyes did not glow as a Duna’s would and her hair was a curly graying blonde instead of a wavy black. The Diordan family, minus the father, were seated next to Mox. Lila Diordan sat in between Emily and Maria for obvious reasons. 

“Good morning everyone!” Isaac said as he and Damon entered the room.

“Morning” Everyone said in unison.

They took their seats.

“What have you been working on this time, squinty?” Demi asked. Squinty was the loving nickname she afforded Isaac in tribute to the Barcan shape of his eyes. It was an insensitive joke but Isaac didn’t care, he took pride in his features. 

“I made a sound grenade.” he stated matter of factly.

Everyone stopped eating and looked at Isaac with concern.

“It's just a bell that you can ring by mana charging.” Damon said. 

“I swear you guys expect the worst from me” Isaac exclaimed in a sarcastically wounded tone.

“It’s not like you have the best track record, kiddo.” Mr. Rigby chortled, his smile wrinkled his weathered skin. He was just as ancient as Mox was. Those two were relics of the past. From a time when life was better. Society made more sense, everyone seemed to work together more, and crimes weren’t as commonplace.

“Remember that time he broke my bathroom window with a Dildo?” Mox chimed in, her raspy voice was wavering with laughter. “There I was taking a cool bath on a hot summer’s day, then BOOM glass was everywhere and a blue foot long phallus bounced its way into my toilet. Of course it was Isaac, the leading expert in Dildo Launching Tech as he called himself.”

“I never did get that back. It's rare to scavenge those things still packaged, you know.” Isaac joked. 

“I’ve been around Caster’s Landing longer than just about anyone alive. They don’t make them like you. It’s probably a good thing, this town wouldn’t survive a second Isaac.”  Mox stated. 

“Don’t go inflating his head anymore than it already is. Someone could’ve gotten hurt. And Isaac’s antics have racked up quite the bill over the years.” Dawn interjected. 

“Dear, he’s a growing boy. Though his projects  are… unorthodox, this kind of curiosity is good! It’s rare to find a kid applying himself like this. We should support that” Dreymond mused to his wife in a loving tone.

Dawn Ryker deflated as she always did with her husband. “Fine. But no more collateral damage, you hear?”

“Yes ma’am” Saluted Isaac, his smile radiated through the room. 

“Dildo. What’s dildo?” 

The room turned to the toddler, Maria. 

The rest of breakfast was filled with levity. Isaac, Mox, Demi, Damon, and Mr. Rigby suppressed their laughter as the rest of the room tried to do damage control. Teaching a child not to say something they knew to be funny was hard work and entertaining to watch. 

As dishes were gathered and people dispersed, Damon whispered in his father’s ear. “Can you check on Isaac before we head to school? He’s not sleeping again.” 

Dreymond gave his son a smile and a nod. “Sure thing. Can you finish cleaning up for me while I do it?”

Damon mirrored his father’s smile and nodded back. The boy was a doppelganger of his father, from his stocky build to his gentle demeanor. 

Dreymond looked over at Isaac and the two locked eyes. He tilted his head towards the exit and the two walked out. 

Dreymond’s office was well kept but overfilled with books and paperwork. Every wall was a shelf lined with books of all kinds from medical journals to fiction novels. Dreymond’s desk faced the doorway and behind it was a stained glass window. The window displayed an emerald eyed warrior with an ax resting on his shoulder. The warrior held up a hand glowing with green energy. In the middle of the room was a couch that Dreymond used for clients. Isaac sat down on the couch like he had done hundreds of times before. Damon’s Father rolled the chair over from behind his desk and sat in front of the boy. 

“The dreams are back?” asked Dreymond. His baritone voice matched his figure, it made all his patients feel vulnerable yet protected.

Isaac nodded, not meeting his gaze.

“Alrighty. Close your eyes, and try recalling it.” Dreymond said while rolling closer to Isaac and putting his hands on the boy's head. 

Green mana flowed from Dreymond’s hands and into Isaac’s head looping back and forth. 

“I saw it again. How they died. It replayed just like it always does. Little me tries to wake them but they’re already gone.” Isaac said.

The mental imaging projected to Dreymond had no sound and what he could see popped up as still images. But Dreymond could feel Isaacs emotions. The pain, the grief, all of it.

“Was there anything different this time?” he asked.

“Yes, when I was ready to leave, my vision shifted. You and Dawn were in my parents place, in the same position. Gone.”

The green mana flowed in thicker than before. It eased the emotions Isaac felt and made him feel embraced in the memory of his dream. Isaac’s memories of the Rykers filled his mind. An image of Damon, Demi and him growing the hesper tree in the backyard played in his head. The two Rykers were injecting it with green mana causing the tree to slowly grow. Isaac touched the tree at its base. He was using his Barcan authority to direct its roots underground to the safe room. Images of the Ryker family singing happy birthday to him and presenting him cakes throughout the years played into Isaacs mind. Isaac still felt what he felt but the emotions weren’t as loud as before. They felt like a distant memory. Present and very much there, but worked through and accepted.

Dreymond spoke as he continued his work on Isaac’s head. “I know you grieve over the loss of your parents and you fear losing us too. I can’t promise what the sands of time will bring, son. But what I will tell you is that us Rykers are a hardy bunch. We used to be berserkers. Using the life element, we could heal faster than our enemies could wound us. When hesper tech entered the battlefield we took over as division tankers. Sure bullets can rip through most stone element Dunas but us Rykers could eat bullets for breakfast. I haven’t tried it out for myself but I’m sure the stories have some truth to them. We’re here to stay, Isaac. Even when my wife and I leave this plane of existence you’ll always have a Ryker to lean on.” 

Isaac swiftly embraced Dreymond. The large man’s face softened into a smile as he returned the gesture.

 “Thank you, Dreymond. For everything.” 

The seventeen year old pulled away. “If you go, who's gonna heal the mess up here?” He asked, pointing to his head. “Damon can only use his authority for a little bit. He says that the intensity is too much for him.”

“Give him some time. That boy is a prodigy in the Ryker deviance. Usually progress in authority development is only trackable after 3 or 4 generations, but his affinity is as explosive as your personality. It can be overwhelming. Feeling what other people feel and fixing the damage. I only get impressions of feelings and still-shots of a memory. It leaves a lot to interpretation. Damon gets almost every detail, even some of the person's thoughts. He needs to be very careful. With that kind of power he could damage a mind when he tries to mend the mental wounds.”

“Too much power. That’s a problem I’d like to have” Isaac remarked with a hint of jealousy. He needed to push himself hard to get to where he was. In contrast his best friend was born with enough power to be scared of himself.

“Envy isn’t pretty on anyone, Isaac.” Dreymond scolded. ”Everyone has their own struggles, just focus on bettering yourself. You have plenty going for you too. You’ve got a mind as sharp as they come. And I’ve seen the way girls look at you. Work with what you’ve got, my boy.”

Dreymond shot out a wink and Isaac blushed looking down at his hands. 

“Thanks again for everything, Dreymond.”

“As always, don’t mention it, Isaac.”

Isaac left the room feeling cared for and loved. His last name was Atrisse and he carried it proudly, but his heart was Ryker.