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When Erik first noticed the man he pretended as though he hadn’t. He continued to walk, watching Meredy skip ahead of him, holding hands with their son, Earnest. Erik stretched out his magic, invading the thoughts of the passing man, sensing whether or not he had spotted Erik himself. When realisation clouded the man’s mind, Erik winced.
“Cobra?”
Meredy turned at the mention of his nickname, shocked and confused. He shook his head at her slowly and she lifted Earnest onto her hip, pausing to look at the trees and bushes which lined the road.
“Erik, actually.” He corrected with a tight-lip smile. Erik faced away from his wife and looked into the face of a man he hadn’t seen in over a decade. “Saunders. It’s been a while.”
Saunders was one of the masters of a dark guild who operated under the Ocacion Seis. They were influential in their day, but Erik had no idea that the guild was still functioning. The obnoxious green crest on Saunders’ neck proved him wrong.
“I heard about the big six being disbanded.” He rested his hand on Erik’s shoulder sympathetically. Erik tried not to flinch away. “Sorry about that, man.”
“It’s okay.”
Erik was no longer proud of his days as the criminal ‘Cobra’. He revered the friends he made, of course, and they were all still as close as they had been when the guild had first formed, but the things they did to achieve their goals… they still kept Erik awake at night. He didn’t want to acknowledge them here, with his son present. But Earnest was also the reason that Erik couldn’t make a scene; he had to find an excuse to leave the conversation, and soon, before Saunders said something that Erik would regret.
“How can it be okay?” Saunders sighed, crossing his arms over his chest. “You could have had unlimited wealth and more power than any man could ever dream of. But you ended up with nothing.”
Erik looked over his shoulder at where Meredy was kneeling, explaining to Earnest the difference between the native flowers, and he smiled easily.
“Not nothing.” He corrected once again. “In fact, I have something much better than all of that combined.”
Saunders followed his gaze and Erik felt the other man’s mind fall into chaos. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing, that a member of one of the most powerful dark guilds in the country had a wife and child . Erik smirked to himself. If Saunders struggled with that then he should meet Meredy.
“Sorry man but I have to-” He gestured vaguely, and Erik nodded. Saunders was uncomfortable now, and wanted to leave. Erik was grateful for that, because he didn’t want to continue the exchange any longer, either.
“Good to see you.” Erik smiled again, genuine, and Saunders’ brows raised.
“You too.”
And then he was gone, walking away so quickly he was almost running. Erik allowed himself a small chuckle at that before heading back to Meredy and Earnest, not dwelling on his past but instead taking his son’s hand and heading steadfast into the future.