The Alchemists

"Altair ... come here," Nicolae opened his eyes and spread his arms so the little boy could come closer. Vega who was in his arms looked a bit surprised by the man's action. However, Altair simply approached and Nicolae who was crouching down waiting for him immediately hugged him. "My lovely children. Daddy wants to tell you something."

The faces of the two very similar-looking children were full of question marks.

"What's up, Daddy?" Altair asked, innocently blinking his eyes.

"You and Vega were born on the same day from Mommy Aleksis. You know about this, right?" Nicolae asked them gently. The two nodded. He then smiled broadly, hiding the sadness in his eyes. "Daddy Nic was also born on the same day as your father. We are from the same father and mother, just like how you two are also from the same father and mother."

The two pairs of eyes went round and their lips uncontrollably let out muffled sounds.

"Really ... Is that true??" Altair asked in surprise. He was very shocked finding out that he and the man he considered his father all this time actually had blood relations with him.

Alaric who was watching the scene from the sideline was also stunned by what he heard from the conversation between Nicolae and his two children.

What did he say?

"That's right. Daddy Nic and your father are siblings. Daddy Alaric had to go far away for a few years because he went through hardships, but now Daddy Alaric is back. You have to cheer him up because he really misses you two ..." Nicolae said. He stood up and took Vega in his left hand and Altair in his right. "There he is, over there ..."

Alaric froze in place. His mind refused to work when he saw Nicolae walking towards him with the twins whom he had just realized were looking very similar to himself in tow ...

Didn't they inherit his hair and face ...? And Altair, wasn't his face and appearance like Alaric's spitting image? Why did he fail to recognize his own children and even think that they were Nicolae's children ...?

When his twin brother arrived right in front of him, the two men stood face to face with each other. Alaric remembered that he had seen Nicolae several times in some old footage when he was with Terry and Aleksis in Singapore. Four years ago, he also remembered seeing him at the Ritz Gala with Terry.

Now he could understand why it was so easy for people to distinguish that Nicolae was Lauriel's son. The young man's face took after their father. Alaric was now aware that despite being twins, their appearances were different. He was born resembling their mother, while Nicolae looked like their father...

About his two children, although at first glance they looked like Nicolae's children, in reality, they both took after Alaric...

Oh God ... he just realized that Aleksis had been living and raising their two children, Altair and Vega, in ten years alone, with Nicolae as a father figure for them.

And oh ... their children's names were Altair and Vega!

Alaric recalled that night on his ship, more than ten years ago ... when he and Aleksis made love for the first time ...

"Uncle Lavender ..." said Altair, smiling. He reached out to grasp Alaric's left hand, "Lavender is my mother's favorite flower."

Alaric stood rooted in place. He could not move because too many emotions welled up in his chest. He could not calm his heart down...

This adorable child was his son with Aleksis. This afternoon the child said his voice was like lavender ... and lavender was Aleksis' favorite flower.

Nicolae let go of his two children and moved toward the still dumbfounded man. Unexpectedly, he hugged his brother very tightly. Alaric could only stare without knowing how to respond...

"Nice to meet you, Alaric. Hello again ..." Nicolae said softly.

Over a hundred years ago, they had been together for nine months within their mother's womb. After Nicolae was born, he and Alaric were separated and only managed to reunite again today. Four years ago when Nicola accompanied Terry at the Ritz Gala, they only bumped into each other, yet even that was only through the Virconnect facility.

Alaric, who normally didn't like being touched, felt his chest warmed as Nicolae hugged him. Their bodies were of the same height and physically very similar. It felt so right when they were in each other's embrace. It was as if they were the same person.

After a while, Nicolae loosened his arms and gently knocked his forehead onto Alaric's before looking into the man's eyes. "Brother..."

Alaric's usually cold eyes slowly began to glimmer as he nodded slowly and murmured, "Nicolae ..."

He suddenly froze in place again because Nicolae crouched down and pulled his hand, prompting him to follow.

"Altair ... this is your father, Vega ... this is your father ..." Nicolae said to his two children.

Vega narrowed her eyes and reluctantly looked at Alaric. She subconsciously hid behind Nicolae. Earlier, in the library, she only clung onto the arms of this stranger because she thought he was an ordinary guest. However, just now, Nicolae told her that the man was in reality, her biological father. Vega couldn't help but look awkward.

Altair also looked doubtful. He liked this Uncle Lavender, but he didn't know how to behave now that it was revealed that this person was his father ...

"Daddy ..." Vega whispered a moment later. "I'm scared..."

Upon hearing his daughter's words, Alaric immediately felt that his throat became dry. Why were his own children afraid of him? Was he really that terrible?

"That's not what she meant ..." said Nicolae hurriedly to Alaric in an apologetic manner, "Vega often mixed up fear with confusion or worry."

"Father was gone for a long time ..." Vega said finally in a shy voice. Tears began to well up from her eyes. "Father doesn't love us. I'm afraid he will leave us again. I want Daddy Nic... Daddy Nic never leaves..."

Alaric felt his heart getting broken by Vega's explanation. He realized that during these ten years he had lost a lot of time. He even had no idea that Aleksis had given birth to his children.

If he knew ... even if he had to die, he would try his best to find them and protect them.

But he never knew ...

Aleksis immediately approached them without caring about her injured feet.

"Honey ... it's okay ... don't worry, Mommy is here ..." she said while hugging Vega. She knew her children were greatly shaken by the shocking information. Aleksis wanted to stop Nicolae and Alaric from making Altair and Vega even more confused. "We can talk about this later ... now you just come with Mommy, alright?"

Vega freed herself from her mother and insisted on hugging Nicolae, "I only want Daddy Nic..."

Aleksis sighed. Sadness crossed her face. She could not force the little girl to let go of Nic. She turned around and looked at Alaric apologetically. The man looked back at her with teary eyes. He shook his head softly.

"It's okay," he said softly. He helped Aleksis stand up and then hugged her. "It's okay, Honey. It's my fault. I wasn't in their lives from the start ..."

"But you didn't know ..." whispered Aleksis sadly. "Give them time."

"I understand," Alaric answered. For him, nothing else mattered in this world, apart from getting his Aleksis back. The children were just nice bonuses. He never knew that he had two kids with his wife. He was very surprised. He felt his chest churn in excitement when he found out that the two adorable children were his own flesh and blood ...