I sighed.

  "Maybe it's time," I said, looking straight at him. "Listen, Georg..." "Yes?" "Do you remember your childhood?"

  He didn't even have to think about it.

  "Yes. Down to the smallest details."

  "Ah," I drawled. "Then that's strange."

  "What's strange?"

  I tilted my head.

  "You don't remember... a certain mage? Rumor has it there was a very powerful one in your bloodline." "No," Georg said sharply. "There was no one like that."

  For some reason, that felt unpleasant.

  Not painful. Not offensive.

  Just... empty.

  So that's how it is, I thought. Erased.

  I fell silent.

  And then, suddenly, Planus slapped his palm flat against the table.

  "Son..." he said hoarsely. "I think your memory is failing you."

  Georg turned to him.

  "What are you talking about?"

  Planus swallowed hard.

  "This... is Halibut."

  Silence.

  A fork clinked against a plate.

  "What?" Georg said slowly. "Halibut," Planus repeated. "The Halibut."

  Georg choked.

  "That's impossible." "Why?" "Halibut had different hair." "He did." "And different eyes." "Those too."

  Georg stood up.

  Walked closer.

  Stared at me.

  Once. Twice. Three times.

  For a solid three minutes.

  I sat there calmly.

  Let him look.

  "The face..." he whispered. "The face is the same..."

  He turned deathly pale.

  "You..." "Yeah," I said. "Halibut."

  Anna whipped her head toward me.

  "Greg?!"

  "It's an old name," I added. "Very old. I barely use it anymore." "But..." Georg exhaled with immense effort. "You... you're..."

  This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

  "Not dead," I finished for him. "Just... didn't stick around."

  He sat down.

  Slowly.

  "I held you in my arms once," I said suddenly. "Just once. You were crying." "I..." "You had a broken finger," I continued. "And you were terrified that your magic wouldn't come back."

  Georg buried his face in his hands.

  "That..." his voice trembled. "Nobody knows that..."

  Planus remained silent.

  Anna stared at me, her eyes wide with shock.

  "You..." she whispered. "You this whole time..."

  "I didn't remember," I said honestly. "Until recently—no. Now... in fragments."

  Georg lifted his gaze to look at me.

  "Then... what are you to me?"

  I shrugged.

  "Once upon a time—a friend of the family." "And now?" "Now..." I smirked. "Just a weird kid sitting at your dinner table."

  He laughed.

  Dryly. Nervously.

  "So that's why you were answering like that..." "Yep." "And that's why I felt like you were looking at me... from above."

  "Not from above," I said. "From far away."

  Silence settled over the room once more.

  Anna slowly walked over and took my hand.

  "You didn't have to say anything," she said quietly. "I know." "Why did you?"

  I thought about it.

  "Because I'm tired of being forgotten," I answered honestly.

  Georg nodded.

  "I'm sorry," he said. "If I had known..." "You weren't supposed to," I replied. "Memory is a fickle thing."

  He looked at me for a long time.

  "Then... Happy New Year, Halibut." "Happy New Year, Georg."

  I smirked.

  "And by the way..." I added. "You can stop asking those questions about Anna now." "Why?" "Because if I start asking questions about your past—we'll be sitting here until morning."

  Anna laughed through her tears.

  Planus exhaled loudly:

  "Well... what a merry little holiday we're having."

  I looked at all of them.

  And for the first time in a very long time, I hadn't been erased.

  NIGHT. THE KITCHEN

  Georg sat back down at the table. We finished our meal in silence. The food was delicious. The conversation—not so much.

  Later, the house grew quiet. Footsteps retreated upstairs. The clock ticked so loudly it sounded like it was getting paid per second.

  "Greg," Georg said quietly. "Walk with me?"

  We stepped into the kitchen. He poured tea. For himself. For me. His hands were shaking slightly.

  "I thought I was losing my mind," he said. "When I was looking at you." "A normal reaction," I replied. "Means you still have a functioning brain."

  He chuckled.

  "Are you really... Halibut?" "I was." "And now?" "Now—Greg. It's easier to pronounce."

  He nodded.

  "I remember how you disappeared," he said. "Just vanished one day." "I do that a lot." "We thought you died." "I think that sometimes too."

  Georg looked at me closely.

  "You're not an old man," he said. "No." "But you're not a boy either." "Also no."

  "Then what are you?"

  I shrugged.

  "A glitch in the system." "Convenient." "I try."

  He sighed.

  "You know..." he started, then paused. "I'm glad you're alive. Even if it's weird."

  "That's the nicest thing anyone has said to me today," I said honestly.

  He nodded.

  "You don't want anything from us, do you?" "I do." "What?" "I want you to keep living exactly as if I never existed in your past. It's easier for me that way."

  He thought about it.

  "And in the present?" "In the present, I'm just a guest." "Then..." he held out his hand. "Welcome."

  I shook it.

  Warm. Alive. Normal.

  "Goodnight, Halibut." "Goodnight, Georg."

  LATER. ANNA'S ROOM

  Anna was sitting by the window. I walked in quietly.

  "Did you know it would turn out like this?" she asked without turning around. "I never know anything. It's my superpower."

  She turned to face me.

  "Are you... my great-great-grandfather?" "Formally—yes." "And informally?" "Then I'm just a weird guy who ruins holidays."

  She snorted.

  "Do you realize how that sounds?" "About the same as my entire life sounds."

  She stepped closer.

  "I was scared," she said quietly. "Me too." "You said you were tired of being forgotten." "I did."

  Anna took my hand. The warmth flowed instantly. Without asking permission.

  "I won't forget you," she said. "That's a bad idea." "Then I will remember you here and now."

  I looked at her.

  "You don't have to." "I know. But I want to."

  A pause.

  "And another thing," she added, narrowing her eyes. "If you ever laugh at my dad's questions about me again..." "Then what?" "I will remind you exactly which one of us is younger." "That's not fair." "Life isn't very fair," she smiled.

  I smirked.

  "Thanks, Anna." "For what?" "For the warmth. Even when I don't ask for it."

  She nodded.

  "Goodnight, Greg." "Goodnight."

  I was left alone. And for the first time in a long time, the night was just a night— and not an endless void.

  I said my goodbyes to them calmly.

  Without any deep emotions. I just realized—there was nothing left for me to do here.

  Maybe I should drop by the princesses' place? Nothing else to do anyway.

  Pop.

  And just like that, I was in the capital.