Going Home! Tears of Release and the Declaration of Independence

"Yes!"

With a crisp, decisive reply, Felix took the items from his secretary's hands. Holding them securely in one arm, he raised his other hand to salute the head of the headquarters.

Having done so, Felix turned and walked out of the office.

Stepping out of the office, Felix looked up at the sky above, his eyes shimmering with emotions that were difficult to discern. A moment later, he strode toward the elevators.

He took the elevator to the Spaceport and boarded a shuttle bound for the seventh district of Junius City.

At the Spaceport in the seventh district of Junius City, Felix disembarked from the shuttle and carried his belongings into the elevator to enter the satellite's interior.

He caught a bus heading toward his home.

Standing before his front door, Felix took a moment to compose his emotions, then took a deep breath and entered the passcode to open the door.

"Dear, are you home?"

His mother's voice drifted from inside the house.

Hearing her voice, a smile appeared on Felix's face as he called out toward the kitchen.

"Mom, I'm home."

Following his words, a clattering sound erupted from the kitchen. His mother hurried out, her eyes slightly reddened as she looked at him.

She walked to the entryway, gazing at Felix with careful, tender eyes, before opening her arms and pulling him into a hug.

"It's good that you're back! It's so good that you're back!"

Wendy murmured these words, her voice filled with relief and deep concern. Felix hugged her back with one arm, a faint smile on his face as he replied.

"I'm home, Mom!"

A few seconds later, Wendy pulled away from her son, wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes, and looked at Felix with eyes full of maternal love.

"Felix, go rest for a while. I'm going to buy some groceries."

"Mom, there's no need for such trouble. Let's just eat whatever we have," Felix said casually, seeing how enthusiastic his mother was.

Wendy insisted regardless!

Seeing this, Felix said nothing more and let his mother head out to the market.

That evening, at the dinner table:

"Eat more, you've gotten so thin."

Wendy sat in her chair, constantly piling food onto Felix's plate. Feeling his mother's overwhelming warmth, Felix found it a bit hard to keep up.

Chris watched his son's struggle with a slight upturn of his lips, smiling as he quietly ate his own meal. Chris did not ask a single question about the war.

He was afraid that one careless word might touch a sore spot and tear open the scars hidden deep within his son's heart.

After the meal, Felix helped his mother clear the table, and then the family sat on the living room sofa to watch television, enjoying the peaceful and stable time of their reunion.

In the middle of the night, Felix jolted awake from his sleep. He sat up in bed as if launched, his hands gripping the quilt tightly. Beads of sweat stood out on his forehead as he gasped for air, his eyes filled with lingering resentment and regret.

After catching his breath for a few seconds and calming his emotions, Felix turned to look out the window, then glanced at the clock on his nightstand.

Realizing the time, Felix rolled out of bed, pushed open his bedroom door, and walked toward the dining room.

He poured a glass of water, and as he walked out, he saw his father standing at the entrance of the dining area.

"Dad, you're still awake?"

He asked his father in a calm voice.

Chris did not reply; he walked forward to stand before his son, observing the resentment and regret hidden deep within his eyes. Under Felix's gaze, he opened his arms and pulled him into an embrace.

His father's warm hug reached Felix at that moment, and the warmth caused his body to tremble. Then, his father's calm, powerful voice of comfort sounded in his ear.

"Child! Tears are a release for the soul and a potent medicine for healing wounds. If you want to cry, then cry. My shoulder will always be your support. So, don't bottle up all that pain inside—let it out with your tears!"

As these calm words reached Felix's ears, he, who had been holding everything in, finally broke. His eyes reddened in an instant.

The water glass slipped from his hand and shattered on the floor. The moment the crisp sound of the glass breaking rang out, the tears in Felix's eyes poured forth like a breached dam. He wrapped his arms tightly around his father, buried his head in his shoulder, and sobbed uncontrollably.

His cries echoed through the quiet house.

Hearing his son's sorrowful weeping, Chris's own eyes turned red. He could not imagine the immense pain, the crushing resentment, and the deep regret his son had been enduring.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I tried my best! I really tried my best! Please forgive me!"

Apologies and cries of grief spilled incessantly from the lips of Felix.

Hearing this, Chris shuddered, finally understanding his son's sorrow, regret, and frustration. He pulled his son into a tight embrace, patting his back gently while offering comfort in a soft voice.

"Felix, you did your best! You've already done all you could. They will understand you; there is no need to blame yourself like this."

Meanwhile, outside the master bedroom.

Wendy listened to her son's wailing and the apologies he kept repeating. She leaned against the wall and slowly slumped to the floor, her eyes rimmed with red, her gaze filled with heartache for her son as tears began to fall.

Her son was only sixteen, yet he had already endured such a tragic ordeal. He was still so young; why did he have to suffer such pain!

"My child! Cry if you want to! It's better to let it all out!"

Wendy murmured softly as she sat slumped on the floor.

In the dining room, Felix's outpouring continued, tears of sorrow streaming from his eyes. Chris held his son, offering his shoulder, his own eyes red as he listened quietly to the venting.

He spoke softly.

"It's good to let it out! It's good to let it out!"

The next day.

The Griffith household returned to its usual calm. No one mentioned the events of the previous night, as if they had never occurred.

A few days later.

February 18, C.E. 70.

Having received an invitation, Felix bid farewell to his parents. Dressed in a black suit with a white flower pinned to his chest, he boarded a shuttle and arrived at Aprilia City.

Arriving at the state funeral held for the victims of the "Bloody Valentine" tragedy, Felix saw many familiar faces.

Patrick, Athrun, Siegel, Lacus, and others were present, but the person who drew Felix's attention most was the woman standing beside Patrick.

"It seems that while saving my parents, I have also indirectly saved Athrun's mother."

He murmured to himself.

Felix stopped focusing on them and stood among the crowd, waiting calmly for the state funeral to begin.

After a short while, accompanied by funeral music and the sound of ceremonial cannons, the state funeral officially commenced. Following Chairman Siegel's address, everyone present bowed their heads in silent tribute.

Once the silence ended and the funeral concluded, Felix stood in the crowd, listening as Chairman Siegel delivered the "Declaration of Independence" and a declaration of war to fight the Earth Alliance to the end.