From America to South Korea, and then South Korea to China. China to Greece, and Greece to Egypt. Egypt to Peru, and Peru to Mexico. Finally, after Mexico, he made his way back home. Tate started going to some of the places that Walter had promised to take him. Making sure he visited all the areas that his father had written to him about in postcards and letters. Discovering that, despite how much of a pathological liar Walter was, he hadn’t lied about the pure beauty in those places.
In South Korea Tate finally got to visit with his halmeoni. It was as if she just knew exactly what happened to her son, even if the news hadn’t fully reported on what happened the night that Leviathan died. She showed her grandson around all the places that his father had grown up in. Then gave him a parting gift — Walter’s old motorcycle that he’d rebuilt on his own as a young teenager. Piecing it together over the years and always coming back home to Korea to take care of it when he could. His grandmother told him that she couldn’t bear to keep looking at it, not when she knew that it would just waste away without Walter to now come back home and take care of it. So, she told him she would arrange to have it sent back to America whenever he was ready for it. Tate agreed.
He visited serene temples where his father talked about how their beauty moved him, and tried meditating like Giovanni had suggested to him. He met new people that were, admittedly, a bit afraid of him as he tried to cover all of his tattoos while out in public. He learned about his family’s culture and history, and then went to visit Mrs. Heo. The elderly lady that had given him the apartment he was now staying in was so happy to see him, as he was her. He showed her how all of the plants that she had either left behind or gifted him were not only surviving, but thriving. Tate had also managed to add several extra plant children to his growing collection.
Along the way, while out in the streets, he discovered a tiny little kitten that was a stray. She accompanied him along the rest of his trip, and he named her Yooni. Together they went to Tibet, and then to Santorini. After they saw the pyramids in Giza they headed to the Rainbow Mountain of Peru. Meeting a wonderful man named Carlos that acted as their tour guide, who led them all over Peru and even took them back to his home where he fed them with his family. From there, after playing with all of the local village children, they headed to Machu Picchu. Tate felt like he was finally seeing the world through his father’s eyes, in a way. The man would always come back home and tell his children about his adventures. It seemed that he hadn’t been exaggerating them, as Tate could feel the same magic that his father certainly had as well.
For someone that had never left New Elysium City in all of his twenty-one years of life, it was eye-opening to see just how large the world truly was. Each time he visited a new place he took a photo of him and Yooni, sending it to a group chat that he’d made with his family and Gio. He never responded to any of their messages, nor answered any calls, as that was his only way of letting them know he was still alive. Getting to meet llamas and goats for the first time, and knowing that his little siblings would have loved it, too. Tate struggled to not feel selfish the entire time he was gone, but having little to no contact seemed to help ease that feeling. He knew that one day soon he’d want to take all of his siblings to all the places he visited.
By the time he got to Mexico, Tate truly felt like he was more at peace. He’d left with only one bag on his back, and now he was about to return with a motorcycle, a kitten, and a whole slew of new memories and friends he’d made along the way. It was almost as if he’d truly accepted that his father was gone, and this time he wasn’t coming back. Coming to terms with how things had ended, but trying his hardest to now learn to forgive himself. Seeing beauty that he couldn’t even fathom, and now knowing just how much beauty he had left to see in the world. Not everything had to be black and white. It could be full of wonder and color, as well.
Wholly unaware of what was going on back at home in New Elysium, Tate knew that the city would survive without him. It had before, and it would long after. However, his absence had put quite a bit of strain on those that made up his little hero team. Most specifically Giovanni, who now without such a constant pillar in his life once again was perhaps spiraling just a touch. The man had all but just debuted his music production career, only to immediately close himself off wholly to the public and then have announced that he was the head engineer and inventor of his father’s company. Domani Corporations was soaring with this new addition to their executive board, and it made the gossip soar just as high. Now people were wondering if Alessandro Capitani was truly about to step down as CEO and hand the company over to his son, or if this was just a power move.
Tate was none the wiser either way. Not even bothering to check any news anywhere until he arrived back home. Though, he did decide to let everyone else update him first before he actually opened any site. In the end, Tate returned home like a completely different person. Already full of patience, he now appeared to have even more to offer. No longer stretched to his wits end. All the pressure of everything he’d kept bottled up had finally been relieved.
A well deserved break, wouldn’t you agree? Just remember, healing is a lifelong process. It isn’t a journey meant for the weary, and it certainly isn’t always so forgiving. Although this may be the end of our book, it certainly isn’t the end of the story! Our heroes will all be back in action, picking right back up where we left off…
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