When I was little, my mother took care of me, or at least that's what the village residents and my older friends told me when I was old enough to start understanding how the world works. After that, there was a certain problem with... Scarlet.

She isn't human, in fact, she's a half-elf, so the average lifespan of these demi-humans is quite long, around 300 years, like 4 or 5 times as long as a common human lives in this world. Let's just say that, because of that, after my mother passed away, Scarlet started to "take care" of me.

What a shitty feeling, let me tell you. I'm sitting on the bed right now, looking up and thinking about how to deal with this part of Darius Moonlight, the other me who wants to stay away from this bitch who fucked up part of my head.

Knocks echo on my bedroom door. Who is it at this hour? Let it be Ravenna, let it be Ravenna...!

"Hey, Darius, how are ya?"

I push the door back shut at once, just because I don't want to see Joel's lucky face, especially when my head isn't working right. Of course, the bastard won't leave me alone no matter what, so much so that he opened the door right after to make his presence known in the place.

"Is that any way to treat the host, ya blockhead?"

"What kind of host charges people to stay at his place?"

"Me, duh. I have mouths to feed and you're loaded, obviously I wasn't going to let this slide."

"Go fuck yourself, seriously."

This punk has always been like this, even though he's a few years older than me. I'm not even in the mood to talk, I just want to lie here in bed and watch time pass. If it were anyone else, I could put up with the presence, just not this guy.

"Bro, everyone is downstairs eating" Joel says, entering without permission. "Are you just gonna stay here with that blank look on your face and let the day pass?"

"I am. Any problem?"

"Hah. Look, I know it's complicated dealing with Scarlet. I thought you'd never come back here, so I asked her for help. I know it was messed up, but hey, that crazy woman already left. Why don't you spend some time with your friends downstairs and have a jug of mead?"

Tsk. This guy really knows how to be annoying. Yes, I wanted to at least have a good time messing around or doing something before falling into a warzone, just not here of all places and not with that asshole half-elf around!

I wish I could yell something, but... it would probably attract the bitch's attention, and I want to stay away. Fuck, even outside the palace, far from those irritating nobles full of shit, hell still follows me.

I lean up, sitting on the bed and facing Joel, who is still waiting for me, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. If only I could tell you about all the times I beat him in fights...

I let out a sigh and get off the bed, walking straight past him and heading to the stairs.

I go down, the wood creaks more than usual, just to announce I'm coming. The smell of stew hits my face and for a second I almost believe I deserve something in life, then I remember Scarlet and the thought vanishes instantly.

The table is over in the corner, a mess of plates and mugs, but I'm relieved to see familiar faces. Ravenna leans back with a posture that seems to say "I rule the world and my own liver", Victorian eats as if it's his last meal before the apocalypse, and Elizia is laughing at some joke I missed. They wave, and I try to give a wave that doesn't look like a zombie summons.

"I thought you'd never come back", Elizia says, with such a sweet little voice and such a radiant smile that it leaves me speechless for two seconds. "For a moment, I thought you were going to bury yourself in your room and not even take the chance to accompany a woman for a drink."

"Yeah, well..."

At least the stew gives me a practical reason to open my mouth.

I sit down, pull out a chair with a loud scrape, and dig into the food, since I'm going to turn into a popsicle in the northern cold soon enough. Victorian raises his head and gives a formal nod with his mouth full, it's incredible that even after all that training and his renowned knight appearance, he still manages to be kind of an idiot.

Ravenna observes me for a few seconds, then opens her mouth and speaks:

"Did you manage to rest after that visit to the cemetery?"

The mention sends a shiver down my spine that I try to disguise. I pretend my trembling hand is because of the cold. I don't remember telling her nothing about my visit, but she probably stalked me or sent her pet to keep an eye on me.

"Yes" I reply, digging my spoon into the stew. "It's not like I have much choice, we'll have a lot to do tomorrow in Veyren. And you? Did you get anything sorted out while you waited?"

Ravenna shrugs, slowly biting into a slice of dried meat.

"I did. I organized paperwork, sent some messages to others about hiring servants, nothing you need to know about. I've already arranged everything."

Apparently, she's not much in the mood to talk, which is good for me, because it's better than being endlessly shot down by that look of contempt she's learned more recently. Honestly, I preferred her old personality, sometimes it's even difficult to exchange words like this.

Victorian wipes his mouth with the back of his hand, leaning his body forward as if to get attention. I mean, just the size of this guy is enough to attract glances, just speaking would be enough.

"Thank you for everything, Sir Darius. If it weren't for your intervention, I... well..."

I turn to him, feeling a pang. The big guy is rough, but he has a heart bigger than his armor.

"Relax, you northern dog, what if I sabotage myself and leave you behind."

Elizia pokes me with her finger and gives a laugh, obviously wanting not to put our bodyguard too far down.

"So, ready for tomorrow's departure? Did you resolve everything you needed to resolve? Once we leave, there's no turning back!"

I look at the big sundial Joel has hanging on the wall and realize the day flew by. It's already night, but the backpack on my mind seems lighter in imagination than in practice.

"Yes. We need to arrive early in Veyren so she can sort out the bureaucracy, only then will we have an easier time on the road. If all goes well, we'll reach the north in less time than I expect to be impaled."

Ravenna raises an eyebrow.

"You talk as if you expect to be impaled. That's impressive optimism."

"I call it mental preparation."

The conversation flows lightly for a few minutes, memories of village life, Joel's jokes that Elizia doesn't find funny but laughs at anyway, Victorian shyly asking if he can take some stew for the trip, and finally, Ravenna pauses and stares at me again, as if deciding that now is the time to touch on an uncomfortable subject.

"Darius, can we talk alone?"

Shit. Shit, shit, shit!

Those words mean one thing: dan-ger! One thing that scares me immensely is Ravenna wanting to talk to me alone, using that gentle tone at first only to later point a fingernail charged with black lightning at my throat!

What do I do? Avoid her? Run away? No, that would be even worse, if I do that, I'll really die! When I try to look for help from the people sitting next to me, they just shrink back a little. Even you, Elizia? Why do I always have to go through this?

I run my hand over my face, repenting for my past sins, and nod.

We leave the inn, heading for the porch at the entrance. The night air is cold, causing that discomfort on the skin and stinging the eyes.

"Darius..." Ravenna stops, focusing her eyes on me. "I want you to take me to your mother's grave."

What?

"Are you... kidding me?"

No, no, this has got to be a joke.

"I'm not kidding. I lost my parents too, what would be the problem with also wanting to visit my mother-in-law's grave?"

I stay quiet for a while. This is wrong, very wrong, and for some reason, I feel inclined to accept. I've already shared a lot with this woman, at this point, it wouldn't be hard to believe she has investigated every layer of me to the point of leaving me naked. Moreover, that look has neither seduction nor desire, it seems too sincere for my taste, which is a little scary.

Against all logic, I give in. We walk together down the deserted dirt road until we reach her isolated grave. My feet guide me on their own to the simple tombstone, marked only by her name, the only memory I have left.

Ravenna kneels before the grave, runs her fingers over the worn inscription, and closes her eyes for a moment. I see silver lines pulsing beneath her clothes, a sign that something linked to the Silver Scar ritual must be happening.

"I understand..."

I don't answer. I just keep looking at the tombstone, trying to feign indifference, but... it's kind of hard when I have to face it head-on.

"Darius, she said something."

"W-Wait, you talked to her? Just like that? What the fuck kind of sadistic joke is this?"

"Calm down, I'm not kidding. My plan was also to at least offer some way to talk with her before we left, since I saw you leaving and sent my familiar to observe you."

Ah, so you were really spying on me, thanks.

"In any case... she said 'I love you, son'."

Damn...

I wanted to hear that directly from her mouth, not from yours, which is transmitting a dead person's voice. Is it kind of harsh to say it like that? If so, my bad, it's just that I'm not good at reacting to situations like this. The moment with my father was already enough, now this? What? Do you want to kill me with depression?

"Haha..."

Laughter escapes my mouth without me realizing it. I'm not going to sit here licking my wounds and say this over and over, because the feeling is shit and I feel like shit. Under this tree, looking at the starry sky, with the moon and all, I can't even see your ghost and talk to you.

Sorry, Mom.