Deep within the night, moonlight shone on the forest below. Making the darkness retreat under its pure radiance.
Valerius was sitting beside the fireplace when the door opened with a short noise,
"Is he asleep?"
Sophia nodded quietly as she walked inside, closing the door behind.
"That little girl?" Valerius asked as he thought of Shelly.
Sophia slowly sat beside him,
"Logan came to take her back home."
Shelly was the daughter of one of the town's residents who owned a shop in the town. When Shelly was assessed and turned out to be a mage her father put her under Sophia's care for the basic education regarding essence and the core element.
Thinking of how Sophia was able to confront the mist woman till now without worrying about her son was all thanks to Shelly who had taken care of him until she returned back home.
"That kid's been a huge help," Sophia heaved a sigh of relief. "She took care of August like an older sibling. Can you believe he didn't even ask me one question, when he saw me just hugged me tightly and fell asleep quickly afterwards."
An appreciative expression appeared on her face,
"I think our son has enjoyed her company a lot. Until now, he was alright on his own but it's about time he should start making friends."
After a moment of silence, the joyous atmosphere settled slowly. There were more important things to talk about of course. Sophia understood the severity of the moment. It was an important time, they had to make a decision.
"So what? Do you believe her words?"
After trying to ignore the mist woman's suggestion for quite a while now, Sophia finally asked her husband. Her eyes searched his face.
Valerius' expressions were grim. It was deep into the night, he looked tired but was unable to fall asleep—honestly, they both were.
"You know what I believe," He answered, stating the obvious. "I don't trust that woman."
"But…," Sophia let her words hang in the silence for a moment. "...but you do think this plan could work, right?"
Valerius seemed to be lost in distant thoughts but he agreed by giving a subtle nod.
"Though, I still suspect her intentions," his voice was calm. "She's not as simple as she seems. Trust me, it took a lot of effort to take her down the last time."
He turned to the fire while memories of the past suddenly flashed in his mind, giving shape to his words, he said,
"She's a death incarnate. A type of creature who fears nothing and trusts no one. The only way Aurelion saved us both from that creature was by severing her from her own existence."
The firewood let out crackling noises as it burned,
"But even then, the truth is she is an entity of a unique class. She knows the world, and I agree that the Velvian creature could be a help to our son."
A sudden wave rose in his heart,
"Only she doesn't know herself. Not anymore. Her capabilities are far greater than any creature in the forest or that new leader, the Monarch. I am sure she can keep our son safe considering the extent of the power she holds."
"Then what is the problem?" Sophia asked as she held her husband's hand. The genuine curiosity in her tired eyes screamed that she knew nothing about the woman in the mist.
To Valerius, the real tragedy was that he knew her well—he had seen himself what kind of creature she really was.
"I can never trust her. Not nearly enough to leave my son with her alone in a place that she controls, away from me—outside the protection of the barrier. Because she hates me, the hate we deliberately forced into her memories. It was ….essential at that moment—Aurelion had to replace a specific emotion in her heart with a stronger one. It's not that I resent her for hating me, it's just that I trust Aurelion's spell very much."
Sophia rested her head on his shoulder, her voice soothingly calm,
"Your words may be true dear, but I think she was telling the truth, about how she had grown so attached to our son. I saw that in her eyes today. She was ready to sacrifice herself for August."
Sophia felt as Valerius' breathing gradually slowed down,
"And I also trusted her words when she said she couldn't bear to look at him enduring that pain. Her words resonated with my heart. For a moment I thought I was hearing myself breaking down, as a mother."
Somewhere along the words she spoke, her eyes began tearing up.
"..as for going into the forest I can't agree with that either. I am unable to decide what will be more worrisome —to let my son go on a dangerous expedition or to watch him suffer in agony his whole life."
Imagining the horrifying scenarios a chill ran down her spine,
"I think when we both aren't capable of making that decision why do we have to decide for him in the first place? I say we let our son decide for himself when the time comes."
"Yeah let's do that," Valerius smiled at her, giving away a slight nod. Suddenly a question rose in his mind, something he was very curious to ask,
"By the way …that crown really saved our son's life today huh?"
Of course he was talking about the relic that saved August from dying by suffocation—inside that cocoon.
Sophia didn't know much about the crown aside from the fact that an elderly couple gifted it to their son some years ago. A warm smile appeared on her face,
"We have to thank Rowan and Martha for that."
Valerius also felt a hint of warmth as the kind faces of the only ones who loved him as his parents appeared in his thoughts.
Giving away a present that could save someone's life displayed how much they cared for his son.
Then along the memories of his past as though suddenly recalling something ominous, he tightly embraced Sophia in his arms.
"Please take care of yourself. I know it was for our son's sake but you unknowingly crossed the barrier today."
Sophia was silent but the same sense of unease rose in her heart as well —that was bothering Valerius for a long time now.
He couldn't help but shiver slightly as he recalled the reason —why barrier was built in the first place.
The barrier Aurelion created was not for the protection of the town, but was only built for a specific purpose. In reality it wasn't a barrier at all but rather a well crafted camouflage.
Sophia sensed the unease in her husband's tone as she placed a hand on his chest to comfort him,
"Don't worry I'm alright," although she tried to lessen his worries with her words but there was a slight fear in her tone.
"My brother …he will never find me."
Valerius did not answer, the fire cracked once —loud, sharp—before settling again.
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