The faint glow of a campfire can be seen in the gloomy darkness. A few miles down from the abandoned village was where they chose to make camp. After casting such large-scale magic, Jasper admitted that he needed some time to recharge his depleted reserves. At his current state he's not even able to transport them back to Rahnoff. After tonight's discoveries Rei isn't in a rush to return. His mind is bogged down by the merciless acts of his father, the guilt in his heart is too strong to face Anya. He could never have imagined someone related to him was the cause for the loss of her entire family.
"You seem to be thinking mighty hard over there, care to share your thoughts?" Jasper took a branch off the ground and justled the fire a bit, its mesmerizing embers scattered into the air.
"I just can't imagine it...how can she even stand the sight of me? How does she not hate me?"
"The mystery of a woman's heart is hard to fathom. I'm more curious about how she survived."
"What do you mean?" Rei looks troubled by the thought that he might never have had the chance to meet Anya in the first place. She could have been slaughtered with the rest of her clansmen that night.
"I know your father Rei, he is a very meticulous man. If he came to this village with the intent of silencing all witnesses, not even the local chicken would have been spared."
"What are you trying to say?" There's a familiar sinking feeling in his gut, his sharp mind already knows the answer but he doesn't want to voice it.
"Do you know the senses of a beastman are ten times stronger than those of a human? They can track a scent for miles."
"..."
"He let her go Rei. He purposely let her think that she'd escaped, knowing she would seek him out for revenge. Daymon knows how to cover his tracks, with him gone and you being his next of kin, it's inevitable that her senses would lead her to you instead. He let her go so she could lead him to you."
"That explains how he found me, but it's been so many years since Anya came to Rahnoff, why is he closing in on me now? He could have ended my life years ago, why wait?"
"…" There's no response, his uncle seems to know something, but the usually talkative man suddenly learned the value of silence. Jasper simply shrugs, "I've been away from the capital for quite some time. I can't claim to know what the man is thinking. I'm also curious about Henley."
"Henley?"
"Your mother's most loyal knight, the same beastman that traveled with us to defeat the demon lord back then. I now vaguely recall him telling us that his village was somewhere along the river leara. I should have seen the similarities then, that would explain how your friend got a hold of The Rose of unending Woes."
"What do you mean?"
"The cheeky miss bears a striking resemblance to Henley. He was likely her father." He points to his hair and eyes, meaning they likely share the same color.
Rei stares off into the distance, mulling over the fact that he'd taken Anya's father from her much earlier as well. It seems his existence was nothing short of a cursed star to what should have been her otherwise happy life. His red eyes pause at the silent river Leara.
"Can we cast the spell you just used again?" He suddenly asks, a spark of inspiration flaring up in his mind.
"At the risk of nearly bottoming out my reserves, yes, I can. Why?"
"Can you cast that spell not on land but on the river instead."
Jasper looks towards the inconspicuous body of water. It likely holds countless secrets, a perfect candidate for 'Lasting Record'. Always prepared for a performance, he dusts off his pants, stretches out his hands and begins to cast the spell once more. The pallor of his face immediately becomes paler. The large magic crest expands at his feet again as the spell takes shape. It's just as impressive the second time as it was the first time he saw it.
Rei can feel the entire area become saturated with his uncle's mana, almost making him lightheaded. On the riverbank, he sees a blue blob take form in the shape of a buff beastman dressed in heavy armor. It's almost hard to distinguish but there's a smaller blue blob tucked away in the crock of his arm. The burly beastman crouches down, placing the little bundle in the water.
The blanket must be made of something special, it doesn't absorb water and sink, but instead stays afloat on the surface. He gently pushes it upward and the bundle navigates through the current on its own like magic. The beastman watches as it glides away until it's out of sight. Shortly afterwards a group of purple blobs arrive, armed and ready to ambush him at the riverbank. A fierce battle breaks out, the lone beastman gallantly fights back, beating his assailants with his massive gauntlets.
At first it looked like his victory was all but guaranteed, then another blue blob appeared. It was a female blob being held hostage by one of the cowardly assassins. You could see it as the fight left the burly beastman, his broad shoulders slumped as he laid down his arms and submitted to his enemies. They can't hear it but there seems to have been a conversation between the two blue blobs before the purple assassins banded together to stab him several times in multiple places. The captured female blob visibly struggles in despair.
Once it's confirmed that the beastman is dead, the assassins scatter in all directions to chase after the bundle. The female blob rushes to the fallen beastman's side, trying to staunch his bleeding but its already too late. The two hold each other close as they share their last goodbyes. The beastman passes something onto the female blob before his body sags in death. The female silhouette holds the locket close to her chest as she cries, there's more but Jasper's mana has run out. The blobs begin to flicker and fade before their eyes. In his heart, Rei knows this is likely how the escort knight Henley died back then.
"Did you know?"
"About?" Jasper gasps, looking haggard and very unlike his cheerful self.
"Did you know the atrocities he's committed? Aren't you going to stop him? You said he's your half-brother, surely you can't let him continue to butcher people in secret like this!" Rei feels a righteous indignation boiling in the pit of his stomach. His red eyes look at the man across from him with a silent accusation.
His uncle sighs with a helpless grimace on his face. "It's not that I won't bring him to justice, but that I can't. He cannot be harmed by my hands."
Rei frowns, "What does that even mean?"
His uncle runs his hand roughly through his shoulder length hair, looking very uncomfortable. "Exactly what I said, I swore an oath to our father when Daymon was just a babe. I swore that I would never harm him."
"Why would you do that?" He might be young but even he knows better than to offer such a blanket promise to anyone.
"You don't understand, my father wasn't in his right mind at the time. He had just lost Daymon's mother, he didn't want to lose the child she loved so much as well. As soon as he brought him home, my father made me give my word to protect Daymon as his older brother. I thought nothing of it at the time, I could never have imagined my cute baby brother doing something as heinous as this years later. I'm quite shocked as well."
"Is he alive?"
"Who?"
"My grandfather, is he alive? Can't we get him to nullify the oath?"
The glow of the campfire casts a gloomy shadow over Jasper's face as he explains. "My old man is alive alright, but in what state I can't be sure. He lost his mind after the death of Daymon's mother. The times when he's lucid and present are few and far between."
"Then I can only ask that you don't interfere when I try to get justice for his crimes." Rei grits his teeth and makes his final decision. He doesn't know his father, but he knows Anya. Her pain outweighs the strained blood ties between them.
"You? At your current level you'd be lucky if he doesn't use you for sport and twirl you around like a ragdoll."
"I may not be ready now, but I intend to change that very soon."
Jasper grins, "that's the spirit. I look forward to seeing it. Now pass me some food, I'm drained."
Again, the mood of this solemn moment feels cheapened by his uncle's loose lips.