"I see." Lith nodded, thinking back at his own tormentors back on Earth and how he would have reacted had they ever apologized to him. Derek would have hated Ezio forever anyway but at least he wouldn’t have wanted his father dead. As for Chris…. Had the young Wainright shown sincere remorse for his actions and accepted a fair sentence, things would have probably gone differently. Justice would have made revenge pointless and Derek wouldn’t have tarnished Carl’s memory with bloodshed. "Do you want company?" Kamila held his hand, recognizing the signs of his struggle against his old demons. "Maybe, if I come and explain-" "Thanks, but no thanks, Kami." Lith returned her touch. "This is something I have to do alone." *** Griffon Kingdom, city of Albast, an hour later. Agra opened the windows of her home, grunting at the cloudy sky. It was only an hour past dawn in that part of the Kingdom but sunlight was scarce. "Wake up and enjoy the few hours we have before the heat makes us sweat bullets, sleepyheads." Clouds meant a milder weather but no one in the family liked the darkness. Not after that day. "What’s for breakfast, Mom?" Liru raised the luminous stone he usually kept on his nightstand, fending off the shadows in the dining room. "Whatever you want, dear." She replied. "Just made your mind quickly because Dad needs to go to work." "I’ll take eggs, bacon, and a strong tea." Borj emerged from the master bedroom, yawning like a bear. "Today will be a long day and I need energy." He was the only one who slept like a baby every night. Back when the Void had descended from the sky and slaughtered the bandits like cattle, Borj lay on the ground in a pool of his own blood. Back then he was too focused on trying to find a way to protect his family and suppressing the pain to notice much. All he knew was that one moment he was struggling to keep his guts in and the next he had woken up in Albast’s branch of the Mage Association. His family was safe, his wounds gone, and nothing they carried had been stolen. To him, it was a happy ending that had turned into a fairy tale when the Royals had compensated Agra and Borj for their trouble. They had received a new house they could have never afforded on their own, a few magical trinkets, and a three-year tax exemption. One year for each member of the family. The only thing he knew about the Void came from Agra’s voice and Liru’s nightmares. Borj felt guilty for not remembering anything and left out of what troubled them. Even worse, he had no idea how to help them aside from pretending everything was alright and being there for his wife and son when they needed him. "I’d believe you, if you didn’t say that every single day." Agra scoffed. "You’re gaining weight." "It’s my beautiful wife’s fault." He said, hugging her and feeling her shudder when a darker cloud eclipsed the sun. "She’s too good of a cook. If you have to blame someone, blame her." "You also say this every single day." She chuckled. "The sun rises every day but that doesn’t make its light less charming." Borj turned on the lights, making the house as bright as day. The light stones were another of the gifts of the Royals to help the family cope with their trauma. Liru and Agra sighed in relief and resumed their preparations for the day. ’Agra tries to be strong for our son and refuses to keep the lights on 24/7 but it’s not doing them any good. She still trembles in front of her own shadow and Liru has a panic attack whenever I ask him to put down the light stone.’ Borj thought. ’Thank the gods it’s summer. They have months to get better before winter comes.’ He was afraid of what would happen once the days became short and the darkness deep. The family had just sat down at the table when someone knocked. Agra yelped and jumped from her chair while Liru dropped his fork and hid behind his father. "Hello?" A warm, familiar voice said through the door. "Is anyone home? It’s me, Shay." "Thank the gods." Agra felt her knees wobbling and ashamed of her reaction. ’Borj is still sitting like a normal person whereas I’m ready to bolt away like a mouse.’ She thought. To regain a bit of dignity in the eyes of her son, she went to the door and acted like that had been her intention all along. "Good morning, Agra. Did I bother you?" Shay Faramp was the social worker assigned to their case. She was a friendly woman in her mid-thirties, with a round face and a soothing smile. She wore simple but clean clothes and most of her red hair was hold in a bun. "Not at all. We were just having breakfast. Care to join us?" Agra pointed at the empty seat. After what the bandits had almost done to her, Agra was terrified of men. The feeling of weakness and helplessness of that day had never left her. It was the reason only women had been sent to deal with Agra’s family ever since they had been rescued. It was also the reason she couldn’t work. Her two fears combined crippled Agra to the point she could barely step outside the safety of her home. "No, thank you." Shay shook her head, a hint of tension in her voice. "This is not a social visit, I’m here on official business. Can you please sit down?" "Is something wrong with our papers?" Agra wrung her hands in fear. "We uphold our end of the bargain. We didn’t say anything to anyone." Were the Kingdom to take away the house and the light stones, Agra would lose the only safe place she had and be thrown out into a world that scared her to death. She couldn’t work and Liru was too afraid to go to school. "Oh, dear. I’m so sorry." Shay sat down, showing her empty hands to prove there was no issue with their paperwork. "I didn’t mean to upset you. Let me be clear. Everything is alright and this house is already in your name. "Unless you sell it, no one can take it away from you. Same for everything you received. From the beds to the magical stones, it’s not the Kingdom’s property anymore. It’s yours." "Then what’s the reason for your visit?" Borj put Liru on his lap while holding Agra’s hand. "There’s no way to put this mildly so I’ll just say it." Shay replied. "Supreme Magus Verhen would like to meet you and apologize for the trouble he caused you." "He’s here?" Agra turned toward the door so fast that she could have given herself whiplash and Liru clung to his father with all his strength. "No. I came here alone upon his request." Shay put her communication amulet on the table. "This is no order. You are free to say no. There will be no consequences for your refusal. "Magus Verhen is willing to come on a later date if you need time to decide or never, if that’s what you want."