Bang!
"Daddy, what is happening!?"
The small Iliana opened her eyes as something bumped into the carriage that she and her parents rode to the Pacifer village. Being an intelligent child, she could immediately tell something was wrong as she looked at her father's stiff face.
"Don't worry, honey. Everything is fine. We just hit a fairly big rock." Still, her father joked and reassured her.
The small Iliana shook her head but didn't say anything. She could tell her father was trying to hide the disappointing reality from her; however, she didn't want to make everyone even more aware of the already unpleasant situation.
She sat closer to her mother but she couldn't fall asleep again despite her mother's comforting warmth. She was afraid she would be a burden when something big happened, so she needed to stay awake. Aside from that reason was of course the unpleasant aura floating in the air. It was sending a warning to her mind that it was not the time to sleep.
Bang!
Another hit landed on the carriage they were riding. It was more impactful and concerning this time.
"Ha-Ha-Ha…we are travelling on a quite rocky road, aren't we?" her father joked awkwardly this time.
Her mother immediately held her hand. Her face looked as reassuring as ever and it was the only good thing in this situation. At some point, her father looked at her mother with a solemn look. For the first time, her mother's reassuring face crumpled. Although her mother regained it quickly, it was enough to make her heart pound.
She could see what their eyes were saying: "They are here." She didn't know who 'they' were but she was sure they were not good people. The intense hatred and unpleasant intent blasted toward her family was proof of that. She hoped dearly nothing would happen in the end but she could somehow tell it wouldn't be the case.
Not long after, the thing she dreaded happened. Another 'bam' was heard and their carriage almost toppled. Her mother immediately hugged her as an utmost serious look adorned her face. Her father lost the air of kindness around him and wasn't shy to take out his spear. His steely eyes made him look as if he was a different person.
"Maya, hold our children. I will take care of those bastards."
"Leave them to me."
Even though her mother looked harmless as she held her and her little brother who didn't seem to be bothered by the commotion, her mother's aura was reassuring. She could tell her mother was ready to slay those who had thoughts of harming her and her brother.
Her mother cut the supply of Mana to the carriage, causing it to stop. Her father didn't waste his time before going out of the carriage. She was about to ask where her father was going when her mother encased them in a Mana Barrier. She could tell her mother didn't expect her father to lose but it wasn't hurt to be careful.
Boom!
A loud explosion was heard before something slammed into the carriage. From how sloppy it sounded; it was the body of the person her father had just slain. A couple more 'thuds' later, everything turned silent. As she was sensitive to human intent, little Iliana could tell things had just gotten more dangerous instead.
Her mother looked the same from the outside but her mood got increasingly worse. She could tell her mother was seething even though she tried to look unperturbed. She could feel her mother's well-hidden urge to just go out and help her father. Just like her father, her mother didn't resemble the person she had spent most of her life with.
Little Iliana scrunched her back and held her mother's hand tighter. In the next moment, the unpleasant aura in the air intensified. The ground rumbled and she could hear her father curse under his breath. She looked up at her mother, wanting to know if her father would be all right. She was about to open her mouth when Mana ripped up the carriage.
With nothing obstructing her vision, she could see the person whom her father was fighting. The man was fully clad in white. A cloth was obstructing their faces like a curtain but they seemed to see just fine. The ornaments on the person's shirt were coloured gold. The man dressed like a holy person but the aura he was exuding was extremely repulsive.
"Executioner…"
"I don't like that man."
Her mother grabbed her and got out of the carriage that was no longer usable—a Mana Barrier was still covering them. The man who was clad in white turned his head toward them for a moment but soon ignored them. He didn't think they were threats but also didn't overlook them.
"I can't blame you fully for falling for that wench. She has the look that turns every man crazy the moment they see her."
"Watch your mouth, bastard. Your filthy existence has no right to call my wife like that."
With the blood covering half his face and the way her father glared at the man with his gleaming eyes, his statement felt ominous. His usual calming presence was gone. All she could see was a ferocious beast that would rip everyone's neck. It didn't suit her father. She had never seen her father like that. She even wondered if the man was her father.
Then, for the first time, she looked around. Seeing blood on her father was shocking but not traumatizing. Seeing what lay on the ground, however, made her recoil in horror. Mutilated bodies littered the ground. The ground was coloured red. It wasn't a scene that not just anyone could handle; especially, the daughter of the person who created it.
"Close your eyes, Iliana," her mother said softly.
ραndαsnοvεl.cοm "Mother…did father…"
Little Iliana stopped saying anything, already knowing the answer. The two-year-old was endearingly intelligent; however, it became troublesome in this situation. She knew what happened and that made her mother smile bitterly. She failed as a mother by letting her child see such a traumatizing scene.
Children's brains develop the fastest in their first six years. Any trauma that they suffer will be deeply ingrained in their brains. It will affect their mental growth and shape them as an individual. Therefore, having children traumatized—accidental or not—should be avoided at all costs.
Her mother had failed; therefore, she was extremely sorry. Fortunately for her mother, she was extremely intelligent. Even at that age, she could already tell it was unavoidable. She didn't tell her mother but her mother knew it. Because of that, her mother felt all the more guilty. It was too soon.
Clank!
Children have a high curiosity. Even though her mother already covered her eyes so she wouldn't see what would happen, she still made an effort to have a look because of the loud sound. Her father's spear had just clashed with the short sword of the man in white. The sparks flying off their weapons captivated her. It was the reason why she fell in love with the spear.
Her admiration soon morphed into horror the moment she saw her father thrust his spear at the jugular of the man in white. The man in white gurgled, colouring the veil that was covering his face red with his blood at the same time.
She closed her eyes immediately and did her best to erase the scene from her mind. She had seen dead bodies and gore but it was her first time seeing how the death happened in real time. As peculiar as it sounded, it was how her brain worked. She was, after all, just a little child: it wasn't uncommon for her to get things confused.
"Maya, it is time to run."
The moment she heard her father's voice, she pulled her mother's hand down. She tensed the moment she saw her father's bloody face but immediately regained her composure. Her father smiled bitterly, just like her mother. He was mad at himself for forcing Iliana to mature this soon.
"This won't be the last. I am afraid we have to separate ways."
"What!? Am I not going to see you again?" little Iliana exclaimed in disbelief.
Hesitating for a while as he observed her expression, her father eventually approached her and then kneeled before her. He put his clean hand on her head and petted her lovingly.
"Listen, my daughter, Iliana. Today won't be the last day we meet. We still have the future when we can meet again."
"But, Daddy, why don't we just go together? Mom is strong—together, you will defeat these weirdos in white!"
"That would certainly be the case if we didn't have your little brother with us. We will be too focused on protecting the two of you to fight properly. That is not a good thing because—"
"We will all die."
Her father chuckled lightly. She couldn't tell what it conveyed. There were so many emotions in that chuckle: pride, amusement, sadness and regret. She wouldn't understand why her father was sorry at that time until she became an adult. Words that correlated with death shouldn't come out of a child's mouth.
"Yes…therefore, we separate ways. You don't want to see your brother die, do you? After all, you want to visit Parteron with him."
"Yes, I want to visit that beautiful garden with him."
"Well, now…" Her father stood up. "Follow your mother. I will take your brother with me."
"What!? I thought I only couldn't—"
"Iliana, dear, let's go," her mother interjected.
Her mouth moved up and down like a fish as she tried to form a sentence but failed miserably. She looked up at her mother as if asking if she was fine with how things were and she was met with her mother's forlorn look.
"I don't want it either, but do we have a choice?" was what her mother's eyes told her.
Biting her lips, accepting the bitter reality, she went to hug her father. Her father enveloped her in his warm embrace and it would be the last time she experienced it. As she separated herself from her father, she told him how much she loved him. Her father replied after he got her brother in his embrace.
As her mother lifted her from the ground, they traded one last smile. A blinding light covered them a few seconds after and it was the last time she saw her father.
"…therefore, I know she has a son even though I don't know anything about him. The moment she realized she would never be able to see you again, she decided to keep everything about you a secret."
Iliana got out of her pool of memories and looked at Basil. The Fated Child remained as stoic as ever even after discovering the truth.
"Why did she do that?"
"To ensure you a normal life. Though, this lass brought you to the life your mother tried to protect you from."
Iliana smiled emptily. She hoped Basil wouldn't hate her too much for the selfish thing she had done.
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