Aramora

Chapter 21: Was it Worth it?

"Who?" he asks.

Liyanore keep her eyes locked into his piercing golden gaze. Something about her demeanor seems different, though it's kinda hard to blame her after having watched both her children die only to have the least favorite one be resurrected.

"Your mother. Her name is Pyrea Feawynn," she says. Her words instantly grasp his full attention and he tries to understand why she would bring this up now of all times. Who his real mother is has been a question on his mind for a long damn time. Really ever since he found out he was a bastard child. But after enough time, he gave up on trying to find her.

But maybe there was a subconscious part of him that never gave up the search. He never knew her name, but he knew she was from Balmoral. That may have been what inspired him to leave and join the Cle'va Guild in the first place. But it's been years with no sign of her, so he supposes he had started to give up.

But now he knows her name. Pyrea.

"Why are you telling me this?" he asks, not realizing how he has dropped his spiteful tone and now is purely interested in whatever Liyanore has to say.

She smiles woefully and approaches him. She sits at his side and locks her eyes on the body of Ana as she brings her hand over to rest on her daughter's shoulder. With a deep breath, she closes her eyes and orange light radiates from her palm. It sparks into a flame that envelops Ana's body, letting her ashes form in her place.

As she removes her hand, Lavern notices the dampened streaks beneath her eyes that reflect the glow of the flickering flames in front of them.

"You deserve to have a family, Lavern. It can't be your father and I, no matter how badly I wish we were able to be a normal family... I hardly knew her, but I know Pyrea wanted to be there for you as a mother should."

"So why wasn't she?" Lavern snaps.

Liyanore sighs and stares into the flames, watching the few ashes that begin to float up through the air and ride the tides of smoke. "...You know your father's persistence in keeping the 'perfect Dev'Alrich image'. She couldn't be there because he wouldn't let her. After you were born, she was tossed aside and branded as a criminal to Arkala. But I know that she is still out there looking for you, Lavern..." She looks over at him and smiles as she wipes away one of her tears.

Lavern says nothing nor does he look at her in return. He just stares at the flames.

Pyrea Feawynn.

"You're leaving Arkala soon, right?" Liyanore asks in a small voice.

Lavern offers a simple nod. "Yes."

Liyanore sheds another tear and smiles as she reaches over and cups his cheek, gently rubbing her thumb over the scar beneath his right eye. "Good."

Lavern's mind doesn't have time to process the gentleness of her actions before she lowers her hand from his face and reaches into her robe. When she retracts her hand, he's snapped back into the moment as he sees her holding a Schism Fragment.

He searches her eyes for answers but finds none as she grabs his hand and places the crystal in his palm, closing his fist around the glassy black and purple stone. "Leave before he notices it's missing from the treasury. And no matter what happens... Please," she looks into his eyes and closes her hands over his.

"Make sure this was worth it."

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It's mid-day when Nisha finally starts to feel alive again. Her bones ache and her muscles feel like they're on fire with how strained she is. She would stay laying in bed all day if the light from the windows wasn't shining directly on her face which only worsens her headache.