The Heretics

38.1: Regret

"If you want to best a man, leiirin, you go for that part. It'll hurt him the most, trust me."

We returned to the palace in good spirits, laughing together for what felt like the first time. The mood between us was so light that I nearly forgot about everything that was going on, just for a little while.

☼

There were barely any interactions between me and Reagan for at least a week after my reception. We spoke briefly through the link throughout the day, but only fleetingly to make sure the other was catching on alright. All my hours were spent training with Feiran or speaking to the higher ranked officers in my battalion on strategies. A lot of what we were to do came from Dante, however, and just passed through me.

Feiran, on the other hand, kept up his charade and never spoke to me about personal matters during training or the war. As soon as both the physical and mental part was completed, however, there was time to reminisce and talk about everything that had transpired since he'd met his sons.

I had just told him about the fact that I didn't have a single memory of him when he revealed that that too had been a security precaution before he left.

He touched my temples and just a breath later, a bolt of lightning surged through my body, causing me to convulse as a memory flooded my mind.

I watched myself impatiently listen to a story that the same man explained, who was now sitting in front of me in an entirely different setting.

My mother had a smile on her face, which somehow made my eyes water instantly, tears streaming down my face. She was pregnant with Emmet.

"Papa, I want to know! Please," I whined, pulling on my father's sleeves. "Mother won't tell me––you have to!"

"Please, please, please!" I continued to whine. Still, a warm smile lit up Xenon's face as he grabbed me and placed me on his lap. My mother sat just across from the two, on a bench pushed against a weathered, wood plank wall. The only thing between us was a round, oak-based table as we sat in the kitchen.

"Calm yourself, little one. Or else Papa won't tell you!" Xenon said.

I watched myself throw my head back and groan.

My mother suddenly made an unearthly sound and I gasped when I heard it. She chuckled, reaching across the table to run her hand through my unruly hair. Her soft eyes reflected the warmth of her love. She tried smoothing out the tangled mess but to no avail––it was uncontrollable and couldn't be tamed. Tears continued to stream down my face as I watched the memory enfold and envelop me, consuming me. Reece came to join us in the kitchen.

"Alright, who would like to hear the story?" Xenon asked.

My pregnant mother stood up from the table's bench and took a few steps closer to where her promised was sitting. Her hands cradled her womb. Reece placed his small hand on her stomach. When Xenon cleared his throat, Reece snapped his attention back to him.

"There was once a magical creature," the man began. "And that magical creature fell in love with a beautiful woman."

"What creature and what woman?" Little me interrupted.

A warm chuckle rumbled through him. "Patience, daughter of mine. You mustn't be greedy for more." Xenon chastised. "However, their love was strictly forbidden. You see, the magical creatures had rules. And those rules had to be followed." He glimpsed at his promised then.

I stirred, pulling his attention back to me. "What rules?"

"No magical creature was allowed to speak to anyone but his own kind."