Dalaric

Epilogue: "𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁, 𝙝𝙚𝙧."

Grabbing a fifty dollar note, I pop it into the cup, surprised when the man rests his hand over mine, patting it softly, almost...reassuringly?

"God does great things, young man. May He bless good children like you two."

Two? I wonder but stop and nod in response. Makes me want to smile, not everyone wishes for something so pure. She did the same.

But she's gone.

_______

"Hey, boss. How was yesterday?" I pass the bottle of soda as Rafael takes a seat on the couch.

"Clean shot. You got the papers ?" I ask, knowing Dan must have another mission ready for me. It's what my life is, every fucking day.

"Ah, Dan needs more time for the next one so we wait until tomorrow. You can leave if you want, the filing's been done for today." He says warily.

Don't ask about it.

"Aight." Don't ask about it.

"Hey, you good? It's the anniversary today, isn't it?" He fucking asked about it.

I clench my eyes when my heart does the same, and grab my coat off the chair.

"Mhm. See you." I hear a sigh as I leave. He doesn't need to care. No one needs to. Just stop fucking caring and it'd make things easier for me.

The ride is short, too short that I can't come to terms with the fact that it's been two years. Two years without her.

The dried leaves crunch beneath my shoes as I walk, a bouquet of flowers sagging in my hands. Almost as if she's waiting, alive and well, I smile when I reach.

"Hey ma'. Everything good?" Placing the lilies opposite the gravestone, I caress the engraving on it's front. My throat tightens up, a nagging pull stressing the strings of my heart.

It hurts so fucking bad. Every fucking day. It hurts.

Unable to hold the pressure of my grief, my knees give in and I sit in front of her, my hands cradling my head.

"Ma', it's been two years," I whisper, my jaw clenching in order to stifle the fucking screams I want to yell out.

"I didn't find her. She doesn't exist, she doesn't. You said you'd haunt me, hm? Then where are you?" My last words dissolve into a cold whisper and I swallow down warm urges, urges to let out tears.

"I've been waiting, ma'." They come out anyways, and I sob weakly. I've been so fucking weak. I can choose to move on, to forget but I just can't.

Just not fucking strong enough.

"I'm waiting." I rest against the back of the tombstone, one fist over my eyes to get rid of my escaped signs of fragility.

We talk for the next hour or so, telling her what I've been up to and all the damn things I can't seem to share with anyone who's actually alive.

My phone buzzes in my pocket and I sigh, taking it out after apologising to my mother.

"Hey Ricky, uh, Landon's stirring up trouble again. He's at spire." My eyes clench in frustration. Just what my day was fucking missing. It's not a surprise that he's partying on his mother's death anniversary.

What a fucking asshole. It's people like him I'd rather use as a punching bag.

"Gotta go, ma'. See you soon." I kiss my hand and tap the stone, making sure the flowers are laid out properly.