The mood was somber as the women and I flew back towards the Redwood Village. We had spent a few more hours with the three siblings, although it was clear that the family needed time to process what had happened by themselves.
Rory had followed his brother, but as it turned out, the man had left, and simply went to his forge behind their complex, and began working away. Kharie had told us that it was something he always did when he needed to clear his mind. Rory likewise went to do his own thing, his alchemical mind going to work to also clear his head.
Kharie was definitely a mess, and I felt for the poor girl. No matter how much Delphia assured her that we didn't blame them, that didn't stop her from blaming herself. Delphia, despite not knowing her for that long, had begun to truly care about Kharie, and it was clear she wanted to help her. I couldn't deny feeling the same way. They had experienced tragedy early in their lives, and just when it seemed like things were settling down for them, this happened.
It had been decided that we would leave for today, but Delphia told all three siblings we would be coming back the next day to check up on them. By that, she meant she would be having me fly us back here, which I truthfully didn't mind. I wanted to make sure they were going to be okay, too.
The two brothers simply nodded, and it was almost funny how quickly Vikoss in particular had changed. There was no anger towards any of us anymore, but his mood was not ideal. He was battling internally, and the distant look on his face told me more than words ever could. Rory wasn't much better than he was, not really speaking at all expect for short, usually one word replies.
Kharie though, she actually stuck pretty close to Delphia, who didn't mind in the least, as she tried her best to help soothe the woman's aching heart. She really was a kind and nurturing soul.
Before we left, I had told them that I had the bodies of both their brother, and his friend. They had led me behind their home, in a small gated area behind a garden. In that area were two decorated graves, one for both of their mother, and their father. I paid my respects, which I could tell surprised them a bit, before they asked me to set Raizen's body down on the ground a little ways away from the graves. Their faces were... not something I wanted to remember anytime soon, even if their reactions were mixed.
They said they didn't care what I did with Jerrion's body, as he didn't have any surviving family in the village, so I had just shrugged, and without even taking the body out of my storage, was able to dissolve his body to nothingness in moments. Didn't need useless garbage cluttering up space, even if that space was infinite.
After that was when they had politely asked us to leave, that this was now a matter for them to handle amongst themselves. None of us argued, and in fact, I was actually more than ready to just go back, find a place to relax, and do just that. From the thoughts coming from my women, they wanted the same thing, although there was also a very healthy dose of them wanting my penis sprinkled in with those thoughts. Don't gotta twist my arm on that front.
Before we left, Delphia had said her goodbyes to the three, and surprised me by hugging all three of them. Rory had stiffened, not knowing what to do, so he just stood there like an idiot before she released him with a smile. Vikoss surprised me though, because while he didn't hug the woman back, he did gently rub Delphia's back after a moment, which made her happier than she'd ever admit. He even thanked her, and apologized for his earlier attitude. It did not slip my mind that he offered no apologies to me, but I wasn't bothered by it that much. Still wouldn't been nice...
Kharie was the most enthusiastic, hugging the woman like she was her own mother, which seemed par for the course from what I knew about Delphia. She had basically adopted Valerie and Sheila from what I gathered, which only earned more respect from me. I knew all to well how special it was to have someone not of your own blood to take you in as their own, and treat you no different than they would their own child. I should probably go back and visit my mom when I had some more down time. Being able to travel vast distances in a short amount of time was nice.
Now, it was just my ladies, Serena, Valerie, and Delphia, our minds contemplating the day as we flew back to the Redwood Village.
"I really hope those three will be okay..." Delphia said, a hint of worry in her voice, "That sweet girl is being really being the hardest on herself."
"You really have taken a liking to her, haven't you?" I asked, a soft smile on my face, and she responded with a small smile of her own.
"I do. I can tell a lot about people just by looking at them. It's in their eyes." She said, but then her smile became fixed, and a hint of sadness made its way onto her face, "That... and what happened to her... to all of them... it just breaks my heart. They lost both of their parents one after another, and I can tell that wound isn't fully healed yet."
That made me grimace.
"And now they lost another family member as well." I said, and even though I didn't necessarily feel bad about that, it was still a tough pill to swallow.
"Yes..." Delphia said, her eyes becoming a bit misty, "I won't shed tears for him... but for them...?" She said, trailing off at the end.
My thoughts went to Clarissa, about what I had to do, my thoughts in a similar place regarding what I had to do to her father. She was close enough that once she felt my thoughts, she reached out and grabbed my hand, and squeezed it reassuringly.
"I love you, Eli." Was all she said in response to my thoughts, but that's all she needed to say.
"I love you too." I said, squeezing her hand back.
Cici reached out and grabbed my other hand.
"You already know how much I love you, darling, but I will always remind you of that every day for the rest of my life." She said sweetly, making me smile, thankful every day for the blessing that was these two wonderful women.
Soon, the village came into sight, and everyone breathed out a sigh of relief.
"I think I'm going to drag my husband into our bedroom and keep him there all night. I just want have him as close to me as possible for a while." Delphia said, her cheeks turning a little pink at her words.
While she didn't mention anything explicit, it was clear the potion still hadn't fully worn off yet. Serena had turned a little red in the face, but she didn't say anything. Valerie had looked lost in thought ever since the meeting had taken place, and really hadn't said anything. However, she did stay close to Serena and Delphia, offering her constant support of them. I just loved seeing her opening up more, and everyone treating her so well made my chest feel lighter.
Soon, the village came into sight as the sun was beginning to set. It had been a long and trying day, and personally, I was just ready to relax. I wanted to clean up, eat something, and get into a nice bed with my ladies. Delphia must have been a mind reader or something, because as we neared the village, she spoke.
"I would like it if we could all have dinner together later tonight. I'm sure everyone wants to clean up, but after, we all should all get together. I miss cooking with Lia, and I'm sure we can both fix up a feast that will show just how appreciate we are of you all." Delphia said, and then looked at me, giving me a radiant smile, "And of course, of you, Elias. Despite everything bad that has happened today, my people are free, we can look towards the future, and most importantly, you brought my babies back to me. I just want the rest of this day to be filled with smiles, and laughter."
I was starving, so she didn't have to convince me to eat. More than that though, her optimism, and her outlook on the situation just made me smile. It made what happened to her people, and to her hit even harder, and it filled me with determination.
I ultimately don't know who I am, why I was born, or if I even had a purpose. However, there was always one constant I had since arriving in this world. Cici, the woman who opened my heart, and showed me something worth living for. She was my purpose, as now was my dear Clarissa. That went for their families, my friends, and the great people I've met along the way.
There are a shit ton of powerful assholes out there that not only threaten those I love, but others who don't deserve their wrath either. People like Delphia, who I just met today, who I'm sure I'd appreciate just as much even if she wasn't Serena's mom. Truly amazing people being treated like garbage, simply because they can't fight back. I won't allow it.
Still... for today, those thoughts could fuck off for a bit. I was emotionally drained, and just tired of dealing with this kinda shit today. I was hungry, I wanted to clean up, and I had two women in my head filling it with some rather lewd images. It wasn't bad though, and all I could do in the end was just grin. No more negativity for the day, just like Delphia wanted. Sounded great to me.
And so, as we descended down to the village, all I could do was hope and pray that no more bullshit happened for at least 24 hours. That seems like asking a lot given my luck, but a man can fucking hope.
■ ■ ■
Kharie sat alone in her room, tears still falling down her face as she thought about the events of today. After Elias and his people had left, her brothers had began to dig a hole in their private grave to bury their brother, although she was still wondering if it was even the right thing to do. She didn't want to be there... she couldn't be there, so she had just left, and neither of them had tried to stop her.
In her mind, the man they were burying was no longer her brother. He had become no better than a monster simply wearing the skin of what had once been her little brother. She didn't want to believe that he was capable of those things, but she had to. The truth potions Rory made worked very well, and given that both Delphia and Garreth had confirmed what happen under the effects of one, there was no denying it. She sat there, looking at the ring that had belonged to Raizen, and both grief and fury filled her mind.
"How... could you? How did none of us not notice? I was supposed to be there to look after all of you... and yet I failed to see what you had become..." She said as self recrimination kept eating away at her.
When their mother had died, it was the worst blow that had ever been dealt to their family. Their sweet, loving mother was gone, and without her there, their father had slipped into depression and despair. He had always been kind of a battle maniac with some bad tendencies, but their mother loved him, and he adored her, and helped temper him.
He did have good qualities, mainly his drive to protect his family and his people, but he sometimes would let his negative emotions get the better of him. The death of the woman he had loved more than life itself had broken him, and turned him into a man solely focused on rage, and revenge. He had stopped being their father, barely speaking to them, and he would only give you the time of day if it was to fight, or to train for the next battle.
The more she thought about that, the more hee thoughts turned to Raizen, and how he had been the one who had still believed in their father and what he taught even after their mother died. She had known that Raizen had been the most impressionable, and he even took after many of his negative qualities that had been fully unleashed, but even still...
Being the strongest had become the most important thing to Raizen, and he had thought that alone was sufficient enough to be in charge of a village. That's how their father dealt with things after the death of their mother, but her, Vikoss, and Rory still believed in the teachings of their mother. A leader can be strong, and still be kind. You can earn your place as leader not out of strong arming and fear, but through good actions and genuine respect from your people.
That's why Raizen had left, and took the people that had chosen to follow him along. Raizen had been strong, and he had actually grown stronger the fastest out of all 4 siblings, but he was also cautious. That's probably why he chose to leave rather than try to fight her or his brothers for the role of leader. Even so...
"The fighting I can understand... the attitude, the drive to become stronger..." Kharie muttered, clutching Raizen's ring in her hand and balling it into a fist, "But slavery? Rape? No... that's no brother of mine."
She emphasized her words by throwing his ring against the wall of her room, where it bounced around harmlessly a few times before coming to a stop on the floor. Either way, by that time, Kharie was already standing, not even giving the ring any further consideration.
She walked over towards her the front of her room where she kept her weapons. She grabbed first a set of twin enchanted daggers and attached them to her hips, then she grabbed her quiver full of custom made enchanted arrows and slung it over her shoulder to attach to her back, and then finally with tender hands, she reached out and grabbed her most coveted weapon. Her mother's bow, which was a beautiful pearlescent white color with a recurve shape.
The bow was lined with runes, many to increase it's overall power, add further elemental effects to the arrows, as well as ones that strengthen the bow and bowstring themselves. Her mother had used this bow as if it was second nature to her, and she had also been the one to show and teach Kharie about using a bow, and subsequently, how to fight in hand to hand combat if an opponent got too close. Her mother was a kind and peaceful woman, but she had still had an S Rank class, and she was skilled in far more than just enchantments.
While people like her father, Raizen, and even Vikoss to an extend, viewed combat as a means to strength and to surpass ones limits, her mother always had a different view on it, one that Kharie learned to share. Yes, killing strong opponents and training your class did increase your power, and eventually, your rank, but she had also learned to view it differently. It was a way to ground yourself, to center yourself, and to let your worries fade as your narrowed your focus down to a single thing. Your prey.
Many actually argued that between the two of them, it was not their father who was the deadliest, but their mother. He fought using his brute strength, and indomitable presence, while she struck you when you were venerable, and slowly wore you down until you exhausted everything you could. Despite being the most skilled Enchanter their village had ever seen, there was a reason why people ofter referred to her as "Diamanthe the Huntress."
She stared at the bow fondly, reminiscing about all of her mother's lessons she gave her using this very weapon, before her father eventually giving it to her when she learned about her mother's death. As she thought of these things, the brother she failed to save, failed to guide down the right path, and who had committed unspeakable actions flitted into her thoughts. Twin tears fell from her eyes as she whispered.
"I'm sorry... I failed to see any of this... and I feel like I failed you too..."
She stood like that for a while, centering herself as she regained her composure. Unlike her brothers, when she was in a mood like this, her Class related ability to make Enchantments did not help soothe her mind, or stready her nerves. She couldn't concentrate when she was like this, usually resulting in failure to enchant, or something subpar that wasn't up to her standards.
However... fighting... hunting... limiting to your concentration to your target, and the satisfaction of finally ending your prey? That was rewarding, and gave her that adrenaline thrill that she desperately needed. Her brothers, who she loved dearly, would never even know she was gone. They worried too much, and with how they were taking everything that had happened, she knew they'd be occupying their minds with their Crafts for the rest of the day and well into the night. She'd done this many times, so no need to needlessly worry them. With how fast she was due to her own speed, and her enchanted gear, she'd be back before the daylight.
"Off to the Dead Lands."