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| Chapter 80 | Book 7 • Chapter 81-1 | Chapter 81-2 |
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 |
*sniff* *sob* |
Crying Baby |
Wah... Waaah... |
|
Is someone...crying? That voice... |
| *an auroral light* |
|
This place... |
| *footsteps* |
| When was I last here? Three...no, four hundred years ago? Now that a peace treaty with our neighbors has been signed, I can finally return to the Verdurous Moor. It took a long time indeed to reach this point... Far too long. |
|
Is that...Father? |
| They say Castle Wildrose is abandoned, and that all who enter it become cursed... But I sense residual traces of diurnal fae magic. They must have enspelled the castle to keep people away. |
|
Father... Does he not see me? Could this be a scene from his own mind...? |
| Wah... Wah... |
| That sounds like a baby crying... It's coming from the throne room. I suppose I'll have a look. |
| Wah... WAAAH! |
| An infant... A human infant! What is it doing here, of all places? |
Baby |
Wah... Waaah! WaaaAAAaaaH! |
| *the ring glows* |
| That ring... |
| *flashback to the Dawn Knight and his ring* |
| Is that baby...me? Its hair isn't the same color as mine. But the eyes... They're... |
| Golden hair like sunlight, and that ring... Are you...the Dawn Knight's...? |
Baby |
WAAAH! WAAAaaaAAAH! |
| No, that's not possible. As soon as Henrick laid claim to this castle, an endless series of wars broke out over resources and land. As I recall, the Dawn Knight and his wife Leah weren't spared from the chaos that followed... ...... ...O cradle, would you share a few of your memories with me? As fast as the days pass by, take me there in the blink of an eye. |
Flashback Start
| That's Father's signature spell. He said it replays a tiny fragment of the memories etched into objects... |
| *there are red, blue, and green orbs floating around* |
Red Fairy |
Ah, our enemies are closing in and the Dawn Knight has fallen! Without the royal consort, the castle is bound to fall. Bladevale's time is already at an end... Queen Leah, please—you must flee! We shall protect the prince. |
Blue Fairy |
Now, Your Highness... Let's tuck you in for a little nap until these awful wars are all over. |
Green Fairy |
Don't worry. Your ring enhances our magic. You'll stay a darling little baby dreaming the sweetest of dreams until our spell is broken. Be that a decade from now, or a century... |
Blue Fairy |
That's right. This spell will break and you will awaken from your slumber once there arrives someone capable of truly loving you. |
Red Fairy |
Yes... And surely that will be in a peaceful world devoid of war. |
Flashback End
| Now I see. Your parents and guardian fairies shielded you from the flames of destruction. You've been sleeping in this cradle since your kingdom's fall, awaiting someone who would truly love you. But I suppose the guardian fairies' magic has started coming apart at the seams over the intervening years. ...... |
Baby |
WAAAaaaAAAH! WAAAH! |
| This is the son of the Dawn Knight... The man who cut down Raverne and Maleanor... I could end him right here... |
|
...! |
Baby |
Waaah! WAAAH! |
| ...... *sigh* But I could hardly face Malleus if I did such a cruel thing. If I'm to lecture him about loving humans and walking alongside our neighbors, then I should live up to my own words. Besides... If the Dawn Knight hadn't let me go that day, I would've lost Malleus as well. But am I truly capable of loving a human...? |
|
Father, don't... I... I don't deserve your love. |
Baby |
Waaah! WAAAH! |
|
Stop that! Stop crying! You have no right to cry! |
| There, there... No need to cry. You held out a long time in that tiny little body of yours. Upsy-daisy. Khee hee hee, you're heavier than you look. This takes me back to the day Malleus hatched. I remember it like it was yesterday... Be they fae or human, I suppose all parents make sacrifices to protect their children... |
Baby |
*hic, hic* Wah... |
| Son of the Dawn Knight, today is your new birthday. As such, I shall bestow upon you a special gift. Night's blessing. |
Baby |
Ah...? |
| Huh? His hair... |
| What's this? Your hair's turned silver. I wonder if the Dawn Knight's golden locks... ...came from a diurnal fae's blessing. And now that you've received a nocturnal fae's blessing, your hair is like moonlight instead. That works out nicely, in fact. Humans with blond hair tend to stick out a bit in Briar Valley. |
Baby |
Ahhh... |
| Khee hee hee. Did all that crying leave you tuckered out? What's your name, little one? Hmm, there's no name on your ring or your cradle... Hmm. Moonlight... Silver hair... All right, I've got it. Silver. Your name as of today shall be Silver. The color of the moon. As its light illuminates the night, so shall it illuminate your path. |
| *footsteps, baby laughing* |
|
I don't believe this... My real parents are the Dawn Knight and Queen Leah? But... Why...? Why show me the truth...? *sob* |
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| Chapter 80 | Book 7 • Chapter 81-1 | Chapter 81-2 |
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