Twenty minutes had passed since we entered the portal, and the silence was almost overbearingly loud.
Primrose and Aetos kept looking at each other, but no one made the first move. The Spiritual Grove seed wounded and afraid. The damage almost reminded …of …when I was constantly kept near death.
“I…haven’t treated you well.” Aetos was the first to finally speak. His wounded form flickered like a candle, and he hopped from her perch, approaching with a noticeable limp. Primrose flinched and squeezed my hand. I felt her apprehension like it was a deadly disease. Her fear wasn’t unjustified.
“…” Primrose began heaving like an overheated horse. She pressed away from Aetos and moved back, clutching her heart while looking at . Primrose's eyes told she wanted to leave—that she didn’t want to be here—that she’d rather live without this conversation. And maybe she was right. But I was her summoner. Looking after my spirits was part of my duty.
I loved Primrose. I loved all my spirits, and I still wasn’t over the ones who were viciously slaughtered in front of when I was being sold and passed around like at. The nightmares were rare, but I thought of them. But those thoughts were becoming scarce. Spirits all co from the sa world. They shared a mutual relationship at a level that couldn’t be felt by beings from the Mortal Realm, so my forr spirits could be considered Primrose’s extended family that shared a common ground.
I wanted to do right by them and her.
“I’m sorry, but we can’t leave. This is important, Primrose. You helped conquer my fear,” I whispered, squeezing her hand—it felt like sweaty wood. “So let help you. I promise everything’s going to be okay. I swear it will.”
“Your reaction is understandable. Perhaps it is what I deserve. And perhaps that mark of failure shall define my recent legacy,” said Aetos. “I know you must understand the truth of what I’m about to say, but the words must be spoken for… No, I’m unsure if it’s for my benefit or yours. However…still…”
Aetos stuttered. This wasn’t comfortable for either of them.
“I… You didn’t create out of love, did you?” Primrose’s voice was a whisper, and it was unsteady.
“That’s… That’s correct,” replied Aetos. He stepped away and looked out at the damaged Spiritual Grove. “There will be no more lies. For all that I shall speak shall be the truth. Hatred was the fuel that initialized your creation. Hatred for that damned Dark Lord of Tyranny.”
“And… My life was never really ant to be my own?”
“… No. It was not. Your purpose was espionage. I had imprinted bias and forced you to live a life that never…belonged to you. Your goal was to sow discourse within the ones surrounding the Dark Lord of Tyranny. You were to drive an unrepairable nail and shatter their trust.”
“You…never really cared for ? Not when Lord Springfield bested in combat? Or when, after those bounty hunters were killed, I tried to take my life? You still…held the reigns, but… You were resolved to let die?”
It was like a flip had been switched. Primrose’s hesitation was replaced with fiery wrath. She bared her teeth and stared down Aetos, refusing to look away.
“I’ve been so lost! The feelings I acquired after spending ti with them did not match what I thought I was supposed to feel! And you never cared?! No—you were only preoccupied with making the Dark Lord of Tyranny’s life a living hell, but Sekh isn’t her! She’s… She’s kind…and gentle. And caring… She fought to protect ! ! Soone who was given ample reasons to see her suffer, and you didn’t even care enough to stop from taking my life?! Lord Springfield and Sekh are the only reasons why I still draw breath. And… You never cared… I was a pawn…”
“I consider all spirits created from the Eagle Yew to be—”
“To be what? Family?! I cannot believe that!” Primrose spat. She trembled like she was freezing. “What father would make a daughter from hatred, not intervene when she’s about to kill herself, and continue to hold the reigns to her core?! I know about that! You were holding hostage the entire ti! And… And… My life…was never ant to be mine…”
“Primrose…” I rubbed her back and comforted her.
“There are no excuses, but permit to say this,” Aetos said. He inhaled a deep breath. I saw the wincing in his eyes. Talking this much was difficult for him. “Only a few still rember how close we brushed against the brink of execution when the Dark Lord of Tyranny unleashed her terror upon the world. It was chaotic. It was disorder. No one knew if they would survive to see tomorrow or if her forces would arrive to rape, pillage, and burn away the land. Everyone, Primrose… Everyone who had lived through those dark ages would have done what I did… And I regret it.”
Water surged around Aetos’s eyes. “The burden of the father should have never been placed upon the child. You never asked for this. You never desired this, yet I thrust it upon you without offering a choice. And the consequences were dire. You've suffered so much from conflicting feelings that…that there is nothing I can say or do to make things right.”
“YOU’RE DAMN RIGHT!” barked Primrose. “You—Gaaahh!” She grabbed her hair and scread, unleashing a lengthy tirade. Everything she wanted to say and confess erupted from her chest. “I’m not a tool to be used! I’m ! I’m Primrose! I’m my summoner’s spirit, and I wish to be an ally to the Transcendent Dark Lord! I wish to help break the Dark Lord of Tyranny’s curse! I won’t be your puppet! Not anymore! You can’t detonate my core remotely anymore! I don’t have any reason to fear you!”
“…” Aetos kept silent, but Primrose continued for another twenty minutes. She finally scread and dropped to her knees, sobbing in her fragile hands. I approached and hugged her from behind, and Aetos replied. He was wounded—not only from the damage the Essence of Wrath had inflicted upon the Eagle Yew, but Primrose’s words cut deep.
I was sure no father ever wanted to hear them. I saw the strain on his face as he stepped forward. Each one must’ve taken much effort, but he approached, spread a wing, and…
Aetos wrapped it around her—his daughter. “There are no words to describe how I feel, my child. But know this. And please understand it. I do not have control over your core. I did, but I relinquished command the night before Ria fell. I felt your personality erge from the shell I had put it in. My mistake was evident, and I rectified it. But the damage was done. Primrose… You’ve been free for months.”
“Is…that supposed to make feel better?!” Primrose shrugged Aetos off, but he didn’t move. She beat his chest and tried to rip his wings, but Aetos was stubborn. He endured her strikes until her emotions ran hot. Primrose simred, cried, and eventually fell asleep, exhausted and tired. Her mind needed ti to recuperate.
That left alone with Aetos. He raised a wing and summoned a bed of white, orange, pink, and red primrose flowers for my spirit to sleep.
“And what are your thoughts, Niva?” Aetos asked as he carefully rubbed Primrose’s head. “Do you hate ? How many grudges do you hold against ?”
“I…” Just what did I want to say? “It’s not like I…can’t understand your fear. I was treated horribly, too. I didn’t live through the Dark Lord of Tyranny's ti, but I was beaten, raped, and punished for years before Mila rescued . And if…Noelia had vanished and showed up and blad her treatnt of on sothing like that… I… I can’t say to know what you felt when we showed up, so I might be speaking out of line. But I want to empathize with you, Aetos. But I can’t accept you using Primrose for this. She wasn’t involved. She didn’t exist until after we had arrived. In my eye? It’s wrong. I’m sorry, but it is.” Maybe my words were harsh. But I was determined to stay by Primrose’s side. And I didn’t want to be afraid anymore. Nor did I want to shy away from what could’ve been unpleasant.
I’d done enough of that for two or three lifetis.
“Hmm… You have changed, Niva.”
“I hope in a good way. I’ve had a lot of ti to think. Mila… She changed my life. She saved from darkness. And she taught how to live. She doesn’t look at and think my disabilities define . She believes in . And refusing to accept her belief would an throwing it away, and I don’t want to be that kind of person. But it’s not just her. It’s Sekh, Tilde, and Tris. And Irisa and her family.”
“That’s a good answer. Pride may not an much from , but I am proud of your growth. I’m happy you and Primrose t—albeit under selfish circumstances.”
“Do you know about ?” I suddenly asked.
“You spoke briefly about your life when the mana generator was first discovered in your eye, but I wasn’t paying much attention. I presu the information is in the mana link that once connected to Primrose, but I shall not take it, for it shall infringe on her privacy.”
“It’s my blindness. I… My sight got worse and worse, and there was dicine to fight the disease. But it was expensive. And Barbil’s a dangerous place. It’s always cold and snowing and we lived in poverty. My mother went to the local lord and begged for help, but he used her body and sent her ho with nothing. I was a detrint to our village. Those who work get to eat. There was no food for those who didn’t pull their weight. And… I couldn’t let my family suffer. My father couldn’t accept what happened to my mother. And she was broken. So, I left. I was resolved to die since I thought I had nothing. Why remain alive if I’m nothing but a drain on our precious resources? That was how I thought.”
“But you survived. Death did not claim you.”
“It didn’t. I don’t know who I spoke to, but they gave [Mana Language] and the power to summon spirits. My life beca a living hell after that because whoever was searching for that stranger decided to take . I was blind, so I couldn't see anything. But even though I swore to always rember my family… I can’t rember what my mother looked like. All I have is…is this scream when she returned ho. Father cried. The others wept for her. And… My mother only did it to help —her daughter. And…and I can’t even rember her face… I know my family loved . I know they did. But I loved them more, so I was resolved to die to improve the chances of them surviving. But that doesn’t apply here. You used Primrose out of hatred for sothing she never experienced.”
“Your words are true. And they cannot be denied. Then…what should I do, Niva? Can I reforge the trust? Is it possible?”
“You can try. That’s all anyone can do. But Primrose is your daughter, right?” Aetos nodded. “And you’re her father. I don’t know much about being a parent, but my father was always gentle. His face… I can’t rember it, but my body rembers how he used to carry on his back when I was little. Umm… What….what did Susize’s father do with her?”
“To the Great King Isolde of Vredi Forest… The princesses were his shining jewels. He was a man most n strove to be and a father none could compare to. The great Vredi Forest was vast, with land not unlike the size of Dirge, yet his family never lost their spot in his heart. The king had many advisors. Perhaps you think it impossible, but no one was corrupt. King Isolde had nothing to fear. He could vanish for years, and no one would dare think to usurp his proud and just rule.”
“He sounds incredible.”
“And he was… His passing affected greatly. The world does not know what they have lost. He was the man I wanted to be had fate held a different option. If I were to be reborn as anything other than a Great Eagle… It would have been like him.”
“That’s the answer, Aetos. King Isolde. Do what he would do.”
“Ahh… Is it really so simple?” Aetos looked at and tilted his head. His pained expression softened—like his agony had vanished for a heartbeat. Everything I saw was cladded in monochro, but for a mont…
He was radiant…like the bright stars that always shone so brightly.
“Tilde used to say that nothing is simple. If it appears to be simple, then there’s sothing behind it that makes it complex, and we’re only seeing the surface.”
“The sprite is more knowledgeable than she appears.”
“She’s been alive a long ti. But even she…makes mistakes. But her advice goes deeper than that. Sotis, if it’s easier for your mind to handle, it’s… Umm… How did it go again? I think Tilde put it... ‘It’s beneficial to summarize the needlessly complex into the dimwittedly simple if you need a little push here and there.’ It’s one thing to want to be a better father. That’s the simple aspect, but the complex requirents are different. And in your case, if you’re lost on how to begin, then simply ‘being’ a better father, in whatever way you can think of, will be a good place to start until you figure things out.”
Aetos was blindsided. He silently observed my face, turned to Primrose, and looked at the anxious skies. It was faint, but the eagle was crying.
“Who knew…this day would co…when I…know how shaful my lady would’ve looked upon for treating a child like this? The great Princess Susize Vredi never wished to involve children. She often dread of giving birth to three or four and desired a large family. To her? Everyone and everything within Vredi Forest were her brothers, sisters, and cousins. The forest surrounding Aetos Village is naught but a shallow recreation of what used to be the grandest landmark in all the world. And to think that I was once proud… Just where has that pride gone when I devolved to use a precious child…like this… Primrose, forgive … I am so sorry… This is not your war. Nor is it your conflict.”
We beca silent. No one moved or spoke until Primrose shifted in her sleep. Her eyes slowly opened, and I was there to greet her with a smile.
Throughout it all… Aetos never removed his wing from Primrose’s head.
“Why?” she asked, leaning up. “Why are…we here? After what I said? Why didn’t you kick us out?”
“The thought has never crossed my mind.”
“But…”
“Primrose, I wish to do right by you. Please grant another opportunity. I promise… I swear on all I love that I will do better.”
Primrose turned her head away and looked at . She t my eyes. All I did was nod, and she turned back to Aetos. Her steps were small—like a baby crawling. But she ran to Aetos, crying soft sap from her beautiful eyes. She tightly hugged him, and he protectively wrapped a wing around her as she rubbed his back.
“Father… Father!!!”
“I love you, my child. I swear… I desire your happiness… Please…grant the chance to atone, my sweet girl.”
The two embraced… I couldn’t lie. I…I wanted to hug my mother and father. Even if it was for just a mont, but they were probably dead. Our village was harsh. The environnt was unforgiving and cruel. I had hoped my running away would’ve let them survive that much longer.
In my mind? I had already considered them gone. My heart felt the sa, but…
I still loved them. And I did wish they were safe, sound, and living happily ever after. But…
I doubted it. I also doubted if I’d ever returned. I was sure Mila wouldn’t mind taking to Barbil if I asked. Seraphina could probably teleport us. But I was afraid…because heading there ant confronting the truth. But if I were to go, then I wanted to go alone. I knew how that made sound like a brat, but facing the past? I… The power had to co from within.
“Co, Niva,” said Aetos, breaking from my thoughts. “Please… I…wish to be better for you, too.”
“Summoner…” Primrose’s glistening eyes had softened, and I felt emotional, too.
So…
I ran to them, joining the embrace. This marked the beginning of a new era.
No longer would Primrose be shackled to the fear inside her mind.
And…
It served as a beginning for , too. As Niva, a spirit summoner accepted by the Spirit Lord of Nature, Aetos.
I could do this…
I could grow strong. And I wouldn’t have to do it alone—I’d never be alone again. And…maybe I could…one day return to Barbil and confront my past.
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