Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, Dimentio walked down the stairs as he made his way down to the dining room for breakfast. He hadn't gotten much sleep last night, for he was up most of the night reading his ancestor's notebook. He was revisiting the text, specifically what it said about the Tribe of Darkness, the words that used to scare him so badly as a child now making sense. In a way, he was now beginning to understand what his ancestor was talking about, now actually seeing a member of the dark tribe. It was…fascinating, to say the least. Dimentio didn't fully agree with his ancestor's words, but he could now start seeing some truth behind it…
Now that I am no longer that weak little boy I once was, I can finally understand what my ancestor was trying to say. Perhaps he is not as wicked as I once-
"What?!"
Dimentio was cut out of his thoughts to the sound of his father's voice. It was coming from his office, which was where Lucifer was usually in the mornings doing some paperwork. But what could he be doing to make him scream like that?
Curious, Dimentio went to his father's office and cracked the door opened to see what was going on. Countess Rachele was standing there, her face pale and her eyes wide. Lucifer was standing right in front of her, his hands clutched tightly as magical auras surrounded him.
From the looks of it, it seemed that Lucifer was about to kill the countess.
"Lucifer, I know that you are worried," Countess Rachele said, her voice soft. "But you must not panic about this."
Lucifer narrowed his eyes.
"Rachele, give me one good reason why I shouldn't be alarmed? If those deadly fires are now happening in areas near where my sickly wife is, I demand that action should be made!"
Dimentio's eyes widened.
At that moment, Timpani came by. She let out a small yawn.
"What's going on, Dimentio?" she asked sleepily. "I thought I heard someone yelling…"
It took awhile for Dimentio to reply.
"…My lady, something terrible has just happened."
But before he could give a better explanation, Lucifer continued to shout at the countess.
"Has Ladislao sent any troops over to the valley and how quickly can action be made? Those fires better be dealt with before any of it reaches Cynthia! Or else I will make-"
"Lucifer, get a hold of yourself!"
Using all of her strength, Countess Rachele pushed Lucifer away from her. Dimentio and Timpani's eyes widened, shocked at what they were seeing. Countess Rachele glared into Lucifer's eyes.
"Lucifer, you can't just act blindly. If you will just listen to me, we can make sure everything turns out alright."
"If you were so afraid of me 'overreacting,' then why tell me in the first place?" Lucifer demanded.
Countess Rachele narrowed her eyes.
"Because your wife is in danger and I feel like you have the right to know. After all, you always seem worried about her these days."
A sympathetic look appeared in her eyes.
"And now with the fires so close to the valley, Ladislao has no choice but to act. He will be sending soldiers to the valley to protect it, and hopefully get to the bottom of the mysterious fires, with the information I have provided. In that time, we will send someone to go get Cynthia and bring her to safety."
"No, you cannot do that!" Lucifer suddenly shouted, causing Countess Rachele to flinch. "You know just as well as I do that Cynthia can't leave the valley! And with that tribe of savages on the loose, she will most certainly die!"
A slightly mad look appeared in his eyes.
"I would have to be damned to let her die at their monstrous hands. And by the time Ladislao's men arrive, it may be too late!"
"Lucifer, you're not making sense..."
"Rachele, there is only one way to make sure Cynthia stays safe is for me to go to the valley myself, along with Dimentio. We will go there prior to the soldiers and put up some defensive spells against the fires. I don't know how much it will compare to their magic but it should be able to buy some time."
Countess Rachele clutched her fists, her face glowing with anger.
"Lucifer, I will stand for you to go to the valley," she said sternly, "but I cannot allow you to take Dimentio. It is too dangerous for him; he is still only a child, as you always forget!"
"A child, yes, but a prodigy!" Lucifer exclaimed. "Dimentio's magic is as powerful as my great ancestor's! If we have any hope on defeating the Tribe of Darkness, we must have him use his magic to its fullest! He has already surpassed me; I believe he is capable to do a little more intense military work."
He paused.
"Besides, it has been years since Dimentio has actually seen his mother. And with her not being able to come to see him, it would be for the best. At least consider that, my noblest countess."
There was a long silence as Lucifer and Countess Rachele stared each other down. Dimentio felt his heart stop, for all this information was coming so fast at him. He saw that Timpani was just as overwhelmed as he was, for her eyes were wide with fear.
There was a long, intense silence. Countess Rachele turned her back on Lucifer, letting out a heavy sigh.
"...I've told you time and time again that what you are doing to Dimentio is wrong. You have scarred that child so much it sickens me, and if it wasn't for the fact that you were his father, I would have gotten rid of you a long time ago for what you have done."
She paused in her speech.
"I'm only allowing you to take Dimentio with you so that he can be reunited with Cynthia. And I swear...if I hear that anything bad happens to that child..."
"You don't have to worry about that, my countess," Lucifer said, his voice now returning to normal. "For Dimentio can take care of himself, his power will protect him."
Countess Rachele clutched her fists.
"How...how can you be so coldhearted?"
"I'm not being cold; I am doing what is necessary."
He then goes to the door and opens it. Both Dimentio and Timpani step back, not having enough time to run away as Lucifer caught them. He made eye contact with both of them, Countess Rachele soon joining him. Her eyes widened at the sight of Dimentio and Timpani.
"Oh dear God," the countess muttered.
"I...we..."
Dimentio tried to come up with an explanation, but he could barely keep his thoughts straight with the glare of his father. Timpani stayed silent, her eyes on the ground.
There was a short silence.
"...How much did you two overhear?" Lucifer asked in an icy tone.
"All of it," Dimentio replied in a low voice.
"Then you know what is expected of you."
Lucifer walked right passed them.
"Dimentio, pack you things and meet me by the entrance hall. We leave as soon as you are ready."
Without waiting for a reply, he stormed off. Countess Rachele narrowed her eyes.
"Now, wait just a minute, Lucifer!"
She quickly chased after him. Once both of their parents were gone, Dimentio clutched his fists tightly.
"I...guess you will be seeing your mom soon," Timpani finally said, breaking the silence. "That's good to hear. It's been so long since you've seen her…"
"Yes...and though I would like to see her," Dimentio replied, his eyes looking down the hall where his father disappeared. "I cannot go."
Timpani blinked.
"Why not?" she asked, looking at Dimentio like he was out of his mind. "Dimentio this will be your first time out of the castle since you first came here! Whether it is a war zone or not, you've got to take that chance!"
"Yes and a war zone I will be entering."
Dimentio stared deeply into Timpani's eyes.
"My lady, if the Tribe of Darkness is attacking the valley, a well protected place within our tribe, then what's stopping them from attacking here? Blumiere already knows where we live, I have no doubt. If one of them could come, why not a whole army? For Blumiere could have told them about us, like sly snake he is!"
"Blumiere isn't a snake!"
The way Timpani snapped at him made Dimentio freeze in place. Timpani narrowed her eyes.
"I know for a fact that Blumiere hasn't betrayed us. He is our friend; he wouldn't allow anything bad happen to us if he can help it!"
Jealousy burned within Dimentio's heart.
"You are too naïve, my lady," Dimentio said in a low voice. "And I hope you forgive me for saying that."
They glared at each other for a moment.
"...But Blumiere or no Blumiere, the fact is that the dark tribe can't be too far from here," he continued. "And they could possible attack the castle, since they had the courage to attack near the valley. You could be endangered, Lady Timpani! And if I'm gone, I can't be here to protect you!"
"Dimentio, I appreciate that you are concern for me," Timpani replied, her voice now becoming gentler. "But your mother needs your protection more than I do. You can't just put all of your focus on me while someone else needs you."
"And yet I can't take the chance of losing you!"
Timpani blinked, her eyes wide at Dimentio's emotional response. She stared into his eyes, mixed emotion going through her. She moved her gaze to the ground.
"...Do you want me to help you pack? I'm sure your father is getting anxious."
Dimentio's breathing thickened. Forcing himself to calm down, he took a deep breath and said, "Yes. I would like that, my lady."
Stop calling me that.
Silently, Timpani and Dimentio went to his room. There, they started to pack Dimentio's things, Dimentio telling Timpani exactly what to do and what he needed. Aside from that, neither of them spoke much, for both of them had a lot on their mind.
Dimentio still did not want to leave Timpani behind, and her uneasiness made him feel even more concern. But yet, he did not ask her what was wrong.
Timpani, with her inner war, was thinking hard over how Dimentio reacted to him leaving her side, and what Blumiere had told her last night. It took all her self-control not to cry, for she knew no matter what she did, the outcome was going to be painful.
Once everything was packed, Dimentio and Timpani went down to the entrance hall where Lucifer was waiting. Seeing that Dimentio was all set, he told him that the carriage was ready for them and to put his things in the back. Lucifer then went outside, leaving Dimentio and Timpani by themselves. They stared at each other for a long moment. Dimentio felt his throat become dry, for he had no idea how to say goodbye.
Suddenly, to his surprise, Timpani embraced her arms around him. She hugged him close, small uncontrollable tears running down her cheeks.
"Even though it is the right thing for you to see your mother," Timpani said softly, her voice cracking. "Know that I will miss you and that I care about you very much."
Dimentio blinked, some of the words Timpani was saying not making any sense to him.
"Lady Timpani, I..."
He couldn't finish his sentence as Timpani put a finger of her his lips.
"I know," she said. "And I hope everything ends peacefully once it is all over."
She gave a sad smile.
"Tell your mother that I said hello, okay Dimentio? And promise me that you will at least try to enjoy yourself with your time outside the castle."
Dimentio stared at Timpani for a moment, his heart aching on how sad Timpani looked. Eventually, he nodded his head.
"I will. ...I will try to return to you as soon as I can, my lady."
Reluctantly looking away, Dimentio grabbed his bags and left the castle's doors.