CHAPTER THIRTY- SEVEN: Missed chances

"Dead? My whole..." Nero stood in shock as he read the parchment that held news of a massacre in the Holy Kingdom a few months ago. Remedios looked at him.

"So then... out of the killed nobles, your family was..." Remedios asked.

"Yeah... there's nothing left but for me to go claim my inheritance..." He said in a voice that sounded far off.

"Well, I'm sorry to hear that..." She was saying but Nero went back to the desk. He came back with a different receipt.

"What did you do?" She asked looking at the small tag of parchment.

"I'm not going back to The Holy Kingdom. I've decided to stay with you for now." Remedios blinked.

"Why? We have no reason to stay together." She shook her head. He looked over her a bot and laughed.

"I don't know. But there is nothing but protocol and hoop jumping back home if I want to even see a single gold piece of whatever is left... not something I fancy on doing, and I just feel like staying with you is the right call." He nodded. She scoffed.

"I hope you don't think you're protecting me? even without a sword, I could beat every man here, even if they were armed, incuding you!" He nodded.

"I don't doubt it... but that's not why I want to stay with you... you're basically all I have." She halted at the odd choice of words he used.

"What the hell does that mean?" She asked incredulously. He shook his head smiling a bit.

"Not like that... I just mean literally... until I can find Ridda, Learcue and Ekisa..." he was saying when someone interpreted their conversation.

"Ridda? Ridda Landale?" He turned to meet the voice. It was a short girl in a red cloak and wearing and mask. Evileye. He immediately went cold, did she recognize him?

"U...uh, yeah..." Evileye shrugged.

"Well she shouldn't be too hard to find, she lives here in E-Rantel last I heard. Also, she's an adventurer with team Darkness... you could just as easily put in a request for her and her team at the adventures guild."She said looking at him. Yeah, she had no idea who he was.

"Wh... here? An Adventurer? She... she is doing well?" He asked eyes growing wide with wonder. She took a step back.

"Hmm, but I get the feeling this isn't a professional visit... it's not my business but, who are you to Ridda?" Evileye crossed her arms.

"I'm... related to her and until a second ago had no idea where she was... I've been... living under a rock lately," she laughed.

"Clearly. It's fine, just know she used to be a criminal, but her names been cleared." Evileye said walking off and pulling her cape around her. Nero stood in surprise at this convenient exposition dump he received from a well-known adventurer. Remedios slapped him on the back.

"Well there ya go... just do what she said and go to the adventured guild and wait here for her... she probably even is with her sisters if she has connections like that," He smiled... Ridda was always a survivor. To think he thought he would need to help her.

"Yeah... I'll go do that now... but you." Remedios let out a loud sigh. She was clearly torn on an inner issue.

"I... I'm going to stay here as well." He shook his head back at her like she'd just done.

"Why? I'm fine here by myself as long as I have a way to..."

"Look... I don't know what's happening here but we... I have a bit of history with... your family that I haven't been forthright about." She said softly.

"But if we're going to have this conversation... standing here in the middle of this coach rental..." He nodded and they left the establishment and found an alleyway where they could talk.

"What are you talking about?" he asked in a low voice. She took a deep breath and took a step back from him.

"A while ago I was... controlled by a demon. He had complete control over me and every action I made... I was like a puppet watching myself do all kinds of horrible things." he looked horrified and shocked.

"My god that's..."

"I'm not finished... among many things he forced me to do... was attack a Slane Theocracy prisoner transport. I killed the Guards then attacked the prisoners they were escorting. It was four girls, and the eldest... one that had a sword that could shoot out a tidal wave of water... tried to fight me so that the other three could get away... they seemed to be very young." Nero's face was in shock. He knew immediately what she was saying.

"Then... that demon killed my sister? Killed Alis?" Remedios furrowed her brow.

"But I..."

"Had no choice, right? Would you have killed her if you could have stopped yourself?" Remedios shook her head.

"I never would have hurt those girls or her... no, but I..." Nero placed his hand on her shoulder.

"Then tell me all you know about this demon who controlled you?" His eyes were not hate filled but more... like determine filled.

"Well for one... he attacked Our nation... you've heard of Jaldabaoth? Well..."

"But the Bard sing..."

"No... he is still alive and biding his time, he seeks to strike at The Sorcerer King someday," Nero shook his head.

"Why not tell him this? That his mortal enemy yet lives?" Nero asked in surprise. Remedios just spat.

"I'd never lift a finger to help that Undead monster." Nero waited like there was more to it.

"Wait... is that it? Because he's undead? What about all these people... these humans that he controls? If Jaldabaoth attacks... don't you think these people would suffer like our people did? Are you really that..." But he stopped what he was saying and sighed loudly.

"I just think... that maybe you're too hung up on his species... look at all the good he's done? I've even heard he's working on bringing fresh water to the entire continent... somehow... does this really sound like someone who hates the living? What use does an Undead have for fresh water?" Nero honestly asked. No matter how you looked at it, the expense and rarity of water the further inland you went became an issue, some villages simply went dry and had to disband.

"Wait... we got off track, why are you... you want to tell this to my girls, right?" Remedios nodded. he put his hands on his hips thinking.

"I can understand that but... I don't think... well Ridda has a lot of anger in her that she hides... she very well may try to attack you." Nero said looking, Remedios over.

"If it's punishment you're seeking... I feel like you've been through enough..." he recalled hearing her cries of pain and torment in her cell. Tears formed in her eyes as she looked down at the ground ashamed. He hesitated... but decided to go for it and hugged her.

"Wha..." she exclaimed in surprise and almost broke his embrace out of reflex but his warmth felt nice to her.

"Sorry... you just looked so alone. If you want to stay here... and talk to Ridda you can, but I want a chance to explain your situation to her first... she can also see reason," he explained smiling a bit.

"Um... that's, fine, but... you let me go now?" She muttered embarrassed and even blushing. He immediately let he go.

"Um, sorry... I just..." she shook her head.

"It's fine... I just..."

"Sorry... I just got a little carried away. Uh, I guess I'll go send a request to have Ridda meet me here." He said changing the topic and making his way to the Adventures Guildhall. Remedios didn't say a word and just followed him. Like it or not they would meet his daughters together...

Back in the Slane Theocracy Ridda stands looking at the parchment in shock. No matter how many times she read it, it did not seem true.

"Nero, is alive and wants to meet" even saying it out loud was weird. She was by herself so she had not yet told Learcue and Ekisa. she wondered if she should... in case if this turned out to be yet another trap. Neia walked in smiling and carrying some food for herself.

"Hey Ridda, so what was that message from the adventured guild?" Ridda looked at it then tore it up and tossed it in the trash.

"Nothing... or at least, something that I don't feel like dealing with until, uh, I'm all done here... with you," Ridda said nodding. neia scoffed.

"Your math must be off Ridda, you've been done the last two days..."

"Yes, but you need more right?" Ridda asked looking at Neia's hateful eyes.

"It's money Ridda, We'll always need more, but if it's something important... I'd rather you go see to it." I don't have the time to get caught up in... truth is I was planning to leave... there is a caster named Fluder of The Baharuth Empire... I hear he is undead like me and is always looking for powerful students. I was thinkign of training under him for a while."

Neia frowned.

"Well, that's certainly a great idea Ridda, I will be sad to not have you around here anymore." Ridda laughed.

"Well... my goal is to learn [TELEPORT] and [FIREBALL]. So if I can learn [TELEPORT] I can come to see you whenever,"

"But you're sure this message wasnothign? You looked kind of..."

"It's my father... Nero, the one I told you about. I guess he was resurrected and wants to meet my sisters and myself."

"Ridda! That's amazing! Why..."

"I don't... want to talk to him... when he was dead, I mourned and... but in reality, after we found the NPC run guild store, it was his idea to pose as The Blue Roses... which lead to his and Alises death. Do you understand? If he's alive... then he's why Alis is dead." Ridda bared her teeth in anger.

"I will send Ekisa and Learcue to meet him... I know they want to. But I... I have a new family now, and I simply need to get stronger, I don't have time for this." Neia thought for a while at what Ridda had told her.

"You say you have no time, but..."

"I was never permitted to do anything other than learning more magic... so that's what I will do." Ridda finally said nodding. Neia looked disappointed, Ridda's true age and ignorance was showing, she reminded Neia of how she used to be when pouting.

"If you say that's the case... I would at least let him know you're okay with a message back." Ridda nodded.

"Okay, I will... but I will only see him after I've done what Lady Shalltear has asked of me."

"That's a fair compromise i suppose... so then..." Ridda nodded.

"Yes, I will send word and arrange transport for Learcue and Ekisa once I determine this isn't a trap." Ridda got up and left to get things in order. Neia shook her head... she'd give anything to see her father again.