Magdalena ran forward with everything she had, clutching her small daughter in her arms as she did so. The confused child, much too young to understand the true gravity of the ongoing situation, simply looked around in awe at the new surroundings. Truthfully she didn't understand why they were here, her mother hadn't bothered to explain that yet.

"Don't worry baby, everything will be fine. Mommy will protect you…" Magdalena said soothingly, ignoring the burning feeling in her legs as she ran for what seemed like the fourth hour with little to no progress. Already, she could hear their pursuers catching up, their use of Magecraft allowing them to more easily traverse the treacherous mountain range where they were now.

"Mommy… why are we here? Can… Can we go home soon?" The little girl asked, starting to feel uncomfortable with the strange aura the mountain had. Combined with the oncoming killing intent focused upon her mother and she was starting to feel quite scared.

Magdalena stiffened slightly when she heard movement close behind, attempting to push her body even more. Just a few more minutes and they would be safe… Just a few-

"ARG!?"

She let out a wet, hacking cough as a projectile hit her straight through the stomach, ignoring her daughter's gasp at suddenly seeing a large, red stain spread across her mother's chest.

The blow sent the mother and daughter tumbling to the ground, Magdalena doing everything she could to shield her young daughter from the fall, giving a raspy cough as blood started to pool out of her mouth rapidly. Already her vision was starting to fade…

"Mo...mommy?" The child asked cautiously, peeking out of her mother's protective grasp, her emerald eyes, inherited from her father, were filled with concern for her mother. While she was much too young to understand what was going on, she instinctively knew that something was wrong.

"Gr...gray… Run ba...by… Just run… You'll make it if… you run…" Magdalena rasped out, ignoring the taste of copper that was starting to grow in her mouth. If only… if only… so many things that could have been if she'd just been faster today, if she hadn't run away five years ago, if she hadn't listened to her crazed grandmother.

Already she could hear them, their pursuers were catching up and there would be no chance for Gray to escape them, but still… if she ran now, then maybe…

"Mo...mmy… What's… going on…" Her daughter asked, starting to sob softly, her young mind unable to comprehend that she was watching her mother's final moments.

"Just… run Gray… I… I love you…" Magdalena said softly, caressing her daughter's hair for what could be the last time, closing her eyes in resignation. Maybe if she closed her eyes and imagined it, the future that could have been, she could pass with some semblance of peace…

Gray simply watched her mother slowly expire in front of her young, innocent eyes, her mind unable to comprehend that this could be the end. She looked up with a gasp, hearing some twigs breaking in the distance, dancing lights soon entering her vision.

"SHE'S THERE! GET HER! THE BLESSED VESSEL!" One of their pursuers cried out with vigor and zeal, rushing towards her with the intention of bringing her back home, or was it even home anymore…

"Mommy… wake up! Please…" She sobbed out, gently shaking her mother in an attempt to get her to move. Young as she was, it wasn't hard to tell that these people had bad intentions for her, that they had taken her mother away from her. Gray could only watch as her mother gave her a bloodied smile, so much like the one she used to give her while making fudge with her on those long gone sunny days.

Gray let out a gasp when she felt something grab onto her shoulder, seeing one of her pursuer's hands in the corner of her eye. She screamed, thrashing about, trying to get away from them, to get back to her mother, to safety.

"Let me go! LET ME GO! MOMMY! HEL-!" Her cries for help, seemingly destined to be lost to the World upon this empty mountain, were answered. Even with her eyes closed, she could easily imagine it, the large bonfire that had appeared behind her, turning all of her pursuers to cinders, their screams of agony as their flesh melted away, their bones turned to ashes and their wicked Souls were sent to Hell.

Despite all of this heat being expunged, not a lick of flame harmed her. Those that did reach her seemed to comfort her, as if a long lost friend trying to help take the pain away.

And, just as quickly as it came, the heat was gone, leaving behind the tall, imposing form of a man she'd never seen. The last thing she saw before passing out were his eyes. His eyes, they were so beautiful, but she didn't understand why she felt like she was supposed to know who he was, they'd never met before after all- "...Hey… we have the same eyes…" She muttered tiredly, gazing into her savior's emerald eyes before she fell asleep.


"...Hey… we have the same eyes…"

"...That we do…" He replied, even though he knew the child couldn't hear him now that she was asleep. He gave his surroundings a cursory glance, making sure no more weirdos would come out of the woodworks to attack them, before approaching the sleeping girl and the dying woman-

"Magdalena!? Christ Almighty is that you?!" He gasped out, seeing the fallen form of his old flame. Already it had been five years since she'd left him, vanished like the morning Sun after a night of drinking and partying.

"...Price… You've not changed… at all…" She rasped out, attempting to lighten the mood slightly as her unfocused gaze locked onto his, watching as he kneeled besides her, his flames already attempting to close her wounds-

"Don't… bother… I'm not long for this world… Just… just listen to me while I can still talk… alright?" She asked, gently pushing his hand away from the gaping hole in her stomach.

"...Alright…" He said, his gaze drifting back towards the sleeping child. Somehow, he felt like he should know her…

"Is she…-" He started, his eyes widening when he saw her nod. "She is… Her name is Gray… Take care of her…" She said, allowing tears to slowly glide down her face.

"Take care of her, you hear me?... I… I won't be there to help you… so… so just do everything you can… and help her… please Price… she's your daughter…" She begged softly, ignoring the wet, hacking coughs that wrecked themselves out of her body.

"Of course I will… Don't worry… I'll… I'll take care of her… I promise…" He said, trying to reassure her. He clenched his fist in frustration. If he'd been faster, maybe he could have saved her too…

Magdalena let out another cough, raising a shaking arm to brush Gray's hair one last time, watching her daughter's sleeping face, allowing more tears to escape her. "She… she likes eating fudge… so make sure to make a lot of it with her… Her… her favorite color is blue… and she doesn't like… sleeping in the dark…" She rasped out in-between sobs, her unfocused eyes catching sight of her old lover silently crying as well.

"...My poor baby… be strong for me okay?... Live happily and make sure… to make lots of friends… Listen to your father… and look after him too… okay?... He's… such a mess… sometimes…" She said, giggling a bit as she did so. "M-make sure to eat… other things too… fudge is good… but you won't… grow strong… by just… eating that…"

She let out another series of coughs, more blood forcing its way out of her body, her temperature already dropping, causing her to shiver slightly.

Seeing as she was shivering, Price allowed his fire to cover his body, using it as a blanket to shield the mother and daughter from the cold World.

"Oh my baby…! There's… so many things I… wanted to tell you…! So many things… I wanted to do… with you…!" She cried out, her sobbing getting stronger with each shout. "B-but… you'll have to be strong… mo-mommy has to go now…"

With her last words delivered to her daughter, Magdalena allowed her gaze, unfocused as it was, to look at Price, a shaking hand reaching and cupping one of his cheeks. "L-look after her… Make sure… make sure she's… happy… and safe…" She said as her life finally left her.

"I will… you have my word…" He said somberly, watching as Magdalena's life came to an end.

He didn't know how long he sat there, clutching her body as he silently cried. It was early morning when he got back home carrying a still sleeping Gray in his arms. He'd buried Magdalena's body where he found her, using his fire to fashion a makeshift gravestone from nearby stones and trees.

He gently laid Gray on his couch, fetching a comforter from one of his closets before silently sitting next to her. He didn't know how long it took for her to wake up, just that he was still awake.

"...Who are you mister?" She asked, her big emerald eyes piercing into him. She had wrapped herself up in the comforter, turning herself into a miniature sushi roll as she looked at him curiously.

"I… I'm your father…" He said, his tone lacking its usual confidence as he spoke. His voice was soft and gentle as he watched her gasp in shock, her gaze narrowing a bit.

"Really?... Where's… where's mommy?" She asked, her eyes widening slightly as the night's events slowly returned to her, tears starting to roll down her cheeks.

"She… she's gone…" He admitted lamely. There was no use hiding it from her at this point. "She… she wanted me to take care of you…"

She nodded softly, crying softly as she shuffled closer to him. It was undeniable that they were related, their very blood was screaming it out to them after all.

She sobbed softly, allowing her newly discovered father to comfort her as she did so. The father and daughter duo stayed like this for a few minutes, silently comforting each other.

"Do… Do you want to eat something?" He asked, putting on a shaky smile as he did so.

Gray nodded shyly, drying her tears. "Can we… Can we get some fudge?" She asked shyly, holding onto her father's waist.

Price allowed himself to look surprised, before he let out a soft chuckle. "Sure we can, let me grab some chocolate from the convenience store first.."

Perhaps their first meeting wasn't the best one they could have had, filled with tragedy as it was. But still, after tragedy we find the brightest of Lights, and none shone brighter than the smile his daughter gave him as they ate their first meal as a family.