~October 3rd, x790~

The salty taste of the sea lingers on Lina's lips as she closes her eyes and listens to the waves break against the cliff side below her. She breathes in through her nose, holding the air in her lungs. Waiting. A gull gives a mournful call as the direction of the wind suddenly changes. Her green eyes snap open, and she runs, barefoot, towards the cliff edge.

She leaps.

Her braids whip around her face. Her eyes sting and tear up, but she keeps them wide open as a wave rises from the ocean, and she lets it grab her. The water is cold as snow, just the way she likes it, and for a moment, she allows herself to sink deeper and deeper and deeper. Light filters from above. How easy it would be to stay here forever.

Kicking her feet behind her, she swims towards the base of the cliff. There, glittering in the jagged rocks, is her aim: the small, iridescent black gems embedded in the cliff side. Kazan Gems are a rarity, only found in the small harbor of Barberry Town and only at the base of this specific cliff. The legend goes that they're the tears of some princess or other who jumped to her death after her lover died in a war. Very typical. Most of the legends Lina has heard throughout her life go the same way.

Ajax tried to explain to her that something about the quality of the water and the way the sun hit it and the residual magic of the Obsidian Mountain blah blah blah. She's not one for Magic Theory (though she does like the look Ajax gets in his eyes when he rambles about it.) All she knows about the Kazan Gems is that they're difficult to get to and have strong healing properties, making them valuable.

Lina latches onto the rocks and exams the cluster of gems before her. She'll need to be careful about the way she extracts them. Damaging the gems, even minutely, renders them useless, and therefore unsellable. Slowly, she lifts her hand and rotates her wrist. Water swirls around her, and she spins it faster and faster until it can act as a makeshift drill. She chips away bits of rock piece by piece. Every so often, she must rise to the surface for air, and altogether the process takes her almost three hours.

She carries the gems in a woven bag around her neck as she climbs the cliff side back up to the top, where she collapses in exhaustion. She loves the cold of the sea, but the warmth of the sun also feels wonderful. If her calculations are correct, this will be the last trip she needs to make, at least for a while.

"Mama!"

Her lips curve into a smile.

"Over here, Pollito." She calls as she sits up.

Her son comes bounding towards her, his dimpled grin bright enough to light up the darkest night. At eleven years old, Evander is the perfect blend between Lina and Ajax; green eyes, mahogany curls, and medium brown skin. It's almost as if someone dumped all of their features in a bag and only pulled out the best ones to create her boy.

"Look what Dad taught me!" Evander holds his cupped hands out to her, a tiny, controlled flame coming to life in his grasp. It flashes from red to blue as he struggles to control its temperature, but compared to last week, when he almost burned down his bedroom, this is a vast improvement.

Lina laughs in joy, throwing her head back until she falls over. Evander joins with his own giggles, extinguishing his fire before tackling his mother with a hug. They roll around together amongst the dirt, ignoring the fact that Lina is soaking wet, and their clothes are no doubt getting covered with mud and leaves.

"With progress like that, you will become a master in no time, Pollito!"

"That's what Dad said!"

"Great minds think alike." Lina ruffles his hair. "Now, let's go home. I'm starving. What was Dad making for dinner?"

"Deer! Catie took down a buck all by herself! It was awesome! But when we brought it back, Ria started crying! She's such a baby."

"Be nice to your sister, Evander."

"But Catie did something so cool, and Ria made her feel bad about it! It's okay now, though. Dad fixed it. That's why we're still having deer. But guess what? He's making something special for Ria cuz she doesn't want to eat the deer. I told him that's not fair cuz when I didn't want to eat the weird squash the neighbor brought over, I got in trouble. He said it was different, but I don't think it is. Anyway, that's why he taught me that neat trick. Then he sent me to find you so I'd stop bugging him. But when we get back-"

Lina listens to her son ramble on about his day and feels all is right in the world.

~October 7th, x790~

Ajax regrets his promise when Lina drags him and the kids through the Nightshade Forest with only moonlight to guide them. He doesn't understand why they couldn't do this during the day, nor why Lina won't let him conjure a flame for light, but he supposes its fine. The kids are having fun chasing fireflies and jumping out behind trees to surprise each other.

"Tada!" Lina says, standing in front of a single-story building with a rotted wooden sign that looks like a sphinx. The roof is uneven, and weeds and vines climb the cracked brick walls. Ajax is pretty sure he can see a tree growing inside, but it's hard to tell with the dusty windows.

"This used to be a merchant's guild back in the day! No one's used it in ages. Mayor Zyon said as long as I bought the land, I could do what I wanted with it! We'll probably need to build dormitories for people to live in, or maybe I can convince Madame Rouge to give us a discount on rooms. We're going to have to remodel the outside, and the inside's going to need some reparations but otherwise-"

"Lina! Wait! Where are we going to get the money to pay for this?"

"Hmm? Oh! I already bought it!" She holds up a hefty Kazan Gem with a smug smile. "What did you think I've been doing lately? Catch!"

Ajax is speechless as he catches the gem. It seems he underestimated his wife's desire.

"You actually want to do this."

Lina smiles at him like she knows the secrets of the universe.

"Mi sol, do you know why I want to start a guild?"

"I'd assumed it was because you were bored."

She laughs and takes his hands in hers.

"Every day, the kids are getting stronger, but there is only so much they can learn in this small town. I want them to see just how big the world is and meet all kinds of people from all walks of life." Lina watches her children with a tiny grin, the kind only a mother can give. "But it's more than that, too. Catrina reminded me how many people don't have a place to go. Sometimes all you desperately need is a second chance. Heaven knows where I'd be if you hadn't given me one. It makes a world of difference having a group of people you can count on, doesn't it? So I want to build that group and give that chance and provide that place -no- that home for anyone who might need it."

Ajax looks down at his wife, captivated by the way the moonlight lights up her skin and makes her eyes glow. Sometimes he can't believe she's real, but the feel of her callused hands in his is enough to convince him.

"Alright," he says, "let's start a guild."

Lina cheers and jumps into Ajax's arms, wrapping her legs around his waist. She kisses his face all over, and he can't help but laugh, even as he loses balance, and they fall to the floor.

"DOGPILE!" Evander yells. Before he knows it, Ajax has his entire family sitting on top of him.

~October 12th, x790~

Floating atop the ocean, her blonde hair fanning around her as she lets the sun add freckles to her pale skin, Catrina smiles to herself. Life on Fiore's west coast is so different from the capital where she grew up. There was never enough sunlight there.

Someone nudges her arm, and Catrina opens one eye to look to her left, where Evander floats beside her with a big grin.

"I knew I'd find you here," he says.

Catrina hums, closing her eye again. She feels Evander reach for her hand and lets him lace their fingers together. His skin is much warmer than the water, but she doesn't mind. Over the past four years, she's come to know that Evander and Ajax are warm as a summer's day at all times.

"We're like otters," Evander says, and Catrina laughs at the image. For a while, they bask in each other's company. With no wind and so close to shore, the ocean is almost still. She can feel its gentle movements, though, and wonders about the underwater life swimming below them.

"Are you excited?" Evander asks.

"About what?"

"The guild Mama wants to start! It's cool, right?"

"I guess."

"You don't think it's cool?"

She sighs and lets go of Evander's hand to stop floating. Her feet sink into the sand as she walks towards land. Her hair feels heavy, and she shivers a little. A small breeze has picked up.

"Hey! Catie! Wait!" Evander chases after her. He's not as tall as Catrina, and he has to swim a bit before he can stand. "Why are you mad?"

"I'm not." She ties her hair back and puts her sandals on, pulling her blue sundress over her swimsuit. It doesn't do much to warm her up.

"Don't lie! What's wrong?" Evander grabs onto Catrina's arm, bringing her to a stop. She glowers down at him. The wind blows harder.

"Let go."

"No! Tell me why you're mad!"

"I said I'm not mad!"

"Liar!"

The wind whips around them now, kicking up sand and blowing it in their faces, but neither backs down.

Evander yelps as a gust strikes his arm, drawing blood. He doesn't let go though, and just holds on to her tighter. Catrina forces herself to take a deep breath through her nose. Holds it. She counts back from ten, just like Mama Lina taught her, and the furious wind dies down. She lets the air go. Her shoulders slump. Her eyes land on Evander's fresh cut.

"I'm sorry," she says.

"It's okay. I know you didn't mean it." Evander releases his grip on her arm.

"It's not okay." Catrina brings a hand up to rub her eyes. "I don't want my magic to hurt people."

"That's why Mama says not to ignore your feelings." Evander pats her shoulder. "Why were you mad?"

"I don't know. I guess… I just don't like the idea of a bunch of people coming to Barberry. Especially if they're mages."

"Because of your birth dad?"

"I don't know. Maybe."

Evander scowls, reaching for Catrina's hand. They intertwine their fingers, both observing the contrast between their skin tones. She looks exceptionally pale against Evander's warm, brown skin. She often wonders what people think when they see her with the Cinerus family. From her skin to her eyes to her hair and even her magic, everything about her reveals the truth: one of these things is not like the others.

"He sucks," Evander says it like it's a fact: the sky is blue, the grass is green, Catrina's biological father sucks.

"Yeah."

"...Let's go home."

"Okay."

The skin on his mother's hands is jagged and rough and raised, the remnants of burns she received long ago. Evander traces the patterns with his fingers, following it up to her wrist where the scars stop while his mother hums. Ria, his baby sister, rests against their mother's chest, half-asleep while Catie helps their dad in the kitchen.

"Mama," he says, leaning on her shoulder. "What song are you humming?"

"I don't know the name."

"Can you teach it to me?"

She answers by singing:

"De la Sierra Morena,
Cielito lindo, vienen bajando,
Un par de ojitos negros,
Cielito lindo, de contrabando.

Ay, ay, ay, ay,
Canta y no llores,
Porque cantando se alegran,
Cielito lindo, los corazones."

She slowly goes over the words with Evander, helping his pronunciation until they're both able to sing it together.

"Mama," Ria asks softly. "Did your mama teach you this song?"

"No, Sirenita. Mi hermano taught me. I didn't have a mama."

"You have a brother?" Evander asks. "Where is he?"

"I don't know. I haven't seen him in a very long time."

"Why?" Ria asks. She's fully awake now, looking up at their mama with wide, hazel eyes.

"A long time ago, before your big brother was born, your dad and I had to disappear together; I had to leave behind my old family."

"Like Catie?"

"A little bit different. Catrina had to leave so she would be safe. I was in trouble, Victoria. I had to leave my brother so he would be safe." She sighs, pulling Ria close. "I wish things were different. I miss my brother, but I always have a part of him with me in mi corazón."

Ria's not listening anymore, too busy crying and reaching for Evander.

"What if I have to leave my brother?" She crawls off their mother's lap and clings to Evander. "I don't want to! Evander! I won't leave, so you don't leave too! Don't go away!"

"I'm not!" He whines but wraps his arms around Ria, anyway.

"Promise? Promise you'll never leave?"

"Yes! I promise! Geez."

That seems to be enough confirmation for the little girl, who then runs into the kitchen.

"Catie! Promise you won't leave too!"

Evander moans, slumping against the couch with a pout.

"She's such a baby!"

"Be nice to your sister." His mother ruffles his hair, and Evander swats her hand away. They sit in silence, listening to Catie placate Ria for a while.

"You're not in trouble anymore, right?" Evander asks, avoiding his mother's eyes.

"No, Pollito. I'm safe now." She kisses his forehead. "Your dad fixed everything for me."

That makes Evander smile.

"Dad can fix anything, huh?"

"I think so."

~December 12th, x790~

"I can't fix this." Ajax huffs. He's on his back, staring at the ceiling light he's been trying to install for the past two hours as it dangles by a chain. He just can't get the lachrima inside to connect properly.

"Why is this so hard?" Catie asks, covered in dust. "All the other lights were so simple!"

"It's cursed," says Evander. "The ghost of the old master doesn't want a new ceiling light, and he's cursed us."

"There's a ghost?!" Ria cries. "Mama! Is there really a ghost?"

"No, Sirenita. Your brother is just joking. This was a merchant's guild, remember? No one ever died here." Lina pauses, looking around the room with suspicion before she adds "probably," under her breath.

"I'm done for today." Ajax sits up. "Let's go home. We'll figure this out tomorrow."

No one argues with that. They've all been here since morning, after all. Lina holds his hand as they walk through the Nightshade Forest back to town. Catie carries Ria on her back while Evander talks everyone's ear off.

"We're making good progress." Lina swings their hands.

"We should look into finding a professional to help us. I'll write Donovin and ask if he knows anyone."

"Did you send in all the forms yet?"

Ajax shakes his head.

"No. We still need a name. Any ideas?"

"Actually, yes. What about Mermaid Cove?"

"Isn't there already a mermaid guild?"

"There could be two mermaids, but I see your point. How about Medusa's Grotto?"

"... I'm pretty sure that's the name of a dark guild."

"That's where I heard that from!"

"Any others?"

"Hm… What do you think of Siren's Song?"

"We are not naming our guild after a pirate ship!"

Lina bursts into laughter, and Ajax frowns at her.

"Have you just been messing with me this whole time?"

"A little. I really did like the name Mermaid Cove."

"It's not a bad name. If you have your heart set on it-"

"How about Phoenix Refuge?" Lina interrupts. Ajax's eyes widen, and his mouth drops open.

They rarely discuss the Phoenix. Neither of them has so much as said the word in almost a decade. Ajax was certain they never would.

"Why?"

"We're building it for second chances and new beginnings, but we also want it to be a place of safety and rest." Lina sighs. "Besides, we can't ignore the Phoenix forever. It's entrenched in everything we are and everything we do. I don't want them growing up in fear of it the way you did."

"I don't want them trapped in its shadow either." Ajax whispers.

"So long as we're here," Lina says, "they won't be."

Before either of them can say more, a screeching bird flies at them through the night. An eagle, black as coal with a golden beak, lands on Lina's shoulder, holding out its leg in front of her face. Wrapped around it is a message.

Lina unties it, and the bird flies away. She quickly scans the note, her face growing grimmer by the second.

"They're back," she whispers, and Ajax knows in that instant their lives will never be the same.

~December 13th, x790~

It feels odd, tiptoeing through her own home like a criminal, trying desperately not to make a sound. It's been over a decade since she's had to move so silently, and it shows in the small creaks and thumps her footsteps leave behind. Once, she'd been able to slip in and out of a mansion with no one being the wiser.

Maybe I should start practicing when I get back, she thinks, wondering how she'd even go about doing so.

She reaches Evander's bedroom door and inches it open to peer inside, holding back a chuckle at the sight; his limbs sprawl out like a starfish, and his head hangs off the side in a way she knows will hurt in the morning. Slipping inside, she gently rearranges him and tucks him under the covers. Her fingers brush his hair back, and she presses a kiss on his forehead.

"Buenos Noches, mijo."

Across the hall, she checks on her girls; buried under her mountain of stuffed animals peeks out Ria, and Catie clutches a softly glowing moonstone close to her face. They're both much lighter sleepers than Evander, and Lina wouldn't be able to leave if she woke them, so she doesn't risk entering the room. Instead, she settles for blowing them each a kiss from the doorway.

Cautiously, she makes her way to the kitchen and the backdoor there. It's a cloudy night, so she can't rely on the moon and makes her way through the room from memory. Her fingers barely contact the doorknob when she senses someone just behind her.

"You don't have to go," he whispers.

Lina sighs. She's not even surprised he caught her. Ajax is the lightest sleeper of them all and would notice an ant creeping in through a crack in the wall. She turns to face him, preparing for the argument she'd been trying to avoid.

"You know that I do," she says.

"It isn't safe," he says, cupping her face in his hands. "Please. Stay."

"I can't abandon them, Ajax. Despite everything, they're still mi familia. Besides," she wraps her fingers around his wrists and squeezes, "it's my fault they're even in this mess."

"That's not true."

"Yes, it is." Lina backs away from him. "And I've already made my choice. Nothing you can say will make me change my mind. I'm going, and you can't stop me."

Ajax sucks in a sharp breath. She can't see his face, but she's sure his brow is crinkling in that way that adds years to his face. If she could, she would kiss all his worries away, but now isn't the time.

"Fine," he says, "if you don't stay, then I'm coming with you."

"Ajax, you can't."

"I'm going, and you can't stop me."

Lina makes a desperate noise in the back of her throat. She hates when he throws her words back at her like that.

"You don't understand." She takes a deep breath and swallows the sick feeling creeping up her throat. "I'm not just going to help them. I'm going to put an end to things. For real this time."

She waits for her words' true meaning to sink in and tries not to feel stung when he takes a step away from her.

"So… you're going to-"

"Yes."

The silence is suffocating as she waits for his response.

"You vowed you'd never kill again," he says, and Lina is glad he can't see the way she flinches.

"I know," she whispers. It's painful trying to speak past the lump of emotion in her throat.

The silence once more presses down upon her. But blessedly, Ajax doesn't let her wallow in it long as his arms wrap tightly around her. She could weep in relief as she clings to him.

"I thought you'd hate me," she mumbles into his chest.

"How could I when I know how hard this is for you?" Ajax rests his chin on her head. "You truly believe this is the only way?"

"Yes. Otherwise, she'll just keep coming back. But I can't ask you to kill for me." Lina shushes him before he can protest. "No, listen. Stay here. Take care of the kids. Tell them I love them, and I'll be home soon."

"Do you swear?" He pleads. "Do you promise you'll come home, no matter what?"

"Of course, mi sol. I'll always come home to you."

With a final, rushed kiss, Ajax lets her go, and as soon as she's out the door, Lina runs.

She's spent her whole life running, it seems: running from animals she'd disturbed. Running from bullies she annoyed. Running from merchants she robbed. Running from the law. Running from her memories. Running from her guilt. Running from her sorrow.

All that running can wear a person out.

Eventually, it catches up to them.

~February 4th, x791~

Lightning strikes the water in the distance, and Ajax frowns as the dark gray clouds roam closer to the harbor. He's always hated the moments before it rains. The way everything seems charged with electricity puts him on edge; he feels like a tiger trapped in a cage. Normally, he'd be inside already, complaining, while Lina laughed at him. She loves the anticipation of rain almost as much as she loves the rain itself. To her, there is nothing more freeing than the promise of a storm.

But Lina isn't back yet, and Ajax has work to do.

He finishes tying down the tarp over Catie's garden and hopes it'll be enough to protect the small flowers that have only just bloomed. She'll be upset if they don't make it. He still needs to tie down everything in their shed and bring whatever can be damaged by the water into the house and out of Evander's reach somewhere.

"Dad."

Speak of the Devil, and he will come.

"Yes, Ev?" Ajax finishes pounding in the last peg to secure the tarp.

"There's a ship coming."

Ajax's brow furrows as he looks up. It'll be a big storm tonight, and the Rune Knight Navy should have sent out a warning to all ships in the vicinity to avoid Barberry Harbor; it's almost impossible not to crash into the sharp rocks waiting just off the shore in this weather. Gazing out into the distance, Ajax can see that Evander isn't mistaken. Billowing black sails take shape as a large ship approaches faster than it should be, considering the wind is blowing in the opposite direction. It can only be powered by magic, and there's only one magic ship with black sails that would dare and be stupid enough to pull into the harbor in these conditions. He doesn't like what might suggest that Lina risk the Siren's Song's destruction or capture this way.

Something is wrong.

"Ev, go inside and keep your sisters occupied. Whatever happens, don't come outside."

"Dad, what's going on?" Evander asks. Ajax can't resist offering him a small smile and ruffling the boy's hair. It bodes to how worried he is that Evander doesn't stop him.

"I'm sure everything's fine, but better safe than sorry, okay?"

Evander nods and rushes inside. The wind slams the door shut behind him.

Ajax, unconvinced that his son will follow his orders, goes to the small orange cottage next door and knocks.

"Yes?" A voice like a nightingale's call answers.

"I'm sorry to bother you, Miss Calypso, but do you mind monitoring my children while I step out for a bit?"

A young woman with ice-blue eyes and a mane of ebony hair opens the door and smiles at him. "Of course, Mr. Cinerus. Your brood is an absolute delight. May I ask if everything is fine, though?"

"Just a few more preparations for the storm." Ajax waves off her concern. "You're welcome to ride it out with us."

"Thank you, Sir. I may take you up on that offer."

Ajax walks her back to his house before running to his shed. He grabs the first weapon he can find -an ax with an obsidian handle- and sprints to the beach to wait. It's been twelve years since he last saw the Siren's Song, but he can picture it as clearly in his mind as the ax in his hands. He spent three grueling years tracking it down, after all.

Still, his breath catches at the sight of the familiar black wood and the laughing mermaid figurehead hanging from the bowsprit. Its sails are so big they nearly take up the entire skyline, and its flag waves furiously in the wind.

To his surprise, the ship pulls up short of the harbor and lowers a small lifeboat into the violent waters. He's amazed the dinghy doesn't get flipped onto its side immediately. The Siren's Song sails away, even faster now with the wind to help it, while the dinghy drifts towards the shore. He can see the shape of a person sailing it, but not much else.

The storm is right upon them now. The downpour will begin any minute.

Lightning flashes and Ajax glimpses warm brown skin and bright green eyes. He drops his ax, running as hard as he can. Even when his feet touch the water, he doesn't stop. He just wades, then swims until he reaches the boat and helps drag it ashore. Lina smiles when she sees him, but it doesn't reach her eyes. Ajax understands why when she tries to stand and collapses against him.

"I'm home," she says, raspy and weak. She lifts her hand to his face and cups his cheek. Two puncture marks are on her wrist, and a bruise in the shape of a rose blooms dark against her skin.

Ajax feels like laughing. Lina would come back bearing the Mark of Death.

"Welcome home," he says, choking back a sob as it rains, and his wife faints in his arms.

The Mark of Death comes from the Ivory Serpent bite, a beautiful creature sought after its pearlescent scales. It is said that a single drop of its venom can incapacitate a wyvern, and once bit, there is no hope for survival; the victim must deal with the painful shutdown of all of their organs as the venom travels in a strange pattern that leaves behind rosette bruises on the skin.

Lina lives two more days with the venom, but it is not a peaceful existence. Ajax doesn't want the kids to see her this way. Their last memories of their mother shouldn't be of her suffering, but Lina insists.

"There are things I have to tell them," she says.

How can Ajax begrudge her anything?

Victoria is too young to understand what's happening truly. She's barely eight years old. All she knows is that her mama is sick, and her papa is sad. She's scared, but she listens when her mother whispers in her ear:

"Mi sirenita, I'm sorry. Mama won't be able to teach you her tricks."

"Why, Mama?" Victoria whines and cries.

"I have to go away soon, but you're a smart girl, and so, so brave." Lina kisses her head. "Don't give up on your magic, even when it's hard, and you'll be able to master it in ways I could only dream of."

"I don't want you to go away, Mama."

"I know, mi sirenita. I know."

At fourteen, Catrina knows what's happening all too well. She's not scared, but there is an ache in her chest and a lump in her throat she's never felt before.

"Catrina, why are you so far away?"

"You're sick, aren't you, Mama Lina?" Catrina wrings her hands together. "I don't want to catch it."

"Don't worry. It's a sickness you can't catch." Lina holds out her hand. "Come closer, mi conejita, so I can tell you something."

Against her better judgment, Catrina obeys. She even takes Lina's hand and rubs her thumb against the rough skin.

"This is your home, for as long as you want it, and we are your family, no matter what. It's okay to believe that. You can stop pretending to be so distant, mi conejita."

Catrina cries and pulls Lina's hand closer to her chest.

"Don't go," she sobs, "please, don't die."

"I'm sorry," is all Lina can say.

Evander watches his sisters weep over their mother and can't breathe. The fire, the anger inside him, has burned all the oxygen in his lungs. He doesn't understand how he can speak, but somehow he does.

"I'm going to save you," he declares.

"Evander," Catie starts, but Ria interrupts her.

"Me too! I'll save you too!"

"You can't, mis bebés." Lina's voice is stern, but Evander just shakes his head.

"Yes, I can. I just need to find enough Kazan, right? Or one that's big enough. I can do it."

"No amount of gems can heal this," Lina whispers, coughing.

"Then what's even the point of them?!" Evander snaps. "Why did you spend all that time looking for something so useless?!" His skin catches fire, his green eyes flashing black.

Catie pulls Ria close to her, backing away from their brother's fire.

"Evander, you need to calm down." Lina tries, but he yells over her.

"I HATE THIS! I HATE IT! IT HURTS! IT HURTS SO BAD! WHY MAMA? WHY DOES MY MAGIC HURT SO MUCH?"

"Calm down, Pollito! You're scaring your sisters! Just breathe!"

"I CAN'T!" Evander screams and runs from the room.

Ajax traces the fading embers of Evander's footprints to the beach. It's still raining, it has been ever since Lina came back, but the water isn't enough to put out the purple flames enveloping his son.

"Evander," he calls out and almost falls over when the ball of fire that was once his boy crashes into him. If he were anyone else, Evander would have seriously burned him, just like Ajax burnt Lina so long ago.

"I'm sorry," Evander cries, "I'm sorry! I don't know what's wrong with me, but I don't want it anymore! I can't take it anymore! Make it stop, Papa, please!"

Ajax stares at his young boy. It's the first time he's seen him cry since he was little. Once Ria was born, Evander made it his mission to be strong and protect her. He hadn't even cried when he broke his arm falling off their roof. Only an unbelievable amount of pain would make his son break down like this, and Ajax remembers what that pain feels like.

He wraps his arms tight around Evander and pulls him closer, noting that the boy has grown again.

"Ok," he says. "I can help you, but what I do might be permanent, Evander. It may even make your magic more erratic in the future. Are you sure that's what you want?"

"Yes!"

He shouldn't believe his son when he's under duress. This may end up being the stupidest thing Ajax has ever done, but he can't bear to see his boy in so much pain. All he can do is hope that Evander doesn't regret this.

Ajax calls upon magic he hadn't used in over a decade and carefully seals away his son's power.

When they return home an hour later, Ajax has to carry his unconscious son on his back. The house is silent, and he hates how empty it feels. Carefully, he settles Evander into bed and tucks him in. His fingers brush against his son's forehead; the skin is clammy and cold.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean it," Evander mumbles in his sleep, and Ajax's heart breaks a little.

"It's not your fault," Ajax whispers, hoping the message somehow sinks into Evander's dreams.

Ajax begrudgingly leaves Evander with the light on, and the door cracked open.

Lina will want to know what happened.

"Where are the girls?" He asks, stepping into the room.

"I sent them next door." Lina smiles. "That woman is a blessing, Ajax. Be kind to her."

"I will."

He stands by the door, silently watching her, burning her into his memory. She looks so small. The patter of the rain against the window isn't enough to cover up the rough, rasping sound of Lina's breathing. Most of her skin is covered in the rose-like bruises now. Her hair hangs dirty and limp around her face, and her lips are dried and cracked.

Ajax pours her a glass of water from the bedside table. Lina shakes as she tries to drink it.

"How's Evander?" She asks.

Ajax sighs. "He'll be okay for now."

"And his magic?"

He thinks of lying for a second, but what feels like a thousand years ago, he promised her open honesty. "Sealed away."

Lina closes her eyes and nods. "I hoped it would never come to that."

"So did I." He takes her hands in his. Lina squeezes, and he can hardly feel it.

"I'm sorry," she says.

"Don't be." Ajax kisses her knuckles. "You don't regret going to help, and I wouldn't want you to."

"Still," Lina swallows, "it shouldn't be ending this way."

"No," he agrees, "it shouldn't."

"You'll be strong, won't you, mi sol?" Lina asks. "You'll be happy? You'll find a way to make them happy?"

"I will." He promises.

Lina forces a smile, but her eyes fill with tears. She's trembling. "I'm scared, Ajax."

"Shh, don't be scared." He climbs into the bed and holds her close, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "I'll be here, by your side, till the very end."

"Do you promise?" She cries softly, clinging to him with all her strength.

"I do." He whispers into her hair. "Always."

Lina slips away later that night. She does not go quietly, but with violent shutters and coughs of blood that leave her lips stained red and cracked.

"Ajax…" she wheezes, and he kisses her forehead.

"It's okay, Dearest. It's okay." He swallows past the lump in his throat and forces back his tears. "You don't have to fight it. You can let go."

Then with a final full-body shake, everything stops.

Here one second and gone the next, like a candle being blown out in the wind, with only a trail of smoke and a blackened wick to show the flame ever existed.

Thirty-seven years isn't much time in the grand scheme of things. It's an insignificant amount, not even a fraction of a blink in the lifespan of the universe. It means nothing. Yet thirty-seven years of life was all Lina Cinerus was granted.

~February 11th, x791~

It's still raining, but Ajax doesn't mind so much. The water comforts him and allows him to mask his tears. Honestly, he would have felt cheated if it hadn't rained. At least with such gloomy weather, it feels like the sky sympathizes with him, almost like Mother Nature herself is in mourning.

Besides, Lina loves…

Loved the rain.

If he closes his eyes, he can almost picture her playing in it; he can see the way she'd gently flick her wrists and wiggle her fingers, forming the droplets into dancing shapes to make the kids laugh. With sparkling eyes, she'd splash Ajax, and he'd chase her as she teased him.

Maybe if he just keeps his eyes closed, he can pretend she's still laughing beside him, not lying in a freshly covered grave.

"Dad..." Ajax opens his eyes, ending his illusion.

Holding hands with his crying sisters, Evander stares at the grave of his mother and asks, "What are we going to do now?"

Ajax wraps an arm around the shoulders of his huddled children and thinks. The clouds break, the sun is peaking through. There will probably be a rainbow soon, but he can't see it yet.

However, in the distance, he can see the entrance into the Nightshade Forest, and he thinks of promises and plans made in the moonlight.

"What do you three think of the name 'Phoenix Refuge?'"

Maybe it's just his imagination, but for a moment, Ajax can swear he feels a final drop of water land on his lips.

Desdemona stares in her mirror, watching the Cinerus family.

Which one will it be? She can mostly guess. They're all candidates, but that one...

"How cruel, my love, to steal her away." Someone sighs in her ear. "Children need their mother. Not that I'd expect you to understand."

"What do you want, Adrastus?" Desdemona banishes the image. "It isn't time yet."

"I know. I've simply come to retrieve something." He flicks the necklace hanging around her neck. "You won't be having any use for our daughter, will you?"

Desdemona narrows her eyes.

"I hadn't planned on it."

"Excellent!" Adrastus claps. "If you would be so kind as to hand her over, then?"

Desdemona sighs, pulling one of the black pendants from her necklace and giving it to her husband.

"I can't imagine you'll get much use out of her. Not after last time."

"Don't worry, my love. I'm sure I'll find something for her to do." He pecks her on the cheek. "Nine more years! I'm getting excited."

*Edited January 13th, 2021*

The song Lina sings is called Cielito Lindo. I prefer the version by Marta Gomez.

Here's a translation:

"Through dark tresses, heavenly one,

a pair of deep brown eyes,

lower as they approach,

a stolen glance.

Ay, ay, ay, ay,

sing and don't cry,

heavenly one, for singing

gladdens hearts."

Thank you so much for reading!