Supernatural: Chronicles of the Order 9
Chapter 2: Loss and Resolve
(DISCLAIMER: No, I don't own Supernatural because it belongs to Eric Kripke and Warner Bros. So, enjoy the show! Rated M for graphic violence, adult content, and adult language.)
I returned to Skald Island as I was busy taking care of the cooking that consisted of a freshly killed boar that was later gutted and skinned just in time for a summer barbecue. After being held up in the Order's main headquarters on Valinor, I was receiving messages from Dean as he was still processing at what happened to him. He needed support from us instead of being held back as he was also with his unit in the Dabb Mountains on Shiganshina, but not without looking after Rory. I was relieved that he was seeking help from his closest subordinates as he needed support the most. When I continued to look after the meat that was cooking in a covered cobblestone pit with burning charcoal and wood chips, I saw Reiko coming towards me as she was crying over the letter that was addressed to me in which she read it, for she never saw it coming just like I did.
"Poor brother…," she sobbed as she rushed towards me the moment I hugged her. "It's not fair that Sister's gone…"
"I know…," I said. "It's very hard for Dean right now after what happened in which I advised his unit not to let him fall off the rails."
"He's very sad after what happened over there in our former home…"
"Magda's killer is a monster that is far more brutal than the ones that lurk in the shadows on a daily basis. When I found Dean, he was a mess in which the Impala was messy the moment I cleaned it up."
"And the little ones he has no longer have a mother after what happened…"
"What the flap! I can't just sit on the sidelines while everyone goes hunting for scary stuff!"
I heard a familiar voice yelling in the distance as I walked towards one of the dining areas the moment I spotted Tansu complaining about not going hunting for her age. Even though she was eleven years old, she was still too young to hunt as she learned to do so just to have food on the table. From a standpoint, I saw her dressed up in a black qipao with a pair of capri shorts and boots as she had her hair put up in a ponytail. It had been six years since she became Dean's ward as she was more than likely to be wanting to follow in the footsteps in the Hunter Corps.
"I know that you want to hunt, but you're too young to join the Hunter Corps," I said.
"I'm capable of hunting in which I also had to tangle with a rawhead when I first came with Deanie and his family," said Tansu. "I know how to find things, but I don't wanna be stuck on the sidelines."
"You had your fair share of dealing with monsters, didn't you?"
"My parents were Atreidian, but I was born in a sandminer on Gethos. I know about monsters because of how my parents were killed by vampires. I can't sit by and let my calling go to waste. I have Deanie's kids to worry about. One time, Mizuki complained that she had a monster in the closet and I responded by coming into the room with Deanie's .45."
"You're too young to be playing with guns. Until you're older, you'll find a better use with them when it comes to doing your part in saving people, hunting things, and upholding the family business. You have all that energy and you continue to let your childhood go to waste while most kids enjoy being immersed in activities other than hunting."
Tansu huffed away as she went towards the beach in which she wasn't wanting to waste her time doing nothing but looking for seashells. She wanted to hunt instead of playing with toys as she deemed it to be a waste of time when it came to dealing with the aspect of childhood gone wrong. When I followed her to where she was, she was starting to get bored as she didn't want to play with the other children in which I spotted Zia walking towards her with a stuffed toy in her hands. She wanted Tansu to play with her as she also wanted to see what she was doing, but to no avail. What I didn't expect was that Tansu was getting angry as she was wanting to slug Zia for tugging at her qipao just to get her to play, but to no avail.
"Back off!" I heard her yell as she was glaring at Zia. "Your crap won't work because playing with dolls and stuffed toys are for babies! There's no time for imagination 'cause there are monsters lurking everywhere and they'll eat little kids for breakfast unless we peg them off first!"
"I wanna play with you," she said as she was shaking.
"Playtime's a flapping pipe dream! Survival is more important than playing with dolls! While you dumb babies were playing with Barbies, I've been trained how to hunt for game just to feed Deanie and his unit at the base on Shiganshina. I know how to hunt and if you want to enact playtime, then enact it with a .45 in your hands!"
"But Sam doesn't allow us to play with guns at our age," said Kanna cautiously as she was defending Zia. "You may be hunting in the wilderness, but even Dean and his unit wouldn't allow you to go off on your own."
"And you're okay with this brain rot that consists of playing with Barbie dolls? That's such a waste of time when you should be training to be a hunter!"
"Tansu!" I yelled as I rushed towards the beach. "You shouldn't be angry with the other children!"
I saw Tansu take the stuffed toy out of Zia's hands as she ripped the arms off of it. She wasn't used to playing as she glared at Zia with tears in her eyes. When I rushed to see Zia on the beach mourning the stuffed toy, I picked it up as I used my raw power to fix it in which I gave it back to her. When I saw Tansu try to leave, I noticed Kanna standing in front of her as she wasn't having it, for she didn't want her to lose her temper around the other children. Even I wasn't going to let her lash out towards the other children as I was ready to put my foot down, for she needed to be shown some normalcy instead of going hunting at her age.
"You think you can be better because you prefer hunting instead of toys, don't you?" yelled Kanna as she was blocking Tansu's way. "I saw how you tore up Zia's toy in which Sam fixed it up, but you can't be centered around hunting all the time. Hunting is for grown-ups and you can't go off and lose your temper around everyone."
"Hunting is my life, not some brain rot that you call playtime!" she yelled.
"Hunting is never made for you," I said as I wasn't having it. "Do you see the children around you? They're thriving because they play and explore instead of hunting, which is left to the adults. Dean wouldn't have wanted you to go off hunting in which he wanted normalcy for you."
"Hunters aren't suppose to have a normal life. That's how it is and that's how it ends."
"You think you can immerse yourself in the hunter lifestyle, but you can't waste your life like that. In the Elder Days, my past self always wanted to have a normal life in which he would end up going back to the hunter lifestyle. You always wanted to live the hunter lifestyle in which you refused to live with the normalcy around you to the point that you end up getting used to it. Both normalcy and the hunter lifestyle are two sides of a coin, for you have to flip heads or tails to decide your fate."
Tansu ran off as she was going towards a clearing in which she was looking at the straw dummy that was set up with a target on its chest. When she got out a gun, she was using it to fire dummy rounds as they had rubber tips on them in which they hit the straw target. She didn't have time to play with everyone as she was used to hunting during her stay in the Dabb Mountains on Shiganshina. When she put up the gun, she turned around as she saw me standing there in which I was disappointed in her choosing the hunter lifestyle instead of the normalcy that was offered to her, for she preferred it over playing with toys any time.
"What do you want?" she asked me.
"I'm not too thrilled with you shooting dummy rounds at your target instead of playing with the other children," I said.
"Normalcy is for babies. As for the 'playtime' you want me to immerse myself with, that ship has sailed! Even Deanie wants me to play with the kids, but I also don't wanna shirk my duties as a hunter who has to protect everyone from all sorts of monsters that crawl everywhere. I refuse to play with the babies and I won't let myself fail, either."
"A little bit of advice: don't deprive yourself of playtime. It'll damage your health that way."
Tansu huffed away as she put down her gun the moment I followed her back to the castle. What I didn't expect was that she was in tears as she was also afraid of failure. I had to console her as I also wanted to know how she got that way just to train to become a hunter, for I couldn't let her get away just yet.
"I don't wanna fail Deanie," she yelled as she fell to her knees. "I got punished once for running off and I won't let it happen again!"
"What are you talking about?" I asked.
"When Deanie and his unit kept house at the base on Shiganshina, something happened to Dahlia and Mizuki in which they nearly died because of me."
"What actually happened?"
"There was a weird hag that came in which I went out to get some snacks and when I went back to the playroom, I saw it leaning towards Dahlia in which Deanie burst in and killed it. I felt guilty for leaving the girls alone in which I vowed to sacrifice my playtime just to become a hunter. I can't let it happen again. I won't shirk my duty as a hunter again after what I saw."
"You encountered a shtriga, didn't you?" Tansu nods. "We had our fair share with them, but you should also leave the hunting to the adults. I know that Dean sent you here because he didn't want you to go hunting. He also wanted you to hold onto your childhood in which he was like me when we had our taken away from us. I took the full brunt of sacrificing everything for Dean so he could enjoy company with the other soldiers at the fort on Gehenna, but he also didn't want me to suffer, either. I also wanted him to be more happy with his duties in which he was also learning to become a member of the Hunter Corps at the time. He needed the comfort of his fellow soldiers more than he needed me in which I sacrificed all I had just to keep him sane. He deserved more praise than me because he had potential as a soldier, for it was his calling after all. As for you, you can't just repeat the cycle of stolen childhood. It's not right or healthy for you."
I saw Tansu burst in tears a little more as she was also feeling the weight of not doing enough when it came to keeping everyone safe. She was afraid of failure as she also had to live with the fact that she nearly lost Dahlia and Mizuki because of the shtriga. When I saw her standing up, she spotted a Draaza woman coming as she was dressed in a Medical Corps uniform in which she also had two children and an Elf woman with her, for they were here on business when it came to helping to restore Skald Island after the assault on it six months ago.
"We're finally here," said the Draaza woman as she spoke in an Australian accent. "It's a far cry from Essos, but I can't shirk my calling as a doctor in the Medical Corps."
"You could've stayed there in New Ballarat instead of being called here at Ryosuke's request, Ravenna," said the Elf woman as she wasn't too happy with being here on Valinor. "If Rovadra were still alive, he would've stayed with you."
"Rovadra is dead from the same disease that plagues all humanoids in which it ate him up inside from the bottom. Cancer is a plague on the body and it can happen to anyone. As for my purpose in the Medical Corps, I'll do what I can just to be called here to assist Kotori, who took up residence here."
"Kotori… It's been years since I saw her, but after what General Wetzel did to her, she hasn't recovered from that rape in which she left the Medical Corps in disgrace."
"According to the Order, she was reinstated and active in which she is staying here while Reuben is in the mantle of Medic General of the Medical Corps after Kazuo's passing."
The family led by Ravenna made their way inside the castle as Tansu and I followed them inside. The family itself was care-worn as they went through a loss in which I noticed a wedding ring on Ravenna's finger. I also noticed a wedding band on another finger as it denoted that it belonged to her husband before his passing, but she wore it for a different reason, for she wanted to honor his memory after all the heartache that she had.
"Welcome to the castle," I said.
"I've come here at the behest of Kotori Midorikawa," said Ravenna. "I know that I wanted to come here alone and write through correspondence, but my mother didn't want me to travel alone."
"It's forbidden for women to travel alone on Essos," said the Elf woman. "If the Caliph saw one woman travelling alone, he would punish her by giving her ten lashes."
"You could've stayed on Esssos instead of coming with me and bringing the kids."
It wasn't long until we spotted Dean entering the castle as he was seeing Ravenna and her family come here while he came to collect Tansu. Still, he was reeling from Magda's death as he was finding it harder to move on in which I spotted the wedding ring that was around his neck. I had a feeling that he vowed to never marry again as he also swore revenge against Jacob Doran for ending Magda's life, for this was something that continued to gnaw at him.
"I'm not too happy with you," he said as he was staring at Tansu. "You took off with one of our guns shooting dummy bullets and for what? By wanting to become a hunter at your age?!"
"You shouldn't yell at her like that, Dean," said Ravenna. "She's young, but she can't be playing with guns at her age like Hit Girl."
"Ravenna Namdar… It seems that you're far away from Essos, but I bet that Rovadra must be worrying sick about you when you got called here."
"Rovadra's dead," said the Elf woman in a stern tone. "He died from stage four prostate cancer two years ago and Ravenna's been struggling to keep all of us afloat after the fall of the Executive Division six months ago."
"Margo McLaren… You just had to come along to nag all the time."
"Dean Winchester… From what I gathered, you've become a target by the Rakuen Priesthood after they heard about Magda's death. And do you know who was selected to marry you? My own daughter who came here after her husband's death! I won't let you marry her, you hear me?! Doing so would dishonor Rovadra's memory! It's best that you don't wed again so that Magda won't haunt you!"
Dean ended up backing off as he also didn't want to meddle with Ravenna's affairs when it came to not wanting to take another spouse. Even though he wanted to bring back Tansu just to be back at the base in the Dabb Mountains on Shiganshina, he saw an image of Magda in the distance as she was dressed in a white kimono. He was desperate to resurrect her so that he could have a family again as he wanted to summon a Crossroads demon to do so, even if his soul would be dragged towards Hell. He wanted Magda back in his life again as he went outside to the beach in which he wanted to summon a demon until he noticed an image of a Draaza man sobbing, for he was saddened by what happened to him.
"Why, Ravenna?" he said as he choked out a sob. "Why must you torture yourself after losing me?"
"Hey!" yelled Dean as he rushed towards the Draaza man. "You okay?"
"It's not fair that you endured after I left you alone with our children. If only you had someone who shared your pain and heartache…"
Dean was wanting to console the crying Draaza as he was stopped by a Reaper who was there to collect the one who was heavily distraught. The Reaper himself was dressed in goth clothing as he had blue lipstick and piercings complete with a black mohawk on his head. He was ready to bring the crying Draaza man away from the beach as he had his reasons to do so, for it was his job to bring him to the Grey Havens.
"Time to go, Rovadra," he said.
"But what about Ravenna? What about our kids and mother-in-law?" he said as he had tears in his eyes. "I want them to be happy and move on so they wouldn't hold onto my memory too much."
"I heard your mother-in-law barring Ravenna to marry against in which she thinks that it would dishonor your memory. There will be someone at the behest of his own spouse to claim her, for she was demanding that he would take solace and marry Ravenna and seek justice for what happened in the Dabb Mountains on Shiganshina."
"Let's hope that he does…"
"Come on, let's go. Jack is waiting for us…"
And so, Rovadra went with the Reaper as he was on his way to the Grey Havens. Still, he was relieved that Ravenna would move on as he came up there to where he saw many castles surrounded by pristine waters. He was home up there as he also wanted Ravenna to be happy, for it was his final wish to her after all. Even Dean was watching in the distance as he never expected the fallen Draaza to allow Ravenna to move on, for this was unexpected for him right now. When he was about to go back to the castle, he saw Magda standing in front of him as she wasn't too happy with him for not marrying again after her death, for she didn't want him to act cranky all the time.
"Hello, Dean," she said to him.
"Magda…," he said as he was stunned to see her.
"I'm not too happy with you right now."
"Look, after what that asshat did to you by cutting you open and taking Rory out of your womb, I'm making my point clear not to marry again!"
"What about Ravenna? She lost her husband after he was suffering from stage four prostate cancer two years ago and she still has to raise their boys. She needs you, Dean, and you need her. Don't turn her away."
"Yeah, but I'm gonna have some stiff opposition in the form of her mother, Margo. She doesn't want Ravenna to marry again so she won't dishonor her husband's memory and we all know that the McLaren Clan forbids anyone to take another spouse after they either died or ended up getting divorced from them. That Elven clan forbids their family members to marry again for a lot of reasons and I won't get involved."
"If you don't marry Ravenna, then I'll make your life a living hell by haunting you! You can't run from this, Dean. You can't get away from this in which you'll end up in a neverending spiral of pain and grief. And from what I heard from Jack, you even disappeared from your unit, made a mess in the Impala, and even drank your sorrows in bars! No wonder Sam got pissed off at you for going down a downward spiral of pain, grief, and guilt. I may no longer be living, but I can't stand to see you suffer like this. You have to move on, Dean! You have to have closure or else you'll never be able to go to the Grey Havens when you die. Let me go, for I'll be waiting up there for you again. You can't be sad forever, you know."
Dean saw Magda leave up there in the Grey Havens as he had to move on after suffering too much pain and grief. Still, he was ready to let go of what he once had as he was about to go into a much bigger obstacle in the form of Ravenna's mother, Margo. He heard stories about the McLaren Clan and their practices about forcing their family members never to remarry in which they also believed in superstition instead of the happiness in some of those who have lost their spouses. It was something that he tried to steer clear of, but fate decided to intervene in a favor that he didn't agree with.
When he went inside of the castle, he noticed Ravenna in the dining area as she was talking to Tansu and the other children. Her own children were with her, but they were shielded by Margo, who didn't want them to socialize with those who didn't have McLaren blood in their veins. Dean had stiff competition as he had to contend with Margo and her reasons to keep the tradition of forcing Ravenna never to marry again alive. By the time he collected Tansu, he was on his way to the room with the red rubber ball as they were eager to go back to Shiganshina, for they had better things to do other than get in the crosshairs of Margo's wrath.
"I heard that you lost your temper," he said.
"I only wanted to stay on the hunter's path instead of being with the other kids who do nothing but play with Barbies," said Tansu.
"You can't go down that path unless you become a little older than what you are. I decided to study to become a hunter when I was your age in which I didn't want to play with Sam for a while, only to get scolded by Cynthia. After Sam and I left for Gehenna, all he wanted me to do was to study more, hang out with my comrades more, and to be the best of the best. And do you know what he did over the years? He kept being a servant under the foot of Sylvanus in which he had his ass handed to him on a daily basis."
"He must've been humble all the time."
"That's why he often scolds people instead of using violence against them."
"We ought to report back to the base anyway…"
And so, Dean and Tansu closed the door behind them as they returned to the base in the Dabb Mountains on Shiganshina. When they went into the elevator to where it was, they stopped towards the cemetery as they were paying respects to Magda as they noticed the flowers near her grave. He thought about her for a while as he also vowed to avenge her death after that tragic attack. When he went inside of the base, he saw Tansu looking at the t-shirt that he won for Magda as it was the same one that the words, "Raise the Steaks!" plastered in red letters. He stared at that shirt as it also reminded him of how Magda wore it in which she even wore it to bed. When he returned to his room, he sat down on the bed as he looked at the pocketwatch that I left behind during my abduction six months ago in which he wanted to give it back to me. Still, he would use the room with the red rubber ball again to visit, but not right now as he didn't want to go toe-to-toe with Margo and her opposition to seeing Ravenna wed to him, for she didn't want her to do so just to uphold the traditions that were starting to become outdated and stale. It was better that way as Dean was clutching at Magda's wedding ring that he wore around his neck, for he vowed never to marry again…
Ravenna was in the infirmary wing as she was starting to get used to her job here as one of the members of the Medical Corps. After moving here, she wasn't too happy with Margo and her constant interference in her life as she wanted to work without having any problems. Ever since Rovadra's death, she was widowed with her two sons as she was doing her best to keep herself afloat. She even wanted to leave Essos alone, but was forbidden to do so, no thanks to her mother intervening all the time. When she went into her office, she sat down at her desk as she turned on the radio in which she was listening to one of her favorite bands, for she wanted to unwind in private.
"Good morning, Skald Island!" said the announcer on the radio. "Today is a balmy eighty-two degrees and not towards a hundred yet, which is good. And to start the day off on this hour we have the music of Queen playing first, followed by AC/DC, Nirvana, and so much more!"
Ravenna heard the song, "We Will Rock You," playing on the radio as she was glad to hear that instead of hearing her mother constantly nagging and berating her all the time. For a Draaza, she was beautiful as she had a pink comb and blue eyes complete with a pair of earrings that she wore while dressed in a white tunic, which denoted the usual attire that the Medical Corps wore. For the record, her mother, Margo, was an Elf with pink hair and blue eyes as she was also the same as her in which she prides herself as part of the McLaren Clan and the traditions they uphold. When she was ready to look into some medical files, she heard the door open as she saw Margo coming into her office without warning, for she didn't want her to do anything outside their inner circle whatsoever.
"You're not wearing your husband's wedding band, are you?" she said as she pointed it out on Ravenna's finger. "You can't dishonor his memory like that as if he hadn't existed at all."
"It's in my desk, Mum," she said.
"Then you better get it out and put it back on and leave it on. If Rovadra saw you not honoring his memory, he would punish you by having you placed in a coffin and taken out into the sea."
"I can't be widowed forever, Mum, and you can't make me stay single while Revata and Rohidra don't have a father after he died from prostate cancer two years ago. I also find that I've been paired with the captain of the Hunter Corps' seventh squad after he lost his wife, for he can't be alone forever."
"No! We are members of the McLaren Clan and we follow the traditions of not marrying again after the deaths of our spouses. Do you know what will happen if you did that? Your new spouse will be turned to stone if you did that. It happened to your uncle Jaden in which his new wife and newborn son were turned to stone in which it kept him from pursuing another spouse again. Besides, it's best to be widowed and single instead of dishonoring your husband's memory."
"How dare you keep me from my happiness?! You can't be meddling in my affairs forever, Mum! As for those so-called 'traditions,' most of our clan have gotten fed up with them in which they wanted change after Uncle Jaden took his life after his second wife and baby turned to stone and his daughter was left in the care of Aunt Lavinia. Those traditions to keep us from marrying again after the deaths of our spouses have gotten outdated and stale in which they can't continue. Therefore, if I'm bound to marry the captain of the Hunter Corps' seventh squad, then so be it. It's my life, not yours!"
Margo left the office in disgust as she was outdone by Ravenna's resolve. All she wanted was to make sure that her daughter adhered to the waning traditions, but to no avail. When she saw Reiko coming into the infirmary wing with Samantha and Mary-Rose, she was determined to keep everyone away from Ravenna as she was off limits to those outside the circles of the McLaren Clan. No, she didn't want Ravenna to contact anyone at all as she also wanted her to be secluded and not do her job, for she wanted her to honor the memory of her late husband."
"My daughter won't be seeing any patients today," she said.
"But Kotori wanted her here," said Reiko.
"Ravenna can only tend to family members, not the whole stock."
"Really? A member of the Medical Corps tends to everyone, not just those in their inner circle," said Cynthia as she was carrying a cart full of snacks. "I know who you are, Margo McLaren, but you treat your daughter like a trained poodle instead of a humanoid being that is dedicated to her work in the Medical Corps."
"And what about you, Cynthia MacVicker? You're just a stepmother to that oaf in the Hunter Corps."
"For your information, this 'wicked stepmother' is determined to protect this family in which I have a rifle that shoots salt rounds so badly that every single monster ends up shitting out pretzels. As for your daughter's happiness, you should back off instead of keeping her locked away. Besides, no one should be lonely forever. It's not healthy to do so."
Cynthia left with the cart of snacks as Margo was left reeling from her words. When she looked at the door to Ravenna's office, she was ready to block it, but she didn't expect Reiko to walk past her with Samantha and Mary-Rose in tow. They were in for a checkup anyway as they also wanted to welcome Ravenna to the family, for she was in need of a healthy inner circle instead of a toxic one that Margo kept putting her into. When Reiko entered into Ravenna's office, she saw her listening to Queen on the radio as she was also looking at the medical files on her desk, for this was an encounter that couldn't be forgotten right now.
"It's a relief that someone else other than my mum is in here today," said Ravenna.
"I only wanted for the girls to have their checkup," said Reiko.
"I've got my medical tools at my disposal, for we all need to have a checkup."
It wasn't long until Ravenna opened up her medical bag as she took out her stethoscope to listen to the sounds from the girls. She loved being a doctor in the Medical Corps as she was making sure that Samantha and Mary-Rose were in good shape. After she put her stethoscope away, she was checking up on the rest of their health as they were good to go, for they were very patient with her.
"Everything else is good," she said.
"I'm so grateful that they're getting their checkup," said Reiko.
"At least I'm not under my mum's watchful eye all the time because I would rather focus on my job than be shielded by her all the time. She even hides my sons from everyone because they need to be separate from the other kids. What I also prefer is that she needs to stop adhering to the so-called 'traditions' that have caused headaches for the rest of the McLaren Clan in which most of the family members say that they have been outdated since Uncle Jaden's suicide."
"I'm so sorry…"
"My other uncle, Edmund, deemed the suicide of Uncle Jaden to be the last straw in which he decided to scrap the tradition of our clan to never marry again after the death of one's spouse. All I want is to marry again without being under the microscope all the time. As for the spouse that the Rakuen Priesthood picked for me, he's been going through a rough patch after the death of his wife at the hands of Jacob Doran."
"I heard all about it… Brother is not doing too well in which Sammy spotted him drinking his sorrows away in a bar and made a mess in the Impala."
"Alcohol can do that to you, but you can't depend on it forever or else it will ruin you from the inside. I grew up on Essos in which alcohol is forbidden on that planet."
"Sammy forbids it here because he had a bad experience with it once when he had some Black Speech shoved down his throat. He nearly died from it, but he also had a hangover from it instead of an early grave for a Terran."
"Consider himself lucky."
"Ravenna!"
It wasn't long until Margo burst into Ravenna's office as she was not too happy with Reiko and the girls being in there. All she wanted for her was to tend to those in her inner circle as she simply glared at Reiko for coming into the office with the girls. In Margo's eyes, she viewed everyone who wasn't related with McLaren blood to be underneath them as she also had her reasons to keep everyone in her clan isolated. At a standpoint, Ravenna had a rebellious nature as she inherited it from her uncle, Edmund, in which he helped to raise her at the McLaren homestead on Essos. Still, Margo leaned to the outdated traditions in her family as she would stop at nothing to prevent Ravenna from marrying again, for she adhered to such stale methods that have been scrapped for years.
"Why aren't you treating people in your inner circle?" she asked.
"I'm only conducting a checkup, that's all, Mum," said Ravenna.
"Your sons need your aid more than the vermin who live on this island."
"Those 'vermin' happen to be people who need a good doctor."
"And you refuse to follow the tradition of never marrying again in which your future spouse will suffer a terrible fate. As for your assistance with Kotori, you will only treat me and your sons, not everyone else. You think you can make the decisions on your own, but I am the one who deems what's best for you. All good children must listen to and trust their parents, which you haven't been doing."
"You can't make the decisions for your daughter forever," said Reiko as she was defending Ravenna from Margo's criticism. "She has every right to live for herself and her children. If you continue to force her to never marry again or shield her and your grandchildren, they will eventually turn against you if you don't give them room to breathe. Even the kindness of strangers can be stronger than being forced into isolation, for it is considered to be a choking hazard to the mind."
Margo left the room in disgust as she left Ravenna alone while she was listening to the radio that pumped out classic rock on repeat. Reiko's words cut like a diamond scalpel as she left the infirmary wing and straight into her own quarters in which she closed the door behind her. She was looking at a picture of her family as she had happier times before her brother's suicide. Even though her older brother scrapped the traditions that her clan made, they ended up doing more harm than good, but she refused to budge in which she followed them to a tee. What she didn't expect was that her quarters ended up getting arctic cold as she began to shiver in which she saw something flickering in the distance. She never believed in the existence of ghosts until she saw Magda standing in front of her. She was desperate to give Margo a warning as she couldn't let her leave the room the moment she saw the door close tightly, for the ghost wasn't having it.
"You're not real!" she yelled. "You're a trick of the light!"
"Do I look like a trick of the light?" said Magda as she refused to budge.
"You're fake, I tell you! Fake!"
"No, I'm very much real, but I'm here to give you a rude awakening in which your daughter suffers on the same plane as my husband. All I'm hearing is that your brother isn't too happy with you after he told me about the so-called 'traditions' that most of your clan follow so they were forbidden to take another spouse again. I also heard your son-in-law bitching about how you keep hounding your daughter and her kids for every small thing outside your circle. You can't bar Ravenna from seeking happiness after the death of her husband and you can't bar Dean from claiming her, either. Ravenna's husband died from prostate cancer and I was murdered while my killer took Rory out of me when he cut me open. And do you know what happened after that? Dean took off in which he was unable to process the grief all because he wanted vengeance against the man who killed me. If Sam hadn't found him, it would've gotten worse. Even the Impala was a mess when he resorted to cleaning up all the garbage in it. As for the man who killed me, he's out there in which his group is considered to be dangerous. They hate other humanoid beings in which they believe that any other human who marries someone that doesn't look like them is considered to be a traitor of humanity. As for Dean's plight, he's hurting inside, but he can't be a widower forever. He has our kids to take care of in which they need a mother and Ravenna is suitable for the job."
"Leave my daughter out of it! She will never marry again!"
"Oh, really? And you think that forcing her to wear her late husband's wedding band will keep her from marrying again, but it'll backfire. You shouldn't keep her imprisoned by those so-called 'traditions' that your clan tossed out, for they've gotten old and stale. And another thing, you should let your daughter find happiness instead of hampering her efforts or else she won't be able to trust you again, is that clear?"
Margo saw Magda disappear as she noticed the room returning to normal. She never expected to see a ghost in front of her until now as she was given a warning not to interfere with Ravenna's personal life, for there would be consequences if that happened. When she left her quarters, she saw her with Reiko and the girls as they were going out of the infirmary wing. Even though she still clinged to her clan's outdated traditions, she was worried about the warning that Magda gave her in which she was afraid of being haunted for the rest of her life, for she was backing away for now…
I was outside still checking up on the dinner that was slowly cooking in the pit as I later opened it up to see our meal. The sight of the roasted boar with all the seasonings was more than just done as I lifted our meal up with the help of a lever to hoist it up before I closed the lid of the pit. It wasn't long until I spotted Tansu again as she knelt in front of me, for she was now aware of how I went through hell over the years.
"I'm sorry for my behavior, Sam," she said.
"It's okay," I said.
"I know that it's not my business, but Deanie's been feeling more sad when he's alone."
"I know that feeling in which Magda's death affected him so badly."
"It was that scumbag with the suit that's impervious to gunfire and blades. He killed Magda and took Rory out of her in which Deanie went and used his diamond form to cut his face with. He lived and fled with his group, but I know that he's still out there hurting people."
"And that is why you leave the hunting to the adults. As for Dean, I hope that Desna sets him straight and not let him go off the rails again. He's been through too much already. All he needs is both justice and closure if he wants to move on."
It wasn't long until Ravenna was outside as she had her children with her. All three were wanting to have dinner like the rest of us as they also spotted Tansu there with me. Even the other children in our care saw her to have a change of heart in which she had no choice put to take a backseat on hunting and play with the other children. Still, she needed to have a healthy form of play instead of trying to go down the hunter's path. I was also impressed that she steered away from the guns for now as she even walked towards Zia and gave her a hug. With everyone ready to share and eat their fill of dinner, it was normal as it got as we were ready to be here as a family, for we had a lot to get through first…
Dean was outside in the hot pond as he was soaking away after all that has happened. Still, life without Magda was sad for him as he also wanted to strangle Doran for what he did to her. With his fist clenched, he wanted justice for Magda's death as he vowed to take down her killer and his group, but not yet. When he saw Desna getting into the hot pond, he was soaking as he also didn't want him going off the rails, for he suffered too much already.
"You seem depressed, Captain," he said.
"It's 'cause Magda's not there," said Dean as he was trying not to let the sadness get to him. "As for what Doran did to her, his ass is grass!"
"You can get him at another time, Captain, but for now, I suggest that you take a trip to Valinor and get to know Ravenna instead of avoiding her."
"Well, Mommy Dearest won't let her come near me because she doesn't want her dishonoring the memory of her late husband. For the record, I won't marry again, for I also want justice for Magda. It's the most I can do, isn't it?"
"You can't run from your fate forever, Captain. In the end, the gods and the Matriarch will intervene into bringing you together with Ravenna soon enough, for no one is meant to be lonely forever."
"I just hope that you're right…"
Dean continued to soak in the hot pond as he saw an image of Magda in the distance. Still, the sting of her death hit him in the gut as he vowed to get rid of Doran and his group, but now wasn't the time to do so as he needed to have more resolve when it came to having a whole family again. It would be a hard process for him, but he had to do his part if he wanted to move on, for he couldn't be lonely forever...
To be continued...