Erza, unable to sleep, had wandered to Irene's door. Her heart clenched at the sound of Irene's cries. She stood outside, listening to the soft whimpers of her mother's guilt. She wanted to comfort Irene, but her own emotions held her back. She was scared herself, scared of the thought of seeing Irene's empty eyes looking at her. She doesn't want to see her pained expression as it would hurt her even more as she was helpless and couldn't do anything but watch her suffer. She was just a fake daughter, an adopted one. She could never replace Irene's real daughter, the one Irene truly longed for. The one and only child Irene truly loved. Irene's beloved daughter, the child for whom she should be grateful; if it weren't for her absence, she was certain Irene wouldn't take pity on an orphan like her. Irene would never think of taking her under her wing to console her unknowingly grieving heart of her daughter's absence. She sighed and slumped to the floor, leaning against the door as she waited for Irene's cries to subside.

"How cruel," she thought to herself as she realized her emotions.

Minutes stretched into an hour, and finally, there was silence. Gathering her courage, Erza decided to enter. She tiptoed as she struggled to reach the door knob. Raising herself, she finally managed to make the door click. Please let her be asleep; she prayed as the door gently creaked to open. A sigh of relief escaped her lips when she realized it did not wake her.

The room was dimly lit, and Irene slumped on the floor beside her bed. Her faint sobs finally quieted into heavy, uneven breaths. She stepped closer and saw Irene's tear-streaked face. She balled her hands as she dared to grab a blanket, placing it on her shoulders. She knew Irene was a light sleeper, so it was a bad idea, but Erza still decided to do it, hoping to share some warmth over her cold and aching form. To her surprise, Irene was still in her deep slumber. The weight of the blanket did not wake her; Irene was so exhausted that even this small gesture didn't stir her.

She looks so peaceful and lonely at the same time. Erza thought to herself, marveling at her serene face. Erza knelt beside her and bit her lips as her gaze traced back the strains of tears in her cheeks. She turned to wipe them away with the handkerchief in her pocket, but her hand froze midway. She felt no right to console Irene.

"To think that your body grieved despite your lost memories over her death each night... You must've loved your daughter so deeply, Lady Irene," she whispered to her sleeping form.

Just who do I think I am to comfort Lady Irene? She asked herself as she felt like an impostor, a shadow of Irene's daughter. How ungrateful am I? She thought as she realized she was lavishing herself with love that wasn't meant for her. Everything was meant for Irene's lost daughter, and Erza can never ever have any place in Irene's heart to replace her beloved daughter.

"I don't think you ever killed her," she continued, her lips trembling as she bit back her tears, tightening her grasp on the handkerchief.

She wanted so desperately to be the source of comfort Irene needed, but she knew the futility of such thoughts. Her heart twisted painfully in her chest, making it hard to breathe. It felt suffocating, even though she knew she could breathe perfectly fine. Unable to bring herself to wipe away Irene's tears, Erza retreated the handkerchief back into her pocket. She slumped to the floor, leaning against the side of the bed, slowly crawling her hands to Irene's limp ones, hoping to hold it. She paused again and instead turned to her face and closed her eyes as she listened to the soft, steady breathing of her mother. Can't I be just her? She pleaded as she closed her eyes. She should be grateful for whoever her daughter was, but she was more interested in the idea of replacing her as Irene's daughter. She felt sick at her own thoughts, and she rose to her feet. I am more of a monster myself than Lady Irene. I don't deserve her. She thought to herself as she backed away and left without a word.

As the door closed softly behind Erza, Irene's breath hitched, her body trembling as she tried to contain her bitter cries. The new raw emotion overwhelming her body made her clutch her chest.

"I don't think you ever killed her,"

Hearing those words from the child whom she declared as her daughter consoled Irene in a way she hadn't felt in centuries. It was as if the blade that had been thrust into her chest was finally being pulled out, relieving her of the guilt that had been eating her alive for so long. The thought that Erza believed in her, despite the vividness of her horrendous memories, brought her a measure of peace she hadn't thought possible.

"To think that your body grieved despite your lost memories over her death each night..."

Irene had been awake the whole time, aware of her hesitant attempts to comfort her. She grasped the white sheets, feeling a strange solace over the blanket the child had wrapped on her. It was the consolation she had waited for, for hundreds of years. The two-century-old grief of her lost memory seemed to ease, if only slightly, at the words and presence of the child who had come to mean so much to her.

"You must've loved your daughter so deeply, Lady Irene."

Hearing the words loved, and daughter in a single sentence felt ironic yet comforting at the same time. The tears continued to kiss her wan face, but this time, she felt eerily at peace hearing those words giving her fragile false hopes. She knew Erza had no idea how horrible being she was, but the thought of her words consoling her aching heart, wrapping it with warmth and peace, made her feel at ease. For once, after recovering those memories, the suffocating self-loathing was quieted, and she heard nothing but silent echoes of the child's words replaying like a broken record.

"You must've loved your daughter so deeply, Lady Irene."

As Erza returned to her room, she noticed a shadow moving swiftly down the hallway. Curious, she followed it, and it led her to Heine's room. Her eyes widened seeing the archmage talking to Heine. She pressed herself against the wall, straining to hear their conversation. She caught snippets about the owl attacking Irene, which caused her to remember those memories. The mention of the owl causing the archmage's magic to be erased made her think of something else. For her, it implied a possibility of manipulating Irene's memories. Her mind raced, and anger bubbled within her with the thought of someone trying to play with Irene's memories to hurt her. How dare they manipulate Lady Irene into thinking that she killed her daughter? She balled her hand into a fist and stepped out of the shadows after they finished talking. He glared, face contorting in annoyance as he saw her blocking his path.

"What are you doing here?"

"I overheard your conversation," Erza replied

"You are such a petty annoyance. You can no longer order me around, child. Irene had long remembered the secret you're trying to keep from her," Charteris said, his voice dripping with irritation as he tried to pass through Erza.

"I heard about the owl attacking Lady Irene. Did you not consider the possibility of her memory being manipulated by magic?" she asked as she stepped in front of him, stopping his tracks as she held his cloak.

"NO," he answered sternly, his voice cold. "Any magic can never manipulate a person's grief and sorrow," he said, remembering the same sorrow that flooded her eyes back in Zonia.

"B-But what if someone can?" she asked, desperation lacing her voice.

"I said no! This is none of your concern," Charteris hissed, grabbing his cloak and forcefully loosening Erza's grasp.

"P-please, hear me out," she pleaded as she tried to catch up with him, her small feet running to keep pace.

"Enough, return to your room this instant!" he insisted, his eyes flaring with anger and frustration.

"I just want to help my m-mother," Erza stammered, hesitating on the last word.

"Mother? You can still call her that?" Charteris responded, his voice laced with disbelief.

"Did you really think you are being helpful to Irene?" He paused, staring at her intently.

Erza's eyes widened, and she took a small step back as she tried to comprehend the words coming from his mouth.

"Did you and your witty head of yours never wonder why I detested your presence around Irene?" he continued, stooping down to her level to look her in the eyes. "The reason is that I feared your presence might trigger Irene's memories of her lost daughter."

Charteris paused, letting his words sink in as he watched Erza's trembling form react to his sharp and blunt words. She tried so hard to hide her quivering lips as soon as tears threatened to well up in her eyes.

"The pain of remembering her beloved daughter is something Irene has struggled with deeply," he said, his voice still icy. "And the sight of you clinging to her like her daughter must have made those memories resurface."

"I-I… didn't know," she whispered, her voice breaking as she looked down, fumbling her hands again, desperately distracting herself from the stinging feeling of her tears.

"Foolish child, did you really think Irene loved you?" he asked before disappearing into thin air.

Erza stood in silence, her heart thumping faster after hearing the bitter truth slapping her small form. Did you really think Irene loved you? She clenched her fists, her nails digging into her palms as the overwhelming sorrow of realization engulfed her. Tears grazed her cheeks as she felt the hot, burning sensation stinging her eyelids. She was indeed foolish. A foolish one hoping to be loved. She knew she had no right to demand Irene to love her, but her foolish heart longed to feel a mother's love at least for once.

"Did you really think Irene loved you?"

It echoed again, and her heart felt as if it were being torn apart. Why can't I be loved? She asked herself as she sank to her knees, clutching her chest as it continued to churn in pain.

In his tower, Charteris stood by the window, staring down at Irene's quarters. He could see the faint glow of light seeping through the curtains. Seeing her desperate reaction earlier had shaken him to his core.

"Did you not consider the possibility of her memory being manipulated by magic?"

Charteris had no idea of the details of Irene's haunted memories as his powers only allowed him to erase what her mind considered as dark memories, purifying them by his holy magic. However, he knew those reactions earlier stemmed from real frustration and sorrow that had been suppressed for a long time. The desperation in her eyes earlier reminded him of a time when she had begged him to end her suffering, to take her life and free her from the grief and sorrow that had wrecked her existence thirty years ago.

"It felt too raw and real to be affected by magic," he thought.

Charteris was more aware than anyone that if there was one thing magic couldn't manipulate, it was the feelings of humans. No spell, no enchantment could truly alter the depth of grief, love, or sorrow any mage could feel. Those emotions were beyond the reach of any magical interference. He leaned back in his chair, running a hand through his hair, and let out a long, weary sigh.

"Damn," he cursed.

Charteris rose from his seat. With a deep breath, he teleported himself to the familiar door of Irene's quarters. The imposing structure loomed before him, and he braced himself for the potential wrath of the Scarlet Moon. Summoning his courage, he knocked gently and then pushed the door open. Irene raised her hand, and Charteris flinched, anticipating the worst. But instead of attacking, her raised hand turned to wrap the blanket on her shoulders as she looked away and bit her lip, seeing his presence. As the door closed between them, she chuckled lightheartedly. Charteris could see the faint tremble in her hand through the corner of his gaze. She grasped her other hand to steady it, her eyes distant as if lost in a memory.

"Erza thought I did not kill her," Irene said softly, her voice tinged with a sad irony.

"It was only natural for her to think that way because she had never seen the worst in me yet." She chuckled once more, devoid of any emotions. "I am the Scarlet Despair, after all. I can kill anyone if I want to,"

"B-but," She paused and closed her eyes as she stammered before him.

"Is it so wrong for me to think that having Erza by my side is some sort of redemption the heavens had graced on me?" she asked, her gaze dropping to her scarred stomach.

"Or is it another mockery? A false hope of redeeming myself as the gods let me meet a child who looked like my d-daughter."

Charteris felt a lump form in his throat as he listened to her. He would rather wish to see her vent her anger on him rather than see this unfamiliar side of her. The raw vulnerability of her words made his heart ache in a way he could not put into words as he stood in silence, losing his eloquence; he did not utter a sound to console or answer her.

Erza clutched her chest in despair, her breath coming in ragged gasps. This time, the tightness in her chest felt unbearable, as if a vice were squeezing her lungs. The more she tried to breathe, the more her lungs ached in pain. She stumbled to her bed, covering herself with the blanket. She sought solace against its warmth as the wind against her skin felt like icy daggers.

"And the sight of you clinging to her like her daughter must have made those memories resurface."

The archmage's words echoed relentlessly in her mind, each syllable ringing with every pulse of her veins. She clutched the blanket, her fingers digging into the fabric as if trying to anchor herself as she buried her face into it. She groaned in pain and turned to bite the sheets in desperation, trying to silence her grunts as her head throbbed with an intensity that made her vision blur in the darkness.

"Make it stop!" she demanded.

Seconds felt like hours, and Erza's panic grew as the ringing in her ears became deafening. Scarlet marks started appearing on her arms, snaking their way up like vines to her entire body. Her breathing became more frantic, and each gasp for air felt more desperate than the last. Clutching her ears to silence the ringing, she shook her head and pleaded for it to stop, as Irene's room was only next to hers.

"Foolish child, did you really think Irene loved you?"

Those words again made her mind go blank. Silence stretched, and her own self-loathing started flooding into her nerves. Why can't I be loved? What was my greatest sin for being born into this world? she asked herself, thoughts running back to when her parents had abandoned her when she was just an infant.

She shivered in fear as she couldn't see anything under the blanket but a mirage of her own self begging people for food. She was nameless, hopeless, crawling, eating the last piece of spoiled food on the streets. Each memory was vivid: the gnawing hunger, the cold nights spent huddled in alleyways, the disdainful glances from passersby who saw her as nothing more than a nuisance, so the thought of Irene's hands helping her felt like her own salvation. Irene had given her a name, a place, and a sense of hope. She had clung to her hand, seeing her as the only light in her world. Irene was her hope, and the main problem with hope was that it made her believe that she meant more to Irene than what she actually did. Hope filled her heart with possibility and the thought—longing and wanting to be loved and cherished as her daughter. She was tricked into thinking that she could covet the most luxurious thing in the world, a mother's love. She imagined moments of warmth her body experienced when she wrapped her hand around her; it was the comfort she had ever wished for. The thought of its illusion cracking before her own eyes made her heart throb loudly as her emotions reached their climax. She opened her eyes, and they gleamed with a fiery scarlet hue. A torrent of pain surged through her, and she let out a blood-curdling scream. The scream echoed throughout the entire room, shattering the silence and everything around her as powerful magic erupted from her entire being. The sheer power of her magic exploded outwards, annihilating everything in her room. The walls cracked and splintered as the air and earth itself seemed to vibrate with the force of her powerful, unstable magic finally revealing itself.

In the adjacent room, Irene and Charteris both sensed the sudden surge of magic. Reacting instinctively, Belserion swiftly contained the outburst within a confined area, preventing the destructive force from spreading further.

Irene's mind went blank as she realized the direction of the room. "Erza!" she shouted in panic as the earth trembled underneath her feet. She ran toward the source of the magic, only to be stopped by another magical barrier. It shimmered in front of her, preventing her from entering the confined space where the scarlet light began to subside.

"Erza!" Irene called out again, her voice filled with desperation as she summoned her magic to undo the barrier.

She could see the remnants of the powerful magic swirling within the disintegrating room. She hissed in frustration as her magic was nullified, her heart sinking. Damn it, my daughter! She clicked her tongue as she banged her fists against the golden barrier in a desperate attempt to reach her daughter. Finally, as the dust and debris began to settle and the golden barrier subsided, Irene wasted no time. She rushed into the room, not caring about the remnants of the powerful and unstable magic that still lingered in the air. Through the haze, Irene spotted a tall cloaked figure holding her unconscious daughter in his arms. Erza's scarlet hair cascaded over his arms, her face utterly pale. The hooded figure held her close, his posture wary of Irene's presence. As Irene's vision cleared, she saw him glance over his shoulder and glare at her angrily.

"This shouldn't have happened if you had never met each other," the cloaked figure said, his voice bitter.

"No!" Irene screamed, summoning her magic to strike him.

A bolt of energy surged from her hand, but before it could reach him, the figure vanished, taking Erza with him. Irene's attack hit the wall behind where the figure had stood, shattering it into rubble. Her heart raced with fear and anger. She fell to her knees, the realization hitting her hard.

"How dare he kidnap my daughter?" she raised her brows, the earth trembling stronger this time.

A/N: Thanks for your reviews, Guest and moonshue (your kind words made my day. Thank you for the support). I had some free time so I thought of posting the next chapter. We're halfway through the story. Thank you for everyone's support. Please leave reviews, I truly appreciate them. Bye.