Chapter 6: "Success over death"

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At such a sight, my heart seemed to contract with pain...

Son was lying on his bed; his skin was a pale, sickly tone. His long black hair that reached to his waist seemed to be only a shadow of its former self, for instead of beautiful and groomed, it was completely disheveled. His black eyes were profound and held a strange calm about the situation, while on his usually indifferent and cold face his lips had curved into a slight smile.

Muscles, bones, tendons, ligaments, organs and every part of his body had atrophied. Son could no longer stand on his own, rarely leaving his room. He received our visits every day, Dýnalo and Adaphia often spent entire days with him even though they had a busy schedule.

Still, Son continued to enjoy what little he had, staring out the window for hours, reading books, and even writing poems; the latter of which was new to us. He would often use the magical artifact in his room to summon a servant, who would help him with any of his tasks, whether it was bringing him a book, food, papers, or ink—sometimes even helping him walk around the castle.

While I had kept silent, Son's lips parted, "Good morning, Mother... It's really good to see you," said Társalo, keeping that smile on his face.

At such words, I burst into tears… They began to flow down my face while I went up to his bed and gave him a tight hug.

My heart ached with guilt... It had been more than 2 years since Son had matured and, during the last year, I had hardly been near him.

Son has been in terrible shape for months, getting worse and worse until, a few weeks ago, he finally couldn't get out of bed on his own...

During that time, I kept experimenting. My husband always helped me, but he did have time to go with Társalo, while I… I left him alone... And still, I could not find the solution I longed for! I am not even able to save my own son!!

My sobs were clearly audible, but two weak arms returned my tight embrace. "Mother... I want to thank you... Thank you for giving me life. Thank you for taking care of me as much as you could... You are the most decisive person I know, and I am filled with pride to think that I am your son."

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My weak arms embraced Mother, it hurt me to see her crying like this...

I looked up at my family. They were all present, both Father and Mother, Brother and Sister…

I couldn't help but let out a sigh.

Today was supposed to be my last day according to Mother's calculations… And in her own words, this was the time she most wished to be wrong.

"Father... Thank you for everything. Just like Mother did, you gave me life and looked for time where there was none so you could spend it by my side... You have been a great king, but you also didn't sacrifice your position as husband or as father... I couldn't be happier to have been born because of you."

Father's gaze was darkened, and I could notice how a few tears escaped from his eyes, flowing slowly.

After my words, Father approached Mother, supporting her to lift her up. "My dear... You should get up, we all feel the same way as you do, but... I'm sure Társalo wants to see us as we are in his last moments...", Father's voice echoed, clearly containing his pain but trying to remain strong.

Mother nodded in response, the sobs slowly subsiding as Father embraced her, stroking the back of her head.

The sight certainly warmed my heart… Mother was a truly decisive and efficient person while working. When I had the opportunity to watch her experimenting, I was fascinated. I could never imagine that someone could have so much dedication to something; her attitude gave a radical change... That probably was where Sister's intense personality came from.

However, in daily life, she was a great woman. She was very kind, and every action of hers had great grace and elegance. I never saw her burst out in anger or say swear words, unlike when she was working, since in those moments nothing less than perfection could satisfy her.

As I looked towards Brother, he was still trying to smile, evidently holding back his emotions.

"Brother… Do you remember when we used to play knights? I always tried to avoid it, but now… I wish those times would come back... You are someone charismatic, you make anyone you meet smile and laugh, making them feel as if they were in their own home… You are a wonder and I'm certain that you will be a great monarch in the future; not even the Great Star will be able to pale your personality... Thanks for always taking care of me; thanks for always being there even though I tried to push you away; and thanks for trying to make me have the best present and future possible."

I could notice how brother's fists clenched, gripping his clothes tightly, but he still smiled even wider. "... That's what I'm here for, Brother...! I couldn't call myself your big brother if I didn't do that... That's the least I can do!"

Ah... If only I could have spent more time with him... At first, I saw him as someone annoying. I tried to avoid him, since in my eyes he was just a kid as I had reincarnated... I wish I hadn't been so stupid, so blind...

Last, but certainly not least, I looked at Sister. Her eyes clearly held tears, her body seemed to be extremely tense, and I was sure she wanted to hit something right now.

"Sister... Since we were little, you always came with Brother and me to play. You wielded any weapon with impressive ease, leaving me on the ground in any game and even sometimes beating Brother, even though he is three years older than you... Knowing you, I know you will be the best general our kingdom has ever seen in its history, not only as a great strategist, but also with a great power of your own. Your leadership talent is unquestionable, for everywhere you go your personality and body command respect from anyone who sees you... And, yet, you are someone sensitive; with empathy. Cruelty has never been one of your characteristics..."

Sister gritted her teeth, trying not to clench her fists. I'm sure if she did, she'd end up bleeding from how much strength she had...

But, I couldn't stop my smile from widening some more. "With a great monarch as Brother, Sister as a great commander and Father and Mother being here to advise you... I will leave knowing that the future of this kingdom is radiant...", I said slowly, there wasn't much sadness in my voice.

I had some regrets, of course, but... honestly, I think I will leave quite peacefully, being surrounded by my family and knowing that they will have a great life ahead of them... It's... a good death...

As I looked at my dear family, I started to feel tired, really tired...

Heh, heh... This brings back some memories... It's like when I was a fetus, when my eyes were slowly closing while there was nothing I could do...

Back then, there was only darkness and the warmth of the amniotic fluid. But now, as my eyes closed, the warmth I felt came from my family, and my heart seemed to burn at the thought of them.

But... time spares no one...

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The two chasms of Társalo's face began to close, and as they were about to do so, they opened one last time, staring at his brother Dýnalo. This was his last effort before his eyes closed again...

Silence seemed to take over the world, but it didn't last long before it was broken.

Beloved ran to Társalo, whose eyes were already shut. She began to shake him lightly, calling his name, but there was no reaction.

I wanted to check if Társalo was still alive, but I… I was afraid... I was terrified to know the truth...

With difficulty, I used an investigation spell to check Társalo's condition…

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Dead...

Son... was dead...

I walked over to Beloved, who was still trying to wake Társalo up, and hugged her tightly... Not only to support her, but also to comfort myself.

When she noticed my hug, she finally understood what had happened. Even though she was sure of it, she still couldn't believe it...

"... No... No... No, no... This… This can't be...", I could hear Beloved's voice; it was soft and weak, but then she started sobbing and crying; her wailing seemed to come from deep inside her soul; her voice was constantly breaking while a cascade of tears fell from her eyes.

Hearing that was the straw that broke the camel's back... My heart twisted in pain, and I fell to my knees next to my dear. The tears couldn't be held back. I felt a big lump in my throat and a great pressure in my chest...

Our moans echoed all over the place. I wanted to get up and try to comfort my beloved, but I didn't even have the strength to take care of myself or even to act strong... So our desperate embrace was the only thing that allowed us to feel some warmth after this bucket of cold water...

One of my arms reached out, touching Társalo's hand. It was still warm, but this was like a mere illusion...

A hand rested on mine, pulling it away from Társalo's. As I looked up a little, I saw Dýnalo, who began to grasp my hand tightly.

His face showed his suffering clearly, his eyes were reddened, his limbs were trembling, but, even so, he was still standing...

I wanted to speak to him, but nothing came out of my mouth.

Then I heard a door slam, and by the time I realized it, I noticed that Daughter had run out of the room...

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It had been nine days since then... The pain still lingered as I remembered.

After that, I felt like I had lost a part of myself... As if a part of my soul had been taken away.

Both my dear and I were down in the dumps during the first days, and honestly, it hadn't changed. The only difference was that we continued with our duty and work... For our children, the people residing in the kingdom, and in honor of Társalo, we had to carry on.

Letters from other nearby kingdoms came to our court, all full of sympathy and condolences, but all of them were just empty words in our eyes.

These letters were only for cordiality, as I was aware that none of the rulers of other nations felt any sorrow for this situation; in fact, I knew that many of them felt joy, derision, disdain, and calm... Some out of malice, and others for the disappearance of a potential enemy that would obstruct them in the future.

Only the condolences that my officers and most trusted people gave me in person were true. After so long, I had learned to differentiate who was lying and who was not, and this only reaffirmed that these were people I could count on.

One of the few positive things right now was that the family was closer than ever, at least for the most part... Dýnalo was spending as much time with us as possible, which was certainly something that Beloved and I appreciated.

On the other hand... Adaphia spent most of her time locked in her room...

She only came out to eat, and sometimes she didn't even do that.

The few times I had seen her outside her room, her face had a forced mask of indifference... It was clear that she was suffering a lot, but... I didn't know how I should support her... Dýnalo was the only one who entered her room. We asked him numerous times about Adaphia.

Certainly, she had been greatly affected by these circumstances... I could not blame her... But I could no longer allow this.

I stopped dead in my tracks, staring at the door.

Adaphia's room...

As a father, I cannot allow my daughter to be in this state... I must do everything I can to help her.

My hand, trembling, rose and after a few seconds of hesitation, I knocked on the door three times.

"Adaphia, it's me... May I come in?", I said, raising my voice so she would hear me, but trying not to sound intimidating or imperative; I didn't want to make her feel worse.

Hm...

Won't you open the door...?

The seconds were ticking by. The first minute since I knocked was approaching.

Worry was creeping up on me... I couldn't hold it in any longer.

I grabbed the doorknob and opened the door. The room was dark as the curtains were closed.

I entered the room somewhat agitated, my eyes began to get used to the gloom.

I heard no voice questioning my trespassing, nor did I witness the sight of Adaphia.

As I began to look around the room more carefully, I noticed something on the bed.

As I got closer, I knew what my eyes were seeing...

Adaphia was on the bed, her eyes closed, and a page lay in her hand.

I put a hand on her side, shaking her, trying to wake her up, but it was to no avail.

An icy cold emanated from deep inside my body, quickly chilling me completely.

My hand, even more shaky than before, grabbed the sheet. Looking over it, I knew it was one of Tarsalo's poems.

I couldn't take it any longer, I conjured up the same investigative magic with which I checked Tarsalo's condition...

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2,339 words.