The Good, The Bad and The In-between

Iris awkwardly smiled, she knew Ian was hurt because of what happened to her, and it would take time for that wound to heal. Azra was their son. Despite the circumstances and how he came to be, that little fact was still set in stone.

" Mother, it is good to see out and about!" Azra broke the silence between the two while approaching them, while Ian's lips twitched at the sound of his voice.

He wasn't willing to let it go, and no matter how much Iris had tried to persuade him otherwise, for him, he saw no point discussing it again.

" Speak of the devil!" Ian sarcastically commented, turning his attention to him.

Azra's expression hardened " Father!" he curtly replied. He had nothing more to say to him; he had apologised countless times and begged forgiveness. The man was stubborn and hell-bent on not letting the matter go.

Ian mustered a smile " I told you not to call me that!" Ian replied in a biting tone and looked the other way gritting his teeth.

" It slipped my mind, Ian!" Azra mocked, making Ian chuckle and turn his attention back to him, displeased at the attitude.

" It seems forgetfulness runs deep in our kind!" he mocked back with a sneer.

Iris sighed " Enough!" she huffed in annoyance; that was not what she had in mind when she pictured a family.

Both men froze in their spot while Azra turned sheepish " Forgive us, mother!" he uttered in a pleading tone while glaring at Ian.

Ian smiled " Forgiveness is earned!" he smirked while he did the same as Azra and glared at him.

" What can I do to earn your forgiveness!" Azra asked sarcastically. He already knew the answer since Ian had made it clear to him repeatedly.

" Die, that is what you can do, but I know you're too selfish to do me that little favour!" he sneered while turning to leave, leaving him alone with Iris.

Iris grabbed him by the sleeve" Ian, you're being unreasonable! We've talked about this, we have more significant problems to deal with, and this isn't helping!" she reasoned, trying to at least get to see the logical side of the matter. She knew his emotions clouded his mind, and for some reason, his hatred towards Azra grew stronger each day, even though she was okay.

Ian closed his eyes and took a deep breath " I know, but the sight of him brings back a lot of ugly memories, and I can't get over the fact that he almost killed you, even if it was unknowingly!" mumbled while looking at the ground.

"It's in the past, Ian! Just let it go! Don't let it consume you and occupy every corner of your mind! You will drown and drag me with you!" she reasoned again. If anyone knew what pain and hatred worked, she was an expert.

" I tried, but every time I see him, everything comes back, and I have no control! " he truthfully stated while looking at Iris from the corner of his eye.

Iris sighed and frowned, wondering why his emotions were so strong, no matter how much she had spoken to him and explained why he couldn't let go unless something else was fueling his hatred.

" Tell me, Ian, what is happening to you?" she wanted to dig deeper. She felt that something wasn't right, he was many things, but this was a bit strange. His bouts of anger were a bit unusual and intense.

" I don't know, but it's dark and stronger than me!" he absently mumbled, raking his hand through his hair and lightly tugging it.

Azra cleared his throat " The blue fire that you summoned that day, it was a bit strange!" and butted in while his eyes darted between Iris and him.

" Blue fire! No, that can't be. You haven't touched the sword since we came here!" she replied in disbelief while looking at Azra, wanting to know more about what happened that day since it was evident that Ian had left out the essential details on purpose.

" What sword?" Azra curiously asked while narrowing his eyes at her, no one mentioned any sword to him, and he had spent his days speaking with Athan about what happened and getting up to date with everything.

" Mirin! It belonged to the previous guardian of the Hollow and can turn anyone who doesn't belong to that realm into a soul collector!" Iris explained while she turned her attention back to Ian, who sat there frozen and looked at the ground deep in thought.

" If you haven't touched it, then I must be too close to you!" she reasoned while looking around, hoping to spot Athan, who took the responsibility of removing the sword from the chamber.

" Find Athan!" she beseeched Azra, standing in front of Ian, who seemed to have distanced himself from the conversation and now was lost in his world.

Azra nodded and left the two in the garden, somewhat relieved that Ian's hatred for him wasn't all him, but it came from something else that he had no control over.

Iris gently caressed his cheek and wrapped her arms around Ian, resting her head against his chest. She knew the sword wouldn't loosen its grip on him so easily. Once one had touched the blade, it bound itself to one's soul and breaking the link would take some time, and she assumed since he hadn't wielded it for that long, the bond between him and the sword wasn't that strong and would eventually break.

Iris looked up at him, and now she was more worried than ever " Why didn't you tell me!" she scolded, now she was feeling annoyed and frustrated at him for keeping secrets from her.

Ian sighed and wrapped his arms around her shoulders " A lot has happened, and I thought it would go away, eventually. As much as I tried to keep the darkness at bay, it keeps coming back stronger than before! I didn't want to add more to your burden" he muttered while resting his cheek on the crown of her head.

Iris listened to Ian and what he was saying, and she knew he was telling the truth. She assumed he was alright since Ian was a good man and didn't like to deceive unless he found that he had no choice.

" Ian, you're wrong, and you should talk to me about what is bothering you or anything for that matter! I want to tell me what you are thinking, don't keep things from me!" she calmly stated while pulling away to look at his troubled expression, she could see the torment in his eyes, and she didn't want him to feel alone in his fight against something much stronger than him.

Ian gulped and nodded " I will from now on!" he uttered in a fading voice, while her eyes shined with hope when she smiled at him.