He opened the door, fear holding down his throat, then there was his father, an almost quiet snore filled the room.

  Caelen made his way into a chair that was beside the bed, he held his father’s hand. It was cold, as if barely clinging to life, his dark hair seemed so brittle and decayed, his skin felt bone-dry.

  Suddenly his face twitched and his eyes slowly opened.

  “Caelen…? Oh,” He slowly sat upright, pulling his blanket down. “Sorry for not greeting you. Last night was just a bit difficult to sleep. “

  “How are you feeling?” Caelen asked his father.

  “Fine for the most part” He said while rubbing his shoulders “Just a little tired and such. Just you wait Caelen, surely your old man will end up recovering in no time!” As he finishes those words, he starts settling a little low, suddenly one heavy caught came, many more followed.

  Caelen’s eyes gazed around to the ground, unable to look at his father anymore, his nose picking up the terrible smell of blood his father started coughing up.

  His father had acquired a strange illness, not the flu, not a cold either, neither seemed to fit considering the treatments, his lungs were the ones worst affected, it made his breathing unsteady and cough up blood constantly. This illness had been on him for three months now.

  They have been recurring to see all possible solutions, the medicine was a concoction that eased his symptoms but also allowed him to regenerate his blood faster than he would lose it, apparently it was commonly used by mages, but it still wasn't enough for it to go away.

  The sight of his father losing this amount of blood was not a particular new to Caelen so he simply sat there on silence, he knew his father would end up reprimanding him, not to worry about him so bad he would say.

  Yet he couldn’t shake that feeling so easily.

  He didn’t wish for many things, but the one he yearned for the most was to be able to help him. He had tried everything he could, yet it wasn't enough to cure him.

  All he could really do was be by his side.

  The cough stopped, Robert recoiled back to bed, he wiped his mouth with a handkerchief, painting it red.

  “So, how was your day?” He managed to say, his voice raspy. “You barely went yesterday in the morning to hunt, I'm guessing Holstein quickly found a herd, but I’m guessing it didn’t go well for you” His expression showing concern and looking back at Caelen’s bruised arms and his bandaged head.

  “Yeah, the Captain is impressive” He giggles, “And just got a little too careless with a buck, and it spotted me, nothing serious.”

  “You know, one of them started getting away, luckily we had Louis– I told you he's a mage, right?” His father nods, “He used his chains to restrain the deer, he’s skilled enough to not require to cut himself to release his magic”.

  “I see, that friend of yours sure is packed with surprises”

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  Caelen’s eyes moved a little to the side, awkward, he didn't really envy his friend's abilities, but regular skills lacked the praise magic brought “Yeah.” He said with a vague tone.

  Robert stared back at his son’s expression, while not fully understanding, he felt the tension.

  “Son. I never imagined you’d end up having to work as a hunter, but you picked up the bow faster than I ever did. Talent like that is worth far more than any bit of magic.”

  He cackles.

  Caelen soon follows. Just for a moment, after the laughter settles, he looks at his dad with a smile, continuing to talk about his experience as a hunter.

  As the day faded and the moon began to rise, a warm, fragrant aroma drifted through the neighborhood.

  The smell of a hearty stew simmering on the fire. Inside their modest home, two bright candles cast soft, flickering light across the room. The space was humble but cared for, its corners decorated with simple greenery: dried herbs hanging from the rafters, and a few potted plants basking near the window.

  Robert was peeling a few potatoes while Caelen sat on a wooden chair, lightly aged and having certain imperfections, but they didn't complain about what they had.

  “You sure you don't want help, Dad?” Asked Caelen, tilting his head.

  “I'm fine son, cooking dinner is the least I can do for you” Robert added, “Besides, I'm the only one who can truly match your mother's cooking!” He said with a cheeky smile.

  As they set dinner on the table Robert looked back to Caelen.

  “By the way Caelen I forgot to ask you, do you know what happened in the afternoon?” he said with his mouth half stuffed with bits of potatoes, “I was half-sleep but I did manage to hear lots of noise”

  “Oh–um, well, a couple of knights came into town” He gulped “to announce the necromancer is dead.” He said, a bit of stuttering came out of his mouth, nervousness? Why? He pondered.

  Robert froze, his face suddenly somehow went paler than it already was and the spoon in his hand fell into the dish.

  “What?” He asked, Caelen repeated it, but he didn't trust his own ears upon the shocking news.

  His voice faltered, then asked his son to come by his side.

  He grabbed Caelen’s head and hugged him with all his strength, tightly and with an unwavering sense of comfort.

  “Finally... that wretched being is gone” tears falling off his face “your mother ....” He took a small moment of silence as if these words meant everything to him, his throat cleared, he spoke with a soft, caring voice “may rest properly now”.

  What happened in the Town of Rael that day, was nothing short of a one-sided slaughter, the being who once had caused so much pain was gone, the being he had despised with hatred for all of those years.

  He had taken their peace, their life, and their dreams. They struggled, but they managed together. He still had his father, but that family he longed for no longer existed.

  He deceived his mother, he deceived his father, he deceived everybody in town just to destroy their lives.

  Finally, he realized, the unsettling feeling that had been eating away at him the whole day. Shock.

  The entire day had felt like a lucid dream.

  A cathartic feeling of relief filled him. Finally, the justice he needed resolved, the one that was owed to him, to his friends, to his dad, to everyone.

  Both son and father stayed still, hugging for more than a couple of minutes, when they finally separated, they shared a few stories about her, they cried, they smiled, they laughed, even in death, she brought the last drops of joy into their worlds.

  It was getting late, they both shared one last hug before parting to their bedrooms, exchanging their good nights.

  That night, Caelen lay in his bed. The weight inside him had lifted, yet something about the absence felt unfamiliar, almost wrong.

  A dog howled, cutting through the silence. He turned onto his side and shut his eyes.

  Far across town, a few children played in the street, passing a ball between bursts of laughter.

  One throw went too wide.

  The ball skidded into a narrow alley.

  The boy who had thrown it jogged after it, slowing as he peered into the dark.

  Something stood there.

  He squinted, trying to make out the shape.

  Behind him, the laughter thinned.

  “What’s that?” one of the others called.

  The ball rolled back out of the alley.

  Alone.