"I don't understand…"

  Abby had calmed down, and I could finally vocalize my doubts. My eyes had been on Crimson the whole time while the tiny girl allowed her emotions to flow. Crimson's expression was neutral. I couldn't discern any interest from her face. Perhaps she wasn't as involved as I was. Still, she was there.

  The tiny girl inhaled; likely the final act to regain her total composure. "What is it you don't understand, My Eminence?"

  "Everything…"

  Yes. Everything. All pieces were scattered and there was no way to fit them together.

  "Abby… if what you said is true… then why was my mother seen as a threat? Why is she still seen as one?" I asked, clutching her shoulders, uncaring whether I was hurting her or not. "If she saved everyone… What's the reason behind everything?"

  She lowered her head. "I'm sorry, My Eminence. Even I don't know the whole story. Perhaps her vision was not shared, or they blamed her for the bloodshed. All I know, for certainty, is that our mother told me to see her as an enemy, and I did my best to fulfill her request."

  Our, our, our…

  "What do you mean you don't know?!" I shook her back and forth. "You must know! It doesn't make any sense! I've been targeted simply for being her daughter! And now you're telling me she's a savior to many?! What was The Forgotten City's goal, even?! What was the point?!"

  I had to stop, lest she throw up on me. Luckily, she managed a response. "I apologize I cannot ease your doubts. I am not aware of what their purpose was, or what drives people to bury her deeds. However…" she murmured. "However, it is as you have said… more will come for you."

  "Why?"

  "You were not like this before. You have changed, and now… you resemble her in every way. Those who saw her as an enemy will attempt to stop you, should they come to know you have taken her place. You just had a demonstration of that; that girl was aiming at you."

  My teeth gritted. "I don't get it…"

  I released her from my grip and turned away, claiming some space to organize my thoughts as I bit down on my nail.

  It doesn't make any sense.

  Why would people I don't even know want to kill me? Abby said I resemble her now… I got that; I have her spells, her codex is now mine, somehow. But so what?! Have I broken some taboos without even knowing it? Committed a crime of some sort?! And why now of all times, anyway? My mother had no enemies when she was alive.

  Or… did she?

  No… that doesn't add up either. I can understand personal grudges, given what she did to the city and the rules she broke, but chasing after me it's too much! Besides… none of that persisted! I never saw her open our home's door and be greeted with a blade at her throat! So, her life with me was peaceful…

  Unless…

  She also kept that secret…? Maybe she was dealing with all of that behind my back?

  But no… that's also impossible…

  Casting aside a few instances, she was practically always with me, with her daughter…

  I don't understand… What pages am I missing?

  What made my brain itch the most was not that girl who aimed at me, nor Abby's tale, but my mother herself…

  So many things didn't add up. Her story now, and what Pyrolina told me, clashed with what I already knew.

  A savior… She was a savior who refused to live a peaceful life even when given the chance to do so. She sacrificed herself for others. I was her dream. She nurtured me.

  It didn't make any sense. Someone so unwavering and devoted wouldn't commit such an act. None of this made sense. There was only one conclusion.

  The priest lied to me.

  But why?

  I can't understand… Just what is the whole story? Was she killed in the end, by these 'enemies' Abby talked about, and I am unaware of that, or did the priest tell the truth?

  Once again, I was going in circles. My poor head…

  Whatever.

  Sighing, I let my hand drop, and curled my fingers into a fist, only to relax them a moment later. "I can accept it…" I murmured.

  "Hm?" Abby hummed.

  "I can accept it," I repeated, still avoiding her. "I can accept that my mother was seen as a threat. I can accept that people lie to me. I can accept the headache she keeps giving me after all this time. I can accept it. I can accept it all. What I cannot accept…" Turning, I pointed my finger," is you."

  She flinched.

  "You! Who even are you?! You keep saying it, over and over. 'Our mother'?! She held you in her arms?!"

  Her words tumbled out of her mouth as she stammered. "I-I apologize if I disrespected you in any way, My Eminence. She… she raised me with love and taught me a lot. That's-"

  "So?!" I cut her off. "What does that have to do with anything? Why do you speak of her like you knew better than I did? Why is it that those who were aware of her existence, anyone… EVERYONE acts as if they knew her better than me?!" I shouted. "I am her daughter! I am! Me. Not you. Who even are you?! With what effrontery do you come here and claim her as your own? What impertinence makes you think you have that right?!"

  "But I didn't mean-"

  "You did! You absolutely did! You meant every word!" A hand tangled in my hair while I clenched the other, taking a deep breath. "I was finally succeeding in distracting myself, then you come here and tell me all of this without even concluding the story…"

  It was not that I expected to avoid reality and my mother's past. I had just hoped it would last a little longer…

  Damn it all… Why does it have to be so complicated?

  Unexpectedly, a comforting hand rested on my shoulder. "Still," my girlfriend offered calmly, "it's good knowing this, don't you think? You were looking for answers."

  She also wasn't wrong… And this was surprising in its own way. Still, receiving comfort in this moment was the last thing I wanted, especially given the nature of the one offering it. As much as I wanted to remain serious, my eyes went elsewhere, and my cheeks puffed up. "Shut up. You also drive me insane…"

  She patted my back mockingly. "So, what do you want to do now?"

  Good question…

  Really a good question; I had no clue.

  After a bit of brooding, ignoring Abby, I sighed. "Let's go back to your family… It's evening already."

  So we did. And as we walked, I kept mulling it over. Truly, Crimson was right; that was valuable information. As much as Abby got on my nerves there, she had been extremely helpful. I even felt a little bad for snapping at her. Even so, I was unable to let it go, but not as much as I couldn't let go of the priest's lies.

  He lied to me. He hid what he knew. To her friend's daughter. Why?

  Is this a side effect of knowing my mother? Are those in her circle also bound to keep secrets, or what? He who dwells with the lame learns to limp, after all. Just to make my life harder…

  The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

  My fist clenched in anger just at the thought.

  I'll have a word with him as soon as I get the chance…

  With a deep sigh, I reclaimed my calm. "Is she following me?"

  That was a rhetorical question. I knew she was following me; I could sense it. For one who kept her eyes closed, the way she managed to fix her attention on me so intensely was anything but irrelevant. And she was not even trying to hide it.

  Crimson glanced over her shoulder. "Yeah."

  "Why…"

  She shrugged. "I'm kinda jealous, actually."

  "Jealous?"

  "I worked sooo hard to keep you around, and you get a pet for free like that, just for existing? Not quite fair, you know?" she teased.

  "I didn't ask for it!"

  "Look at her. You don't even have to put her on a leash."

  "Just ignore her…"

  That was the best we could do. Unfortunately for us, Abby was untouchable, given her status. No amount of yelling, nor referring to a guard, could've helped me, so ignoring her was the best course of action. Considering what I had just said, however, my following move might not have been the smartest, but the way non-existent eyes could bore into one's soul was simply jarring.

  "Why do you keep following me?!" I yelled, pointing my finger at her as I spun around.

  She stood motionless.

  "Not answering?!"

  Nothing but the wind filled the silence; a tumbleweed could've rolled by at any moment. Crimson choked a laugh.

  "Don't laugh!"

  She looked away, feigning innocence. "Sorry, sorry."

  "Ugh! Whatever…" Not having much of a choice, I returned my attention ahead. "There's your family and Carolina."

  They were engrossed in a conversation, along with a few other people. Pyrolina stood with her arms crossed, while Vincent and John looked thoughtful. Carolina was simply relaxed, resting her hand on her cane.

  We picked up our pace, and she spotted us. "My, my! Look who's here!"

  Pyrolina turned. "Crimson," she breathed, moving forward to hug her daughter, and ruffle her girlfriend's hair. "You two are alright…"

  "What happened in the end?" Crimson asked once free from the embrace.

  "The girl managed to escape," John filled in. "No deaths, just a few injuries. Nothing too severe, but the arena…"

  As John sighed, Vincent took over. "The arena is currently in ruin. So, the tournament will be delayed."

  "A shame, a shame. Truly," Carolina murmured, lowering her head.

  "More importantly, what will you two do now?" Vincent asked us.

  "Hm? What do you mean?" Crimson replied, raising an eyebrow.

  "We'll be helping with the arena," he informed. "We won't be home until late, and we'll be back here early in the morning. You two don't have to, though."

  John chimed in. "You can head home now if you'd like. My wife is there already, but we won't be around much. I'm sorry it turned out this way."

  "You've already done a lot for us, John," Crimson replied before turning to me, taking my hand. "What do you want to do? We can also return to the guild if you'd like."

  I understood why she suggested that. That way, John's wife would've had an easier time. The others too, probably, not worrying about us. Regardless, I was relieved enough that nobody wondered why that girl attacked the arena in the first place, especially considering the words that came out of her mouth.

  Most likely, they couldn't do much about it unless they captured her. And worrying about why a maniac would commit such acts and endanger a crowd was of little importance. In my favor, not many would question a crazy mind; they would just label it as harmful and illogical, focusing on restricting that person without caring what they had to say.

  "Well, I'm fine with that," I finally responded. "We could reunite with our guild. But all our stuff is at John's house."

  Crimson returned her attention to the group. After a brief discussion, we decided to stop by John's house to retrieve our stuff and return to our guild.

  "Do you even know where our guild is staying?" I asked as we walked, side-eyeing her.

  She nodded. "Yes, I asked Selena while I was getting a drink."

  "Alright."

  At this moment, with the evening sky growing darker, I would've really loved to shorten the distance between us and cling to her. However, there was still a little problem trailing behind us that made everything slightly uncomfortable… but we continued to cast that aside for a little longer.

  After grabbing our stuff, with a final goodbye to John's wife, and snatching a quick snack, we advanced toward our guild. Crimson led the way, but just as we reached the door, the small problem was about to follow suit, closer than ever.

  "Alright, that's enough."

  "Ah!"

  Crimson held Abby by the collar as if she weighed nothing. It was like watching a sad cat get scolded.

  "It's been entertaining, I admit it," Crimson said with a smirk. Surely, watching me being stalked could be considered somewhat fun, I guess… "But this is not your guild. Get lost."

  And, exactly like an unwanted, sad stray cat, Abby was unceremoniously thrown away; lightly. Though, she dropped on her butt, and not on all four.

  We went inside.

  "Who was that girl?" Joey asked as soon as we stepped in. He apparently witnessed the scene from within. We didn't bless him with an answer

  "Hey, Crimson," Mika welcomed.

  "Looks like you two have returned," Herbaleon immediately interjected, staring at us, eyes narrowed. Leonard was also present. He sighed, and adjusted his glasses.

  "Hello," Crimson simply greeted with a big smile, waving her hand. As usual, unfazed. She's got courage, I have to give it to her. "We're back."

  Herbaleon cleared his throat. "We're going to have a long talk, missy."

  At that, too, she shrugged. "Sure, we're ready."

  "Just you."

  "Huh…?"

  I blinked.

  "As I've said, it only concerns you," Herbaleon clarified.

  "Why only me?!" she abruptly protested.

  For real. Why only her?

  "Because we decided so," Leonard chimed in, turning to me. "But first, have dinner. Afterward, you may go to your room, Lady Argenta. Pick any. Only Crimson is needed for explanation."

  Again, I blinked. Not that I was against that; I could stay away from Herbaleon and Leonard's judgmental talk and glares. Besides, the thought of Crimson alone going through it was amusing enough to overlook the unfairness. Not that Herbaleon had ever said anything to me, to tell the truth; I rarely heard him speak at all, and if I could keep it that way in such a situation… why refuse?

  "Alright…" And, in order to dissipate the tension, I also offered to grab Crimson's backpack. "I'll take care of it," I said, excusing myself and retreating upstairs to pick a room.

  Behind me, my girlfriend groaned.