"Ali… father is sorry…"
Perun's voice echoed his suffering and Alinea quickly shook her head as if to tell him he didn't need to apologize.
"It's not your fault father. Please don't say sorry," she said as she placed a kiss at the back of his hand before placing it again against her cheek.
Tears fell freely from her eyes as she was speaking. Time was precious for them. There was no need for apologies. "Your brother just wants you to be free."
Perun's eyes clouded momentarily before letting out an exhausted sigh. "I know. I know that now… Still, my little one, you got hurt a lot because of me— and you will hurt more."
Alinea swallowed hard. It was true. Because after talking to him like this, there was still one last task she had to do in order to set the cycle in motion: Return the key to lock away the Harbinger of Catastrophe. In short, her mother would have to die by her hands again.
Yes, again.
