Theo stared at Mom, numb surprise ringing through his entire body. While he'd already started so suspect she was a seraphim, he hadn't realized just how powerful and important she truly was. The one who had taught humans wizardry....
Mom was still talking, so Theo forced himself to pay attention. "You see, wizardry was the exclusive domain of seraphim, and we guarded it fiercely and jealously. Other Tielans were incapable of wielding it, but I believed humans had the potential. So I made up my mind and stepped through the portal, even though it meant I would never see Tielos again."
Her tone softened, became contemplative. "Once on Earth, I adopted a human guise and set to work, but it wasn't exactly straightforward at first. Unlike seraphim, humans can't use wizardry to augment their own strength."
Theo remembered the Levia spears Astraeon had created. It was like an elemental spell, except he had essentially cast it on himself.
"But though they couldn't use it for themselves, I discovered they could use it on Tielans. They could form bonds, becoming stronger together than they ever could apart. This kind of power, this way of using wizardry – it was beyond any Fortress seraphim's imagination. With it, Tielans might finally have a fighting chance."
"Mom," Theo said weakly. "Just how long have you been on Earth?"
Mom smiled, but it held a sad cast. "After all those centuries, I began to grow tired. Wizards had created a self-sustaining community, invented spells of their own. I couldn't do anything more for them...and I was no longer capable of it either. All that time spent away from Tielos took its toll on me. Seraphim are supposed to be immortal, but without the Levia of the land, I began to waste away."
"So you...." Victor trailed off. Though Theo couldn't tear his eyes from Mom, he had the sense that Victor had begun to tremble.
Still smiling sadly, Mom tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear. "With my remaining years, I decided to settle down and live like a normal human. To finally become a part of this world I had traveled in for so long. I adopted the identity of Eva Ling, made a living with my artwork. And it was at an art show that I met your father."
Victor stiffened, his armor creaking. "So Dad didn't know who you really were?" Theo asked, striving to fight off the awkward emotions swelling inside him.
Mom shook her head. "He had no idea about any of it. Tielos, wizardry. And that was the way I wanted things. We fell in love, started a family together. Truly...in all my centuries of living, I don't think I had ever been happier than I was then."
The stars in her eyes shimmered as if reflected in water. Unable to meet her gaze, Theo turned toward Victor. His jaw was tightly set, his hands clenched into trembling fists.
The family Mom described, the happy life with their dad – it all sounded like a fairy tale to Theo. Nothing like the family he actually knew. The cold, distant Dad who had forced Victor to give his life up to cello. Who barely exchanged two words with Theo on a given day.
The same Dad who had preserved Mom's studio all these years, carefully draping the paintings in tarps, regularly cleaning off the dust.
The way Mom spoke about Dad...he must have felt the same about her. How much had her loss changed him?
Unbidden, Theo remembered Zenith walking away with Cyrias. The pain that clenched his chest made it impossible to breathe.
Pushing it aside, he made himself focus on Mom's soft words. "Our happiness couldn't last, of course. By the time I met Jonathan, I was already nearing the end of my lifespan. Giving birth to you, Victor...it weakened me much worse than I expected."
Victor gulped, the sound echoing around the cosmos. Theo suddenly longed to grab his hand, but he couldn't move a single muscle.
"I don't regret it, though. Not at all." Mom's voice became fierce. "How could I? You were my pride and joy. Even so...when I became pregnant with my second son, I realized I might not be able to watch both of you grow up."
She drew in a shuddering breath, the first sign of weakness Theo had seen from her. Unconsciously, he took a cautious step toward her.
When she gave her head a firm shake, he fell still. "I didn't want it to end. Not so soon, not like this. I didn't want to – to be parted from my family. And I...didn't want my knowledge and power to disappear with my death. Everything I had spent centuries building up and sharing with the wizards of Earth. It was...my legacy as a seraphim."
She wrapped her arms around her chest, and with a rustle of feathers her wings curled toward her body as if trying to protect her. "So before you were born, Theo...I imparted it all onto you. My Levia, my memories, even all the spells I had created myself."
Theo's heart hammered. "So those diagrams I was always drawing...they really did come from you."
Mom nodded, stark and grim.
"And the dreams too? The dreams of flying? Of Fortresses?"
Mom blinked. "You had dreams like that? I didn't know...I suppose those must have been my memories." She huffed a humorless laugh. "Memories of Ataraxia Fortress. Maybe in my heart, I never stopped considering it home."
Sighing, she brushed the hair out of her face. "When I gave you my power, it took out a large chunk of my remaining years. Before I knew it, everything was...over. You were only a child – both of you were. I gave you a burden you should never have had to bear, Theo. A burden I never thought to share with you, Victor. And in the end, I left you alone."
Her wings curved in closer, casting shadows over her body, but Theo still made out the way her mouth trembled. It twisted through his heart.
"Victor, Theo...I'm so sorry. I was no kind of mother to either of you. In the end, I was completely selfish."
"Mom," Victor said hoarsely. Theo waited, the blood pounding in his ears, but his brother didn't say anything else. He only stared at their mother, an unreadable expression tautening his face.
Theo himself didn't know what to think. Everything made sense now, he supposed. At least on an intellectual level. But the storm in his heart might never quiet down.
Mom was trembling now, her wings almost hiding her face from view. Not Mom, he reminded himself, but a fragment of her power. Still, the things she had told them must be Sarieva's – Eva Ling's – real feelings.
And Theo couldn't ignore that the way she hunched in on herself, as if trying to hide inside her own body, felt so painfully familiar.
He took a deep breath, letting the cool, clear air cycle through his body. Then he took one step forward, and another, each one stirring soundless ripples in his wake.
He only stopped when he stood within inches of Mom. Her wings retreated a fraction, and she stared at him with wide purple eyes. Theo made himself smile. To his relief, it didn't take much effort.
"You're right, Mom. You were selfish."
Mom inhaled sharply, her shoulders stiffening. She didn't say anything, though, so Theo plunged forward.
"You were selfish – but I'm also grateful to you. So incredibly grateful. Because if you hadn't done what you did, I would never have been able to meet all my friends. Or to stand by Victor's side again."
He turned toward his brother, still smiling. Victor gazed wordlessly back, looking as astonished as Mom.
Facing Mom again, Theo said, "You entrusted me with your legacy, so I'll take good care of it. I'll help Tielos like you couldn't. I'll complete the Star of Miriel and stop the Infernal Lord – Astraeon. With the power you've given me, with the friends I've made, and with my brother."
"Theo," Mom breathed. Tears were shining in her eyes, but it wasn't long before a faint smile trembled across her face. Then she extended her arms, and the next thing Theo knew she pulled him into a tight embrace.
Theo gasped, but his surprise lasted only a moment. Mom's arms were warm, her grip sure and comforting – it felt so completely natural. He relaxed against her body, pressing his face against her shoulder and feeling tears of his own sting his eyes.
"I'm so proud of you, Theo. And you too, Victor. I...."
When Theo heard Victor's armor creak, alarm trembled through him. After all, Mom's loss had affected Victor far more than it had Theo. He'd had to endure so much more, and all on his own.
"Mom, you know...," Victor said, curiously soft. "You did leave me something. I kept playing cello, after all."
"Victor." Mom shuddered, her voice thick with tears.
"You don't have to worry about a thing. I'll keep Theo safe, I promise. Because I'm his big brother."
Mom's chest trembled again, but this time it sounded more like a laugh. "You said something just like that when he was born, didn't you? You really haven't changed. I'm...glad."
Letting go of Theo's shoulder, she reached out for Victor. He closed the distance between them until his side pressed tight against Theo. The armor was hard, but his body felt warm and comforting.
Mom pulled them both close, and her wings wrapped around them like a blanket of feathers. The tears finally spilled from Theo's eyes, and though he couldn't see his mom or brother, he knew he wasn't the only one.