"You don't need to feel guilty. Your father loved you with all his heart. He did everything he could to protect you, and no petty squabble would make him believe for a second that you loved him any less. You may not have liked him in the moment… But he knew you loved him." I say patting Kasia's back.
Kasia sniffles before wiping her eyes and looking up to me, "You're right. All those years he understood how I felt. Now, in the end, I finally understand why he protected me. It was because he loved me."
"Of that I am certain... I don't know if this will be of much help now... But Inigo once told me something along the lines, the pain we feel after someone's loss is what proves how much they impacted us. But that they wouldn't want to burden us with this pain if they could. So it's best if we carry them joyfully with us through life, for they live through our every smile, every tear, and everything we accomplish." I say consoling Kasia as I pull out a blanket to cover Marcus in.
"T-thank you... That means... A lot." Kasia says, sniffing between every few words.
"Marcus mentioned your mother… That she's alive?" I ask her once she's calmed down.
"I don't know what to say. My mother? Alive? Why would my father keep something like that a secret? Then there's these 'Serenity's Sirens' that Bosska mentioned. Could they be related to her in some way?" Kasia asks back in confusion.
"It's definitely possible. Do you know if your father left anything important behind? Notes? Journals?" I ask.
"Not that I know of. I clean this house thoroughly. If there was anything that may have documented his secrets, then he had to have kept it hidden pretty well. Father always spends…" Kasia pauses before correcting herself, "Spent, most of his time in the study room. Maybe there's something in there that could give us some clues?" Kasia says with a shaky voice.
"I'll go search..." I say trailing off.
"Okay, I… I need to be alone." Kasia says, sitting beside her father's corpse.
I go into the study, surprised to find the marker pointing to a bust of the Grey Fox on a desk, "Don't tell me… You sly fox, you…" I say with a knowing smile before feeling up the bust until the head pops open revealing a book, a note, and a letter inside.
"I am so taking that when I get a house of my own." I say opening the book revealing it to be a genealogy of the Pinder family which I decide to skim later before pulling out the letter and a note before heading back to Kasia.
"Have you found anything?" Kasia asks, looking listlessly up from the covered form of her father.
"I found these." I say handing her the documents.
"Interesting… This documents my entire family tree! Beginning with my twin ancestors you mentioned back at camp and ending with… Me? My page is blank. Wait, let me take a look at my father's…" Kasia trails off before continuing.
"Yes! Here it is! Serenity's Sirens! My father was their leader! And they're based in… Euphoria Palace!" Kasia exclaims in shock before slumping on to my shoulder in disbelief, "I can't believe it. Years of secrets finally revealed. Project Purity… The Cleansers… Things my father never told me. Can you keep this journal safe? I'd love to read it when I've calmed down." Kasia asks, still unsteady.
"Of course, and there was also this note attached to the journal." I say taking the book and handing her the note.
"This… Was meant for my twentieth birthday. According to what he wrote, dad was going to reveal everything to me on that day. And my mother… She's in Euphoria Palace. With the Sirens." Kasia says in disbelief.
"Do you want to go to Euphoria Palace? We could go there if you want to meet your mother?" I offer, rubbing her back in concern.
"No, not yet. I need to think about this. Don't get me wrong, I want to see my mother, but… What am I getting myself into? What are 'you' getting yourself into?" Kasia asks in concern.
"My father is dead because of Purity; because he was the leader of the Sirens. What if I can end this war by staying away from this whole mess?" Kasia asks me in desperation.
"Well… If what Marcus said is true, then hiding won't help. And from my experience, appeasement is a short road to destruction when it comes to conflicts of ideology." I say trying to reason with her.
"You're right. But has Purity Changed? Are they still hunting down my family because of the old grudges or because of the Sirens? We can't be sure. Like I said… Just give me time to think. I-" Kasia starts to say before Walsh walks in with Inigo and M'rissi, who remain silent as Walsh speaks up.
"What a mess! Thank goodness you and Kasia are okay! I had a bad feeling that things were going to be much worse. Luckily your friends here came when they did, otherwise, Bosska's reinforcements wouldn't have been forced back." Walsh says.
"Things still turned out pretty badly. Marcus has died and I'm guessing Bosska escaped based off of what you said." I say disheartened.
"Marcus was a good friend. It's a shame that he, a proponent of peace, had to die amidst such violence. And yes, Bosska and his men were able to flee, but I bet they didn't expect to see that many corpses when he walked out of the house." Walsh laughs, trying to cheer me up.
"The Orcs are taking care of the bodies and the rest of the townspeople are safe and sound. Traumatized, but safe." Walsh says.
"I was thinking about that. Let my men take care of this mess." I offer.
"Are you sure, there's a lot of bodies?" Walsh asks, with an unsure look.
"Of course, Inigo, go tell Lokir, if they are here, to take care of the bodies. If they aren't look for Faendal." I order, dismissing him hoping they catch my meaning.
"They are both here, my friend. I will go tell them." Inigo says departing quickly.