"Run away, Douglas!... Run away and don't look back!"
"Mother!"
"Where are you going, boy?... Get over here right now!"
"No!"
***
Douglas shot awake at the terrible nightmare he just experienced.
Breathing heavily, he recalled the contents.
It was the night he was forced to run away with his baby brother, Alex.
The same day his happy home was destroyed by the ones that called themselves Paragons.
He recalled the events of that night like they happened yesterday.
It was understandable considering everything he had lost.
And now, it happened again.
Despite having the power, he was unable to protect what was most important to him.
He had once sworn vengeance upon the Paragons for what they did but after finding a new home, he ended up forgetting about it.
Now, however, Douglas knew that with the Paragons still alive, he would never know peace and so… this time, he would ensure his vengeance was complete.
His eyes gleamed with a sharp light as he clenched his fist.
Just then, he felt something climb on his stomach before Mirren came into view.
"Ah, you are awake."
"You are here?"
"Don't you remember what happened last night?"
"That…" Douglas pursed his lips as he tried to recall the events of the night before.
It didn't take long however before he understood everything.
"Master came?"
"She did and after finding you in so pathetic a state after facing off against a weak lady, she decided to punish you by keeping you in slumber for a bit longer while also increasing your poison dosage." Mirren casually explained.
Douglas sighed.
He already expected it so it wasn't much of a surprise.
What was however was that he was awake, but then again, that wasn't a bad thing either so he didn't fuss about it.
"What about Emily?"
Mirren smirked. "So you don't care about the other villagers."
"...What about Emily?"
"Hah, she's over there." Mirren pointed somewhere not too far away with Douglas turning in the direction as well.
Over there, a young girl, barely 18, ran across the fields, a beautiful smile on her innocent face.
Douglas blinked a few times as he rose to his feet, attempting to ensure he was seeing correctly before he muttered.
"Emily…"
Almost like she heard her name, Emily turned back and locked eyes with Douglas.
Her already wonderful smile increased further as she joyously exclaimed. "Douglas!"
She ran toward him and once close enough, leaped into his arms and enveloped him in a bear hug.
Squeezing him tightly, all her pent-up emotions began to flow out like a wave.
Anger, sadness, happiness… Douglas felt them all bombard him at the same time.
Holding onto Emily, he was still shocked she was the one.
As he realized that it was Emily in his arms and she was completely safe, Douglas embraced Emily as well and tears flowed down his cheeks.
Sobbing softly, he remarked. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. It's all my fault. I should have protected you better. I made you experience so much."
"It's fine. I'm just glad you are safe." Emily said as she kept hugging Douglas.
She tried to sound natural but it was clear how she felt as she tightened her grip around Douglas, afraid that he would disappear if she didn't hold tight.
Douglas let out a relieved sigh as it seemed the incident in Townsend hadn't left too deep a scar.
"I'm glad you are safe."
"I should be the one that's glad," Emily said with a pout.
Douglas chuckled. "Can we both be glad then?"
"Hmm… I guess."
"Good girl," Douglas said as he ruffled her hair a bit.
Then, Emily looked upward at him and asked. "Oh yeah, how did you find me?... Did you meet with Alex before coming here?"
"That…" Douglas trailed off.
"What?"
"Well you see… I'll tell you another time."
"Aww, why not now?"
"Don't worry, another time. It's quite a funny story."
Emily pouted again. "Now I need to hear it even more."
"Don't be so stubborn, come on."
"Hmmph." Emily turned away and only turned back after Douglas bribed her with a few goodies.
Smiling happily, she remarked. "Oh yeah, we should prepare to start leaving."
"Hmm?"
"Yeah, Alex has been working for a long while now on getting you back but since you are here. We can go to him."
"Alex…"
"Yeah. He promised me that he'd get you back and I guess he did keep his promise…in a way. We should go back and surprise him. Don't worry, I have a brilliant idea of how we could do it."
Douglas revealed a wry smile as he let go of Emily and then reached out to her cheek, stroking softly as he gazed at her in silence.
"Is something wrong?" Emily asked, a sense of foreboding creeping up her spine.
Douglas shook his head. "I'm sorry, little one. But I don't think we'd be able to see each other again after today."
"What?"
"It's all my fault. If I never came to the Regulus home that day, all this wouldn't have happened. You would have lived a beautiful life, unaffected by the dangers that follow me. I'm so sorry."
"What are you talking about?"
"If I want you to be happy… I have to let you go and so… this is goodbye Emily."
"That's enough!" Emily struck Douglas before she had a chance to understand what was happening.
Despite not hurting physically, Douglas felt a sharp pain in his chest.
"What are you saying?... Are you saying you regret being my older brother?"
"We aren't blood siblings…"
"And you think I don't know?... I'm not dumb Douglas. I figured it out a while back but that doesn't change the fact that you raised me!... So what the hell gives you the right to abandon me after everything?"
"That…"
"You can do what you want but know that I will never forgive you if you leave me again."
"Emily…"
"Alex and I have suffered so much because of what happened to you so just… let's go home."
"We can never be a happy family again, not until the demons of my past are destroyed."
Emily bit her lower lip. "We can try."
"Emily…"
"Please… just don't go. We can make it work somehow."
Douglas found himself unable to say more as he pulled Emily in for a hug.
"Please… don't go," Emily muttered softly.
"I'm sorry… but I have no choice."
The hardest choices required the strongest wills.
Douglas didn't want to put Emily's life on hold because of what he had to do.
So he chose to cut her off, allowing her to live a life free of danger.
And so, even though it was difficult, he knew what had to be done.
Placing his hands on Emily's cheeks, he raised her head to meet his gaze and then he spoke, his eyes turning deep and ethereal.
"You will forget everything about Douglas and Alex. You are Emily Regulus… the only daughter of the Regulus household. You love technology and one day, you hope to build a magnificent piece that will shock the world. You will live your life by your own rules and never forget about your mysterious uncle that always helps you out…"
The more he said, the lesser the light in Emily's eyes became until they were completely dull.
Once he was done, Emily collapsed in Douglas's arms.
"What will you do now?" Mirren asked from behind.
Douglas pursed his lips, unsure of what to say.
After a full minute passed, he remarked with his head down. "I… don't know."