Gereon stood up after a long while, he had disabled the artifact. Eleyn had not paid attention to what he was sitting on, but now that she did, he was sitting on a corpse. "This one is fascinating, it lets the wielder and any other designated user the power to teleport anyone anywhere, with the ether of those inside its veil. Very handy"
"Fascinating," Eleyn deadpanned. "Can you teleport me to Judge now?"
"Yeah, hold on" He took out his catalyst, a fancy transparent sphere with two gold rings around a black core. "Don't forget your wand, the return trip would cost quite a heavy amount of ether."
A blue light started to swirl around Eleyn, and before she could even roll her eyes at Gereon's casual tone, she vanished.
"Alright, now for Melina." He proceeded to teleport himself.
———
Back at the battlefield of awkwardness, Judge's brain was having a meltdown. Seraphis had just asked, "Or are you from another world?"
The question echoed in his head like a bad joke on loop. His heart raced like it was trying to break some obscure world record for the fastest heartbeat per minute (Seriously, could his internal organs chill for one second?).
Her smirk wasn't making it any better, it was like she knew something he didn't, which—let's face it—was very likely at this point.
Just as Judge was trying to mentally hit "pause" on the chaos, things went from spicy to extra crispy: someone had teleported nearby, right behind the trees, far enough to stay hidden but close enough to throw more drama into the pot.
"Seraphis?" A familiar voice cut through the tension like butter on a hot pan. Judge froze. He knew that voice. Oh no... please no...
It was his mother.
She came into view and her first reaction was not what he had expected, he wanted to go back into his studio, but the space was broken, and the fear of having to confront his mother dawned on him.
Eleyn looked at him, surprised "Judge?" she gave him a sharp gaze, "Why does my baby exude a will with so much pressure?"
Oh no... she recognizes me
Judge was not expecting her to identify him, It is because of my will? He did not know how to control his will, so it was seeping out like a badly waterproofed fish tank.
"Yep all me." That was what he wanted to say, but he did not dare utter a single word. His mouth had other plans. Now is NOT the time to freeze, buddy!
"Yep, that's your kid Eleyn, long time no see." Seraphis waved at her, but Eleyn rushed at judge, not the egg but to him in the clone body.
"Why is my baby's soul stuck in a mannequin?" she asked, placing her hand on his forehead. Warmth spread through him, and Judge immediately felt uncomfortable. Warmth? He preferred his chilly aura of confusion, thank you very much. But this warmth was... actually warm.
"Uhh... Mom... You see..." Judge began, racking his brain trying to explain this forest fire of a situation.
"It is quite a long story Eleyn, wanna head to my place? ya know my crib."
"Yes, that would be better." Eleyn took the egg and the clone in her arms. "Let's go." She bolted forward.
"Wait not that way!" Seraphis sighed and facepalmed as she rushed behind her.
———
Two hundred years ago (More than two hundred, actually)-
"You know Melina, When a person dies, it is said that their brain will play back their memories with the most important person in their lives. I heard it can last as long as a minute." It was a vampire, he had short black hair and vibrant blue eyes.
"Please stop talking about death Valor, I want to leave the place, my father has found out about us. You know how much he values tradition."
"Melina!" He turned to her, serious. "If I die, can you be the last person I see?" He smiled, and chuckled as she inflated her cheeks, looking at him angrily.
"Can you say something other than about death? Seriously, you can Jinx it you know." She beat him playfully.
"Haha, sorry Mel." He raised his hands to defend himself.
—
(Still two hundred years ago)
"It has been a minute dear," An elf was talking to Melina, who was sitting with Valor in her arms.
Melina slowly caressed his face, closing his eyes, "I hope he dreamed of me for a whole minute, as he had said." Tears were running down uncontrollably down her cheeks. Her eyes were red and swollen.
"That he surely had, Melina I know it is hard for you currently," The woman elf touched her back. "This would sound harsh to you, but this is something I also learned the hard way. When you learn to love someone, you should also learn to let go of them, as nothing lasts for ever."
Melina sat there silently, crying. She did not speak, the room was silent except the crackling of a nearby fire and Melina's heavy breathing.
"Someone told me this sentence a long time ago," The woman slowly looked up, reminiscing. "When I first heard of it, I thought it was crazy, as long as I love someone dearly, I would not have the need to let them go, that was what I thought and believed. But one day, he left the world peacefully. And that's when I realized what those words mean."
"Aunt March," Melina said in a low, shaky voice. "I will leave the village. I will never return unless the traditions are changed and I hear the news of them."
"I cannot persuade you to stay now, can I? After all, I doubt you would want to see your father again." Aunt March gave a painful smile. Melina, who was a kind young elf, has been broken into nothing but a shell of her former self.
She very well knew that she couldn't fix her, Melina had to do that herself. And her brother, Melina's father, cannot be charged with any crime as he killed someone of another race, and also the fact that he was a chief added an extra bit of protection.
She watched as Melina walked away, Valor's corpse floating by her side. "That poor soul, she has been through a lot in the span of one day."