Aldegar, Synnove and Aiden returned to the industrial district of Dawnvale, locating the house where Benoit and Nadia lived based off of government records.
They stepped forward, the run-down house's door made of a rusted metal sheet. It seemed that their house was a repurposed storage unit of some sort, with no windows and little to no space. Aldegar knocked, before a friendly voice called out from the other end.
"Come on in, it's unlocked!"
Aldegar pushed the door inwards, a loud creaking noise coming from it. The house was dimly lit, a singular, weak lightbulb in the middle of the room. As they entered, their eyes adjusted to the gloom, as they noticed Nadia in front of them.
She was thin, clearly on a weak diet, yet her clothes, hair, and the house around them seemed clean and neat. She enjoyed and appreciated what she had, and made the most of it. On the left hand side, a singular picture posted up, her and Benoit together. She was sitting down on a small wooden chair and combing her brown hair with a small, plastic comb. She turned to face the three who entered, yet her face painted with a joy Aiden would never expect from someone living in such a situation.
"Nadia Charnier?" called out Aiden, his voice slightly trembling as he knew what he needed to do next.
The woman nodded as she stood, confused about the new faces. "Yes, that's me. Who are you, though?"
Aldegar extended his arm and shook hands firmly with Nadia. "My name is Aldegar Silvius, and I am the Lieutenant of the Oracle. To my left is my son, Aiden, and to my right, our friend Synnove."
"Nice to meet you," she pulled out a few other chairs from the corner, offering a place to sit. "I would introduce myself, but, it seems you already know me."
"Yes," faintly said Aiden. "We know Benoit."
"Oh, Benoit? You must be a colleague of his then." she smiled as she poured out team a few drinks. "I hope you like tea. Sorry that I don't have much of a selection."
"How is he doing? He said he found a new job in a different town, and, how he will be gone for a while and his friends from work would send me his paychecks." she returned to her seat. "I've yet to get any money, though. Not that I'm complaining, just, it's weird. Over a month has passed already."
"Damn it," thought Aiden as he gritted his teeth before quickly readjusting to avoid suspicion. "That old, cheating bastard Cassius! He lied!"
"Miss Nadia, I hate to be the bearer of bad news," somberly spoke Aldegar, his gaze lowering downwards. "But, it is bad news that we bring."
She stopped for a second with her jaw agape in shock, almost as if she didn't hear what Aldegar said, before her hand flew to her mouth. "Don't tell me Benoit got injured at work, or worse..."
"Sadly, your assumption is true, but, I don't know if this should be called 'work'."
Aiden nudged forward a little bit, taking Nadia's hand. "Your brother, he, he got involved with this one group - the Cult of Feyr. They did something to him, something not even we fully understand yet. He was changed, his actions jittery and mad, his behavior rabid, his appearance distorted. He was corrupted."
Nadia gripped the back of her head and descended her head into her lap, tears flowing down. "But- But why is he dead? Couldn't he be healed?"
"We aren't sure," said Aldegar as Synnove moved over to hug Nadia and console her. "We were attacked by a group sent by the Cult, Benoit with them. He put Aiden and Synnove to sleep with a a power of some sort, and they ran away."
"Power?" she raised her head, her eyes bloodshot already and her lip quivering. "He never... He never had a power."
"Then, it was also probably a side effect of corruption." said Aldegar calmly, but, his worries surged.
"No... power?" his mind raced. "Essence would be lethal to him then? He must have had an incomplete Soul Mark, otherwise..."
"Dad and a few other Oracle officers arrived to help, and, after awakening, I was face to face with Benoit. I- I attacked him, and, I was the one who killed him."
"You..." she said as another stream of tears had flown down her face. "You killed him?"
"I did. I'm sorry Nadia, but, it had to be done. If I could've taken another course of action, I'd be overjoyed, but, he attacked first. He operated on nothing other than rage and bloodlust until the very end. Before he..."
Nadia's head raised again as she met Aiden's eyes, and he tried averting his gaze, not being capable of meeting hers.
"At the very end, just before I killed him, he spoke with me. He told me about you, and, how he joined the Cult after they promised to keep you safe. He knew his death would cause them to stop the aid, but, he didn't even know you never received any in the first place."
Aldegar knelt in front of Nadia, as he tried reassuring her. "Benoit asked us to help you, and, unlike the Cult, we will fulfill our promise."
"But why?" she hoarsely spoke, her voice strained from crying. "He- he attacked you, hurt you. Why help me?"
Synnove pulled in Nadia in an even tighter embrace. "Because it's the right thing to do. Everyone deserves a good life, and, Benoit's actions were fueled by the thought of helping you. He never meant anyone unwell, so, in his legacy, we will fulfill what he sought the most."
"What happened to Benoit was a tragedy, one fueled by the Cult's desire to acquire lethal force to subdue those who stand in their way. Benoit had no say in the matter." said Aldegar. "In his final breath, his thoughts were of you. Love is not a sin, and needing help isn't either. Will you let us help you?"
"We can't change the past, Nadia," Aiden got up, sitting on the other side of her, and also hugging her tightly. "But we can make a better future."
Nadia looked at each of them in turn, her eyes filled with a mixture of grief, confusion, and the faintest glimmer of hope. "I... I don't know. This is all so much..."
As Aiden and Synnove consoled Nadia, Aldegar's memories surged. Lukas, Hisako, his promise. It was hard to not see similarities, except, Nadia's response was much different.
"Why, Hisako?" thought Aldegar. "If you only set aside your pained hatred, everything would've been different."
Nadia respectfully freed herself from Aiden and Synnove's embrace, wiping her tears with her sleeve, and firming her voice to speak. "If it's what Benoit wanted... I have to respect his wish."
"I accept," her saddened and quivering lip forced a small smile, as she realized that this is what Benoit wanted all along. "Take me with you, out of here."
Aldegar stood with an approving nod, as he reached for his pocket and pulled out his keys. "I'll go get the car. You guys get ready to leave."
"We will." reassuringly said Synnove.
Nadia looked around the shack, as she reached for a few items closest to her. "I don't really have much to pack."
She stopped, before looking at the wall again. She dropped all what she was holding, but, Aiden thankfully swooped in and caught it on time. She grabbed the picture of her and Benoit off the wall, and neared it to her face with a small smile. A single tear fell onto the framed photo, before Nadia hugged it. "I'll miss you... Benny."
They packed up her scattered belongings, before getting into Aldegar's car and driving away. The night had already long fell, so, they showed her new apartment in Sondre's building, before seeing her off. She unpacked and went to bed, and first thing in the morning, Aiden and Synnove were at her door again.
Synnove brought her some fresh clothes, and they went to town to shop. They first grabbed some breakfast, Nadia absolutely stunned by the flavor.
They went around a few boutiques and got her new clothes to fill out her closet. Afterwards, they went to a large mall, and got ready to furnish her new apartment. It already had basic furnishing, but, they bought her a new couch, new TV, got her a phone, all the things you need in a modern world. They helped her decorate, and, the center piece of the entire apartment - the photo of her and Benoit.
"You know, it's a shame..." she gasped with a tone of sadness. "I never had a phone before, and in the end, this photo is my only memory of Benoit."
"Are you sure?" said Synnove with a bright smile, reaching into her bag.
Aiden went around, behind Nadia, and covered her eyes. "We found out where you went to school as kids, and we helped them dig a bit through their archives."
"We also found one time you guys were in the background of a news broadcast... Now, put out your hands!"
Synnove gently placed the scrapbook filled with photos of her and Benoit on her hands, and Aiden uncovered her eyes. She was stunned by the sentiment, and began crying out of joy. "I- I can't believe it!"
"I'm glad you like it! Still," Synnove spoke as she reached in to hug Nadia. "It's less than I hoped I could find."
"We have to go now, but, we'll come visit soon! And dad should let you know about your new job in a few days too!" waved Aiden as he stepped out of the apartment. "Bye!"
Nadia stood in silence, reveling in the gift she received as she flipped through the pages. She laid down on her bed and firmly held the scrapbook in an embrace, as she tried to finally process this change she's went through.
"Thank you, Benny..." she thought. "Thank you for remembering me."