My Child (2) (Remastered)

[Katherine's POV]

"Hmm...."

They are taking usually long to come back today.... Usually, both Kyrielle and Thomas would have been home by now, eating breakfast with me....

"Hmm...."

I'm worried... It's been almost one and a half hour now after they left, they should've been back home half an hour ago. Did something happened?

"Mmm...."

No no, I'm worrying about them a bit too much.... Thomas should be able to take care of Kyrielle right?

"....Sigh...." Maybe I should wait outside the front door of the shop.

I waited outside the house.... I was anxious that something might have happened to them.

I waited for a while... for another half an hour... It was then when I saw them, Thomas and Kyrielle... covered in blood. Thomas is carrying Kyrielle in his arm, and Kyrielle looked like she's injured.

"Wha-?!"

I ran towards them.

"You two! What happened-"

"It's the kidnappers..... They targeted Kyrielle this time. It's alright, I'll explain once we are inside the house."

"Right...."

I'm much more worried about Kyrielle... She didn't even respond to my calls of her, and she seems shocked.... Something really happened.

We went inside the house where I prepared a bucket of warm water for both of them to clean themselves... Thomas carried Kyrielle to her room and then left her there.

I got some towels and the bucket then went to Kyrielle's room. She's sitting on her bed with a dumbfounded look...

"Kyrie... Mama is going to cast a healing miracle on you."

"....."

She seems pitiful...

I touched her head with my hand, and then chanted...

"Oh graceful one, grant nourishing force to the ones who have lost their strength and let them rise from their injuries. Healing."

Golden light appeared from my palms and onto her head... Her wounds quickly close up, and it seems that she's in less pain now.

"Okay.... Can you clean your body by yourself, Kyrielle?"

"....Mama.... Thank you...."

"Don't worry about it, make sure you get a good rest alright? Be a good girl, and listen to mama."

"Mmn..."

I left the room, walked to the kitchen and brought breakfast to her room. I left the meal on her desk before heading out. Then I went and sat on the couch in the living room....

"Sigh... How did this happen?...."

As I was mumbling to myself, Thomas walked downstairs after he is done wiping off the blood from his body.

"Katherine... I-"

"Shh... It's okay, just relax for now."

"....Thank you."

Thomas sat down on the couch right next to me...

"Hey..." Thomas said.

"Hmm?"

"Can I hug you a bit?"

"...Go ahead."

After I agreed, he put his left arm over my shoulder and then pulled me to his side. We sat like that for what felt like forever, before he talked.

"We were in the park.... A bunch of assassins suddenly ambushed us out of nowhere, it was likely with invisibility magic."

"I see..."

"One of them tried to behead me from behind, and Kyrielle warn me about it which saved my life."

"Mmm."

"As I fought the assassin, I heard Kyrielle yell out from behind and when I turn around, I saw 2 men on a horse, with one of them holding our daughter.... "

"....Mmm."

"They ran and I chased after them, but I was too slow.... I was devastated that I'm going to lose her... I was really terrified...."

"...Mmm."

"But that was when I saw what happened to one of the men that captured Kyrielle... I chased deeper into the streets and by chance I stumbled across them again. Kyrielle... She somehow escaped from the horse and took out one of the assassins with magic... it's one I have never seen before. "

"...Magic? Are you sure?"

"....I couldn't believe it at first but it really is fire magic!... From a distance I saw her fighting with the second assassin using multiple different magic."

"But she's a child, not even a prodigy would be able to cast spells at that age. Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure."

"I see... How did she even-"

"She probably read the magic textbook that I had kept in that old box... It was something that I planned to give her anyway, but she probably took it out of her own accord."

"I see...."

"Anyway, the second assassin was skilled and he closed in on her without any trouble at all.... I was able to make it in time to stop him from hurting Kyrielle beyond just a kick though."

"Then that is great... She didn't get seriously injured, and it's a good thing in the midst of a lot of bad luck."

"Yes but... I fought with the assassin and killed him... in front of Kyrielle... She was really devasted for seeing death for the first time.... And she was extremely guilty about attacking the first assassin with magic as well..."

"I see... She felt terrible about hurting someone."

"A little girl her age shouldn't have seen such a graphic scene... I'm really a failure of a father aren't I? I even failed to protect her..."

"You had no other options but to kill the man.... And it wasn't your fault either because the assassins ambushed you right?"

"...Thank you... You are always supporting me whenever I'm down..."

A moment of silence passed yet again... He sits there, tired and scared. I feel bad for him....

"....Kyrielle cried for the first time ever in front of me. I don't know how to handle a crying daughter... The best that I did was just hug her and comfort her."

"Mmn."

"After that, I told the guards that arrived there about what happened... They arrested the surviving assassin to interrogate them, and we are allowed to go home which results in this.... I'm really a failure as a father aren't I?"

"No... No you aren't. You are a great husband and father, you did your best. It was a disaster, one that you can't have prepared for no matter what... It wasn't your fault."

"I... see.... Thank you Katherine..."

We sat there in silence once again...

'Groo...' His stomach grumbled.

"...Want to eat breakfast?"

"....Yeah."

_________________

[Kyrielle's POV]

I forced myself to eat my food, and then I lied on the bed without any energy after I did so...

I... I have never seen death before. As a city boy in my old life, death was never a concept that I have to confront. I never had to kill to protect myself... Nor have I actually seen someone die in front of me.

When I burned that man, he screamed in agony.... That scream stills haunts me now after the fight is long over.

Worse off... I have seen a side of dad that I haven't seen before... The swordsman side of his. He is a killer, but I don't hate him... He killed someone so casually but he isn't a heartless and brutal killer, and he actually cares about people...

....What makes dad so stone-cold calm about it? People who kills a lot should be monsters like the villains in most stories right?...

Why is my father so kind then?... And why is it that despite he is so kind and caring, he is ruthless in combat and showed no mercy?....

When I came up with that spell and practised it, I have never actually thought about using it on someone... Or using it at all. When I burned that man, it was out of reflexes, not out of malicious intent....

I don't know how to feel about this.....I know that he tried to kidnap me and that I was only defending myself.... But still, some part of myself still believes that I didn't have to kill him... That is... naive of me...

In this world, there are monsters and demons that are out to get you the moment you drop your guard.... People won't have time to worry about the lives of other people....

I shouldn't feel any guilt... and yet I still felt bad for killing them... In the end, I never could kill. As a boy in the past, I thought that I could kill if I needed to... but I never thought about what would happen after I killed someone.

So.... What now?.... Am I supposed to just live with the fact that I killed someone for the first time in my life?....

I... I'm tired and confused now. I'll think about it... Later...

.....

...

"Zzz...."

___________________

When I came to, bright lights shone in my eyes and I squinted my eyes to look properly. I'm standing in the middle of a desert...?

I looked around properly, upon waves of golden sand I saw a town further down the dessert... It was a city right next to a mountain.

"Whats wrong, Kyrie? Why have you stopped?" A very familiar voice of a woman sounded from behind me....

I looked backwards and saw a dark figure standing there, slightly behind me. I can't see her face, but I saw that on her head is two pink colored eyes that glows slightly as if it's the headlight of a car.

"It's nothing.... Let's continue to Exeter."

Somehow, it felt natural to reply to her... as if my body naturally replied to her.

Desert... Exeter... Pink eyes...

"Zzz.... Hmm?..."

I woke up again, looking at the familiar ceiling that I recognized as my room's. The surroundings are completely dark, and I can't see anything beyond my own bed...

"How long did I sleep for?..." It is night time already...

'Groo....' My stomach made a loud groan, giving no care to my situation.

"....I guess I'll head out."

As I got up from my bed, bruising pain starts to hit my body...

"Ouch...." My legs and stomach is extremely sore, even though mom casted a healing miracle on me... I guess healing spells don't actually cure the pain huh?...

I grabbed a candle from besides my bed, casted a small Ember on my finger tips and lighted the candle using it... Using it as a light source, I exited the room.

I walked down the stairs to the living room where I saw mom and dad doing their own things. Dad was fixing a lock for a chest, and mom was weaving a piece of cloth...

"Oh, you are awake Kyrie. Have you gotten a good rest?" Mom asked.

"Mmn."

"I see.... There's food in the kitchen, help yourself to it."

Saying that, she continued weaving the cloth. Dad looked at me for a little while as he sat on the floor, but continued doing his thing once I looked back at him... He is averting his gaze.

He's still troubled by me huh?.... I still have questions so I guess I should just be frank and ask him....

"...Daddy. Can we talk for a bit? "

Dad flinched upon hearing my words... he put down his tools and turned around to face me while he answered me back.

"...What do you need? "

"It's about this morning...."

Dad flinched again when he heard that.

"It's... I killed someone. With magic. "

"...I know. I saw it at a distance."

"...I'm extremely sorry. I messed up, I shouldn't have killed him. I am a killer..."

"You aren't."

"...Huh?"

"You aren't. You killed not because you were making it a game, you killed because you were defending yourself."

"I... I know, but-"

"There's no but. When the dangerous situation comes, it is either you or them. Who would you pick in that situation then?"

"....Myself."

"That's my girl." He said as he pats me on the head....

"Dad... How do you move on from something like this?.."

"You don't... You will carry the emotions of killing someone, and that'll stay with you for a long time. If you want to move on, continue on... Get the momentum going, and don't look back at the past."

"I... I don't get it..."

"To put it simply, accept that you killed someone. Accept that you ended his life, and make peace with the fact. Don't regret that you have done it, it was because you are defending yourself."

"I... I see. I think I understood now..."

"...Kyrie, it's fine to feel terrible after you hurt someone, whether in self defense or not. But this time you didn't do anything wrong, you did what was necessary."

"...Thank you, dad."

"Mmm. You are my girl, I know you'll do what's right. If anything else is troubling you, then don't be afraid to talk to me or mom, okay?"

"Okay."

'Groo....' My stomach growled once again... I hadn't eaten lunch, after all.

"....." (2x)

"Hahaha, you must be hungry then Kyrie! I've prepared a tomato chicken stew, mom'll bring it to you then!"

"Mmn!"

_____________

[Katherine's POV]

(Later at night)

It seemed that after resting, Kyrielle was fine and she talked with Thomas about what's bothering her....

Seeing that those two were able to come to a proper conclusion gave a great sense of relief to me.... After that, Thomas and I went to bed. We were just changing into our pajamas, when Thomas talked to me.

"Aww.... My second child is getting even bigger now!" Thomas said as he stared at my big round belly....

"Seriously, I don't know how men like you can be so carefree.... Just this morning you were devasted by what happened to Kyrielle, but then now you can talk to me about my ever growing tummy like nothing happened."

"That's just how I am! And I know that you love me for it."

"Hmm... You are right."

"....Hey Katherine, do you think we should send Kyrielle to a school after all? "

"I was actually thinking about that recently.... She's a smart and talented kid, it would be a waste to not let her skills grow. Being able to use magic at the age of 2! It's beyond impressive!"

"Still, she's young.... too young. Kids usually go there when they are 7. Besides, she also has swordsmanship to worry about.... I think sending her there right now would not be a good idea."

"Yeah... That's true..."

Hmm... But undeveloped talent in magic can go out of hand and even hurt her if she doesn't learn how to control her powers...

"Do you think that a magic tutor would suffice for now?"

"A Magic tutor? "

"Yes. It's important for Kyrie to make full use of her talent, but it's still too early for her to attend the school. But what if we hired a tutor to teach her, wouldn't that prepare her for learning in the future? Besides, she learns very fast, if we give her a head start then surely she'll leave everyone in the dust by the time she starts school."

"Oh, that sounds great!... But still, I think we should just observe her for now, and see what she can do. "

"Good point... Tomorrow I have to head to the guards and report what happened, so you should observe her instead, see how she learned magic and how she uses it."

"Will do."

"Mmm. Well then, it's time to go to sleep, good night." He said as he blows out the candle, turning the dim room into total darkness.

"....No." I said out to him in the dark room...

"Huh?"

"If I don't get a good night kiss, I won't go to sleep."

"My wife was never this cute before!... Ahem, come here then."

As we both lie in the bed, he gently grabbed my face and pulled me closer... into his mouth.

'Smooch...'

"Goodnight, Katherine. Sleep well."

"Mmm. Goodnight, honey."

I don't usually demand so much intimacy from him... but I know he's extremely tired and emotionally exhausted. Even though I'm the one demanding him to give me a kiss, he gets very happy when I do it...

That's why, I did this so that I could at least lessen his burdens a bit, helping him to rest easy tonight.

(Chapter end)