Chapter 3: Father

Lucas enters the graveyard with a confident gait. At night, the graveyard once scared him... now, it's a familiar place to both him and his father. In no time at all, Lucas sees his father a short distance away, on his knees in front of his mother's grave. Lucas, not sure exactly what to do, approaches quietly as to not disturb his father.

Joshua, kneeling on the ground, holds back tears with great difficulty. Unaware of his son's presence, he speaks in a quiet yet audible tone.

"Mary... my sweet lily... I'm so sorry... I know this isn't what you wanted... I know that, if you were here, you'd want me and your son to smile and live our lives to the fullest... But, Mary... your son, he's just like you. He's stubborn as an ox, and just as determined..."

Tears begin to exit his eyes as he kneels down deeper, his forehead almost touching the ground as his tone becomes more desperate.

"I can't stop him, Mary... I'm not like you... I could barely raise the boy alone, let alone convince him to stay. He's... He's going on some quest, Mary... to avenge you."

Lucas swallows, his stony expression fully set on the figure of his crying father as he continues, his voice becoming more frantic.

"I-... I'm so sorry, Honey... But, I couldn't stop him... never... I really am the worst father ever... and an even worse husband... You know why...?"

Joshua looks up at the gravestone, grabbing it as if it were the shoulders of his late wife, tears streaming down his face as his tone is frantic and broken.

"Because I WANT him to go...! I WANT him to leave, and I WANT that godsforsaken demon to pay...! Despite knowing how much you would hate it, I can't help it! Despite how much danger it puts our own son in, I can't bring myself to put my foot down...! I still miss you, and, and.... I can't bring you back, and, I don't want anyone else to feel this pain... this horrible, horrible weakness... I'm so pathetic, I can't even do it myself... instead, I'm watching our, no, YOUR son leave to exact a justice that I'm too weak to even dream of performing!"

Joshua hugs the tombstone, clinging to it with desperation and grief. "I'm so sorry, Mary... we can't go on like this... we aren't strong like you... please forgive us..."

Lucas puts a hand on his father's back. At some point, his feet moved towards him on their own. Joshua, upon feeling the sturdy hand on his back, immediately turns to his son, standing as tears still flow down his eyes. Lucas looks down into his father's eyes as emotions swirl within him.

"Father..."

Without another word, Joshua hugs his son, his skinny frame doing its absolute best to envelope his son completely.

"I love you, son... please come home safe..."

Lucas hugs his father in return as a tear escapes his eye.

"I will... I promise."

``` ```

Lucas exits the graveyard, and soon makes his way to the main road leading out of the village. As he walks down the road, the sound of everyday village business slowly fades behind him. The road is straight until it hits the forest, to Lucas's knowledge. He will find out whether that holds true soon.

...

Soon, indeed. In no time at all, he finds himself stood at the treeline. By now, the sounds of his home have been silenced by distance. As he stands in silence at the entrance to the forest, a small part of Lucas's heart yearns to turn around. No, not a small part, a sizeable portion of himself is fighting desperately to turn his stubborn body.

'There's nothing to see back there. I need to move forward.'

...

Lucas turns around, taking one final look at his village.

He stands there for almost 5 minutes as he stares at his home with a deafening silence.

But, in the end, he turns back around, the image of his father hugging him at the forefront of his mind.

Lucas enters the woods.

``` ```

*The words of a well taken care of gravestone in a small village.*

"Here lies Mary,

A brilliant village head,

A loving wife,

And a caring mother."

END OF CHAPTER