The walk back was suffocating.

  ?Aelira stumbled a few steps behind him, her eyes devoid of light, unseeing. She wasn't walking on the road anymore; she was wandering through a nightmare.

  ?Zaek glanced back, his chest tightening.

  ?This is bad…

  ?The truth was laid bare in the silence of that garden. No letters. No money. No return. Whether it was bandits on the road, a monster in the woods, or the biting cold of the north… the cause didn't matter. The result remained the same.

  ?Aelira stopped abruptly in the middle of the dusty road.

  ?“She could still be alive somewhere…” she whispered. Her voice was brittle, ready to snap. “We… we just haven't looked hard enough. We should search for her.”

  ?The words held no conviction. They were just echoes of a dying hope.

  ?Zaek stopped and turned slowly.

  ?“Kid… stop.” He sighed, the sound heavy with regret. “I don't want to hurt you, but you have to look at the reality.”

  ?“But… she could have run away!” Aelira insisted, her voice rising in pitch. “Maybe she just wanted to leave everything behind!”

  ?“Without saying a word to anyone? Not to her mother? Not even to you?”

  ?“She left the mansion without saying goodbye too! She didn’t leave a letter then, either!”

  ?“Aelira, think. She couldn't have just packed up and started a new life elsewhere. It’s impossible.”

  ?“Why?! Why is it impossible?! There is still hope! We have to—”

  ?“AELIRA.”

  ?Zaek stepped forward and gripped her shoulders tightly.

  ?She froze. The shock of his tone—firm, serious, devoid of any playfulness—silenced her instantly. It was the first time he had ever spoken her name with such weight.

  ?He looked deep into her trembling silver eyes.

  ?“Listen to me. This isn't a fairy tale. In this Empire, commoners cannot move between cities without a permit. Without a damn good reason. The laws don't allow it.”

  ?His voice softened, but the words cut deep.

  ?“She couldn't just disappear to start a new life. If she isn't here… then she isn't anywhere.”

  ?“Huh? What… what is that?” Aelira blinked, her mind struggling to process the logic. “They can’t even… move?”

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  ?The last thread of hope snapped.

  ?The strength drained from her body. Her knees buckled, and she collapsed into the dirt, Zaek’s grip the only thing keeping her from hitting the ground face-first.

  ?“I… I just wanted to ask…”

  ?Tears began to spill, hot and fast.

  ?“I wanted to learn… I wanted to know why…”

  She wanted to know why her only supporter in this life had abandoned her. Why was she left alone...

  ?Maybe, deep down, she had hoped to win her back. To fix whatever was broken.

  ?But there was nothing to fix. Only an empty void.

  ?Zaek didn't try to pull her up. He didn't offer empty platitudes. He simply stood there, holding her steady as she wept, letting the grief wash over them both.

  ***

  Sniff.

  ?They sat by the bank of a small stream on the edge of the city. The water murmured softly, rushing over smooth stones, indifferent to the grief of humans.

  ?Aelira hugged her knees, sniffing quietly. Her eyes and nose were red, her face streaked with dried tears.

  ?"Are you feeling better now?" Zaek asked softly, sitting beside her but keeping a respectful distance.

  ?She answered with a simple, jerky nod.

  ?For a while, they sat in silence, feeling the wind brush against their faces as the sky turned a bruised purple and gold in the fading light.

  ?"I… I think I knew," Aelira whispered, breaking the quiet.

  ?"?"

  ?"Somewhere deep down… I knew she wouldn't be here. I couldn't explain it, but I knew."

  ?Zaek looked at the flowing water. "Now that you mention it… you had a fit of tears on the way back from Kirsk, years ago. It stuck with me because you weren't usually a whiny child. Maybe your heart knew before your head did."

  ?"You didn't have to remember that…" she mumbled, burying her face in her knees.

  ?"They say the bond between a mother and child is mysterious," Zaek mused, his voice gentle. "Maybe your relationship with her was something like that. That’s why you felt it."

  ?A bond between mother and child…

  ?Aelira raised her head, looking at the first stars appearing in the sky.

  ?Did I see her as my mother?

  ?She didn't have to hide it anymore. Her biological mother, Vivianne, was a statue of ice—beautiful, perfect, and cold. She never held Aelira. She never looked at her with warmth.

  ?Lassandra was the only one. She was the one who bandaged her scraped knees, who snuck her extra sweets, who gave her the warmth she craved. Even after six years, Aelira could still feel that phantom warmth.

  ?"Sensei."

  ?"Hmm?"

  ?"I want to know what happened to her," Aelira said, her voice steadying. "Even if she died… I need to learn how. And I want to give her a proper funeral. She deserves that much."

  ?Zaek looked at her. The pity in his eyes vanished, replaced by a solemn, quiet pride.

  ?"It's a noble purpose," he said. "But how will you do that? We have no leads."

  ?"I want to talk to Flora again. But… she won't listen to me."

  ?"She won't," Zaek agreed bluntly. "Pressing a grieving mother is cruel, and she thinks we are the enemy. So, what’s the plan?"

  ?Aelira frowned, thinking. "Maybe… we ask someone who knows Flora? Someone she trusts?"

  ?"That's good. And lucky for us, we’ve already met someone who fits that description."

  ?"?"

  ?Her mind raced. Who? The Warden? No. Wait.

  ?"That guy from earlier?" Aelira asked, eyes widening. "The neighbor who chased us away? But… he hates us too. Can we really convince him?"

  ?"He hates us because he protects her," Zaek corrected. "That means he cares. If we approach him right… he might listen. It's better than nothing."

  ?"That's true."

  ?"Good. Since we decided what to do, it's time to rest."

  ?Zaek slowly stood up, dusting off his trousers. He extended a large, scarred hand toward her.

  ?"..."

  ?Aelira hesitated. She stared at the hand. Part of her wanted to stay here by the river, in the dark, with her grief.

  ?"Don’t do that," Zaek said softly. "We came a long way, and you cried a lot. You're exhausted. We'll find him first thing in the morning and convince him. For now, let's find a place to stay."

  ?She wanted to oppose him, to say she wasn't tired. But her body felt heavy as lead. He was right. She couldn't help Lassandra if she collapsed.

  ?So, she reached out.

  ?She took his hand, letting him pull her back to her feet.

  ?"Okay," she whispered. "Tomorrow."