Spitting Image

"Ack...!"

A blinding beam of light struck Agatha's eyes, but that only made her remember the very day where Uruk had the assassin kill her own daughter right in front of her husband—Agario.

***

One day in the capital of Kruule, roughly three years ago...

"Just how grand of an announcement the Hari is about to give that he had to summon every single person in the capital to the public square?" One of the former high commanders queried as they gather to where Uruk is about to make his grand announcement. "I wish they could at least let the pregnant, elders, and children stay home. My wife is about to give birth soon, I can't let her stress herself."

"It can't be helped, if the Hari wills it, we just have to do it," Agatha replied with a soft voice. "Besides, there's gotta be lots of food here soon, isn't your wife craving for all kinds of food right about now?"

"Yeah, but I'm afraid she'll maintain that round belly even after giving birth. I don't want to lose my super hot and sexy wife!" The high commander pleaded while making a gloomy face.

"You might want to pull the break with your lust towards your wife from time to time, man. It's scary honestly."

While the high commanders picked on the man and his sexual desire towards his pregnant wife, Agatha heard the call of Agario from a distance.

"Sorry, my family's here. I'll see you all later!"

"Just go to your designated post afterward!" One of the high commanders shouted in reply to Agatha.

"All right!"

She ran towards her family afterward.

"Ina!"

"Agna!"

Her daughter, Agna, wearing the same red scarf Lyrica is now wearing, came straight at her mother with a tight embrace.

"It's been a while, Agna!" Agatha mouthed cheerfully. "Are you being a good girl with your father?"

"Yeah!" Replied, Agna who looked exactly like Lyrica, albeit she has longer hair and is a few years younger than the current Lyrica. "Ina, you see, I finally learned how to cook!"

"Really?"

Agna nodded with a wide smile.

"So father and I take turns into cooking since then!"

"That's great! I'd like to have a taste of your cooking!"

"Sure thing!"

After giving Agna who's 9 nine years old at the time some doting, Agatha shifted her gaze towards her husband—Agario.

"I'm glad you arrived safely," She told Agario. "How does it feel to become a commander?"

"It's great, but I'm still behind you and your high commander status," Agario replied. "I still have a long way to go compared to you, but anyway, do you have any idea why the Hari summoned the people? And why in the public square? Doesn't he usually make announcements in his castle on top of that plateau?"

Agatha and the other high commanders have no idea what's going on. All they know is that Uruk had something grand to say and that is why all the people in the capital have been told to gather in the public square.

"Anyhow, the event is about to start soon, the public square should be full of people already. I have to go to my post now."

"I see, I wish could join you, but I have to keep my eyes on the little one."

"Eh, Ina is leaving already?" Agna spoke in a sad tone.

She then received a pat on the head by her mother along with a sweet smile.

"I'm sorry, but I have to keep the capital safe today," Agatha uttered as she gently rubbed the top of Agna's head. "This is for everyone's safety. And that includes you, and your father of course."

A playful wink was shot by Agatha onto Agario's heart.

"I-I can most definitely protect myself..." Agario retorted sheepishly.

"All right, I'll be going then!"

"Take care."

"Bye-bye, Ina!"

Just like that, Agatha went back to her post, not knowing that it'll be the last time she'll see her daughter's brightest smile and she'll never get a taste of her cooking forever.

"There he is!"

"The Hari is here!"

Fast forward in time, the loud public square filled with people has become silent, almost eerily if you think about it. Standing atop a balcony, his golden hair and blue eyes shine brightly like the clear blue sky. The Hari of Kruule, Uruk, had shown his face to the people, and the quiet public square broke into a loud roar once more.

"May I get your attention, everyone," Uruk mouthed loudly, putting the crowd's overlapping voices to a halt. "I thank you all for coming out here. I know this is sudden, but I only have one single thing to tell you."

While the Hari is keeping the people wondering what his announcement would be...

"How's it going, everyone?"

As a high commander, Agatha has control over some commanders and soldiers present in her post.

"Everything is going smoothly over here, high commander."

"Same here! We can hear the Hari over here clearly."

Every information that comes from her men, from her post, goes directly to her.

'Everything's going smoothly so far, that's good.' Agatha thought obliviously. 'If I remember correctly, Agario and Agna should be around in the middle of the public square.'

Agatha had thought of ditching her post just to see her family, after all, it's been quite a while since she last saw Agario and Agna. Her wife and motherly instinct, is screaming desperately to spend time with her husband and daughter. But she knew she cannot do that because she's a diligent knight and an assassin, she cannot allow herself to do something unspeakable like neglecting her job.

"Yo, it's been a while, high commander."

"Huh?"

Had she tried to leave her post, perhaps things might have gone differently in exchange for breaking her resolve for the first time. However, little did she know, that diligence in her role would lead to her daughter's demise.

"You... Gilberto? How did you get out of your cell?!" Agatha whipped out her dagger. "You should be in the prison chamber in the royal castle!"

Agatha raised her guard right after seeing Gilberto, and that's a natural reaction. Before he became a high commander, Gilberto is one of those captured using Agatha's magic ability. He was a man who claimed to live just to kill and torment people. Killing and tormenting people is what's giving him satisfaction, but it all ended when he encountered Agatha and was held prisoner in the prison chamber for years.

"Oh, are you going to capture me again, or are you going to kill me right here?"

"I already caught you once, and it was rather easy. And I'll do it again."

"Oh? You thought I'm the only one you'll need to capture? How naive of you, Agatha!"

Gilberto leaped, but before he could do so much, Agatha disappeared before his eyes.

"What?!"

"I never needed my magic to take you down, it's just for assurance!"

Agatha appeared on top of Gilberto, sending him crashing to the surface with a strong kick.

Thud!

"Aghk!"

"No way you're the only one who escaped, but that's nothing to worry about."

The public square and even the outskirts of the capital are surrounded by soldiers commanded by other high commanders, so no matter how many prisoners escaped, Agatha is confident that the others can capture them.

"You really are stupid, aren't you?" Gilberto uttered, following a mocking chuckle.

Agatha pressed her foot onto Gilberto's back harder and replied: "Stay quiet, someone will be here to handcuff you soon."

Though in pain and immobilized, Gilberto still found himself able to cackle and mock Agatha.

"You stupid b**ch! Don't you realize what's going on?!"

"Shut up!"

Agatha, who had enough of Gilberto's blabbering, punched the man on the back of his head, hard enough to just put him unconscious. However...

"Eh, what's going on?"

Now that her attention is no longer on Gilberto, she finally noticed it—the look of terror and speechlessness in everyone's faces finally caught her eyes as they look toward the same direction. And their gaze directed her towards Uruk.

Her eyes widened slowly. "What? Black flames?"