A Sudden Breakdown

Samael trained in the sideyard for about two hours before deciding that it was enough for the day.

Even though he trained very hard and even replenish his exhausted mana a couple of times, there was still no progress today. Like any other light mage, he's training to use one of the regulated light spells by the Divine Sanctum of Divinity.

It's called Light Armaments, a spell to conjure a weapon made of light.

Channeling his neutral mana to turn it into light mana before chanting the spell is not a big deal for him. But every time he chant the spell, the light sword in his hand appeared only for less than a second before dispersing once again.

Nothing should've gone wrong, but it did, and he doesn't know why.

His father has inspected his training, but even he can't also find the part where it went wrong. Other light mages also already visit him, yet none of them is able to tell exactly why this problem keeps on occurring to him.

"No progress today?" Lily poked her head from the back, asking curiously.

Samael who is resting on the stairs shakes his head, he looks at his hands out of sheer frustration. "I still don't know what went wrong..." he clenched his hands into fists, causing his entire arms to tremble. "But don't worry, I'm not giving up just yet" he added with a cheerful smile.

After saying that, Samael stands up and walks away, "I'm going to clean and go for night prayer"

While looking at Samael's back that went further and further away before disappearing around the corner, Lily's expression tighten for a brief moment as she bits her lower lip. It seems there was something inside her mind, but she suppressed it and started tidying the sideyard silently.

But remembering something, Samael turns around and called out to her, "Lily..."

"Yes?" Lily stopped what she was doing and turns her head towards him.

Pausing for a second to ponder a little bit about what he was about to say, Samael eventually nodded his head and smile lightly, "How are you adjusting to the new head maid? I know it's going to be weird for you since you know..."

"Don't worry, I knew her from my mother. I don't mind her at all" Lily replied also with a smile.

Upon hearing this Samael nodded his head fearing that Lily might not still adjust even though it's been over a month already, "Well, if you say so" He said before he continues his way to clean himself for the night prayer.

A moment later, Samael went over to the praying room after cleaning himself.

Clad in a pristine white cassock adorned with gold accents that reached down both sides of the buttons, Samael entered the prayer room of his home. He noticed a man already kneeling at the end closest to the statue at the center.

From the back, he already recognized this man as his father, Fedele.

Fedele is a well-built man, his wide frame was unable to be hidden by the loose white robe covering his entire body. He has the same blonde hair as Samael and has an air of grace around him, not a surprise as he was the Priest of Light of the city.

Noticing his presence, Fedele looks over his shoulders and saw Samael standing by the door.

"Samael, come, let's pray together," Fedele said, gesturing for Samael to kneel beside him. His eyes are glowing with heaven's light, an inexplicable power is hidden underneath those eyes. It was a power only a mage who had entered the Wizard realm could possess.

Without saying anything, Samael strides forward and kneels beside his father.

Looking around the prayer room, his eyebrows dipped into a frown, "I don't see Lucius anywhere, how can he be late for night prayer?" Samael commented, shaking his head at his brother's carelessness.

"Your brother is at the church, he will not join our night prayer this time" Fedele answered.

Upon nodding his head at the news, the pair of father and son clasped their hands together and closes their eyes, starting their night prayer. It lasted for an hour, his father leads the words while Samael repeat after his father. But as this is a daily activity for him, he developed a habit of pouring his heart out amidst the prayer.

Almost as if he was confessing to God about the burden he experienced each day inside his head.

"-Thank you, for the blessing you continue to give despite our imperfections"

When the night prayer ended, Samael and Fedele finally open their eyes and take one graceful look at the statue in front of them. It was supposed to end, but Fedele grabbed Samael's hand and brought him to the white pew chairs.

Samael was confused as he sat on the pew chair beside his father.

Locking eyes with Samael for a moment, Fedele reaches out his hand gently and wipes a stain on the corner of Samael's mouth. It was obvious what the stain is, "Are you sure that you don't want me to talk to Adrian and Heath about requesting your assistance with their training?" he queried worriedly.

But Samael quickly shakes his head firmly, "No, you don't have to be worried about that"

"The three Divine Axioms, God always protects, God always guides, and God always chooses the side of good. I remember you telling me this all the time, it was the main lesson you learned from the Apostle of Light Orphanage. Even if Adrian and Heath are using me, if God isn't protecting me from them then he must have something in mind and is guiding me to become stronger!" he added with an upbeat smile.

Fedele shakes his head helplessly, he can only ruffle Samael's hair in response.

As he ruffles Samael's hair, Samael missed a brief change in Fedele's expression. It contains a hint of sorrow and doubt, something that if Samael saw would instantly raise questions, his father always has a smile when the Apostle of Light Orphanage was brought up.

So if he wears this expression instead of a smile, Samael would be confused.

Standing up from the chair, Fedele looks at Samael fondly, "It's good that God shine his light on you. Even if you eventually didn't become a mage, I'm still proud of you, Samael. Remember that..." he said before he faces his eyes back to the statue.

Upon hearing this, Samael's body froze for a moment as he was not expecting those words.

It was not but a moment before his world started spinning as he that really caught him off guard. But his mind jolted awake when he remembered something, "Father!" he called out, attracting Fedele's attention back to him.

"Hmmm...?" Fedele turns his body to face Samael, hearing his son call him.

Also standing up, Samael then asked, "It's been more than a month already, have you found the man that broke into our house? We need to catch that man, he might have something to do with aunt Sophie's death!"

"Sophie died out of illness, she also died before the thief came into our house" Fedele sighed.

A tragedy happened about a month ago when Lily's mother, aunt Sophie died out of a sudden illness that brings grief to the entire Molantar Family. It completely came out of nowhere, but the healers told them that aunt Sophie died out of a rare illness that stopped her heart.

But Lily didn't believe the healer, her mother doesn't have any illness, and she was healthy.

Of course, Samael believed Lily more than the healers.

The next day after aunt Sophie's death, a mage broke into the house but was caught red-handed by Fedele and chased away. But turns out that the mage is quite strong, he managed to escape Fedele's grasp and left his identity still unknown.

Ever since that day, Samael suggested that maybe the mage has something to do with the tragedy.

Knowing the suspicion that Lily told him, he tries to convince his parents to no avail. Both his father and mother find any cue between the two incidents, and they believed the healers' words that told them the sickness is rare and it doesn't have any symptoms.

It was precisely because it was rare that aunt Sophie's death seems natural in their eyes.

"Don't soil her death with unjust reason, Samael. It was her fate and we can't do anything about it. Even if we do find the thief, he would be brought to justice for breaking into our house, not for Sophie's death" Fedele shakes his head, he doesn't know how to dissuade Samael from this anymore.

Upon hearing this, Samael clenched his fists and forced out a word, "Okay..."

But Fedele knows that his youngest son feels uncomfortable with this, he then grabs both of Samael's shoulders gently and said, "There are some things I can't talk to you about, Samael. Maybe someday you will understand, but trust me on this, that thief is here for something else"

Samael kept silent as his emotions are everywhere, he wanted to help Lily to the best of his abilities.

"How is Lily? Is she still grieving about her mother?" Fedele finally asked.

A few days after aunt Sophie's death, Lily was mourning like any other that has just lost their parents. She was raised solely by her mother, her father died when she was five, and that alone shows how important aunt Sophie is to her.

But about three days later, Lily went back to normal as if mourning for three days was enough.

Samael finds it weird as she moved on rather quickly, but maybe she can cope with it better than most people, "Lily has been doing fine, nothing really changed about her. If I have to say something, then maybe she become more supportive of me to become stronger than before"

"Tell Lily that she must let go of her mother, or she would develop a seed of evil" Fedele replied.

Even though he was reluctant to drop the subject, maybe it's time to put rest aunt Sophie's death. As far as he knows, aunt Sophie is a good woman, she's probably with God in heaven right now, there's no need to lament her death any longer than this.

Out of nowhere, Fedele suddenly started coughing severely with his hand on his chest.

Samael was concerned as he went to his father's aid, but his father just smiled subtly while raising a hand, "Don't worry, I'm okay. Go to sleep now, it's already late" he said, gesturing that he was fine and telling Samael to go to his bed.

Albeit concerned, Samael obeyed with a nod of his head, "Aren't you going to sleep too?"

"No, I'll stay here for a while. You go on ahead..." Fedele replied with a wave of his hand before he went kneeling in front of the God of Light statue again, assuming a praying stance, and closes his eyes.

Leaving the praying room, Samael has a frown on his face as this is not normal behavior.

'Father always leaves with me after the night prayer, what makes him decide to still be here this night?' Samael thought, he knows his father's daily activities and notice that he was acting weird today, unlike usual.

Instead of going back to his bed instantly, he stopped outside the door out of curiosity.

But even after a moment, he didn't hear anything as his father stayed on his spot praying. 'What am I thinking? Maybe father wants to pray alone for once' Samael thought, shaking his head and intent to leave.

As he was about to leave, his body stiffened. Samael then peered back into the prayer room.

Samael widened his eyes as he look at his father's back that is trembling, 'Father is crying...?' a light sob can be heard coming from him. It was the first time he see his father crying, and he doesn't know how to feel.

"Please, God... let your grace flow through them again" a light whisper can be heard.

Fedele then looked up at the statue with his hands clasped together, oblivious to Samael who is watching him from the back. "Your light is fading," he said with a heavy tone, showing how hard for him to mutter those words. "I- I can't see your light anymore..."

Before Fedele can even realize Samael was watching, he already walked away, shock on his face.

The last words that his father uttered amidst his sob kept echoing inside his mind, ringing in his ears like a bell that never stopped chiming. He had never expected to hear such a thing coming out of his own father's mouth.

'W-What did father mean by that...?'