Integra's Oath

I have a number of regrets in my life. The one that hits my heart the most is my regret of not being a better mother. There are so many things I could've done for my boy and things I could've stayed clear of. This isn't the life I dreamed about when I was still in the arms of my beloved. I may be naïve to hope for such a happy life despite who I truly am but no one in their right mind wishes this kind of life for themselves. My son was cursed along with my beloved, they tried to kill each other without truly knowing who they truly were, my son prevailing in the end just to become the monster who was once his own father.

          I've been tapping into Vatic's memories every chance that I get. I may not be able to turn him back yet from being in a state of what the townspeople refer to as Dalakethnon or similar to that but, I've been managing to keep him at bay all this time, imprisoned inside the cave we once called home. Now, here lies the modern Dalakethnon everyone is afraid of. I haven't thought of it this way but in the Gods' awful twists of fates, this is how I'll manage to keep him safe from the world and the rest of the world from him.

          "I'm never giving up on you, my boy." I say, sounding a little more confident than I actually am. Cupping his cheek, I feel the warmth my son only exudes but I can't deny that it has changed.

          The blank stares he shoots out toward the horizon signal that he's no longer the Vatic I know and love. The silence he offers to me every time I speak to him makes my heart shatter. It's like I'm only with my son's empty shell. That encounter we had from the shore months ago was the last time he spoke to me. The streams of blood may have stopped pouring out of him but those eerie red veins covering every corner of his body didn't go away. It's become his mark as being cursed, the mark of being Dalakethnon.

          It didn't take me and Calista to realize who the ones he was referring to who claimed he killed. The friend he spoke of was Portia, the next one was his father, and the brother he referred to was Masid. I tapped into his memories and I watched what transpired to him and that Portia girl. Only the Gods may know what her true intentions were but I believe she deserves what happened to her. She tried to kill my son. It's either her or Vatic. Without even viewing his memories, I had an idea of what went down between him and his father. As for Masid, the moment I'm truly afraid of did occur. The final embers of Vatic's magic were extinguished making his connection to his familiar be severed. Masid didn't wake up that day and we had to bury him inside the cave so he could still be close to my son.

          One may wonder what happened to Noicnusa and I, for one, am curious at some point as well. It turned out that Vatic killed her as well at the peak of his rage, confusion, and grief. I would have preferred to kill that devil nymph with my own hands but my son got to her first. I didn't imagine that one can loathe someone else more but that's how I feel towards her. Aside from the already mountainous anger I have for her for what he did to me and my beloved, she had the gull to do everything that she did to my boy. She deserves to die and more. Unlike Masid's corpse, I burned her remains to cinders and had her ashes be fed to the livestock.

          If it wasn't for my familiar, I'd be alone here on this vast island. When I was younger, this was something I would've hoped for but experiencing everything that I've experienced; to love, being loved, to lose someone, and gaining someone back to lose him again in the end. I won't pretend that this is something I want now. I can't be alone, especially at this time of grief. I've lost the two people I love the most. My son may still be physically here but his soul isn't anymore. There's no amount of magic that can turn him back but I will not give up on him. I will take care of him as a mother should. Hopefully one day, I can once again see him smile, hear him laugh, and call me Mother.

          While I'm doing my harvest, I can't shake the fact that there's truly no other human being living on the island aside from me. The eerie silence welcomes me. I remember this place being so lively and full of dreams. Now, it's just a ghost town riddled with the fading memories of the past. If I didn't meet Stragis will all of this be avoided? The plague? The curse? The death of hundreds if not thousands of people? All I can do now is imagine and consider other scenarios in my mind as I keep myself busy in this newfound reality of mine.

          The usual cheerful songs of the birds have become haunting, the wind that sings with them becomes dull and hollow, and the empty homes of the former residents give off a very unsettling vibe. As I drown myself in thoughts, I found myself standing in front of the fountain at the town square. The fountain that has Noicnusa's statue sitting elegantly on top. At first, I thought anger would well deep inside me but it didn't and for some reason, I went ahead and examined the fountain and her statue to only see a familiar sigil carved in the sole of one of her feet. At that point, there's nothing else to do but to scorch this trash down.

          I watch it burn and burn until cracks show and some parts start to shatter. I imagine the statue being Noicnusa herself as I finally end her series of hate and misfortune towards me and my family. She doesn't deserve to be akin to the Gods. She deserves to lose all who follow and believe her so that she won't have the means to continue existing in this realm. If it wasn't for her, This island would still be prospering, its people would still be prospering, and my family would still be living happily among them. Not the other way around. I'm the only person living among the dead.

          "Mistress, what are your plans now?" Calista asks, gently wrapping herself around my neck.

          "Aside from tending to my son, I have nothing else in mind really."

          "I'm just thinking."

          "What is it, Calista?"

          "Why not open the island to the world once again. After all, Noicnusa is already gone, your son is safely kept inside the cave where no mere mortal can stumble upon, and you deserve company and this island is meant to be inhabited, Mistress. I know you agree with me on that." She points out.

          "Those are valid sentiments. However, it's been only a few months since all of that happened. Don't you think it's still too early?"

          "I agree. That actually makes sense. Then, eventually?"

          I think of it hard and deep. What is there to gain if I let people live on this island again? But then, I think of my son's wishes to explore, meet new people, and make friends. I couldn't help myself but tear up, smiling in the direction of the cave. That would've been what he wanted. He wanted to be surrounded by people, by friends, and enjoy his life to the fullest but he can't enjoy those wishes anymore. Calista has great points. The devil nymph is already gone, Vatic and his curse are safely kept in the cave, and I can't bear to see this once thriving settlement be left in ruins.

          "Eventually. This place deserves to be celebrated by the next generation and once who'll follow."

          Suddenly, a strange yet calming aura ripples the calm air spreading to the entire island. I'm not sure what it is but it certainly is familiar. I felt this sensation before the day my Vatic was born. A distinct sense of warmth fills me from within and I know for a fact that Calista felt it as well. It's coming from the cave. My mind is telling me to panic but overwhelming calm is wrapping around me. What is this feeling? What's happening to Vatic? Whatever it is, we must get back there as soon as we can.

          Calista and I managed to get to the cave's entrance but I couldn't make myself go inside for some reason, my gut told me something was about to happen. I will never know if I won't come inside so that's what I did. The gravity intensifies with every step I take, the wind howls the closer we get inside, and my heart beats more violently by the second. The morning hue keeps everything calm but something's amiss. I don't see Vatic. The leaves from the King of Trees dance with the harmonious howls of the wind. My feet call for me to go behind the base of the tree where Vatic used to be training himself for combat.

          "Vatic, are you alright?" I ask as calmly as I can as we see him standing so close to the tree, his back facing us. The red veins in his back seem to be less intense than usual.

          "Vatic?" Calista echoes but we both know he can't hear her anymore.

          With another gust of wind wafting inside the cave, Vatic slowly turns around to face me, cradling something in his hands. I've always wished for this day to come. The day I see his emerald-green eyes filled with life again as he looks back at me, his warm smile stretches from ear to ear, and his copper hair sways among the gentle blows of the wind. Then, a sudden giggle of a baby booms to where he's standing. I looked down at his arms and I couldn't tell how to feel as I saw a small child clinging to him.

          "Mistress, are you seeing what I'm seeing?"

          "I wish I don't but I think I do."

          "Mother." He welcomes me.

          I cry.

~