Chapter 13: Prices One Must Pay (Part 1)

A lone cat, one that was black as the night itself, cozied up on the tree branch. Quietly surveilling the people strolling through the park in the distance in one of the trees, he made not the slightest reaction as he witnessed them starting to head home from their daily regimen. Dusk was but a couple of hours away. As he sat there, the sight of a man and his daughter caught his eye.

Diverting his attention towards them, he suddenly plastered an unsettlingly toothy grin, ears raised, and eyes narrowed. He moved his tail, quivering it back and forward as he examined the duo from afar as they treaded on the stone pavement.

The family resemblance between the pair was there, evident through their black hair and noticeably eastern features. The young girl skipped ahead of her father, laughing as she enjoyed the sweet floral aroma that pervaded through the cool breeze. As they made it through the area in the park with trees, amused by how elegantly slow the leaves fell, she eagerly ran underneath the shower, wanting to surround herself with them.

The father simply smiled at his child's behavior, pleased with how much she was enjoying herself. He sauntered close behind her, cane in hand. The cat's eyes gleamed at the sight of the girl. He then sat up, stretching his feline body as he sharpened his claws at the tree bark. He continued to observe them, eyeing the girl amusingly. It was as if he found something he liked.

After few more minutes of spectating their time together, the man suddenly stopped moving, subsequently falling down onto his knees, much to the attention and dismay of his daughter. He witnessed the girl panic as she ran towards her loving father as fast as she could – an action that made his eyes chime.

As the girl rushed over to his side, she let out a desperate hand, begging him to take it as she intended to help him up.

It was at this moment where the cat proceeded to come closer, only to be halted by the sound of something behind him.

Caw!

The cat's ears jetted backwards as he turned around, coming face-to-face with a lone crow that wasn't there before. The black avian tilted its head before spreading its wings out. It sounded as if it were upset.

Caw! Caw! Caw!

The sight of the black bird didn't sit well with him, "What do you want bird brain? Go on. Shoo! Get!"

The crow didn't seem to take a hint, continuing to caw at the cat as if mocking him as it sat there. This struck a cord with the feline, causing him to flail his claws at the lone corvid. The crow elevated itself from the branch, pecking at the feline in self-defense. The skirmish costed the bird a couple of feathers and the cat an eye.

The cat squinted, "I said flock off feather-face. Otherwise, I'm going to make you learn the hard way."

The cat intended to finish him, only to be interrupted by the sound of even more of them. He looked around his immediate vicinity, coming across a flock of them in the neighboring trees. They eyed him, bearing their beaks in his direction, seeing him as a threat.

Having realized that he was at a disadvantage in numbers and territory, the cat fled into the shadows, leaving nil traces behind. With that, the black birds claimed the territory as their own. They then simmered down for the time being.

Aiden could feel his vision clouding as the sight of his daughter skipping ahead of him blurred. He squinted his eyes, grimacing his expression as he began to lose his balance.

It was as if his blood hardened into a solid layer on his body only for it be abruptly ripped off. The paralysis rendered him nearly stiff. His balance relinquished suddenly with his body succumbing to his still fresh injury.

He fell forwards, the earth dragging him as if inviting him to rest there. In a last-ditch effort, he exerted his weight on the cane he held using his elbows to torque it, resulting in a way to break his fall. Pulling the cane down with all his might with both arms before he could shatter his kneecaps on the concrete, he did just that, gently placing them on the mother earth before letting out a sigh of relief.

He heard a voice call out to him, quavering from horroras she witnessed this.

"Father!"

The sound of her voice brought him back to reality. He could hear the sound of her shoes echoing through the plates as he sensed her coming to his aid.

Aiden opened his eyes, looking upward through his sweat-soaked fringes without looking directly off the ground. He blinked a few times in desperation before he could finally see his daughter's white socks and cute little black loafers right in front of him. While her posture was rigid, her legs trembled.

Agatha let out her hand. It shook as if it was imploring him to take it.

Anchoring his attention to the look in her eyes, he found himself staring into a couple of quivering pink flowers. He witnessed them widen at the sight of his current unhealthy state. He lifted his arm, reaching for the tiny hand, not hesitating to take it to rid himself of the guilt her doleful expression pained him with.

Within moments, he let himself up without resting the weight of his body on his daughter as she did her best to support him.

Faint black vapors escaped from the man's hand, emitting a rather foul but familiar stench to the girl. Her expression remained the same, as if the odor induced no reaction from her. Before she could make sense of it, she turned her attention back to him, "Are you okay?"

Barely keeping a straight posture, Aiden let out a nervous smile as he wiped his sweaty brows, "I'm fine. Let's just keep going."

It was only a few steps, before he collapsed again. Luckily, he was able to prevent himself from falling this time. He became lost in thought, "Viola must be awake. I can't operate at full strength knowing that, especially given my condition."

Looking at him with disbelief, the girl furrowed her brow, before speaking up, "Please rest. Just a little bit… father. Please." Though there was sternness in her manner of speech, her voice was still cracking.

"How annoyingly stubborn, just like her mom.", he thought to himself, letting out a hearty sigh. Aiden caressed her fair complexion, feeling her heart beat rapidly, as he took her up on her suggestion with a peaceful smile.

He couldn't bring himself to decline, especially when he witnessed how her adorable her face seemed as she petulantly pulled his good hand. She pointed at a lone bench just ahead of them, one that was a good distance away. To that end, he amusingly gave into her demand, surrendering to her plea, "Fine. Not like it's dark yet."

Before Aiden could gather himself, he noticed a flurry of shadows moving past him. He looked up, coming across a black flock of death soaring over the both of them. Feeling the chills at the happening, Agatha positioned herself near her father's waist, shifting her attention to the trees as she began to get goosebumps.

The sound of crows echoed through the air above the pair as the murder traversed over their heads, flying past the trees after which they could no longer be seen.

Agatha let her guard down, letting out a triumphant sigh as she let go of her father. Before she could take another step, however, she felt her entire body being pushed forward. A chilling gust of air surged behind the two of them.

Instinctively, Agatha held her dress down to combat the sudden burst of air so no prying eyes would see whatever was underneath. Her hair and articles of clothing fluttered rapidly as the biting wind caused her to increase her walk-speed.

She turned her attention to her old man, witnessed how his hair and clothes were reacting the same, naturally so. Strangely, he just stood there, unfazed by the dust storm.

Feeling suspicious, Aiden glanced sideways, breathing normally before his flapping cloak and bangs lay still once more, "I see. Just as I suspected."

He heard a voice in the recesses of his mind. It bore an otherworldly monotone. It was ambient with an aura of sophistication and spoke loud enough that most people who shiver uncontrollably rather than respond to it.

"Long time no see, master. Take it the injury is severe?"

"Geez. Where did that dust storm come from?", Agatha clamored. She slapped the light dust off her clothing before running to her father again.

Before he could respond, he drifted his attention back to the voice, in a rather annoyed tone, "Ah. Enoch. To what do I attribute such a confrontation at an inopportune time?"

"Lest we forget, you assigned me to keep an eye on the young mistress in your absences."

"Oh right, how could I forget?", he recalled. He pointed to the bench with his cane, "Agatha, you go on ahead and sit down. I'll manage myself."

The little girl was unsure of his decision, "Are you sure? What if you fall down again?"

"I'll be fine, dear. It's not that far off.", Aiden insisted, ruffling through her black locks as he teased her, "Last I checked, I'm not the one who needs babying."

Agatha pouted her face, much to his amusement. Though initially hesitant, she ran ahead of him, subsequently seating herself on the bench. From there, she simply waited for him.

"How rather uncharacteristic of you to not be on top of things and forget."

"What can I say? One too many tamperings of the memory. Anything else you'd like to add?", Aiden thought, placing his silver cane down as he warily took his next step.

"Not really."

"Sigh… in any event, state your business.", he snarked, keeping it underneath a veneer of composure in front of his daughter as he finally made it to the bench. He promptly sat down.

"I bring a message; it hails from your sister."

"The nerve of her – using my messenger.", Aiden thought with spite. He could feel the disembodied's presence shifting from his behind to the back of the bench they sat on. He rested his head on his hands which were placed on his cane, "Proceed."

"She implores your presence tonight, on the outskirts of town, stating that it was urgent."

"Could I get a moment to myself, Agatha? I need to gather my strength.", he said, lifting his head up slightly as he his eyes raked at her with affection before placing it back down again.

She huddled up next to him with the desire to comfort as she rested next to him as he continued to rest on his cane.

"Her reasoning?", Aiden thought, trying hard to not let the shaking in his hands become visibly apparent.

"She wouldn't state them."

His hands continued to tremble underneath his forehead, causing the earth below him to continue vibrating to himself, "Sounds just like her."

Aiden changed his pose, resting his head on the back of the bench. He noticed his daughter simply staring into the distance, so he nervously placed his hand on her shoulder, bringing her closer. He quickly turned his head to the sky, noticing how the sun was going to set.

He changed the subject, "Listen… while you're here, would you like me to bring you up on speed on the current state of affairs?"

"No need. Word of her demise spread faster throughout the underworld than the great pestilence from a couple centuries back. In light of that, it goes without saying that I recommend being methodical and reflective for whatever your next course of actions will be over the following days. You cannot avoid them forever, you know. Have you a plan?

He moved his sweaty long fringes out of his eyes, revealing his face. It was something he admittedly always had found uncomfortable doing. He couldn't help it this time though as he couldn't let allow his face to become further drenched, "I'll be frank. All I have is the soul of the spirit responsible but I'm wary whether it will suffice or not. Other than that, I have no plan other than laying low and biding time, and I don't have much of it."

"Would you say that you feel overwhelmed?"

Aiden sighed, placing his cane to the side as he crossed his arms before changing his expression to a sterner one, "I will not deny it, I do. I won't lie when I'm telling you for the first time, I have none. I'm practically going into this blind. Getting more people involved with my work leads to several unnecessary variables and consequences. There is a reason I operate solo, if I can help it."

"I see. Do you intend on dying?"

Before he could reply, Agatha turned to face him, her violet eyes unwavering as she strayed to his face. It was uncommon for anyone to see what Aiden looked like under those heavy curtains of his. Agatha smiled as if proud she got her looks from him, a gesture he reciprocated, "I don't. In fact, I can't. In the event I die, so does she."

"The girl you brought with you?"

"Yes. And don't you dare go spreading the news yourself.", Aiden turned to face backwards. Though nothing was there, his silver eyes narrowed at whatever would be behind him as if indicating that he would be in trouble if he chose to disobey him.

"Thoughts like that don't cross my mind. Even if it did, I have not the slightest intention. If you perish, I have to find the next iteration of him. However, since Norowas are mostly extinct now, I'd rather spare the trial and hardship of waiting. By preference, your survival is what the both of us aim for."

Aiden turned his head back forward. He became pensive, "How rather supportive of you. And to think your relationship with him formed the basis of demons looking for human contractors, how the roles have reversed. Needless to say, I'd hate to lose you since you're his most valuable asset."

"It would seem so."

Before he could continue, the conversation about witches of demons caused him to remind himself of the current situation, so he abruptly thought, "This is sudden. But I'm reassigning you."

"Hmmm."

"I need you to go to XX. Keep an eye on Travis and his daughter. Due to a series of unfortunate events, the witch of this area and her swapped bodies. The witch currently is living with him." Aiden thought without hesitation. His pupils truncated as he recalled the experience, "Do you understand?"

"Are you suggesting that I spy on someone for once?"

"I'm ordering you.", Aiden stated, trying to keep his breathing normal in spite of his anger resurfacing. He took a long hard breath, letting his anger subside before it could cause him more trouble, "Listen, I have no other choice. In my current situation, I can't do anything else. My hands are tied, my options are limited: I can't even recover without most likely getting caught. And besides, my original person created you for that purpose, did he not?"

"Very well. I'll carry it out. But what about the demons chasing you?"

He felt his bandaged arm shake, though not with feelings of malice and hatred. His sweat from earlier was not simply indicative of physical ailment, it was of his stress, "Play my cards right. They shouldn't kill me. Not that I look forward to one on Martha's doorstep."

"And the young mistress?"

Aiden gulped, glancing over at Agatha as the girl rested next to him, "Her father's here. Don't concern yourself with her at the moment."

He was much calmer in his head than what his body conveyed.

"And your injury?"

"Am I hearing genuine concern from you?", the man snarked mentally, "Last I checked, you're a demon."

"You underestimate my capacity to care. Over our tenure, I've come to appreciate you in your own light; you have something your predecessors lacked: a future. I can see why the young mistress gives you so much joy."

The man was at a loss for words. However, as absurd as the dialogue sounded to him. It was true, and made his cheeks erupt with color. He tried playing it cool, "And why does this concern you? I've always thought your loyalty was limited to wherever his soul resided."

"As I said: almost no Norowas are left. If you were to die, I'd likely serve the young mistress. And additionally…"

"Go on", Aiden persisted, his physical reactions to his feelings at odds with his otherwise calculated demeanor.

"The reason I was created was not just to be his personal spy. My master, your original self, allowed me into existence to quell his loneliness."

That line struck a cord with Aiden. It caused him to look down, blurring his vision as he let out a lone tear. Throughout all of this, he always hated Azazeru and what he stood for, just as much as anybody else, even more so given his status of his iteration.

He was hated by both religious fanatics and heretics alike. It was not uncommon for that man's name to be condemned and cursed wherever the young executioner went. An otherworldly creature, admittedly created by the dark monarch himself, had an otherwise human motive. He wiped his tear off, recalling the loneliness stemming from his own upbringing, "Perhaps he and I weren't so different after all."

"After his long life of suffering and misery, he thought it was over. But his iterations suffered as well, to the point where they never received a happy end before fading away. You seem to be different."

Aiden wanted to survive, he wanted to defy his fate. He looked at his right, seeing his future in his arms, swearing no harm would come to her if he can help it. Before another tear could come out, he merely replied, "Just go do what I asked you to do already, damn you."

With that, the demon was gone.

The demon hunter brooded; he recalled his troubled thoughts. He hated talking about his painful past, and the conversation beforehand had rendered his expression pale, liquid pouring down his nose as the uneasiness ate away at him.

The girl caught wind of this, opting to snapping him out of whatever trance he was in, "Dad, are you okay?"

"I'm fine, dear.", Aiden stated, deflecting the question as quickly as it rang his ears. He curled his lips upwards, facing his young one in an attempt to reassure.

Agatha, however, was not satisfied with his answer. She raised an eyebrow in suspicion. Her father was not an easy person to read, but even she was able to discern he wasn't telling the truth. It wasn't his voice – that remained its usual calm tone. It wasn't the smile – as that in itself wasn't alarming to her. No, it was his condition – his face was comparable to one of the marble slates on the church floor to her.

"Dad, please don't lie.", she gripped his sleeve, shaking his arm relentlessly. While doing so, she could feel how drenched it was, likely from the sweat he let down.

This had confirmed her suspicion, "You're hurt." Her normally relaxed face tightened, the look in her eye similar to his usual. Seemed as though she had an idea of what had happened, she wanted to say something, but the intensity of her gaze didn't waver. Her eyes carried barely containable anger yet a shred of noticeable sadness.

"So this is what it feels like.", he recalled his youth, his own deathly stare that he gave towards those that got his worst. He spoke up, weakly uttering, "Agatha…"

The girl said not another word, her silence matching her expression. Instead, she reached into her pocket and pulled out her handkerchief. Because he couldn't bare to look at her while she looked at him as if she's about to attack him, he paid no attention to the hint of lilac sifting through the air nor the soft texture that gently rubbed against him.

After she was done, the cloth was but a shell of itself, containing none of its former aroma nor its beauty, having faded away from doing such a thorough job at absorbing all the sweat off Aiden's face.

Looking at it eased her expression. It seemed as though whatever anger she was feeling was overtaken by the sadness of seeing what had become of her father. She put the cloth away, intending to wash it when she'd be able to, uttering "Dad…" to herself.

She bit her finger, "What am I doing? I have to force it out of him."

Agatha took a deep breath, exhaling swiftly soon afterwards, before spoking up, "Dad, I know mom hurt you last night, I heard her yelling."

The words reached his ears, but he didn't say anything.

The young girl pulled at his sleeve with enough force to offset his balance, "Dad, it's not right. Whatever she did. It's not right. It's not fair for her to do that to you."

He turned to face her, looking at her. She looked at him with no traces of the fierce expression she had on earlier. What she looked it seemed like he was a man who suffered for an eternity. The look in his face got to her. She couldn't tell if he was capable of crying, but perhaps this was the closest she'd see.

"You're hurt so badly.", Agatha was tearing up. She couldn't control the tears forming down her cheeks. Her watery eyes blurred her vision, but not before she tackled him, forcing herself into his arms.

She continued to cry, something he could feel by her shaking. Aiden wasn't the best at talking about his feelings, so he just hugged her back, "I-I'm sorry. I-I-I'm s-s-so sorry."

His words made her holler louder beneath him. He was surprised at how much she seemed to openly express herself, but he couldn't help but wonder how much she kept bottled up before now.

Aiden pulled his daughter away from him after several minutes. She sniffled, looking down as the tears having long since dried up. He wiped her nose using his poncho, "A shame I can't return the favor from earlier properly."

It took a few minutes for Agatha to calm down completely, but once she did, he didn't hesitate to speak up, "Just promise me one thing."

Agatha looked up towards him.

"Never hate your mother, Agatha.", he placed both hands on her shoulders, "Promise to never hate her. She's just a tortured woman but she does love you very much."

Agatha didn't hesitate to speak up, "That doesn't give her the right to hurt you. Why? Why do you always let her? You two…aren't even together."

To this he sighed, "I've made mistakes in the past. Big ones that ruined her life. She always had stuck it to me, but for me it's a small price to pay if it means I get to see you, to spend time with you."

Before she could let out another word, he silenced her, placing his finger affectionately as he told her to shush.

"Please. For my sake, Agatha. Just let it go. Please, just let it go.", Aiden said, his hands trembling as he spoke, "I've hurt her so much. Far more than I could put into words. Even if I explain to her why, she refuses to listen to me. She just doesn't believe me, and I can't change that. I'm just relieved she lets me see you despite our situation; the problem is, I don't want a situation where I can never see you again."

This piqued the girl's interest, "What did you do to mom?"

"I can't tell you.", he said hesitantly, "There are times where I wish I could do that, but I can't help but think you'd end up hating me, thinking of me as a monster of a man who ruined both of your lives."

She let those words sink in, curious on whatever he could've meant by that. "Dad, I love you. Nothing will ever change that. I've had classmates with families that had people leave them and they never came back. You're better than them. How could you say that?"

"It's just…even if I knew how to tell you, I feared how you would take it.", he turned away, not letting it be apparent that let out of tear of his own after so long. He discreetly wiped it before she could notice it.

Agatha felt the heat leaving her. She lowered her eyes, as if shameful of what she had done. However, that did not stop her from asking one last time, "Can you tell me what mom did to you last night?"

"It's not something I can explain to you, not yet. I still have to heal, both in and out. Surely, you'd understand, right?", he said, regaining his usual composure as his complexion returned to its usual color.

Hearing those made her drop the subject altogether. She was partially disappointed in the fact that even at his lowest, her old man disclosed nothing concrete. She was hungry for that knowledge, but she accepted the fact that it couldn't be helped.

There was a standstill after that, the duo just sat there, with both parties having a degree of difficulty on changing the subject to discuss. They faced in the opposite directions, as if both of them just didn't know how to carry a conversation afterwards.

Agatha let out a slight smile, as if proud in some way knowing this about him. She couldn't help but not look at him however, as being a conversationalist wasn't something she was good at, like her mom is. She knew that silence was golden but couldn't help but find something amiss due to her lack of practice.

A series of crow calls came overhead from the two of them. The screech of the black crows rang loudly in her ears as the sight of the soaring murder above made her curl up, locking her legs in arms. Her eyes gave a rather haunted look, transfixed at the sight of the blackness in the sky as her face grew ashen.

She witnessed few of them hovering down, flapping their wings gently moments before their talons grounded them. They landed in the area around the bench, though much closer to Agatha than they did Aiden.

Before long, Aiden felt her face against his shoulder. He felt her instinctively hugging him from behind, burying her face in his dense cloak seeking comfort. Aiden could feel the way his daughter's mouth was contorting into a position as if she was attempting to scream but such sounds would've been concealed due to where she placed her face.

Noting this, he ruffled the seven-year-old's hair affectionately, "I take it you're afraid of them?"

Agatha didn't say anything, letting out only a subtle nod.

A smile crossed the man's face, bemused at his young one's reaction. He pulled her away from him, turning her head in the direction of the black avians, "You know, these birds aren't necessarily a sign of an omen. In fact, where I'm from, they're worshipped."

"I never hear him speak about where he's from.", she eyed them curiously, giving the man's words her utmost attention, "What do you mean?"

"Look over there.", he suggested.

She turned to the direction he was facing. What she found next only startled her more.

In front of them, the corpses of a few dead ones lay. Up to four alive ones approached the corpses of their fallen fellow Corvidae. The birds assessed the bodies as if verifying signs of their untimely demises.

They looked towards the sky, chantering to their comrades above.

Caw! Caw! Caw!

It took a few seconds for the calls to not only be returned but an outcry to cloud the air. The calls of these birds spread from throughout the trees in the park and beyond, as if they were spreading a message.

Agatha's face twisted from the uneasiness the sound brought her. She shut her ears, the sounds being too much for her to handle. She closed her eyes and was about to look away only for her actions to be halted by her father, "Relax, they're just mourning their losses."

She opened her eyes, quickly realizing after examining the scene carefully that what he said was true. Still, she was still startled by the sight of them.

"Crows are loud and transparent about the ones they lose. And they hold grudges", Aiden said, discussing their behavior, "They don't mourn like other animals."

This knowledge caught the girl by surprise. She never knew there were more to these animals than they met the eye, and, as if by coincidence, a few of them landed near them.

Aiden reached down, gesturing at one of them as if beckoning them to come to him. This action made Agatha freeze as she witnessed one larger than average size made its way toward her father's arm.

The creature flew onto his forearm, as if feeling welcomed by a kindred spirit. Aiden held his arm out, bringing it towards Agatha as he continued, "You know they can only mean misfortune if you encounter more than a few of them. If you encounter less, the opposite happens. Good things."

"That sounds stupid.", Agatha abruptly said, pouting her face petulantly. She made eye contact with the bird that was as black as night, and it returned the gesture.

Agatha's heart began to pound. She reached her arm out, and the crow allowed its head to come forward as if it knew what she was going to do. She quickly retreated her hand after the first contact with it, scared that it would peck her.

"It's not going to bite. I'll kill it if it does.", Aiden assured her with a rather stern face.

That remark made the girl chuckle. She let out her hand again, feeling her heart had reached the back of her mouth. She was able to pet the crow, something that made her heartbeat slow down.

As if pleased by the action, the black bird rested on her shoulder for a bit. She instinctively contorted her face, fearful of what it might do. To her surprise, it did nothing.

This development pleased Aiden, prompting him to smile, "You'd be surprised about what is said about them in eastern culture. There is an infamous one, known as the Yata-garasu, or three-legged crow if you're be transliteral. They say if you see that bird, it's a sign of good fortune because black birds in general symbolize the sun in eastern culture."

The girl stifled her laughter as her face burned up, "You just made that up. How is that possible?"

"I wish I did; I simply read it.", he remarked, elated by her composure despite the large black bird on her left shoulder.

Agatha slyly laughed. She couldn't help but feel blessed as she never had this much time with her father before. The conversation however caused her to transition to a different topic, "Are we from the east, dad?"

The question seemed like one she had on her mind for a while, is what he was thinking,

"Obviously", he shot back, shutting his eyes as he looked in her direction, "What gave it away?"

"It's just that, I don't look like everyone else, the other kids.", she said, placing her arms in between her legs, "I've been asked this at school."

Hearing that made the man's expression waver a bit, subtly twitching at the sound of it, "Well, that's because your father is from there, and you take after him."

"Another thing that people say about me is that I don't look like mom at all.", she said, eyeing her hands. The complexion of her skin reminded her of what she was talking about, "Are we even family?"

"Talking about such deep things. Her classmates must give her a hard time. I wonder if she feels like what I did during my youth, the isolation.", it was as if hearing that made his mood drown, but not enough to break character, "No, I wouldn't think so. Your face, it's shaped just like hers. You just take everything else from me."

"But, but u-u-mmm…", the girl bit her lip on that remark. She was behaving surprisingly normal now, as if she didn't mind the crow on her shoulder at all at this point.

She quickly clapped her hands against her face, burying it within them to hide the burning shyness that radiated off her face,

Aiden couldn't help but continue, "Also, you don't seem to take after me at all in anything aside from features. You take more after her in that aspect. You're annoyingly stubborn but you are also far kinder than me when I was your age."

"S-stop it, dad.", she muffled underneath her hands.

The man let out an exhilarated sigh, breathing a few good depthful breaths of air or so. He turned towards the sky and was shocked to learn how time flew by.

"I have to make haste before the sun gets even closer to setting.", Aiden sat up, dusting off his clothes before turning to face his daughter, "Let's go Agatha. Your mother is waiting for us at home."

"Yes, father.", she said respectfully. She took the bird off her shoulder without fear. Armed with the knowledge, she knew not to fear it anymore.

She let it stand in her arms before allowing it to fly away, releasing it so it can join back with its kin. She watched it soar away, knowing she conquered her fear. She swiftly ran to her father afterwards before he could get far, not that he could in his condition.

The father and daughter kept close together as they ventured their way home.

A/N: Sorry it took so long to update this. Over the past several months, coupled with other problems, my health had been continuously deteriorating causing me to unable enjoy anything I love doing for a while. I don't know if I'll ever get better as I've been sick for nearly five months now, but I like to thank you for putting up with me even now. I took whatever strength I could muster and wrote this for everyone still following. I genuinely thank those that continue to read what I write even after the delays I make.

I hope to make regular updates (fingers crossed) again, as I do want to finish this (along with my other AoD story). I just hope to live as long as I can to see it through as I don't have the best lease on life these days. Please be sure to leave a review as usual as feedback is always helpful.