Tiona touched her sword as her armor appeared from her space artifact. Soon she was already fully dressed in armor, ready for battle, as Robert approached them. Besides, she also took a weird-looking stone and activated something on it before she turned and looked at Nero.

“Take it, son,” said Tiona as she gave him a stone and stood in front of him right when a bloodthirsty Robert finally reached them. He threw a glance at Nero and Tiona before a wide grin appeared on his lips.

“Who could have thought that you saved your child. At least one thrust got you into your womb area, and now I see a boy with purple eyes, hiding behind you. Marvelous. Purple cloak. Tell me, how do you want to die? Should I rape you right in front of your son, or make you suffer before killing?” asked Robert as his bloodthirsty eyes flashed with light. “You know, I don’t get such chances to play with last king’s woman like today.”

Tiona ignored him while Nero tightly clenched his fists as he threw his gaze filled with rage at Robert, who noticed that and smiled.

“Cub. As soon as I finish with her, I will play with you too and make you a cripple before delivering you to my king. He will decide what to do with you. Don’t worry, you won’t die. Your blood is still precious. So, I guess you will spend the rest of the day as a semen tank for the king’s daughters. You can be proud, cub, you will legitimate the current dynasty,” said Robert before he started laughing.

Tiona didn’t ignore him and raised her sword, gathering her inner energy. Robert, who learned from his mistake, was cautious and instantly became serious as he raised his sword.

“Purple cloak, you have become weaker,” said Robert with a wide smile on his face. “You were a step away from your 3rd transformation, but you are just on the 2nd rank of the Great knight realm. Even that dead old man had more chances than you. Give up and I can promise not to torture your son.”

Tiona ignored him and continued to gather her inner energy before she jumped, disappearing from her place. Robert also jumped and disappeared. Nero spent, watching two flashes that collided with each other. With each passing moment, their speed only increased while the boy could only hear the sounds of colliding metal. He just couldn’t see anything. They were too fast for the current him. Such battle continued for half an hour before a flash jumped back, landing near Nero. It was Tiona, and as soon as she retreated, she immediately spat a significant portion of her blood.

Robert, who still had a wide grin on his face, also stopped moving and looked at her.

“Purple cloak, even though, you are stronger in terms of skills, the difference in strength is just too much. I am blessed because I didn’t meet you when you were at the peak, I will earn a lot of fame as a warrior when I deliver your head to my king,” said Robert while Tiona only tightly clenched her sword.

“Mother,” said Nero with a worried expression on his face.

“I am fine, son. Don’t worry,” said Tiona, as she once again raised her sword and looked at Robert with a serious expression on her face.

“Still don’t want to give up?” asked Robert as widened his smile before rage and hate appeared on his face. “I guess it’s enough with games, slut, I will make you pay for all my people who have died because of you and your small cub.”

As soon as Robert finished his phrase, he jumped, and the battle started again. Their battle lasted for another half an hour, with different results. Even though Tiona was weaker because of her previous wounds, skills and experience allowed her to leave several wounds at Robert, while he just used his bigger strength and left many serious wounds on her body. When they retreated again after another clash, Nero only clenched his fists and gritted his teeth as he looked at his mother. There were many dents on her armor and blood covered her. His mother’s beautiful black hair was now cut in half and covered in blood. Besides, there were two big holes in her armor from which blood appeared. Even though Nero was inexperienced, he could tell that his mother was losing. He wanted to help her somehow, but what could he do when he couldn’t even follow their enemy in battle. Nero never felt so helpless before.

“Mother,” said Nero as he looked at bleeding Tiona, but she only turned with a kind smile before returning her focus at Robert.

“I guess it’s your limit, slut. It’s time to finish our battle,” said Robert as he raised his sword. Tiona also raised her sword before jumping at him. Once again, two flashes started fighting and their battle lasted for ten minutes before Robert hit Tiona and sent her to the ground.

*Boom*

As soon as Tiona collided with the ground and the dust settled, Nero started trembling. He saw how his mother was laying there immobile with much more fresh wounds.

“Mother,” cried Nero as he looked at her with a shocked expression on his face.

Robert, who also suffered significantly after their last clash, held his fresh wounds and approached laying figure. Of course, he noticed how the boy reacted and a satisfied smile appeared on his lips. Finally, he could at least appease his pain from losing his people and the resources he invested in them while he would torture this slut.

Nero continued to call for his mother, and even tried to approach her before Robert could, but felt how a weird strength immobilized him at his spot. The boy couldn’t even move a finger under that strength and could only watch how Robert slowly approached his mother with no chance to change the situation. He gritted his teeth and watched how Robert raised his sword and hit his mother with a blunt side of his sword, not to cut her, but to break her bones. Even Ethel, who was sitting on his shoulder, cried in rage and hate, but couldn’t do anything except for watching. Never, both a small griffon and Nero were so helpless.

Robert continued to enjoy, satisfying himself for another ten minutes, when he released a delighted sigh and decided to end playing with her. Tiona no longer had any intact bone or muscle in her body. Only her face didn’t suffer because he got satisfaction from torturing and looking at her face.

He raised his sword and planned to behead her. And that happened. Suddenly, the dead body below him burst with a strong aura and disappeared in a flash. Robert couldn’t even realize what happened but succeeded to jump back when he already lost his left arm and got another serious wound on his leg which would significantly slow him down.

“How?” asked the high-ranking officer of the Secret Service when he looked at the absolutely intact Tiona’s body in front of him. All the wounds he spent so many efforts on were now quickly closing and healing. But she never answered and only raised her sword, rushing to kill him. Rage and hate flashed in her eyes. That was enough to send goosebumps into his spine as fear clenched his heart. For a moment a Purple Cloak at her peak form appeared before him.

Once again, two flashes started colliding, blood, shed with each new clash. Tiona continued to pressure Robert, making him retreat and lose his ground. Their battle continued for five minutes before Robert blocked Tiona’s thrust and smiled.

“Mista...” started he, but soon his expression changed and he widened his eyes when he looked down and saw Tiona’s arm inside his heart area. Robert could only look at Tiona in shock when a sudden realization of how he lost stuck him and a triumphant smile appeared on his lips right before his mind dived into darkness.

Tiona, who saw that smile, burst his head into nothing a moment later. Her last opponent was too irritating and she could no longer bear his personality. The battle was over.

As soon as a male figure fell to the ground, Nero felt how pressure around him disappeared. Of course, he and Ethel saw the last part of their battle and he already started moving when something warm stopped him. It was - two warm arms that embraced him tightly. Nero didn’t even need to guess that it was his mother. The boy, who felt more fear and danger in the last hours more than his whole life, just dived into her embrace, not caring about the blood which covered his mother. The pair of son and mother continued to hold each other for another half an hour when Tiona released him and looked at Nero with a bitter smile on her lips.

Her smile, together with many stars, illuminating the night skies, was so beautiful, and also sad that Nero felt that something bad was about to happen as his heart skipped a beat. As if to prove that point, Nero saw how blood appeared from his mother’s nose and mouth.

“Mother,” said Nero and tried to approach her, but she stopped him by raising his hand. She quickly spat a big portion of the blood before turning and looking at him. She still looked beautiful, but with each new moment, her face paled.

“Nero, my time has come,” said mother. When the boy heard her, panic stuck him as he started trembling and shaking his head.

“No, no, no, no,” said the boy as looked at his smiling and dying mother. “Mother, please, don’t leave me.”

Tiona felt how her heart torn to pieces as Nero tried to approach her.

“Mother, take your pills, which the teacher prepared for you. That healing pill which you gave me last time on the training should help.” cried Nero, grabbing for any hope he had, but Tiona only shook her head and looked at her so talented, but so young, son. She was wondering what will happen to him now when she and Gustav have already died. Will he cope with pain and loneliness? What path will he choose? Will he marry? Will he have a child? So many potential pictures flashed through her eyes, which she wanted to talk with her son. She wanted to teach him how to choose the right sword, teach which things are better to avoid, how to look for the right woman. Tiona wanted to tell him so many things, but only tears fell to the ground. She knew that her time was over.

As if to prove that, Nero saw how his mother fell to the ground, unable to stand anymore. The boy instantly jumped, approaching her. Tiona inclined at the nearby stone and looked at her son with a smile on her lips. After she spat another portion of her blood, she gathered her last strength to leave her last, but the most important lesson for her son.

“Nero,” said Tiona as her voice trembled, but that was enough because the boy instantly stopped crying and looked at his mother. “Remember this feeling. Seal it in your memory, in your heart, and make everything you can to become strong. Promise me, Nero, promise.”

The boy who heard his mother clenched his fists and nodded with a resolution in his eyes.

“I promise, mother. I will do everything I can, I promise. I will get stronger, so please don’t leave me,” said the boy as he burst into tears right as he finished. Tiona only smiled when she heard him and used her last energy reserves left and gave Nero her bracelet. “My bracelet, take it.”

The boy once again nodded and grabbed her bracelet that blinked when he touched it. With each passing moment, more life left her body as she smiled and watched at her son, who continued to cry.

“Mother, please, don’t die,” cried the boy as tears fell to the ground. Tiona no longer had the strength to speak and only smiled, looking at him. She tried to wipe his tears like she always did when he was a newly born baby. She gathered all her strength, struggled, and struggled and when she felt how her arm moved a bit, death was imminent. The light left her eyes as a lonely, bitter, bloody tear fell to the ground. She was still smiling and looked at Nero, but her heart was no longer beating.

As soon as the light disappeared, Nero felt that something was off.

“No, mother, please, don’t leave me,” cried the boy as he pushed his mother in a panic. His mother was no longer responding and just looked at him with a smile. The boy could only continue to try, not believing his eyes, but with each new moment, Nero slowly embraced a harsh reality which he long ago felt when his mother looked at him with a sad smile. He lost his mother!

The moon shined in the middle of the night skies, illuminating the world. Life continued on the mountain as night animals and birds were hunting while a certain boy, with a sad small, black creature on his shoulder, held his mother. Tears fell to the ground. In one hand, he held his mother’s hand while in the other, his mother’s last gift. He no longer had illusions about the current situation, and just continued to cry. Each new tear that fell was like a small arrow that slowly killed an immature boy inside his heart. Something else that hid in darkness replaced it. The boy didn't know yet, but it was the last day he ever cried again.

...

..

.

“I hope we are not late,” said a broad man in armor with a wing and sword insignia on it as he and his companion flew through the dead bodies towards the canyon.

“Hope so, Primus,” said Grievous. “It would be a huge regret if we, the closest searching group, arrived late.”

As soon as he finished his phrase, Primus noticed many traces of the recent battle and soon saw several bodies on the ground. Both men exchanged glances before landing near to them.

It took only a few moments for Primus to realize what happened and he paused as if he was struck by lightning.

“Primus, what happened?” asked Grievous as he moved behind him and closed his mouth when he saw it.

There was a beautiful, bloodied, pale woman with black hair and blue eyes. She had a wonderful smile on her lips as if she was trying to calm someone, but both men felt it. She was dead! That woman was their Young Lady who long ago abdicated from the Claus family. Both of them knew her and were her teachers when she was a child. And now, after hundreds of years, they finally convinced Lord to forgive her and started searches, but they were late. And late only for a bit!

“Doggone!” cried Primus as he clenched his fist, as rage and hate clouded his mind. “Whoever killed her will pay a bloody debt.”

The man wanted to continue his speech when his comrade’s hand stopped him and pointed at the small figure next to their lady. Rage and hate clouded his friend’s mind, and he didn’t notice him.

Primus paused when he saw that figure. Shock appeared on his face. It was a boy around 7-8 years old with a small, black creature on his back. But, Primus was shocked not because of that creature, but because of similarities that boy had with a Young Lady when she was still a girl. For them who spent so much time with her, a glance was enough to realize who he was.

Both men quickly exchanged glances before checking the boy’s condition with their inner energy. He was sleeping just like his creature while he was still tightly clenching a certain bracelet. They paused for a moment at the bracelet before looking at each other.

“We have to inform our Lord and wrap everything here. Secret Service or whoever was behind them shouldn’t learn about us,” said Primus to the Grievous who nodded.

“Don’t worry, there are no survivors except for him. A strong ice spell affected the whole village. All pursuers also died. I know what to do. You better take our Young Lady and her son and return them to home,” said Grievous as he raised his sword and disintegrated Robert’s body into nothing.

Primus only saluted with a fist on his heart before he took his own cloak and covered the woman before placing the boy and the woman on his sky lizard.

“See you, my friend,” said Primus as he touched his reins and landed off the ground on his lizard.