The lone figure of a boy walking through the streets soon dissolved into the horizon.

William let out a sigh at the disappearing figure. He turned around and went back in the house, followed by Aria and the two kids sticking to her.

William was expressionless, smiling occasionally while looking outside through the window of his room. However, inwardly, he felt complicated — self-loathing at himself, relief at having a burden lifted, loneliness born from loss, melancholy for the days gone by and anxiety towards the future — all the thoughts collided within him, making him unsure of what to feel.

‘I wonder what he is doing right now…’ William couldn’t help but think.

As if in response to his thoughts, two warm hands curled around his neck, snapping him out of his reverie. William didn’t need to tell who it was. He closed his eyes as he asked, “Aria, what about the kids? How’re they doing?”

“They’re sleeping,” Aria replied, letting out a stale breath. “It was hard but… it’s alright now.”

“What do you think I should do?”

“I don’t know, no point asking that from me. You know the answer best.”

“Aria… I know that I should’ve listened to you. And now I’m trying to do just that.”

“No, you aren’t.”

William turned his head to look over his shoulder to see two arctic eyes looking at him warmly. Her lips curved into a faint smile. However, the exhaustion in her eyes was bare for him to see. A sense of shame covered his emotions as he lowered his head.

‘I’ve seriously grown pathetic. Just where did I go wrong?’

He shivered all of a sudden as a whisper rang through his ear, “From the start, you idiot.”

William’s head went lower in thought. After a few minutes, he shook his head as he sighed.

“I… I think I’m not getting what you were trying… to say…” While speaking, William slowly turned his head backwards. However, his voice fell to a murmur when he saw Aria nodding to sleep while leaning on his wheelchair.

‘It’s bad to sleep like this. Only if I was not like this, I could’ve carried her to…’

His eyes widened as an epiphany came to him. He covered his mouth with his fingers as he fell deep in thought.

‘Yeah… it was like that since the beginning. I have always been ignoring this… I am not the only one here. Nor do I need to be the only one. Even if I can’t do something on my own… rather, why should I do something on my own in the first place? What’s so wrong with it? But it doesn’t feel right that way. And I also want to run around like before. No, no, I think I’m getting off the point here.’What matters is, I’m doing nothing. And that is breaking me down from within. But what can I do when I’m like this…’

William went back and forth within his thoughts and under his rambling, the clouds melted into a downpour. All of a sudden, he remembered, ‘Zack! It’s raining outside and he… What is he doing…’

Worries pounded against his heart, causing his brows to wrinkle. However, all the worry vanished as disbelief filled his eyes. A frown covered his face as he stared at the forest.

‘Why?! Why is there another—’

Before he could complete his thought, the arms wrapping around his neck tightened their grip, causing his face to turn red. He flailed his arms to release the grip. However, it only grew tighter. His face began losing colour while being suffocated within his wife’s arms.

“William, did you—” Aria said, her voice tense. But a moment later, tension turned to worry as she saw her husband in her arms flailing like a fish out of water. “William, what’s happening to you? Are you alright? Is it acting up again?”

William’s arm grabbed onto her own before trying to pull it away. Aria blinked in confusion and panic before a realisation struck her. She released her arms which wrapped around William’s neck before taking a step back.

Her head drooped lower and lower as she saw her husband gasping for breath.

“I never thought… That I… I would be seeing the door to the other side… By being strangled by my own wife.”

“William, I’m…” Aria tried to speak, but only a muffled mumble came out.

“That’s not the point here,” William said, his voice filled with agitation. “Did you also sense it?”

“Mn…” Aria nodded.

On her reply, William’s expression turned grim as he asked, “What are the exact details?”

Aria’s face turned serious as she said, “227 groups, 20 to 30 soldiers in each, in an arc, from East. And…”

“Zack went towards the east.” William completed what she wanted to say. “Tch!”

Aria nodded solemnly before speaking in a stern tone, “William, take care of the kids. I’m going out to take care of it.”

Saying that much, she turned to leave.

“Wait!” William shouted as he clutched her hand. “I want to go as well.”

Aria’s brows tilted downwards as she gave William a hard glare, “William, it isn’t time for jokes. There’s no time at all.”

Their eyes met as they saw through each other’s thoughts.

‘You can’t go. Your condition isn’t good and fighting is dangerous. If you’re worried, I will save him.’

‘I must go. It’s my responsibility.’

‘If you’re done, then let me go! It’s urgent?!’

‘No, take me with you.’

‘I can deal with it!’

‘Please. There are things I need to say. And I don’t know if I will get another chance for it. Also you have to protect someone while fighting. That will cause you to—’

‘Damn you! Fine!’

Aria was the first one to turn her head away, her expression dark.

Feeling good about his victory, William said, “You still have those glowy ball things, right? Quick, give me one and let’s—”

However, before he could complete, the ring on Aria’s ring finger glowed as a crystal ball the size of a grape manifested in her palm. Her palm flew forwards towards William’s mouth, who had been speaking, and shoved the ball into his mouth, breaking his words midway.

William broke into coughs as he swallowed the orb. He looked at Aria with a gaze full of worry, anxiousness, and righteous indignation.

But to his dismay, Aria paid it no heed as she said, “There are only two left now. You go first and save Zack. I’ll wake Samuel up and take the rest out.”

While speaking, her ring shone again as a pitch black blade manifested out of thin air in her palm. She walked to the door while throwing the blade behind her.

William, who caught the blade, couldn’t help but smile as he thought, ‘Getting annoyed at everything when angry as always. Well, that’s also one of her charms.’

With that, he disappeared on the spot as his wheelchair fell down, empty.

Meanwhile, Aria woke up Samuel and said, “Samuel, we’re going to go out for a bit. Take care of home. Lock the doors and if you need—”

Samuel, who was still drowsy, became serious in an instant as he said, “It’s okay, mom. I know it. It’s not the first time. If it’s urgent, you should go. Don’t worry about it.”

Aria patted his head before vanishing on the spot, leaving behind only a slight gust of wind.

Left behind alone, Samuel sighed as he muttered, “I hope you both come back soon.”