Chapter 31: The Secret Of Lara Smith
King Vladimir confronted his mother, his expression stern and concerned. "That doesn't make sense, Mother. We have a multitude of questions for you, but why are you still aligning yourself with the enemy?" King Vladimir queried, his voice laced with disappointment.
Lara's gaze met her son's, her eyes filled with a deep understanding. "If you could only comprehend my situation, my son. I will answer all your questions when we arrive at your palace." Lara replied, her voice calm and measured.
They all proceeded to Vladimir's palace, where they gathered in the conference room to discuss the matters at hand. Lara's presence was met with a mix of curiosity and skepticism.
"Now that I'm here, I'd like to address all of your questions one by one," Lara said, her voice steady and reassuring.
King Vladimir posed the first crucial question, "Why did you betray Father?" His tone was tinged with hurt and confusion.
Lara's expression turned guilty, and she hesitated before responding, "Abraham is a remarkable wizard, and I cherished him more than my own life, my son. I wouldn't categorize it as betrayal, for my true objective was to infiltrate the Corpse and lead Death to his downfall by protecting James and Abraham from him. I betrayed my friends to catch the enemies, which proved successful, as James survived the curse. Abraham executed the sealing process, putting his life at tremendous risk. Your father and I planned this meticulously, my son, so I risked my life to contain and determine Death's plan. The sealing was successful, buying us time to rejuvenate James, for he is the only one who can bring down Death with his magic. It was all part of the plan."
Queen Archandia's curiosity got the better of her, and she asked, "But why James? Abraham already possesses the sun abilities; he could terminate Death whenever he wants?"
Lara's response was measured, "That's a misconception, a generic concept you had due to your admiration for Abraham. The truth about the sun's abilities lies within the youth. Abraham was already an old wizard at that time, and his body couldn't harness the full potential of the sun. That's why he transferred his sun attunement to a young blood with his bloodline, James. Even if he still had his sun abilities while fighting Death, it would have led to Death's victory, and a greater risk would have been involved, as there's no other wizard who can bring him down aside from a sun wizard."
Adeath's question followed, "Why are you sealed with your own soul stone after the sealing of Death?"
Lara's response was tinged with a hint of sadness, "That's an irreversible consequence of using my soul stones. The creator will be sealed together with the sealed target, but in a different soul stone. My soul stone broke a day before James' arrival here with his brother Aaron. That's why I left Vladimir alone, due to the consequence. I'm truly proud of you, my son, for keeping Gaia safe alongside Queen Archandia. I'm also responsible for her life's longevity, as I completed a contract with the Moon Goddess to extend her lifespan beyond that of an Earthian. Fortunately, the contract remains valid to this day."
The group was overwhelmed and enlightened by the truths revealed by Lara. Zion posed his question, "What is your connection to Thalos? I overheard your name mentioned in a conversation between Drexmar and someone in a hologram."
Lara's expression turned somber, "Thalos is my father. He's a great man and one of the early ancestors of Chrono, but he committed himself to darkness for unknown reasons. He's Carlisle Smith, the last soul-attuned wizard. There's another legendary attunement aside from Sun, and that is Soul attunement, but you weren't aware of it because the facts about soul attunements date back two generations, long before our era."
The group was shocked upon learning that Lara was Thalos' daughter and a soul-attuned wizard. JackSpark asked, "So, are you a Soul-attuned wizard?"
Lara's response was straightforward, "Yes, indeed. However, I no longer utilize that attunement, as it's highly forbidden in today's generation. I'm a pro-life wizard, and I've forbidden myself from using that attunement. I'm also a Moon and Wood attuned."
DragonKnight's question followed, "Did you use a Soul spell to transport Ian to the wasteland?"
Lara's response was clear, "No, that was a Moon forbidden spell, similar to Death's teleportation to other dimensions."
Hacker's curiosity led him to ask, "But why did you send my brother to that perilous place? You love him more than your life, right? So, why?"
Lara's expression turned determined, "That was part of his training. Our ultimate enemy right now is not Death, but my father Thalos, and Ian can't be a threat to him with just normal training. That's why I planned to send him to the most treacherous place in the universe. I abducted you to get him because you're a vital person to him, and you were left in Archandia's palace when the rest were busy with the Djinn situation. I have faith in him, even though it pains me to send him there. But there's no other way to make him powerful enough to defeat my father aside from the knowledge he'll acquire in the Forbes wasteland. We just have to believe in him. I know he can return because he already has his own Djinn. When a wizard and Djinn are together, they're more powerful than a God, even more potent than Titans."
Vladimir's eyes welled up with tears as he asked his final question, "Mother, did you love me the same way you loved Father and James?"
Lara's voice trembled as she responded, "You are all the same to me, my son. I would sacrifice my life for the welfare of my family. I love you just as much as I love Abraham and James." Lara's tears flowed as she answered Vladimir's question, and she approached him with a tight hug, longing for each other as they both cried.
Vladimir introduced Samantha and Aaron to Lara, "Mother, I'd like you to meet Samantha, my soon-to-be sister-in-law, and Aaron Whitlock, my brother."
Lara's face lit up with happiness as she embraced Samantha, "Welcome to the family, my daughter." Samantha cried, hugging Lara tightly in return. Then, Lara hugged Aaron, saying, "Thank you from the bottom of my heart for accepting James into your family, Aaron."
Aaron's response was warm, "He's indeed my brother, Auntie, regardless of our bloodline. His family will become my family as well."
The discussion culminated in an emotional reunion and first meetings, filling the room with a sense of love, forgiveness, and newfound understanding.