"Don't go, mama!" Ria's voice was filled with alarm and grief. "Don't go as Papa did! Stay with me!"
Her amber eyes overflowed with tears as she held on to her mother's Martial attire, refusing to let go of it. Amare's hardened expression softened a little as her more mature eyes grew conflicted.
She knew she had to go.
As one of the Transcendent Candidates of Panamic Civilization, she couldn't afford to go. She had a duty to protect her civilization and her world, and she had a duty to protect her family that was being threatened by an existential crisis.
She couldn't afford to remain home.
"I'll be back," Amare promised, kneeling before her daughter and kissing her on the forehead before pulling her into a deep hug. "And once this is all over, Papa will be back too."
Ria just couldn't allow herself to be satisfied with that. Her father had disappeared somewhere to fight something for some reason and hadn't returned. Now she watched her own mother go away as well.
