Lira's face shifted, growing somber.
"Everything shattered the night Samson came to our doorstep, bleeding and sobbing and half-mad. You were in his arms, screaming, covered in dirt and tears. He collapsed at our doorstep. It was past midnight.
My parents and I took him in. He told us everything that had happened…"
Lira's eyes glazed over as the memory pulled her in.
________
FLASHBACK BEGINS
It was storming that night. The wind howled like it knew something terrible had happened. A sharp knock rang through the house—urgent, panicked.
Lira's father opened the door.
There was Samson. Barefoot, bloodied and holding a crying baby. Seven.
"Uncle Jason... help... please—" he gasped, before collapsing.
They rushed to him, carrying both him and the baby inside.
Eliot wasn't with him.
In fevered, broken sentences, Samson told them what had happened.
How Elbert, his trusted business partner, had discovered Eliot's secret.
How he became obsessed with her power and lured them into a trap.
"Please," Samson whispered, shaking, "take care of her. Elbert... he found out about Eliot. He killed her. I promised her—I promised her I'd get Seven to safety. Please, protect my child. You raised me like your own... I'm asking for one more favor. Take her. Go to Elderwell. Eliot's family... someone... they'll keep her safe."
And then he fainted, most of his energy drained from the pain and the long journey.
Jason, Lira's father, was a skilled doctor. He did everything he could. And for a while, it looked like Samson might make it.
But when he woke again, he begged them. Begged them, to leave for Elderwell. Said it was the only place left where she'd be protected.
Jason promised him everything and told him to be brave, as he will save him, but Samson wished otherwise.
And that night...
That night, Samson died in their care.
FLASHBACK ENDS
_______
Lira's voice cracked as she returned to the present.
"So we left everything. Packed up our lives and came to Elderwell, where the fae still watch the land from the shadows. It was hidden. It was safe."
She reached up to wipe away a tear.
"You were crying so loudly that night... but the moment I touched you, you stopped. That's when I knew. I would protect you, no matter what. I'd raise you the way they would have wanted—surrounded by love, by peace. Even if it meant hiding the truth."
Seven stared at her, tears silently streaming down her face. Then she moved forward, and Lira wrapped her in a tight embrace.
Seven's sobs came hard and fast, shaking her small frame. Lira held her closer, feeling every tremor in her body, every cry like a dagger through her heart.
After a while, Seven pulled back slightly, her eyes red and swollen. "I said such horrible things to you," she whispered. "I kept pushing and demanding answers, and all this time... you were just trying to protect me."
"I don't blame you," Lira said softly. "You were hurting. You had every right to want the truth. I just... I thought I was doing the right thing. I wanted to keep you safe."
Seven hugged her again, tighter this time. "I'm sorry, Mom. You all went through so much because of me."
"No," Lira said firmly, brushing the wet hair from her daughter's face. "Don't you ever say that. We didn't suffer because of you—we survived because of you. You gave us something to live for. Your laughter, your wonder, your stubborn little questions... they pulled us out of the darkness. You were our hope. So if you ever blame yourself again, I swear I'll give you a proper scolding."
Seven laughed through her tears. "You really would."
"I really would," Lira said, kissing her forehead.
There was a long pause, full of things that didn't need to be said.
Then Seven whispered, "Thank you... for loving me. Even when you didn't have to."
"I had to," Lira said, her voice warm and sure. "Because loving you never felt like a duty. It felt like... my heart had finally found what it was meant for."
Seven closed her eyes and hugged her again. "I love you."
"I love you too, in every way that matters," Lira whispered. "And no matter what happens, no matter what you learn—you are mine. You'll always be my daughter."
They sat there like that for a while, wrapped in each other's arms, the air thick with memory and healing.
Eventually, Lira pulled away and stood. She opened a drawer nearby and took out a small velvet pouch, placing it gently in Seven's hands.
Inside was a tear-shaped pendant, softly glowing, warm against her skin.
"It was your mother's," Lira said. "The last thing she left for you."
Then she handed her a worn, leather-bound book.
"This has the rest. The truth. The legacy. The warnings. When you're ready... read it. All the answers are inside."
Seven held the pendant to her chest. Her voice was a whisper. "Thank you, Mom. For everything. For never giving up on me."
Lira cupped her face and kissed her gently.
"You're mine, Seven. Not by blood, but by choice. By love. And nothing will ever change that."
They laid down together after that, wrapped in each other's arms like a mother and child clinging to the calm after a storm.
And slowly, with tears still drying on their cheeks, they drifted into sleep, two hearts heavy with truth, but lighter from love.
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