One year had passed.
Sirius, now one year old, neither knew how to walk nor how to talk.
He only knew how to crawl on the ground, and how to cry when he was hungry.
His father, Samaël, was a tall man with sapphire eyes, blonde hair, and a rather big nose. He was in his late twenties, always dressed modestly, with a joyful smile and a glad expression, proud of the family he had built.
His mother, Sonia, was an average-sized woman with emerald eyes and beautiful brown hair, smooth and silky. She was in her mid-twenties and also dressed simply, yet she looked gorgeous every time she smiled at Sirius, her adorable baby.
They lived in a small forest, two miles away from a tiny village named The Flowered Village, in the south of the Aerindel Continent.
Samaël was a lumberjack, and Sonia didn't have a job she simply stayed with Sirius at all times.
They were a poor family yet a happy one, but nothing lasted forever.
One day, they heard rumors about infamous, violent, and horrible bandits coming from the north. They didn't know if the rumors were true, but just in case they were, they decided to leave Sirius with his paternal grandfather, Aurelius, who lived thirty miles southwest of their home.
Aurelius welcomed them warmly and kindly offered for all of them to stay with him until the bandits left, but Sonia and Samaël didn't seem to share the same opinion.
"I'm sorry to refuse your kindness, Father, but it's our home. Even if the bandits are real, our house is two miles away from the village, they will never find us."
Sonia nodded in agreement.
"And don't forget, Father-in-law, you won't have enough food for four people. We can't accept that much from you, please understand."
Aurelius was particularly troubled, anxious because he knew they would leave even if he said no but he truly didn't want them to die.
"You'll leave anyway, won't you? I'll keep Sirius safe here, but please... return alive. I don't want to hear that you were killed by bandits. You're all I have left in this world."
"Don't worry Father, Don't worry"
Samaël replied softly.
"In that case, take this much food. With it, you won't need to go to the village to buy anything, so the chances of being found by bandits will be lower. I'll have enough for Sirius and myself."
Aurelius gave them half of his food, enough to last at least two weeks for two adults.
"Thank you so much, Father. We'll take our leave now."
Both Sonia and Samaël turned around, riding off on their horse and leaving Aurelius and Sirius behind.
Aurelius was a man in his mid-sixties, he had the same sapphire eyes as Samaël, short gray hair, and a handsome, though slightly sad, face. He watched his son and daughter-in-law disappear in the distance with a faint smile.
"So, my adorable baby, you'll be with me for a whole month, won't you? I'll take good care of you."
Three weeks passed.
Aurelius, who was playing with Sirius, heard a knock at the door.
Thinking his son and Sonia had returned, he rushed to welcome them.
Yet, when he opened the door, it wasn't them.
Standing there was a soldier in his early thirties, wearing a sorrowful expression.
"My salutations, sir."
the soldier said, bowing respectfully.
"Are you the elder named Aurelius?"
"Yes, that's me. Why are you here?"
"I'm here to deliver some sad and disastrous news. Your son, Samaël, and his wife, Sonia, were both killed by the bandits known as the Saber Gang. We found their bodies in their home. The entire Flowered Village was destroyed, and all the inhabitants were slaughtered."
The soldier paused briefly before continuing.
"The Imperial Guard, who were on a mission nearby, heard of the massacre and decided to hunt down the Saber Gang. They successfully killed all of them two days ago."
"I am... truly sorry for your loss, sir."
Aurelius lowered his head and looked at Sirius. His hands trembled, and his face was consumed by sorrow.
"May I ask that they be buried in the Imperial City? My status should allow that."
"Yes, sir! As you command. We will recover their bodies and arrange for their burial in the Imperial City."
"I'll take my leave now, sir. I'm truly sorry for your loss."
The guard turned and left. Ten minutes later, he was nowhere to be seen. Aurelius was still standing at the door, trembling.
He closed the door slowly, making sure Sirius wouldn't hear what was about to come.
Then, he began to cry, loudly, as if all the sorrow in the world was pouring out of him.
"Oh Heavens..."
"Oh Heavens above..."
"Oh Fate..."
"Why!?"
"Why are you taking everything away from me!?"
"You took my parents, my sister, my wife... Was it really necessary to take my children too!?"
"Answer me, Heavens!"
Aurelius cried out in the courtyard of his house, utterly alone.
He knew the Heavens would never answer him, yet he still asked.
Because, if not the Heavens... then who could be held responsible for all these deaths?