Vulcan Kingdom.
The Vulcan estate stood untouched by the fiery hands of war, grandly showcasing the might of the dukedom which had risen against a kingdom.
"Why are you not doing anything?"
In the right wing of the estate, a voice boomed, loud and irritated.
This should have made guards run in and maids perk their ears for gossip, yet there was nothing; there was no one around.
The large left wing, an estate of its own, was empty.
The weeds were overgrown, vines wrapping around the pillars, and walkways hidden under the overgrown grass.
"…."
"Mother?!" the voice echoed again, this time worried.
In the bedroom, curtains closed and the air stale, knelt the owner of the voice: Hugh Vulcan.
With short pink hair like his mother's, a round face, and gentle eyebrows, one might think of him as a soft, sheltered man, but he was a Vulcan; they were anything but soft or sheltered.
His cherry-blossom eyes glowed an eerie hue, teeth gritted as he looked at his mother, the once beautiful Zariah, now reduced to an unrecognizable state.
Her cherry-blossom hair had faded to almost grey, her fair complexion pale, dark circles making their home around her eyes.
She who always sat upright with the elegance of a noble now sat hunched, eyes hollow and lips parched.
"Mother, please talk to me," Hugh urged his mother, yet Elena only smiled weakly at him.
Hugh Vulcan was her first son, the child born of the union between the Brigid clan and the eternal Vulcan clan.
They were nobles; love was something that did not matter in marriage.
And she had been fine with it, even finding love in their relationship.
When selected to be the bride of the Vulcan house, she agreed readily.
Who would not, when becoming the spouse of the most powerful fire clan on the continent and the handsome and benevolent duke?
The hellflame had been kind, as the rumors said, even kinder as she got to know him.
Hugh and her other children were proof they got along.
She thus believed, as custom went, that her son would be the next patriarch, but then…
"This place is too boring. I cannot break through like this… I am going to the abyss. Make sure the two of you produce the next heir before I return," the abdicated patriarch had said to Aiden and Raika before he left.
What did this mean for her?
She who believed her son would automatically take over as patriarch had been pushed aside.
It seemed he had never been a choice.
As bold as she was, she wanted to inquire of Aiden but remembered she had eavesdropped on them.
She was not supposed to be aware of it.
She could only talk to someone about it, which led to the series of events that eventually caused the great civil war.
No matter how one looked at it, she was the root cause of it all.
And Aiden, who had vowed to walk in his father's steps, could not let her go when his investigations proved she had, on multiple occasions, tried to prevent the birth of Alaric.
Poisoning attempts that failed and collaboration with those who caused the scene at Alaric's birth celebration.
She was a traitor.
Alaric, filled with rage, had her mana heart sealed; her cherry-blossom hair lost its hue, and her mana circuits put out of commission.
She was placed under house arrest, no one allowed to serve her. In the Vulcan estate she had practically lost her status, reduced to her current state.
Those of the Vulcan house who knew of her betrayal kept it secret from the world.
Allowing the world to know the Vulcan household was breaking apart would only give their enemies something to snicker about.
"Mother, please, you cannot live like this…" Hugh sat beside his mother, his eyes moist with tears.
He loved his mother, the kind-hearted woman who had raised him.
To see her like this brought him to tears; despite being an adult
Seventeen years old, considered an adult in the world of Chroma.
"…."
Elena only smiled once more, a pang striking Hugh's chest.
His eyes glowed an eerie red as he stared at the portrait of his father hanging on the wall, eyes bloodshot.
"You…" he let out a low growl, cherry-blossom petals emanating from his form, ethereal and tranquil.
One of the such petals fell on the portrait, and from the point of impact quickly erupted into flames.
"No!!" Zariah leaped out of the bed, her frail body falling face-first onto the hard floor.
"Mother, what are you doing?" He hurried to his mother's side, yet she pushed him away.
The mother weakly crawled to the painting, which had fallen to the ground, and hugged it. Burnt marks appeared on her pale skin as the flames licked her frail form.
"Mother, stop." Hugh waved his hands, and the flames quickly extinguished.
His mother's mana heart was sealed, and though she still possessed a body of fire, its resistance to flames had greatly diminished.
He rushed to her side hugging her tightly.
He could feel her body tremble probably from the pain, tears falling down her cheeks as she muttered barely audible words.
"Mother, why…?" He halted, eyes widening as he heard what she was muttering.
"Aiden, please forgive me. I am sorry… I am sorry… I am sorry… Aiden, please forgive me. I am sorry…" Like a mantra, she chanted, swaying side to side with the painting.
Huhj unconsciously let go, brows creased, teeth gritted.
Hugh had been visiting his mother for the past two years, ever since he returned from the academy.
He had not yet met his father, Aiden, on the battlefield.
He only knew what the world knew: his younger brother Alaric had been born with a water elemental affinity, and that it had been orchestrated by the kingdom, thus the war.
But to him, what did that have to do with his mother?
He was confused when he saw her state; no one was willing to explain it except his stepmother, Elena.
From her words, Aiden had personally sealed Zariah's mana heart, claiming she was in cahoots with the kingdom.
This brought confusion, which over the years turned to hate.
He always knew his father loved Raika more, but he had never imagined to the extent he would harm his mother, for a son he believed might not even be hus brother, believing the rumors that Alaric was born out of infidelity.
But now…
His mother was begging the man for forgiveness, hurting herself because of a man who had brought her to ruin.
With eyes blazing and teeth gritted
"I will destroy the thing you love most." he vowed.
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A/N
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