A young Leylin walked through the hallways of the Varius mansion. A kind looking older servant walked up to him.

"Leylin, your mother has finally given birth."

"Really?! I want to see her! I want to see her!"

"All right, follow me."

In the background as they were walking, Leylin overheard some whispers.

"He didn't even show up to see the birth of his daughter. How cruel can someone be?"

"Did he have more important things to tend to?"

"More important than the birth of your own child? What could be more important than that?"

"I don't know. He has to attend to the affairs of our country, so something very important must have come up."

"The Lord's behavior has been too strange the past few years. Maybe the child isn't his, and he is avoiding the Lady because of that. Her activities must have been hidden to not shame the family."

"What are they talking about?" asked Leylin.

"Oh, nothing important. Spend more time working and less time gossiping!" chided the servant. The two girls quickly dispersed, trying to look busy.

"Come on, let's hurry."

They continued until they came to a remote part of the Varius mansion. The servant opened the door, which made a terrible scraping noise as it slid along the floor. They walked into the room, which was dimly lit. It was also very hot and humid, and the floorboards buckled in many directions. There were no windows within, so no natural light shone into the room. On the bed, covered in moth-eaten sheets, lay Leylin's mother. She was a very gaunt woman, her skin sagging and deep circles beneath her eyes, none of her former beauty visible. In her arms, she held a sleeping baby. She looked at the baby and the room as if she no longer cared about anything that was happening around her.

"Mother...."

Leylin walked next to the bed and gazed at her. She was no longer the mother that he once knew, cheerful and kind.

"She refuses to eat anymore. Your father ordered to place her in this hideous room. We nearly had to force her to eat, so the baby would have enough nutrition to live."

The servant moved forward to take the baby from Leylin's mother.

"What would you like to name her, Madam Varius?"

A sliver of consciousness appeared in her eyes.

"Laura."

After that, she said nothing more and continued to stare straight ahead.

"I'll give her to a maidservant for care. Madam likely can't produce much milk."

The servant quickly left the room with the newborn Laura. Leylin, unimpeded by the dismal atmosphere, approached his mother to tell her about his day.

"Guess what, guess what?! Today I started learning magic with uncle, and he says that I'm talented and that I could become a great mage some day! When I become a great mage, I'll be able to make you and father both happy right?"

"Make me happy?"

Leylin's mother glanced over at him.

"The only thing that would make me happy is if your father returned to normal."

"I can change him back to normal when I become a great mage too!!" exclaimed Leylin.

"You can't change a person with magic. Your father will never change back!" his mother said, irritated.

Leylin's mother was steadily becoming more and more stressed.

"After you were born, your father started ignoring me! He started to become a bit closer again, a year ago, but after I became pregnant, he began ignoring me once more!! It's your fault that he stopped loving me, yours and that damned Laura!!!"

Madam Varius threw the sheets off, revealing her skinny form. In her white nightgown, she appeared to be a ghostly specter from hell. Her hands reached out to grab Leylin like claws, wrapping around his neck. Leylin choked as she squeezed his neck like a vice.

"It's all your fault!!! It's all your fault!!!" she screamed over and over.

"N-no," Leylin choked out.

The life in his eyes faded, and he collapsed to the ground. Madam Varius looked around the room laughing maniacally, but Leylin stood up. His body emitted a holy, golden light.

"Why are you shirking aside what you yourself have created? Your depression and despair come as a result of someone else, so don't blame it on this child. Since he is important to me, I will remove you so as not to hinder his growth," Leylin said in an emotionless voice.

He walked forward, his arm reaching out. Madam Varius shrunk back from his reach like a cockroach hiding from light, but she was caught anyway. When he touched her, Madam Varius crumbled into a golden dust, reflecting the light.

"Ugly as you are in life, you will be beautiful in death. Your mistake was placing all your importance on one thing. You had more to live for than just your husband, but you failed to realize that."

The dust fluttered through the air and settled onto the floor. Leylin sat down on the ground.

"Now to erase this child's memory of this incident."

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"Madam Varius commit suicide?"

"That's what Duke Varius said. He has taken Leylin into his chambers for a long time. I guess he wants to calm him down."

"Why would she do such a thing? Especially so soon after having Laura..."

"She probably had Laura as her final purpose in this life and then decided that it was time to move on. She was a wonderful and beautiful woman. It's very sad what happened to her."

"We need to do everything we can to comfort Leylin and raise Laura as best as possible."

"Yes!"

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"So you've finally revealed yourself. Right under my nose as well," said Duke Varius.

He looked at Leylin sleeping in his office.

"I'll deal with you soon enough," he said as he gazed at an ornate box upon his desk. "Everything will go as planned, as it always has and always will."

Leylin began to stir from his sleep, so Duke Varius ordered some servants to take him to his room. He told another servant to message the other Noble Houses about what he discovered.

With that, he gazed out the window at the manicured gardens of the Varius estate, "The human race will always be safe. I'll make sure of it."