The next morning, as Nathan woke up, the first thing on his mind was "What should I prepare for Henry?" However, as he slowly opened his eyes, the unfamiliar room and ceiling jolted him back into the reality and reminded him of what happened.

Nathan's new room on the second floor was in good condition. Some paint on the wall and ceiling was peeling off, but Nathan was never one to be bothered by minor aesthetic defects. This place was very compact compared to Nathan's old room in the countryside, but it contained everything he needed. The new desk and the empty bookshelf sat in the corner of the room, reminding Nathan of his missed Math test, his friends and his teachers. Their fates, which Nathan might never find out, were at the mercy of the Inquisition Knights, who were not famous for this particular virtue.

Nathan took his toiletries and prepared to go to the bathroom, which sat between his room and the master bedroom across the corridor. "Grandpa must be very tired," Nathan had never seen Grandpa sleeping so late into the day. Arielle and Ashley shared one room, which was right next to Nathan's on their side of the corridor. Its door was open, the girls were up already.

After washing up, Nathan went downstairs and found his breakfast ready.

For an instant, Nathan saw an illusion of a woman with long blonde hair washing dishes in the kitchen. "Mom?" he thought in shock. However, upon looking closer, it was Arielle.

"Good morning, Nathan," Arielle greeted Nathan normally.

"Good morning," Nathan replied as he sat at the dining table.

"We went out with Thomas and Chana this morning to get breakfast." Arielle said, her voice slightly excited. "We are only ten minutes away from downtown and it has everything."

Seeing that his breakfast was from McRonald's, Nathan replied with interest, "Nice, perhaps I should go take a look later." His pancakes were still warm as he started eating.

"Ashley's already playing with Thomas and Chana in the backyard, I am going to join them." Arielle said energetically as she left.

Patrick soon awoke and he joined Nathan for breakfast.

After eating, Patrick went out with Nathan to downtown. They bought a glass cabinet and several urns for the basement. At home, Patrick carefully placed Emily, Jonathan, Ana and Henry’s ashes into the new urns and then put the urns onto the glass cabinet's top shelf, along with their cherished pictures. Then, the family spent time decorating the cabinet with meaningful mementos, such as wedding rings, books, and various things. Ashley also gently placed Henry’s teddy bear next to his picture.

“Nathan, Arielle and Ashley, do not let anyone know about this cabinet,” Patrick warned the children seriously.

“Why?” Ashley asked, furrowing her eyebrows.

“If the knights caught wind of this, they would come kill us.” Patrick answered bluntly to make sure the children would understand, but this also scared Ashley. Patrick gave her a hug and said. “Sorry for scaring you. As long as you keep it a secret, we will be fine.”

“Nathan, Arielle, Ashley, as you may already know, we are not devoted believers of Goddess Liliana.” said Patrick. Nathan and Arielle knew this because the family often skipped both Saturday and Sunday services, while most people attended one of the two. “The reason behind is because we believe in our ancestors. Many times in the past, they have saved us again and again. If not for them, we would not be here.”

“In time, the three of you may connect with some of your ancestors. You may see their memories or even talk to them. When it happens, just stay calm and listen to them and they will help you.” Patrick taught his grandchildren in a gentle tone.

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The children nodded.

“When we are in the city, do not use your inherited skills at all. Not even when no one is watching. Got it?” Patrick again warned his grandchildren.

“Got it.” The children replied.

After lunch, the two families gathered together. Harold, the mummy, despite having a fever, still wanted to join. They settled into Harold and Maya's cozy, newly furnished living room. The L shaped couch easily accommodated everyone on it.

“I believe the knight called Melody attacked us because she spotted Jonathan and Harold.” Patrick started with a hard truth.

“They had an entire night to attack, but they did not until they saw Jonathan and Harold out in the open. Moreover, the arrows were more concentrated at our location.” Patrick continued.

Maya's brow furrowed in confusion as she asked, “But weren’t the knights going to ambush us on the route to the southern gate? Why would they be there on the northern route then?” She tried to make sense of all the information.

“They must have found out that we had left. However, they did not know where we were.” Patrick explained. “So, I believe the three knights split up to guard all three paths that we could have taken.”

“We were extremely lucky to have encountered Melody, a Knight Initiate, albeit one who was ready to rank up. George and Travis were way stronger than Melody.” Patrick said after a pause. “I'm afraid they'll recall Harold's face and, Nathan, your hair color. Just to be safe, Harold, you should not leave the house in the next 3 months. Nathan, you must not wear the same clothes you wore on that night. We can't be too careful.”

“Do you think they have given up on killing the rest of the children?” Maya asked, worried about her friends in the village.

"Take a moment to imagine the worst case scenario." Patrick answered as his expression turned somber. Maya gazed upward as she imagined it. After a pause, Patrick continued in a grave tone, "I have worked with the Inquisition Knights before. I’ve found that imagining the darkest possible outcome tends to prove accurate about nine times out of ten."

Chana's curiosity got the better of her, prompting her to ask, "But what about that one time when your worst-case scenario didn't come true?"

"That one time, something unimaginable, a scenario more dire than the worst case scenario happened." Patrick answered, his voice firm and serious. Chana gulped as her hands trembled in fear.

Patrick implied that everyone from Urie was dead. However, Maya still held onto hope that her friends could have survived. Nevertheless, Maya and Harold grasped an unspoken truth. Had Patrick not invited them to leave together, their fate would have been sealed, alongside the rest of the villagers of Urie.

“Patrick, from now on, if there is anything that you need help with, just let me or Maya know and we will help.” Harold pledged in a weakened voice, but with determination. Maya nodded firmly, her eyes beaming with conviction.

“Thanks Harold and Maya. I really appreciate it.” Patrick smiled and nodded in appreciation.

"Next, let us talk about future plans." Patrick continued. “Here is my plan.”

In short, Patrick's plan was to send the children to Bluefield College, the most prestigious school in the kingdom. In these tumultuous times, the countryside had become a perilous place, as the families had just learned firsthand. Jobs that did not require higher education were either low-paying or hazardous. Landing a high paying stable job required an excellent academic record; with the competition being extremely fierce.

Bluefield College offered curriculums from first grade to the twelfth grade, or primary to secondary school. It used to offer undergraduate and graduate programs, which have since separated from the school and been renamed in honor of the Goddess.

To gain admission to Bluefield College, the children would need to pass the school's notoriously challenging entrance exam. Moreover, for common families like Patrick's, earning certifications and professional ranks from the Craftsman's Guild and the Adventurer's Guild was also necessary, merely to get their applications noticed. Nowadays, these certificates had become an unofficial prerequisite for admission.

"Of course, it is up to you whether you want to stay in the capital or follow this plan for my grandchildren." Patrick added.

“After everything that's happened, we've decided to live in the capital.” Maya said.

“I’m glad to have you as my neighbors again.” said Patrick. “Next, I know our children had been attending a countryside public school. Transitioning into a prestigious city school will be tough for them. I plan to send Nathan, Arielle and Ashley to a cram school for preparation. Would you like to send Thomas and Chana there as well? If not, there is also an excellent public school in the area.”

Maya and Harold looked at each other and then turned to their children.