"I thought you wanted to see me after Meyara and Adriel left," Warren spoke calmly despite the woman in front of him kept glaring at him. “So I brought myself here. I'm sorry if my arrival wasn't much expected."

"If you knew that then at least you brought me something good, Chief," Brenna spat out in annoyance but she still rose from where she was lost in thought and pointed to another empty chair beside her, inviting Warren to sit down. “I would also really appreciate it if you warned me in advance that you would be sending my daughter away.”

"I didn’t ask her to leave?"

“But you enthusiastically gave her a lot! If I didn't know any better, I would think that you're using her for your own good, Sir."

Warren laughed lightly at that. After bowing his body as a sign of respect, he sat beside Brenna without even raising his slightly bowed head. For a moment, the two of them fell silent while looking ahead. It was as if Brenna's yard, which had nothing but a patch of land dotted with a few fruit trees, was very attractive for them to stare at for hours.

Brenna's heavy breath broke the silence between them.

"I really don't understand your intentions." The woman sounded very hurt even though she was not screaming nor crying. “No matter how much I think about it, I really can’t figure out why you would support my daughter's stubborn desires. Meyara … she’s my only treasure, but the helpless me can’t refuse her request to leave. I was pleased to hear that she would seek advice from you."

Warren knew full well where this conversation was going but he remained silent, allowing Brenna to release all her pent up emotions.

"But why …,” her eyes widened quite terribly, “Warren, Meyara has lost the ability to defend herself! Her life is now open for everyone to destroy easily. How can you let her go without trying to stop her at all?"

Brenna, who had been overcome by emotion, no longer looked at the man politely. She expressed her disappointment freely, just like when the two of them were still friends when they were kids. "If only Ben were still here, he would already know what to say or do to keep our daughter from leaving the house at all."

"Brenna ... after everything that happened, Meyara is still a special child who was born with special powers," Warren said very carefully. As long as his lips were talking, his brain was constantly working out the right words so that his message could get across to the poor woman. “You have to have faith in her. She can do anything she has set her mind to.”

"You want to talk about this again? I told you, the title of gifted child who will definitely become the greatest mage will only make her more depressed! Especially now that she can no longer use magic, I …," Brenna squeezed her eyes to hold back the flowing tears, "I just hope she's content and happy to be my daughter. I really expect nothing more from her. Warren, I can't imagine what it would be like if she left me like her father did!"

The desperation in Brenna's pathetic voice came through loud and clear. It seemed to freeze time for a moment, suffocating them with a different kind of agony.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

Warren always knew that words could hurt more than anything in the world, but it was only now that he truly felt them. Brenna looked so fragile and broken, her body which had always been small now looked much thinner and frail. Her pale face might have been covered by her hands that were constantly wiping away her tears, but her body that was constantly shaking showed her plight clearly. As long as Warren had known her, he had never expected that the powerful Brenna could display such a state.

He couldn't help but reminisce about their childhood, where they could play around without a care in the world. His father, who was the Chief before him, always looked for him around the village, to force him to learn various things about Deterville, the Midehelm Kingdom, and also deepen his knowledge of magic. However, Warren managed to avoid his father thanks to the help of Ben and Brenna.

He vividly remembered how Ben, who had absolutely no magic skills, tried desperately to distract his father while Brenna hid him with magic tricks.

Of course every one of their attempts ended up failing, but at least the brief success allowed them to play together longer.

Ben's departure from life caused a certain wound for Warren too, who was only his childhood friend. It was unimaginable how tormented Brenna had been when she had to survive while enduring the wounds from losing her life partner.

Warren really felt like he wasn't trying enough to understand the woman's condition.

As best as he could, Warren kept a smile on his face as he explained the main reason he had come to Brenna's house. “You should know that humans who are in a coma for a long time will find it difficult to even move their muscles, but she can return to normal life in no time. Why do you think she could do that?"

He could hear Brenna gasp. Right at that moment, Warren's words must have pierced through her hazy mind. Every bad thought that had lodged in there evaporated with every breath she exhaled. "I ... I don't know."

Lie. She knew exactly what Warren meant, but she couldn't admit it because that would mean she had no more reason to oppose Meyara leaving.

Even though the two of them had not had a heart-to-heart in a long time, Warren knew that he could not push any further or Brenna would be blown to pieces. So he decided to let her ponder with her own thoughts, while he bid farewell to take on the other pending duties as a Chief.

However, he didn't take a step without muttering another part of his mind.

“All we can do right now is pray for the best. I hope my words can lighten the burden on your heart a little. Adriel was right beside Meyara out there, the young man was strong enough to protect one village. Ensuring a girl's safety shouldn't be a problem. After all, the girl in question has much more power even though she can't awaken it yet.”

Meyara's biological mother nodded her head very slowly, that Warren thought he was just imagining it because he really wanted Brenna to believe his words.

"At least tell me this one," Brenna blurted out just before Warren disappeared around the corner. “You gave her everything she needed, right? I know it's not your duty, but at least you would do that because she's your best friend's daughter."

Brenna's beautiful face was now looking at Warren expectantly. Sparkling black irises rival the light of the rising sun. Warren couldn't remember the last time he saw that expression from the woman. Maybe when they were teenagers and Brenna wanted to show some bravery near the Deterville frontier? Warren remembered that things didn't end well, as he and Ben didn’t have a heart to turn down Brenna's every request.

Even so, Warren felt quite proud because this time he had done something good without being asked by Brenna.

"I have given her a few things she needs," the man sighed heavily. “But still she has to rely on her own ability to be able to face various obstacles that will definitely get in her way. We don't know exactly what's lurking out there. Especially since the kingdom stopped being open to all of us.”

***