Ken’s mother stared at him with wide eyes, her hands wrapped around the edge of the table so tightly her knuckles turned white.

"What... what did you say?" She managed to get her words out. She looked at him in a way that pleaded for him to say something different, begging him not to say what he had said before. Ken saw the look in her eyes. He felt like there was a hand around his heart, squeezing it hard, but he refused to allow that to stop what he needed to do.

"When those cult members first attacked the town, I got to speak with one and I gathered information. Many warriors were captured, and a huge number came from our town.

They said they killed all the warriors, and that means dad was probably one of them," Ken said. He kept his tone flat to ensure he showed no emotion. His mother froze when she heard that, and so did his brothers. They looked at him in silence, as if waiting for him to say it was a joke, but it was no joke, there was no punchline.

"I wanted to tell you before, but I didn’t know how to," Ken said.

His mother bent her head forward. She bit her lower lip for a long second, and then she managed to speak through her shaky voice. "And why would you tell me before you wanted to leave?" she asked and then looked at him, her eyes red and teary. "So that you can go and die like him?" she asked in anger, her body trembling.

Ken looked at her from across the table, and his brothers did as well, but they had no idea what to do now.

Ken walked from his chair, his footsteps echoing against the floor. He stopped beside his mother and looked at her, then she stepped forward and wrapped her hands around him.

"I don’t know if he is really dead, he might be alive, there is still hope, but I needed to tell you.

I understand that telling you this before I leave is pretty stupid as it would hurt you more. But I had to, I’m sorry for that. You can hate me if you want, mum, or get angry, but I’ll not be staying here anymore. There is no way that I could get what I want if I stay here," Ken said.

"What do you want? What exactly have you wanted for the last month?" she asked, her eyes filled with tears as she looked at her son. She did not understand what it was, why he suddenly started getting stronger and training every day. She did not know why he was pushing himself that much.

"To get stronger," Ken replied.

She let go of him and stepped back. She recalled the day he walked out of his room and said he wanted to train. That should have been the day that she stopped him. If she had done that then, then all of this would not have happened. But she also recalled how her very own son had saved her and the town multiple times over. It wasn’t something that they could have done themselves, they would have all died had Ken not intervened.

She knew her son was strong, far stronger than her husband now, and so that meant he should be able to handle whatever was out there, but that did not reduce the worry that was in her right now. She looked at Ken as he stood before her, and only now did she notice the changes that he had gone through.

Her son was now a lot taller, his body was tense and well sculpted, his pale appearance somehow remained, but he seemed more alive.

"Fine," she opened her mouth and forced out those words, she clenched her fist tight, "you can go and do what you need to in the capital, but you have to make me one promise." She looked him dead in the eye as she spoke.

"What’s that?"

"Once a year, you must come back here once a year every year, you are never to miss a single year. If you can swear that to me, then you can leave and I’ll support you all the way."

’She really does care for me deeply, tch, makes me feel warm inside. I don’t like that, but I also don’t hate it.

The least I can do is hold one promise to her.’

"I promise, once a year I’ll return and I’ll meet you and the family," Ken said.

"Good," his mother replied. She hugged him one more time and then rushed upstairs. Ken knew what was going to happen now, she would finally take in the news that her husband was probably dead now. The news would shatter her heart for certain. She forced herself to look strong, but he knew that she was in pain.

"What the hell do you mean dad is dead!" Luca roared, looking Ken dead in the eye.

"Lower your tone when you speak, Amber is in the house," Ken replied with a glare that sent shivers down Luca’s spine. He balled his fist in anger and gritted his teeth but said nothing else.

"You two failed to be men when it mattered the most, your breed is worthless and weak, choosing to run when men should have stood.

Does such weakness not bite into your very existence? Does it not hurt your soul to be so incompetent?

I guess the eldest had some guts since he stood against the cults, running from the demonic humans is understandable, but you." His eyes turned to Luca.

"You are not only weak, you are a coward, you run from everything, even the fact that you tried to kill me," Ken came out with it.

Luca immediately panicked when he heard that, he staggered backward in fear. Ken pulled his sword and pointed it at Luca. "A thought is enough for your end, I would not need to cover the distance to kill you at all.

But above my pride and ego, I have respect for mum, and her tears mean more than your worthless life ever could, and it would break her heart for you to die here." He put the sword back into the sheath and walked to the door, leaving the house one last time.