99 Family is fleeting, Trauma is Forever

Mari sat down while the caretakers prepare her new clothes on the second floor of the church. Violin's caretakers were quick to pamper her because they believe receiving her favor will result in a healthy life. And to anger her means eternal damnation. Mari has no such power over life and death, but the majority of them were blind for that fact. Mari decided to just let them do as they please, as long as they are not hurting themselves. She sat on the pews facing the thin walls built by the Razins to separate the open chamber into various rooms waiting for the caretakers. The walls short enough for Mari to see the alter across from her, which was now the throne room.

She saw the stained glass above the throne room, depicting the image of an olive branch floating down to a figure raising its hands to the air, ready to catch it. Mold, dirt, and bird feces covered the figure's body, and it was to recognize its race. But Mari believes there could be idols in the throne or reliefs on the alter.

She stood up, walked towards the throne room. When she entered the room, she was met by a small humble chair. It was bright red, and a white pillow acted as the cushion for the sitter's butt. Behind it was the alter, broken apart and in near shambles. The idols were missing from their places, and the relief sculptures were damaged and unrecognizable. Mari kneeled down next to the alter to investigate closer in the hopes of finding hidden details, protected from nature, but she could not find anything worth mentioning.

Mari was hoping she could learn about the former residence of the forest, but she was disappointed to find nothing. The caretakers saw her inside the throne room and began to panic when they saw her sadden face. "Ms. Mari!" They came running at her, "Ms. Mari! What wrong? We help, Ms. Mari no cry."

"What?" Mari was startled when the caretakers hugged her legs, "I'm fine, please don't worry about it." Mari pulled herself up, "Please get up everything is fine."

"No fine, Ms. Mari cry. We help," One of the caretakers said.

"No it's fine, I was just looking at the altarpieces, but they're all broken."

"Oh but we have statues! Kit bring!" Kit rushed to the corner of the room where a large cabinet stood. Some of the caretakers followed Kit and carried her to the top so she could reach the idols. They brought them to Mari, taking great care of each statue because they were fragile. Breaking them in front of Mari would be the worst sin.

When Mari got them, she was stunned. The figures were made of porcelain, and they were holding cogs crudely carved out from wood. Mari guessed these cogs were added by the Razin because they lacked the beauty and intricacy of the figures. But that was not the most important part; the figures depicted hold greater value for Mari.

Mari was ecstatic because these relics of the past proved that the former residence of the forest was a race similar to Sun's current form. The only question left was why none of them survived, and why do the goblins transform into them. Maybe this alien race reverted to its most savage form after arriving on their world? But this doesn't explain the mysterious enemy referred to in the diary.

For now, this was enough for her. Afterward, the caretakers presented the new clothes they prepared. They were surprisingly well-made pajamas, comfortable and soft. And the pajamas were dyed in colors representing the four seasons; green for spring, red for summer, orange for fall, and blue for winter. Mari happily accepted the gifts, which made the caretakers the happiest goblins in the tribe. The caretakers would later brag to their peers that they brought Mari gifts that made her happy.

Mari left the church after trying the new clothes and walked back to the barn to rest. But when she returned to their room, she was met with a very shaken Cyrus. "What's wrong?" She asked Natasha sitting on her bed.

Cyrus lunged into Mari's arms and hugged her as tight as she could. "I told her that we'll be leaving soon and that you won't be coming with us," Natasha said.

"Please come with us!" Cyrus muffled through Mari's bosom.

"I'm sorry," Mari stroked Cyrus between her cat ears, "I have to stay. There's so much I need to know, so much to see. And I have to take care of Sun."

"No!" Cyrus tail began to wag back in fourth, "You don't need to stay. Just come with us! I have no one but you out there."

"What about Natasha,"

"No! It has to be you!"

Cyrus' obsession caught Mari off guard as Cyrus continues to wail on her chest. She was like the caretakers, but far more demanding. And Mari could not blame Cyrus for imprinting on her after the tragedy inside the cave. Mari could only try to calm her down and explain the situation, but Cyrus did not give in.

Finally, Natasha had enough and decided to walk up to Mari and whisper to her ears. "You can't be serious!" Mari exclaimed.

'Why not? I can't exactly bring her to my family and expect them to accept her. Or for her to integrate into our village. It's better for her to stay here, where she has you, and her son. And not to mention her nephew, who also needs a family. Someone that can tell him more about his mother."

"You think I should stay here instead," Cyrus looked at Natasha. Her eyes were flooded with tears and snot dripping from her nose.

"Would you like to stay with me?" Mari asked.

Cyrus carefully thought about it, and she took her time. Staying meant she would be under the scorching light, but she also had two glitters of hope in the form of Mari and her son Smoke. She weighs her options before announcing her decision. "Well?" Mari stroked her hair.

Cyrus stared into Mari's chest and saw the ball of light gently caressing her body. Then she remembered Sun gorging on this very essence like a glutton until nothing is left. And the thought of it disappearing haunted her. "I'll stay!" She said, "To protect you,"

"To protect me?"

Suddenly the door was burst open. "Excuse, Ms. Mari," Flute walked up to Mari, "We need you."

"What happened? Oh, and please don't call me miss. I'm tired of hearing that word."

"Sorry. Anyway, we need your help. Those boys were playing outside the wall. They said they were sparring, whatever that means, and while they were playing, they got a little too rough."

"How rough?"

"Well, about a dozen trees got uprooted. And one of those trees landed on Rock."

"Is Rock ok?" Natasha asked.

"Yes, but Rock and the massive tree that landed on him crushed Cossack. Sun asked me if I could get you,"

"No worries, just lead me those troublemakers." Mari gently pushed Cyrus off her, "I have to go and help them, ok? I'll be right back, and we can discuss this further."

"Ok, I'll be waiting."

"I'm coming too," Natasha told Flute, and the two women ran outside. Meanwhile, White just arrived at the barn. Spat sent him to the caretakers to ask them to wash the Legion's clothes, but after searching the barn, not a single caretaker was present aside for Tie and Pin taking care of Mabel at the backroom.

With the barn empty, White was ready to go to the Glass Garden and asked the caretaker there for assistance, but before he left, he heard a mysterious voice coming from the walls. Out of curiosity, he followed the voices up the ladder and through a hallway until he reached the room where the brother's mothers were staying.

He peaked through the door and saw Cyrus whispering to her pillow while she sat on the floor. Eventually, her voice got louder and began to scream at the pillow. "It's your fault. You tried to separate me from her!" Cyrus paused, then she threw the pillow at the wall. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to, it was your fault that I." Cyrus crawled towards the pillow, but she did not grab it. She just sat there staring at the fluffy cushion before grabbing another one on the bed. This time she carried the pillow like a baby, gently patting its bottom, "It's ok, Smoke will save me. Smoke will not leave me. Mari and Smoke will always be here for me right, sweety?"

White tried to leave without getting noticed, but the wooden floor creaked, and Cyrus' head rotated like an owl and stared at White's goat eyes. And just like before, she simply smiled at him. White's heart began to beat faster, and before Cyrus could say anything, he ran away and fell down the ladder. A haystack softened his landing, leaving him with just a bruise on his elbow.

He got jumped and ran towards the door, only to stop when Pin called out for him, "White! Before go, White call Spat here!"

White turned around. His chest kept pumping and making it difficult to speak as he tries to catch his breath. "Huh, why?"

"Mabel she,"

"She what?" Suddenly appearing behind White was Spat. "Well, what happened, is she ok?"

Pin smiled, "Yes, she's waking up. Come on, we have to hurry!"

"Sahaha! You heard that White, let's go!" Spat pulled White on the arm and dragged him with them to Mabel's room. When they got there, they saw Mabel rubbing her eyes and scratching her forehead covered in bandages. Apple, Tie, and Dawn sat next to her, but Spat did not even notice them because his eyes were fixed on his wife that he missed so much. "Mabel!" Spat could not contain himself, so he ran and embraced her.

"What!" Mabel's cheeks turned red in embarrassment. When she regained her senses, she aggressively pushed Spat off her, "No! Mabel married. No hug, Mabel only love Spat, no other goblin!"

"Huh?" Spat was confused, and then he realized Mabel had never seen Spat turn into a red conqueror and confused her for one of the brothers. "Sahahaha! It's me!"

"Sahahaha?"

"Mama, that papa!" Apple said.

"Huh?" Mabel looked Spat then back at Apple, "That no papa. Papa small, green.

"Did you really have to say I was small! Shahaha!" Spat laughed.

"Sahahaha? No, not true." Mabel examined Spat again, "If Spat real, then what Spat do first night?"

Spat's face went dark, "Do I have to say that out loud. It's a bit embarrassing."

"You can just whisper it to her." Dawn suggested.

Spat leaned forward and whispered on Mabel's ear. She was listening as attentively as she could, but Spat's hard and rigid body distracted her. She couldn't help but ogle at Spat's collar bone and broad shoulders. Then the most embarrassing part of that night came up, and Mabel's cheeks turned rosy red, and her mouth puckered in an attempt to suppress her laughter. "No more!" Mabel hugged Spat, "Mabel know Spat real."

"Yay, mama papa make up!" Apple joined them, sneaking between their bodies to get sandwiched by them.

"Mabel so happy!" Mabel pulled herself away and rechecked Spat's body, "Spat so strong now, so big, hard," Mabel's hands traveled down to Spat's abs, "And big."

"Ough ough!" Dawn, Tie, White, and Pin coughed.

"Oh sorry,"

The surface world was experiencing the beauty of spring, and the exciting changes to come as the cold winter leaves the continent, replacing the falling snow with flower petals. But deep under the earth, inside the caverns and chambers lit by luminescent flora, there was no spring festival. Just two tired armies that were finally ending their conflict.

After three days of negotiation, the two sides made peace under a large glowing sunflower, as large as an oak tree. After the signing, the army led by the rebelling nobles left the camp and the light from the sunflower, and entered the darkness and returned to their territory.

General Andrik watched the dark elves leave outside the general's tent. He and Prof. Logue acted as the mediator for both sides since they were neutral and had the interest to maintain the peace underneath their dwarven kingdom. A dark elf walked out of the tent and asked, "Do you find it cathartic watching the defeated leave with their tails between their legs?"

"Maybe, how about you, General Krek?"

General Krek was wearing an unbuttoned shirt and tight leather pants, and his long blond hair rested on his shoulders. His piercing green eyes glow in the dark, and his dark blue skin shines under the fluorescent sunflower petals. "Definitely." Krek leaned on the flag pole while picking his teeth with a butter knife, "Also, where is the professor."

"His with the goblin's mother, you know the beastkin you found unconscious. I still can't believe you guys found her."

"Yeah, too bad she doesn't remember her name." Krek tucked his knife in his pocket. "But are you guys sure she's the mother."

"Yeah," Andrik combed his hair with his fingers, "I may be old, but my memories have yet deteriorated. I still remember the days when I was a child like it was yesterday."

"I see." Krek sighed and tied his long blond hair into a ponytail, "I wish Captain Bret Hart were here to meet you."

"Isn't he a Golden Condottierro."

"The second strongest Golden Condottierro!"

"Does it matter if the guy is second or last. The Golden Condottierro are the strongest mercenary captains in the world, and their companies are as strong or even stronger than some of the nations in this continent."

"Not Captian Bret Hart. He is the entire company, the entire army."

Andrik raised an eyebrow, "I guess that does sound impressive." He pulled out a cigar and lit by snapping his fingers, "So why did he leave? He got hired to work for another country after this?"

"No, he has yet to finish the contract our king signed with him. He's out there, walking in the dark caverns hunting his prey."

Andrik blew a cloud of smoke, "Prey?"

"Yes, our enemy hired a troublesome mercenary company, by the name of Black Crows. We had reports of them kidnapping our citizens during the war, forcing them into slavery. That was why we hired Captain Hart."

"To capture those scums." Krek walked back to the tent, "I hope the Black Crows don't make it to the surface. I wouldn't want them to hurt your new little goblin band."

"Anhahaha," Andrik threw his cigar on the floor and stepped on it, "I saw there Kas, those goblins are no pushovers."