Night fell upon the capital, the sun leaving Emberfall behind into darkness. Almost like a switch, the streets and alleys were emptied of people - no sounds of children or merchants anymore. The wind was loud and uncaring, rustling the leaves and dust of the old city.

If it wasn't obvious enough, then the positioned guards were - one shouldn't dwell alone around those back alleys and secluded roads. Somehow, the soldiers and criminals agreed on a mutual pact without even talking - the night was theirs to rule, while the day belonged to the law enforcement.

But, at the end of the day, the city functioned in harmony that way.

Inside one of the houses in the noble district, an old father rushed to the kitchen.

"Grab 2 plates, Edward!" His wife, Janet, shouted from the dining room, "Oh, and don't forget the cutlery!"

"Leave it to me!" He excitedly replied.

Today was his birthday, and his son, Edmund, would be visiting them. As an old couple, they mostly stayed at home alone, so a little visit was always a good surprise. Even more so after Edmund married. Since then, he hadn't spent a single evening with them or even sent letters.

It sure made them sad, but they understood him nonetheless. It was tough creating a family, and they could only be left behind with time. Alas, for an unknown reason, Edmund promised to appear at his birthday - and they were ecstatic about it.

Promptly, the table was arranged and filled with food for their guests. All sorts of delicacies were prepared by Janet, the cook of gods according to Edward.

The night sky was just beautiful for the occasion, the full moon's glow coming through the windows. A fresh smile intoxicated their faces while their limping figures stood by the front door, waiting for their son.

Minutes passed and no signs of him or his wife. Their smiles withered, and they went back to the dining room.

"Did he forget?" Janet asked as they sat alone in the long dish table. They had prepared everything for the night, and yet the cautiously cooked food would be wasted.

Edward didn't reply to her. Smiling weakly, he said with his frail voice, "I guess something has come up. Edmund doesn't have time for his old parents."

There was a bitter taste to his words, like he just swallowed a lie.

Janet immediately went to his side, her crooked and gnarled arms embracing her husband, "Don't say those things, I am sure he is just late-"

Someone knocked on their door.

"See?! I will open it." She practically ran towards the house entrance, defying her very body limits.

Just as she was opening it, a fleeting thought crossed her mind - what if it wasn't her son?

It was far gone by the time she pulled the door open though.

"Are we late?" Edmund asked with a smile, his wife just behind.

"N- no, by all means, please come in. Your father is in the dining room." She said.

"Excuse me, Mrs. Lovesproth." Sarah slightly bowed as she entered.

"Ah-ah, no need for formalities, just call me Janet, miss." She said to the younger woman, "The house is yours as well."

"Old man!" Edmund barged his way into the dining room, instantly hugging his father, "I've brought this with me."

Under his arm, he carried a sheathed sword. 2 letters were embedded onto the pommel of the blade - E.E, Edward and Edmund initials. For a moment, Edward was speechless. A single tear fell down his left eye before he quickly wiped it off.

"Woah, what was that?" Edmund asked with a grin, "I didn't know you were the emotional type of guy."

"Shut it." He lightly slapped his son's back, "I can't believe you've brought it - the first weapon we've forged together."

A nostalgic smile crossed his lips as he inspected the blade.

"You've polished it?" He asked as the edge still shined in the moonlight, "Call me impressed. Anyway, let's eat! You don't want your mother's food to cool down, now do you?"

"Of course not, I only came for it!" He joked as everyone joined the table to celebrate.

When everyone settled down, Janet said with a loud voice, "To your father! And may this family be always united!"

They toasted their drinks with an enthusiastic cheer.

Then, lightly tapping on her cup, Sarah stood up to announce, "Actually, I and Edmund also have something to say. Mrs. Loves- Janet and Edward..." A long pause stretched in her speech, "The family will have another member." She declared with an impetuous smile.

Both his parents stared dumbly at Sarah, still taking in the news.

Finally breaking out of stupor, Janet asked in disbelief, "Then y- you are pregnant?"

"Yes, and the priest told me that it will be a boy!"

"A boy nonetheless? The gods have blessed us!" Edward said.

They toasted once more, this time a tad wilder. The night continued until no one could bear the feast anymore. With their bellies full and sated, they bid goodbye to the old couple.

"I want you to keep it." Edmund told his father before handling the sword.

Pushing it away, Edward shook his head, "I can't, it's yours."

"We made it together, so it isn't mine. Besides, I will take it back someday. All I'm asking is for you to keep it until then." He was just as stubborn - like father like son.

After a long discussion, Edward relented at the end. Finally, they left.

As they distanced themselves from the house, Edmund suggested to his wife, "How about we visit them when John is born?"

Smiling, she replied, "Sounds like a great idea."

Unbeknownst to them, a pair of eyes watched as they walked, observing their every single movement.

"I can't do it." The stalker said to himself, "I ain't doing this."

"But what about all those people in the sewer?" He angrily snapped back.

"That's completely different. Back then, it was either me or them. Now, I would be just killing two innocents." He replied.

"And why do you care? Since when do you care?" A strange voice came from deep inside him, memories of a long-forgotten tragedy playing in his mind.

"If you can't even kill a couple, then how will you manage to avenge me? You can't be weak, that's a disadvantage - and others will use it against you." She murmured in his left ear.

"I- I can't do it, Agatha."

"That's why you lose to those monsters from that decrepit property - you are no more than a puny human. A human with his useless moral codes and hesitation."

"I..."

"If you can't do it, then I will." She whispered before everything went dark.

***

"Where are you going?" Janet asked her husband as he rushed towards the front yard.

"I've just had a brilliant idea." He answered before doing his best to run.

His idea was simple - namely, he wouldn't keep the sword. Instead, Edmund would keep it to give it to his own son. An heirloom weapon passed from generation to generation - it was simply perfect.

Like he was young once again, he ran through the noble district with light feet, rushing across the various manors and stores.

In the distance though, he saw a commotion in the middle of the road. Strangely, the torches and lamps were unlit. The only sources of light were the moon and the few torches held by guards.

"Stand aside!" One of them yelled at the crowd.

Slowing down his pace, Edward peered at the reason for the tumult.

Silence. His right hand trembled and the sword fell to the ground. Dropping to his knees, he grasped on his chest. Like all air has left his lungs, no words came out from his lips. Instead, a horrified expression marred his face as a high pitched wail surged from his mouth. It didn't sound human or even like an animal.

Then, in a moment of mental clarity, he mourned, "My son!"

There, right in front of his eyes, his son lay on the ground. His body was emaciated to the point of seeing the very bones. By his right side, Sarah was sprawled on the cold floor, her eyes staring at nothing. Her belly sported a slight outline but it was just as cold as the breeze outside.

It took hours before Edward stopped weeping - his tears were already shed to the bottom end, and his throat couldn't ounce a single wail anymore. He was spent.

In his haze consciousness, only one question appeared, "who did this..."

His wife went out in the streets, wondering where her husband could be after so many hours. To say that she was worried was an understatement. Just when she thought of calling the guards, she saw him at the far end of the road.

He was kneeling in the ground, holding something within his arms.

Crisp and tired, all Edward was able to hear was his wife's frail scream and then a soft thump. He didn't have the peace of mind to turn around and sooth her, because he himself didn't know what to do. Her unconscious body was rescued by the guards instead.

The breeze rustled his son's black hair. His lips were blue and dry.

Dead.

Sarah had many cuts on her, but her skin was not healing.

Dead.

The small outline in her belly?

Dead.

"Who did this..." His voice came out stronger this time as he grasped at the sword on the floor.

Instantly, he stood up from the floor. His legs swayed in the air as his body acted by himself. He left his wife with the officers to take care of and went towards the forge of the district.

"Take her home, officers."

"Yes, sir Edward Lovesproth!" They saluted to him.

Almost like a leaf, he let himself be carried by his impulse-momentum. Arriving at the forge, a fire was ignited in the freezing twilight. Sparkles and flames flew in the air as the shadow of a man engulfed the close residences. His hammer hit the metal with a force like never before, stronger than when he was in his prime years. A few people stopped by to stare at his work, clearly impressed by the old man's strength.

"Why is he back at the forge?" A passerby asked, "Didn't he retire after the war?"

Uncaring about the others, he struck the metal with inhuman precision and agility. It was like something has possessed his withered body to the sole purpose of reforging that blade.

"You will pay." His words weren't a promise - they were fate.