Chapter 35 - Unavoidable

Much to Zaos's surprise, the next time had a 'spar' with his father, Ameria and Drannor also showed up. It looked like he wanted to impress the neighbors' kids and make his own son look like a dumbass. But after getting his ass kicked once again, Zaos discovered that they just appeared without knowing anything on a day that Ameria didn't have lessons at the castle.

In any case, before the spar, Laiex taught him a new move to practice since Zaos was taking a liking to fighting with a longsword. The move was simple. It was a vertical attack that started almost in the same stance when Zaos prepared a horizontal attack from his left side. While it was weird to try a move that would start from below, Zaos eventually noticed that all the momentum gained worked pretty well in increasing the damage caused. It was even possible to make an enemy lose a shield.

"Making him lose a single drop of blood is impossible when he is that fast," Zaos thought while he was practicing his new move. "I need to become faster. Even if I protect a place in which he can hit to knock me down, he can always choose another and hit it before I can react and obtain the same result."

That was one of the problems Zaos had to deal with, and he didn't even solve the problem of the Cold Whisper. While he was progressing every day little by little, Zaos still felt like his future seemed bleaker.

"I guess I can only keep increasing my endurance while I try to become faster as well," Zaos nodded to himself. "My stamina and endurance determine how much damage I can receive and endure. So, maybe before I become fast enough, I will become durable enough not to fall after a single attack."

One day when Zaos was meditating, he noticed that he spent too much time in the garden and the sun was high. It was almost time for lunch, but then he noticed that Lyra was nowhere to be seen.

"How weird… mom usually tells me when she leaves and she quickly returns as well," Zaos frowned.

After crossing the entrance of the mansion, Zaos was greeted by an empty living room. He decided to check the library, but then Zaos stopped when he saw a pale Jeline. While she was always pale when they saw each other, that day, she looked particularly ghost-like pale.

"Did you see my mother, Jeline?" Zaos asked.

"... Yes, she headed toward her room a while ago, running," Jeline replied.

"Running? Why?" Zaos frowned.

Jeline hesitated in answering that question, but Zaos quickly understood what had happened. His mother finally discovered Nyana's existence. In fact, that happened way later than Zaos had imagined. In any case, the result of that wouldn't be even a little bit less devastating if she had learned about it ten years later.

"Shit… and here was why only thinking about my small problems," Zaos muttered after he turned around and headed toward his mother's room.

When Zaos arrived, he hesitated. Should he enter? What could he do? There was any point in his presence there? Those questions began to bother him. While he imagined that situation would happen eventually, he didn't manage to think of any way to help his mother. When Zaos tried to turn the doorknob, he noticed the room had been locked from inside. That was bad. Trying to call his mother seemed like the best thing to do, but not only Zaos had no idea what to say, but his mother probably wouldn't want him to see her right now.

"I don't know what to do…" Zaos muttered.

In the end, Zaos decided that at least he should stay with his mom. Even if he couldn't say anything, his presence should help in some way. However, when he knocked on the door and called his mother's name, she didn't answer.

"She really wants to be left alone since she is ignoring me," Zaos concluded.

In the end, Zaos decided to wait for his mother in the living room, but she only showed up several hours later, and she looked exhausted.

"Sorry, Zaos," Lyra forced a smile. "I fell asleep in the bedroom. Anyway, aren't you late for your afternoon training?"

"Just a little bit," Zaos said.

"Well, let's get going then," Lyra said.

Lyra decided to act as if nothing had happened, but it was obvious that she just didn't accept the whole thing in just a few hours. Her eyes were bloodshot, and Zaos still could see some marks of tears. Considering that she also skipped lunch, Zaos just decided to pretend that he was meditating in order to stay close by if something happens.

While a sunbath apparently improved her condition, Zaos soon noticed that things had changed forever in his life. Until that day, mother and son had slept in the same room, but Lyra suddenly decided that it was time for Zaos to have his own room.

"Don't worry, Zaos. You will get used to it," Lyra said when she noticed the frown on Zaos's face. "Besides, you are growing up and it is embarrassing to sleep in the same room as your mother, right?"

In the end, Zaos couldn't even say anything about that since the reason was obvious. His mother didn't sort out her feelings, and she felt like crying again, and she didn't want to do that when someone was nearby, even more so when that someone was her son.

Fortunately, their rooms were very close to each other, so Zaos will have the chance to notice if something happens. The fact that he was spending time alone for the first time in his new life didn't play an important part in it, but Zaos failed at falling asleep that night. The thought that he was unable to help his mother in such a moment of her life was beyond annoying. Still, in the end, Zaos didn't find a way to solve that situation.