Chapter 244: Family Bonds
Lys was now sitting at the wooden table in the main room of their house, the afternoon light coming through the window and falling across the surface of the table. He held the new sword Mira had made in both hands, turning it slowly, seeing how well-made it was. The metal felt solid and well-balanced in his hands, even though he knew very little about swords and weaponry himself.
His knowledge about swords in particular came from carrying his own CorpseSlayer sword for the past couple of days, so it couldn’t be called much. Still, he ran his thumb along the edge, careful not to press too hard, knowing this particular sword in his hand was very sharp, enough to even maybe cut his fingers smoothly if he pressed a little on it.
He looked up at Mira, who stood across the table watching him with bright eyes. “So you say you made this sword, by yourself?” He asked.
Mira nodded quickly, a big smile spreading across her face. “Well, I enchanted it myself, so yeah, you could say I made it. I worked on it whenever I could. Took a while to get the sharpness right, but I think it came out good, right?”
Lys lowered the sword and glanced down at the one hanging at his waist. The resemblance hit him right away. The length, the curve of the blade, even the way the hilt sat in his hand. It looked almost exactly like his Corpseslayer sword, except this one didn’t have the faint glowing runes etched into it. He lifted his own sword a little out of its sheath for comparison, then slid it back in.
He looked back at Mira. “So basically, because I didn’t let you touch my sword, you went and made your own? Is that it?”
Mira looked away, her fingers twisting together in front of her. “Uhh…”
Lys reached over and gave her a light bonk on the top of her head with his knuckles. Not hard, just enough to make her flinch and rub the spot. “Mira, the reason I didn’t let you touch my sword was because it’s cursed. Only I can use it safely. But why are you so set on having a sword anyway? It’s not like you’ll be out there fighting every day, or doing any adventuring.”
Mira rubbed her head and glanced over at Elara, who was standing near the kitchen area, wiping a round-shaped bowl with a cloth. A small smile played on Mira’s lips. Lys followed her gaze, his brow furrowing in confusion.
“Wait a minute,” he said, turning back to Elara. “Don’t tell me, Mom… Did you really give her permission to go adventuring, like me?”
Elara didn’t say anything right away. She set the cloth down on the counter and worked on something else, without looking at them. Seeing her not deny it was enough for Lys to know that she definitely agreed.
He leaned back in his chair, letting out a slow breath. “But Mom, what happened to all the danger you were talking about? Just yesterday you were against me fighting. Now you’re letting Mira do it too? Aren’t you loosening the rules a bit too much?”
The words came out steady, but inside Lys felt the weight of the old memories from this body. From what he recalled, Elara had always been strict about keeping them safe. From the very beginning, she pushed back against him taking hunter work or going into the forest. She said everything would work out even if he stayed close to home.
He remembered he used to slip out sometimes for small hunts, and Mira would sneak along to help, but the rule about her never touching a real weapon or fighting felt set in stone. Elara knew Mira was drawn to fighting alongside him, but she never openly allowed it. Now here they were, talking about Mira joining proper adventuring work, and Elara wasn’t stopping it. So, of course he was a little taken aback by this sudden change.
Elara walked over to the table and pulled out a chair. She sat down slowly, her hands resting in her lap. “Yeah, I’m loosening it now. At first I thought about banning it completely,” she said, her voice quiet. “But then I realized you two have grown. Even if I don’t want to see it, you both have your own goals and your own lives now. The more I thought about it, the more it felt like I was the one holding you back.”
She paused, looking down at her hands. Lys watched her fingers tremble just a little. “It still hurts, thinking about you getting hurt out there. Maybe something truly dangerous could happen. Gods forbid. But I don’t want to be the reason you can’t follow what you want to do. I want to accept all of you, even the parts that scare me.”
Lys stayed quiet for a moment. He could see the shift in her. The village had changed fast with the dungeon threats and everything happening outside the walls. He guessed maybe she saw that staying completely safe with her two little children wasn't possible anymore. Even though she tried to look strong while saying it, he noticed how her shoulders stayed tense and how she kept her gaze lowered while she was basically telling them to do whatever they want, even if it was dangerous and she might lose them forever.
Feeling her inner pain, he stood up and moved around the table. He reached out and took her hands in his. They felt warm but unsteady. Elara looked up at him, her eyes already starting to glisten.
“You don’t have to worry so much, Mom,” Lys said gently. “I know you don’t really want us doing dangerous things. You’re only allowing this because everything outside has gotten so risky lately. I know you want us to be ready for whatever comes.”
Elara’s eyes grew more moist as he spoke. A single tear slipped down her cheek.
Lys kept holding her hands, his voice steady. “Even though you don’t feel safe with us heading into fights, know this. Me, Selene, Mira, none of us will do anything reckless that puts us in real danger. It might sound like too much right now, but I promise you we will always come back home together. Stronger each time. No matter what happens out there, we will return. This is my promise to you. And you know I won’t break my promises to you, right?”
Elara looked at him for a long moment. Her lips pressed together, then she gave a slow nod. More tears fell freely now, tracing lines down her face. She stood up and pulled him into a tight hug, pressing his face to her bosom completely.
Even though his face was basically feeling every inch of her soft boobs, Lys wasn’t feeling anything right now for some reason, as he wrapped his arms around her, feeling the way her shoulders shook just a little in his embrace.
Seeing the scene, Mira stepped closer from the other side of the table. She slipped in behind Lys and hugged him too, her arms going around both of them. “We’ll be careful, Mom,” Mira said softly, her voice muffled against Lys’s back. “I promise.”
Selene had been standing near the doorway, watching everything quietly. She shifted on her feet, looking unsure whether she should join or give them space. Her hands fidgeted with the edge of her sleeve.
Lys noticed and eased one arm away from the hug just enough to make a small opening. He looked over at her. Elara followed his gaze and lifted her head slightly, her cheek still pressed against Lys’s shoulder.
“Come here, Selene,” Elara said, her voice thick but warm.
Selene’s face softened. She walked over quickly and stepped into the gap. Lys pulled her in close, and Elara adjusted her arms to include her, too.
The four of them stood together in the middle of the room, the afternoon light warming their backs. No one spoke for a while. The only sounds were soft breathing and the occasional sniff from Elara.
Lys felt the tightness in his chest ease a little. This family, though there were first his stepmother, and step-sister, and a half-fiancé, now finally seemed like they had become his real one. The memories from the original Lysander mixed with his own feelings, making the moment feel even heavier.
Elara had carried so much alone for so long, trying to protect them in a world that kept getting more dangerous. Letting go of some of that control clearly hurt her, but she was doing it anyway, and feeling what it cost her, Lys was also growing with it.