"Mom! I don't even have a girlfriend! What did they tell you?" Oliver tried to use the calmest voice he could, but quickly realized it was useless.
"What do you mean you don't? Your friend Gael told me you and Aline slept all snuggled up under a starry sky."
"That traitor! I'm going to rip off his other arm!" Oliver's outrage made his mother laugh heartily, especially as he started cursing the bleach-blond snitch.
That laugh was the most precious thing in this world. He could listen to it forever.
Only now did he realize he really had someone waiting for him. Someone who loved him, beyond schemes and the complications of romance.
"You should've seen the girl's face, Lume. She turned as red as a chili and started stuttering. She's so adorable... You should go for it. She might be a bit clumsy, but she's a good girl."
When his mother latched onto something, she tormented Oliver endlessly about it. And it seemed Aline had completely won her over.
Or maybe Gael had pushed the story too far. Damn bleach-blond!
"What did they say, Mom?" Oliver watched her laughter fade, replaced by a serious expression. Her brow furrowed slightly, and she looked at him with a tinge of released anger. Oliver couldn't remember his mother ever being this intimidating.
"They told me you fought in a clearing to free them from some creature. They couldn't explain what it was, but said they were only alive because of you." Up until that point, the story checked out and didn't explain her anger.
"However, Luísa and that bastard who used to be your best friend-"
"Used to be! Used to be my best friend!"
"Good! Because I was going to slap you if he still was. Imagine, best friend!"
"She seems truly furious. Mothers can be terrifying..." This time, even the Draco had to agree, and honestly, who could blame her?
"When they talked about the initiation, Luísa and Samuel said they found you dead in the clearing and only brought back the others who had survived. Those monsters made everyone believe you died to protect them, and now, they all feel guilty!" Her voice filled with pain and rage, rising again, and Oliver could see his mother starting to cry once more.
"Hey... Mom, I'm here. It's okay, I'm not going anywhere."
"I know, sweetheart, I know\... It's just... If it weren't for Aline, I don't think I could've made it."
"What did she do?"
"She never let go of the idea that you couldn't have lost. Almost like a fanatic, she spent every day insisting that you had to be alive. Eventually, she started investigating Luísa, and two days ago, she brought me a crossbow bolt contaminated. We studied it and found a sedative that can't be produced here. It had to be made from some herb during the initiation."
When she finished, she had to take a deep breath.
It sounded like Aline had worked nonstop to prevent his mother from losing her sanity. Less than a year ago, she'd lost her husband, and then the world spiraled into a magical apocalypse, where her son supposedly died.
No one would judge her if she went insane.
"She always tried, even when she couldn't. I really need to thank her..."
"Not just her. You have incredible friends, son. I'm truly happy that you have people you can trust."
"What do you mean?"
"Silly boy!" His mother started ruffling his hair and gave him a little kiss on the forehead. Even though he was nearly eighteen, she still treated him like a baby.
"Miss Romanov had this whole place built so I could get my head out of the chaos and work with what I love. Plus, there's a little house farther north that I like, mostly because of its garden.
Lucas spent days forging the tools I needed, even though he says he has no talent for delicate work. Still, you should check on him. He doesn't seem to be doing well...
Gael visits me often and talks for hours. He's a big gossip, but he made me laugh when all I wanted was to cry. He said you saved his life and healed his arm. I'm proud of you, son!"
It was like a weight pressed on his heart. Not just knowing that his friends had taken care of his mother even after he'd supposedly died. But her final words—every son wants to hear their mother say she's proud.
"Mom, I noticed something. You talked about Aline, MY FRIEND! and about Gael, and Lucas. What about David?" At that moment, Oliver saw his mother's face drain of color and her eyes darken. His heart froze...
"No..."
"Come with me, son."
His mother took his hand and led him through the corridor lined with curtained beds. With each step toward the end, fear created endless scenarios in his mind. The worst of them involved a cemetery right behind the hospital. It would be efficient, given that morgues weren't exactly smart choices anymore. Magic existed, and no one could be sure necromancy didn't.
"Well... Necromancy is possible, and with your affinity for nature and darkness, it's actually quite a promising path. Plus, long term, you could destroy nations with armies of servants. Still, I think it's weak. One light spell and poof, all gone." The serpent sounded unusually serious, and Oliver didn't dare ask follow-up questions.
Before he could formulate another thought or be ambushed again by the scale-covered devil, his mother opened the last curtain in the hallway, and Oliver let out an audible breath.
"I did my best, but my power is only Rank 1. The most I could do was keep him stable."
On a bed, isolated and surrounded by machines no one could understand how still had power, lay David. His skin was pale, and the sheets only covered him from the waist down. There were many bandages and a long scar across his chest, poorly healed. His heartbeat was faint.
Oliver walked closer and took his hand. He pressed his forehead to David's and couldn't hold back the tears.
"I'm sorry for not recognizing you... You're the best Support in the whole world, David. Thank you... Thank you so much! But brother, you're a terrible Tank. Don't ever do that again!" Oliver's voice trembled through his sobs, and he didn't need to look to know his mother was shocked.
"Son..."
"During the fight against that creature... I was hit and thrown aside. I couldn't even stand, and I was about to be impaled alive." His mother's eyes widened, and she covered her mouth with her hand, but he continued.
"He threw himself in front of me and took the hit instead!"
Oliver saw the deep shock on her face. Clearly, no one had told her what David did, maybe because they didn't remember, or maybe they didn't want to burden her more. But he wouldn't let David be forgotten. He was his support, and now it was Oliver's turn to save him.
"Mom... I'm going to save him! I have to! It's my duty, as his Captain!"
"Sssssssssssss! That fire in your eyes... Excellent!" The serpent's voice faded into the sound of Oliver's tears.