Vareck landed heavily on the ground after hitting the cave wall. He remained stunned for a moment, short of breath, unable to understand how Miria had been able to cast such a devastating spell despite her condition.
Miria, facing his lost gaze, displayed an amused smile tinged with pity.
"Wait… you didn't seriously think you were on my level? Even with werewolf and sorcerer power… even with your bloodline… I should point out that I also come from a powerful bloodline. I have the power of a witch and a vampire… and on top of all that the grimoire, which gives me power comparable to a booster. And you really thought you could defeat me?"
Vareck got up in one leap, total incomprehension in his eyes.
"So… you're saying that all this time… you were holding back? Why? And… what do you mean by 'I come from a powerful bloodline like you' and 'I have werewolf and sorcerer powers'?"
Miria looked at him, annoyed.
"No, seriously… You're going to tell me that you've always ignored that you're a bit of a hybrid? That your mother was a werewolf… and your father a sorcerer?"
"What…? Impossible. My mother… my mother Faye only knew one man. And that was my father, Luigi."
Miria showed an almost pained expression.
"Vareck… are you deliberately being blind… or do you just refuse to face reality? Fine. Let's start with your appearance. You have brown hair mixed with silver streaks… and golden eyes. Neither of your parents had that phenotype. Your mother Faye was half-werewolf. At the time, the only clans that accepted hybrids were the supernatural hunters and the sorcerers… and a little the werewolves for the lineage. So it was normal to have half-wolf half-human hybrids. Your adoptive father was a werewolf. Yet… you master spells like a sorcerer. Your power is that of a powerful bloodline… and the same for your werewolf side. But you should only have werewolf power… and of average strength."
Vareck staggered. He backed up until he leaned against the wall, his gaze empty.
"No… no… it's… it's not possible… It can't be true…"
He almost shouted, then straightened up and advanced toward Miria, his voice charged with bitterness and pure anger.
"IT CAN'T BE TRUE! You're saying my parents… aren't my real parents?! If it's not them… then who are my real parents?!"
Miria remained perfectly calm.
"Your father died before your birth. But your mother…"
"Speak!" Vareck ordered, impatient, authoritative.
"Your mother… has always been with you. However you've always been blind. Dig deep inside yourself. Who held out their hand to you when you had no one? Who comforted you when you cried? Who took care of you… again and again?"
As Miria spoke, images flooded into Vareck's mind. A woman with gentle eyes. A hand wiping away his tears. A voice that soothed him. A constant, protective, silent presence.
His eyes misted over.
"No… no… it's not true…"
"Yes. It is true."
Vareck, tears in his eyes, his voice broken by pain, shouted:
"No… it's… it's not true…!"
Miria remained impassive.
"Yes. The Founder Siobhan… was your biological mother."
At those words, Vareck felt as if he had received a dagger blow straight to the heart. He collapsed to his knees, his gaze empty, unable to believe it.
Miria looked at him with a hint of pity, then approached him.
"Did you never feel her love for you? Did you never notice… how much you mattered in her eyes?"
Vareck said nothing. He simply lowered his head.
Miria turned around, closed her eyes for a moment, then turned back toward him, her gaze cold this time.
"When I think of all the sacrifices she made for you… and you… Do you know that if the Founders fled… it was because of you?"
Vareck raised his eyes, surprised.
"At the time, Siobhan, Noreen, Nell and Teona were friends… and that despite the prohibitions. They hid their friendship well. However… Siobhan had fallen in love with Noreen's brother."
Vareck lowered his head again, struck by a new truth.
Miria continued in an ironic and painful tone:
"And yes… not only did you kill your mother… but you also killed your aunt."
"But… how did I end up with Faye?" Vareck asked in a broken voice.
"Simply because Siobhan's romantic relationship with Noreen's brother was discovered. They nearly got killed. The only one who died that day… was your father. Siobhan was saved at the last moment by Noreen, Nell and Teona. Your mother had to give birth to you under extremely difficult conditions. She didn't want you to live a life of fugitive like her. So she went to see Faye and Luigi… who were trusted friends… and asked them to raise you as if you were their child."
Vareck broke into sobs. He finally realized the full extent of his mistakes. He apologized over and over, his voice muffled by tears.
A drop of his tears fell onto the medallion he always wore around his neck. Suddenly, the medallion began to glow with a soft light. A presence slowly appeared in front of him.
Siobhan.