Aelina held Rayden's hand tightly and led him to the dining table. They both sat down, but Rayden looked away. His face was full of anger. Even though his stomach rumbled, he didn't touch the food.
Aelina went to the kitchen, brought the plate, and placed it gently in front of him. Then she sat again and looked at her son. Her voice dropped to a soft tone.
"Rayden… eat the food."
Rayden slowly looked up. His face was twisted with anger.
"Leave me alone!" he shouted.
Aelina froze. Her eyes widened. She stood up in disbelief, shocked that her own son would talk to her like that. Her heart hurt, but her face grew stiff with anger.
Without saying a word, she turned and walked to the kitchen. She came back holding a wooden ladle, her eyes sharp and filled with rage.
"You dare raise your voice at your mother?" she snapped, pointing the ladle at him.
Rayden stared at her, stunned. He had never seen her like that before. Her voice, her face, everything looked different.
She stepped closer and stretched the ladle toward him.
Rayden panicked. He pushed his chair back too hard and slipped, falling to the ground. His elbow scraped against the floor. Blood oozed out.
The moment Aelina saw the scratch, her expression changed. She dropped the ladle and rushed to him.
"Rayden!" she cried out, her voice shaking. "I didn't mean to. I didn't want to hurt you. I'm sorry…"
Rayden didn't look at her the same. He stood up, holding his arm, and stared at her with hurt in his eyes.
"I wish you and Dad weren't my parents," he said coldly. "I don't like either of you."
Then he walked straight to his room and slammed the door. The lock clicked.
Aelina just stood there. Her hands trembled. She slowly sat down at the table, her eyes blank. She grabbed her hair and bent over, her voice low.
"What did I do…"
A few moments passed. The front door opened.
"I'm home. Who missed me?" a cheerful voice said.
It was Damon.
No answer.
He looked around. Only Aelina was at the table, looking broken. He dropped his bag by the door and ran to her.
He held her tightly. "What happened? Why do you look like this? Where's Rayden?"
Aelina looked up at him. Her eyes were red. Her voice cracked.
"He yelled at me. He said he doesn't want us as parents… he shouted… and then he fell. He scraped his arm. I just got so angry, Damon… I didn't mean to scare him."
Tears rolled down her cheeks as she stood and walked away.
Damon stood there, quiet for a second. Then he walked to Rayden's door and knocked softly.
"It's me, son."
Inside the room, Rayden was sitting on the floor, leaning against the door.
"Go away," he said. "I don't want to talk to you or Mom. Just leave me alone."
Damon took a deep breath. His voice lowered.
"Rayden… I know things aren't right. I know you're angry. And I know we've made you feel like we don't believe in you. But that's not true."
He placed his hand against the door.
"I love you, son. Your mom loves you too. We just… don't know how to show it sometimes. But we do. We really do."
Rayden didn't say anything for a while.
Then he finally spoke.
"I want to go to Flareborn Academy."
Damon paused. His eyes widened a little.
"…What?"
Rayden looked up at the door and gave a small smile. "Yeah, Dad… I just want to go to that school. I want to become a Black Sun Magus like you."
Damon stood quiet for a second. His chest felt heavy. He knew the road Rayden wanted wasn't an easy one. But he didn't want to kill the hope in his son's heart.
He gave a soft sigh. "Alright… I'll take you there tomorrow morning."
Rayden's eyes lit up. He unlocked the door and opened it, then suddenly wrapped his arms around his dad. Damon froze. This was the first time his son had ever hugged him.
Rayden held on tight. "Thank you, Dad."
Damon gently held him back, feeling something warm inside. When Rayden pulled away, Damon smiled and patted his head. "Goodnight, son."
Rayden grinned and slowly closed the door, then turned around and threw himself on the bed. He bounced once, twice—then the bed pushed back harder and flung him straight to the floor.
He hit the shoe rack hard.
"Ouch!" he winced, holding his shoulder. "That's a tough impact…" But then he smiled and stood up. He dragged himself back to bed and closed his eyes, already dreaming about the next day.
Outside the room, Aelina sat on the edge of the couch. Her hands were twisted together. Her voice was filled with worry.
"Damon… are you really okay with this? You want him to leave and stay in that academy alone? I'm scared. What if something happens to him?"
Damon leaned against the wall. His face looked tired. "I know how it feels. But this is what he wants. He won't be happy if we hold him back. I know he's weak… I was just like that once. But I worked hard, and I got stronger. Then… I received my gift."
Aelina lowered her eyes. "But you gave that gift up… for Rayden. You handed over your power just to raise him safely."
The hallway fell quiet.
Just then, a sharp sound echoed from Rayden's room. Damon's eyes narrowed. He placed his hand over Aelina's mouth and signaled her to keep quiet.
They moved quietly, step by step, until they reached the door. Damon slowly pushed it open.
Inside the room… a tall, dark figure in a tattered cloak was walking around. The face was hidden, but long silver hair fell from under the hood. The air around her felt cold. Dark symbols glowed faintly on her arms. She turned, moving quietly from one end of the room to the other like she was casting a silent spell.
Damon's eyes widened.
"Hey! You! What do you want!?" he shouted.
The witch snapped her head around, her glowing eyes locking on him. Damon didn't wait. He reached to his waist, grabbed the short blade hidden under his shirt, and threw it with full force.
The blade pierced her shoulder.
She hissed in pain and leaped to the window. A broom appeared under her feet, and she soared into the night sky, vanishing.
"A witch…" Damon muttered, gripping his side.
Aelina didn't care about the witch. She rushed to Rayden's bed. Her hands trembled. He was lying stiff, his eyes slightly open—but he wasn't breathing.
"No…" she gasped and placed her fingers under his nose. Nothing. Her hands started shaking harder. She placed her ear to his chest.
No heartbeat.
"Damon!!" she screamed.
Damon rushed over, picked up his son. Rayden's body was limp. Cold. He didn't respond.
"Rayden… Rayden!" Damon shouted, shaking him.
But the boy didn't move.