She gave me the picture frame and told me don''t be afraid of it.


    What I see is a ripped photograph where Elfien''s father stood giving a peace sign albeit his head was intentionally ripped off. The background was a two story Inn. On the middle was me... Well Elfien this time. White snowy hair, a smile I would never make, and a wooden sword in hand. On the left was May, smiling daintily and lifting her brown hair as she patted Elfien''s hair and the right was his father faced ripped off.


    What frightens me about this photo that it''s a ghost in disguise haunting me even after my death. Because, if one changes the background into a modern day house, change May''s hair color to coal black and my hair to black. Edit it more by downplaying that wide smile into simple smile and removing the wooden sword while still maintaining that man whose head was torn off while giving a peace sign.


    Then, I would have the photo that I burned long when dad left us and left mom crying for nights.


    “Do you remember?”


    Serafina asked again that broke my stupor and managed to compose my heavy heart.


    “N-no. I-I''m terribly sorry.”


    I handed her back the picture frame which she gave me a small smile yet her expression was a bit down casted. “It''s alright,”


    She said.


    “Perhaps... It''s probably the best that you don''t remember.”


    With care and gentleness Serafina took May''s head off her lap, stood up and gave May a set of pillows instead.


    “T-that photo aside... Thank you for helping me with my selfish request. Without you, I couldn''t have proven that adventurers are not invincible.”


    I tried replacing my thoughts on that memory.


    “You''re welcome but I want to thank you also. For holding your self when May... Became... The captain again.”


    Without a minute of me thinking what she mean by that, my mind immediately reminded me of May''s face on that tournament. I could still feel that push she gave me as she roared at my defeat in the hands of Bolt the adventurer. In my training back in the garrison quarter, even if I made stupid mistakes and when she raised her voice at me it had critical and genuine concern for me, but earlier... I still couldn''t erase her flaming eyes at me.


    “No need to remind yourself. Here, look in to my eyes.”


    Her cool hands was comforting as Serafina raised my head that I didn''t knew was looking down as I reminisced that event. Her brilliant blue eyes and golden hair with rosy lips that gave me a warm smile awoke from that nightmare like memory.


    Letting go of me, “Whatever you did back then it was not your fault.” she assured me.


    “And thank you for being a kind son, not just now, but from your birth, death, and resurrection. Please, take care of May for me.”


    After that I left the room as Serafina used her magic to remove May''s blackened armour and began dressing her.


    It only took ten or so minutes before she was going down and making everyone, from the rowdy SeaDogs to the foreigners who didn''t know her but felt it they lessen their drinking, chattering, and smoking, some even putting them out or hiding their pipes immediately.


    After a few words from Me, Allan and Roland, she took Sheryl and left where after a few minutes everything went back to normal.


    “Neil, Serafina left with the little girl called Sheryl and said that it''s ok that you can help us.”


    I said to him as I returned to our kitchen and began helping with cleaning dishes while he cooks.


    “How''s your mother?”


    This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.He asked when I went in and saw him sitting besides a large wooden basin where he was washing a mountain of mugs and wooden bowls.


    “She got a good spanking from Serafina?”


    “Firstly, that''s a weird fetish. Secondly, she''s not my mother.”


    I grumbled as he laughed and told me to use a dry cloth to wipe the clean dishes.


    “All fetishes are weird, there is no weird fetish in the world. Like you, getting attached to the innkeeper is a sign you like the older women.”


    “Shut up, I''m not that attached to her, I only follow her around since she looks like my mother, and that she fed me, gave me shelter, and something like that.”


    I feel indebted to her that''s all.


    “Ah, so MILF it is, then.”


    I slapped the water and created a splash to him she he said that remark. He just dodged and laughed at me all the while saying it''s true.


    “Can we just get this done? There''s a lot of people going to spend their coppex here later.”


    “Come on, I miss this kind of talk with you. Decades upon decades of searching you only to know you were dead. Me, Allan, and Roland still have that Christmas fruitcake gift frozen for ages just to shove it down your mouth when we find you.”


    He said.


    “I''m pretty sure a crazy idea like that is all on you. Roland and Allan is too sane for that stuff.”


    “Of course, I''m the brain, Allan the money, Roland the Brawns, you the face: The FourUntouchables, remember?”


    He gave lifted his fist in the air for a fist bump. Which with a small smile and chuckle at the mocking nickname the whole class gave us, I pivoted my fist to meet it.


    “Don''t make it sound cool, you know they called us that because they think we''re weirdos.”


    Almost everyone in our class.


    “It always depends in the perspective, that''s the class perspective of us but with a small work of trickery we gave the entire school a perspective that we were the most popular guys for having such a cool name.”


    “I can''t deny that.”


    I can''t help but grimace at my classmates when we were flocked by every student like we were the big deal. Neil especially reveled at the dismay of our classmates when we became famous because of that.


    “That''s the smile I want to see.”


    He said.


    “I smile like this everyday what do you mean?”


    I asked trying to wipe off the grin on my face.


    “You''re happy here right? With the innkeeper, the town folks and training, right?”


    “Heck no. There''s no working toilet or heater here.”


    I jokingly said.


    “But over all I''m happy with this... Isekai world... As Allan always put it. The people, the guards I met, and the food, not not all but I will miss the mutton pie. Shame that we have to leave it someday.”


    “I think you should prepare yourself.”


    He sighed and hung his head down to dishes as he stopped.


    “What?”


    I too stopped my wiping and asked what''s wrong.


    “You still remember my god forsaken father right?”


    He looked at me and when I said yes and added he was a truck driver that almost never came home, he gave a small chuckle.


    “Yep, I hated that drunk, and always left home when on rare occasions he did went home. Well, by the age 50 he got chronic kidney disease stage 3. He needs to be in hemodialysis twice of thrice a week. I hated him more because I have to be with him while my brother and sister was abroad working while he robbed my time trying to study while finding you and your mother. I hated every night I spent with him in the hospital, helping him piss, washing him, wheeling him to the hemodialysis center. All the while making the sweetest pancakes and oats for him as his teeth was withered away at that age. Yet, among the time we spent together, when my brother and sister stopped sending money, and I have to work to pay for the increasing hospital bill... We learned how to reconcile to one another. That''s why when he died, I didn''t cry. Because all of my tears were wasted down when after working and going to the hospital, I found his bed empty with all our stuff on top, and the nurse casually saying my father died. I ran. I ran that night sobbing through the dark empty midnight street and to my apartment. I cried my self to sleep and woke up still pouring my grief and only to receive a call from the hospital to get our stuff and... My Father. ”


    Even when he hung his head low to me, even after telling me all this with a melancholic tone. His face didn''t broke to despair or sadness, only a small smile glued on his lips.


    “I... I''m sorry to hear that.”


    I don''t know how to respond to this since this was my first time.


    “Don''t be, He died when I was 21 I had 48 years to get over that call.”


    He sighed as he looked at me.


    “Same with Allan and Roland''s parents. It took us some time to get over it. Believe me I was there with them as they were with me. That''s why we want to find you since you love your mother so much. The anguish we felt when out parents died was hard that we need each other to cope quick.”


    A pause came about before Neil began washing again.


    “I''m telling you all this because we''re going to leave Ellena by the middle of winter -- a few weeks from now on -- and I''m telling you to prepare your self because your going to know what happened to your mother 60 years after you died.”