Alisa woke the next morning and began packing for her journey to the Parish. Though she had always imagined that this day would come, she wished it was under better pretenses. That her parents were allowing her to go because they saw she would finally be worth upholding the family name, not shipping her out because they thought she'd be better protected somewhere else.

A soft knock on her bedroom door had Alisa turning, and her mother stood in the open doorway. "May I come in?" she asked carefully.

Alisa nodded and returned to folding the clothing she had set aside to bring with her.

She heard her mother's footsteps as she walked across the room and felt the bed sink when she sat at the end of the bed next to Alisa's pile of clothes.

In her thirty-seven years, Azima Rousseau was beautiful, though there was an edge of sorrow in her eyes, in the ever-present downward curve of her mouth. Her hair, bobbed short so that it brushed the top of her shoulders, hung in her face as she surveyed over what Alisa had laid out on her bed to bring with her.

"They'll have you doing a lot of early morning training, so make sure to pack plenty of underclothes," she said softly.

Alisa's chest tightened as she raised her eyes to meet her mother's intense stare. "So you're not going to tell me you changed your mind, to put my clothes away?"

"No." She shook her head. "I'm here to tell you what I should have told you a long time ago."

"What's that?"

"Have a seat, Alisa." Her mother patted the bed next to her, and Alisa moved aside her pack and did what was asked of her.

Her mother folded her leg beneath her as she faced Alisa, hands clenched in her lap as if she didn't know what to do with them. "You know... I was involved with the War of the Rift."

"Everyone knows that... you and Father both."

A slight hesitation. "Yes. But there were... things... that happened before the War that you need to know about."

Alisa watched her mother, the struggle behind her eyes.

"Before the War I was... taken. Beyond the Rift. To Hell. And while I was there I discovered... many things that were unknown to me about our world. And because of that, I fought. Against the Council and the Parish. And continued to fight every day since."

"But they call you the Savior of the Rift," Alisa said carefully. "If you fought against them—"

"They call me that because they know what's best for them. And because it's true. I am the Savior of the Rift... because I was the one who closed the Rift."

"How?" For a single Venandi to have that power...

Her mother only shook her head. "The details are not important, but there's something you need to know. About your father."

Alisa looked towards her open bedroom door as if she could see down the stairs to where her father was most likely preparing breakfast for them before they departed. "Did something happen to him during the War?"

"Alisa... your father..." Her mother took a sharp inhale of breath. "He died during the war."

Her attention whipped back to her mother, the confusion as evident and obvious as the nose on her face. "But he's downstairs."

"Rahn... he's not your father. He didn't... sire you."

Alisa's jaw dropped uncontrollably as she felt the remaining part of her world that seemed whole begin to shatter apart. "Then... who?"

"Someone... who helped me close the rift. Who gave his life so we... so you... could have yours."

"Who?"

Her mother closed her eyes again. "Just know... that no matter what you hear... Rahn loves you as if you were his own. He always has. We both have. Regardless of what anyone else may think."

"Who was my father." Alisa forced the words out through gritted teeth.

Her mother opened her eyes, meeting her gaze. "That's another story for another time. Once you've been Initiated and return home, I will tell you everything."

More half-truths and unspoken secrets. "And Bren? Is he someone else's too?"

"No," her mother sighed. "Bren belongs to Rahn. And he remains your brother just as he was before. And I expect you to look out for him while you're in the Parish. Look out for both him and yourself."

If what her mother said was true— that she fought against the Parish during the War— and for them to have no choice but to send Bren into their clutches...for her brother, regardless of her father's identity, she could do that.

"I promise," Alisa said.

"Be careful when you make promises," her mother warned. "Never make a promise you can't keep."

"I will," Alisa said with more conviction than before. "I promise."

Nodding as if it was good enough, her mother rose from the bed. "Finish packing and then come down for breakfast. Who knows what you'll find to eat on the road before you arrive at the Parish."

Alisa watched as she made it to the door before her mother turned on her heel to face her again. "One more thing."

"What's that?" Alisa didn't think she could handle any more revelations in one day.

Her mother gave her a sad smile before she said, "Don't let them see you cry. No matter what happens... don't ever let them see you cry."

Alisa took far longer to finish packing than she intended, but between trying to decide what she should take with her and what she could leave behind while sifting through the unexpected information her mother had just supplied, she wasn't sure if she would be able to stomach any breakfast even if she tried.

And she certainly wasn't ready to face her father... Rahn... knowing that she wasn't his own.

Did Bren know? Had he known? And if not, should she tell him? Would he even want to associate with her when he found out, knowing she was no more than a Venandi's bastard?

No. She couldn't think like that.

Her mother was honorable. Whatever happened, whoever her father was, if he had helped her seal the Rift during the War, he must have been a good man. One who sacrificed his life to save the rest of the world.

Alisa could be proud of that. Would be. Would have to be.

Finishing with the last buckle on her pack, she looked out her window towards the sparring ring. The dawning sun was just beginning to color the world in a greyscale palette, lending just enough light for her to see the pile of charred demonic remains, still smoking from the night before. She hoped that it would be enough warning to any others who dared attack her family while she was away.

Because she would be back.

She would go to the Parish and keep her brother safe. She would make sure he received the proper accommodations as a Cleric. Because she promised.

Then she would complete her training, be Initiated, and return to her family as a Venandi proud to carry on the Rousseau name. And then her mother would tell her the truth about her past and she would honor the man who fathered her, a Hero of the Rift War, whoever he was.

It was a plan and more of a plan than she had a day ago.

Giving her room one final pass, she hefted her pack onto her shoulder and joined the rest of her family for breakfast. Dropping her bag next to Bren's where it was piled on the floor by the front door, she walked to the kitchen where her brother was already eating at the table while her father stood, leaning against the counter while sipping on a mug of what she assumed was coffee.

Rahn glanced up at her as she entered, and by the look on his face alone she knew her mother had told him about the conversation they had. Alisa gave him a reassuring smile, but also glanced to Bren who was preoccupied with his face in his oatmeal. She didn't want to have a conversation about her parentage now. She wanted to be the one to talk to Bren about it, and she didn't want it to be right before they both left for the most important trip of their lives.

"You should eat something before you go," Rahn said quickly. "Chey and your mother are out tending the horses, and I know he's anxious to leave."

"I still don't want to go," Bren murmured into his bowl.

"And you still don't have a choice," his father corrected him. And glanced up to Alisa. "But you do. Are you certain this is what you want to do?"

She distracted herself from his gaze as she reached across the table for an apple. "I am. It is. Especially now."

She knew he had to know what she meant and didn't press the issue, not as Chey and her mother were stomping through the front door.

"Bren. Alisa. It's time," she called into the house, and her brother let out an audible groan as he pushed his chair back and shambled out of the kitchen.

Alisa moved to follow when she heard Rahn call her name.

Slowly she turned to face him and he gave her a soft, sympathetic look.

"Please know that I love you," he said, his voice hoarse, "and will continue to love you... whatever happens."

Alisa ignored the burning in her eyes. Never let them see you cry, her mother had said, and now was as good a time to start. "I know... and... I'm sorry. About what I said. Yesterday."

Rahn shook his head. "I'm sorry too."

Her lip quivered slightly as he closed the distance and wrapped her in a warm hug.

"Keep him safe," he whispered into her hair. "Keep both of you safe."

She nodded against his chest, giving him a tight squeeze before he let her go. "Hurry before she sends Chey in after you."

"Alright," Alisa conceded softly, leaning up to give him a quick kiss on the cheek. "Keep her safe too."

"I promise."

I promise.

Alisa ignored the weight of that promise as she joined the others in the foyer, the front door open with the horses waiting in the dewy lawn beyond. She didn't seek out any remnants of demon blood or signs of a scuffle— she wanted to forget about it, at least for the moment, about as much as she was sure her parents did.

"Grab your pack and let's go," Chey ordered, already taking his leave through the door. Her mother stood there, looking at her children and Bren was the first to break and run to her. Alisa, having had the time she did with her mother earlier, allowed her brother the moment with her and was ready to let them be when her mother called out her name.

"Remember... everything. When you come back."

"When I come back." Alisa nodded, leaving her mother and brother their time alone to say their farewells.

As she approached Chey where he gave the horses their final inspection to ensure they'd be reliable for the long journey to the Parish, Alisa discovered she was already counting down the days until she'd be able to come home again.