The jovial mood that had fluttered in Leonie's heart had soon flown away as if it was never there as if no sunshine could ever chase away the darkness, it could tame it for a while. Thinking about the near future, about what might occur, left no place for happiness in Leonie's heart. No positive emotions could take permanent residence there.

However, Nald seemed to be overflowing with joy as he chattered excitedly with his friend. It made Leonie want to be wrong. She wished that Autumn was a true friend to her brother.

No one could tell what the future had in store for them, but Leonie knew that there was a chance that she would not come out of it unscathed. Thus, she was happy that her brother had a friend, someone to rely on if the worst were to happen, even if that friend was a Gatherer.

Being unable to focus on either the food or conversation, Leonie impatiently waited for Toras to finish his meal. She needed to share her worries with him, to tell him the truth. It was high time for her to inform him how bad the nightmares had become.

Yet, her parents raised her better than to interrupt a man having his meal. It was one of the first things she learned. The meals were sacred, they kept them alive, and they had to pay them proper respect.

The moment Toras finished his meal, Leonie jumped up from her seat, not even noticing how abrupt her actions were until she saw Autumn wince. It saddened her that she had managed to terrify the little girl that reminded her of her younger self.

"Can we go to Rimar's cave and talk?" Leonie asked Toras.

"Of course, I am at your disposal, as always. After all, it's not like I have anything more important to do than help you save the world." Toras said, chuckling.

The man's sense of humor made no sense to Leonie, but at least it was something familiar, something that was a constant. Whether she liked to admit it or not, Toras was one connection to her father that she still had to hold on to, and the familiarity of his ridiculous sense of humor managed to calm some of her nervousness.

"I am sorry, would you mind if I had a word with you, Leonie, before you go?" Amitola asked Leonie.

Leonie hesitated but was unable to say no to her mother. She had too much respect for her as well as love. Whatever happened, she never wanted to hurt her mother, and she was ready to do anything in her power to please her mother even though she did not think her mother was just towards her earlier on.

"Of course," Leonie said as she followed her mother into the house, away from the prying eyes of others.

"I am sorry, my dear. I overreacted. It was wrong of me to be harsh to you when I know that you were trying to deal with your pain any way you could." Amitola said the moment they entered the house.

"It's okay, mom. You don't have to worry about me, I am fine." Leonie said, engulfing her mother in a warm hug.

"I know I hurt you, my baby, and for that, I am truly sorry," Amitola said, trying to keep her tears at bay.

"Mom, it's alright. I wasn't on my best behavior, you were right." Leonie said.

The truth was that Leonie thought she was not behaving nicely. However, she was also shocked by her mother's outburst. It happened so rarely that Leonie could not help but feel as if she had done something awful when it did occur.

"You see, there are more things about me you don't know. I wasn't hiding it from you or anything like that, but it's part of my past that I never considered you needed to be aware of it. However, the way you reacted to that little girl tells me that this is something I need to share with you, to help you go past your prejudices." Amitola said.

Leonie was annoyed that there were so many things she did not know about her parents. At the same time, she was not surprised that she did not know everything about them. After all, parents have such long lives before their children arrive. If they were to share every moment of those lives with their children, they would have to talk continually for a very long time. Still, it was a challenge for Leonie to stifle the irritation that the idea of another secret stirred in her.

Perhaps it was because the nightmares were becoming worse, or because she spent days without proper sleep, but Leonie's moods were as unpredictable as the weather. Sometimes it was hard to stay true to who she was, to be the compassionate girl she always was.

"What is it?" Leonie asked when she was sure that her tone was as calm as possible.

"Before I met your father, I lived a completely different life. I was a different person until I fell in love with him. Perhaps, if you were to see me, you wouldn't have recognized me, but there is still a little bit of that person left in me, and that's why your words hurt me." Amitola said.

Leonie could not comprehend why her words would have hurt her mother. It made no sense that she would be so bothered by Leonie's negative opinion of Gatherers.

"Mother, I don't understand. What are you talking about?" Leonie asked.

Taking a deep breath, Amitola closed her eyes, preparing for the worst.

"Honey, before I married your father, I was a Gatherer. I come from a family of Gatherers." Amitola said, her voice barely audible.

Leonie started opening her mouth to say something, but nothing came out. She kept opening and closing her mouth, like a fish on dry land and still no sounds escaped her dry throat.

Things started making much more sense when she started observing them in the light of discovery. Her mother's preference for vegetables, the fact that her father was usually the one to prepare quarry, it was as clear as summer skies.

However, instead of hate or anger that Amitola seemed to expect from Leonie, Leonie found herself feeling utter sadness. It was like an endless ocean that revealed itself to her quite unexpectedly just around the river band that she was traveling on in her life's journey.

Her mother had sacrificed so many things for them, but it became clear to Leonie that it was more than she previously assumed. Amitola had gone up against her own beliefs, against who she was to make her children happier.

For before the terrible blow Death gave them, there was balance, Amitola could keep to her own set of beliefs while at the same time respecting her husbands. However, after his death, Amitola went against everything she believed in by preparing meat for her children without ever complaining or trying to change who they were.

"But that day, after father's death, it sounded like you hated the Gatherers," Leonie said the first thing that came to her mind.

"And I did, my child. I did. At that moment, I felt hate for the first time in my life. However, it didn't last long. I can't hate them. I can't hate myself for being who I am." Amitola said.

"I am so sorry. From now on, I'll do all the cooking." Leonie said.

"You are not mad at me? You don't hate me?" Amitola asked.

"Of course not. How could I ever hate you? You did everything to help us have a good life. You were both a father and a mother to us for such a long time. I am so sorry that I said that, and especially that I hurt you. I would never have done anything to hurt you. You know that, don't you?" Leonie asked.

"Yes, I know, my dear. Thank you." Amitola said.

"Wait, does that mean that Nald and I are half Gatherers?" Leonie asked.

"Yes, but you were always more inclined towards the Hunter blood while Nald is more of a Gatherer," Amitola said.

"Well, that does make a lot of sense. Thank you for telling me. I think this will help me. It feels important to know." Leonie said, hugging her mother one more time.

Secretly brushing away her tears, Leonie broke the hug and smiled at her mother. In her own heart, she promised to make sure that her mother found her happiness again, even if it broke Leonie's heart.

"I better get going, Toras is waiting. It's so nice of him to help, don't you think?" Leonie asked.

"Yes, it's very kind of him to help his friend's family," Amitola said.

"I think it's more than that, don't you think so? He is a nice guy, you know?" Leonie said, leaving the room before Amitola had the chance to say anything.

She hoped that it would make Amitola wonder and finally help her realize that there was still time for her to find her happiness, her second chance. If she could not give her anything else, Leonie at least hoped to be able to give.