Confessions and Consequences

“Now then, shall we discuss what exactly happened here?”

Surveying the tense faces around him, the Village Chief felt a knot of anxiety tighten in his stomach. An incident like this had occurred under his watch, and he knew he couldn’t escape his share of the blame. Still, the most pressing matter was to uncover the truth.

“Isn’t it obvious?” Mrs. Beard snapped. “Those two little wretches lured my son out of the village.”

“One moment, Mrs. Beard,” Mr. Reed interjected. “That is only your side of the story. For now, I want to hear what the children have to say.”

“What else is there to say? I know! It must be revenge, yes, that’s it! They held a grudge against my son, so they tricked him into going out with them to get even!”

“Um… hold on, Mrs. Beard…” Aunt Meg attempted to intervene, trying to defend her daughter. “While I don’t know what happened, I don’t believe Fanny is the kind of person who would do such a thing.”

Faced with Mrs. Beard’s baseless accusations, Meg’s defense was met with a furious glare. But instead of arguing further, Mrs. Beard suddenly turned her venom on Elise.

“This has something to do with you, doesn’t it, Priestess Elise? You’ve never forgotten what happened at the church… You orchestrated this, didn’t you!”

“Are you even aware of what you’re saying, Mrs. Beard?” Elise’s voice was like ice. “Everything you’ve claimed sounds like nothing more than wild fantasy to me.” She met the woman’s sharp gaze without a hint of fear, her composure unshaken.

“You—”

“Enough,” Mr. Reed cut in, a headache already blooming behind his eyes. “It seems you haven’t been listening to me. Especially you, Mrs. Beard.”

He was troubled, certainly, but through the chaos, he glimpsed an opportunity. For a long time, he had been searching for a way to convince Elise to stay in the village permanently. A priestess of her caliber was an invaluable asset, and today’s events only reinforced that belief. He just hadn’t found the right leverage until now.

When he had taken Elise and South Creek in five years ago, he knew they wouldn’t remain forever. The girl was growing up, a sign that their story was destined to branch out. This enigmatic priestess was shrouded in secrets, but what did that matter? For the future of the village, he had to do everything in his power to make her stay. And now, the perfect chance had fallen into his lap.

He knew, of course, that Mrs. Beard’s words were nothing but speculation. But he could use this situation to his advantage. Clearing his throat, Mr. Reed spoke again.

“I will take your words into consideration. But for now, let’s hear from the children. Fanny, South Creek, could you two tell this old man what happened? Don’t worry, I won’t blame you.”

Fanny and South Creek, nestled in the arms of their respective guardians, both chose a surprising, simultaneous silence. Then, South Creek’s gaze flickered to the unconscious Jack. A hint of conflict crossed her face before she steeled herself and spoke.

“I wanted to go to the city for fun. I thought it would be boring to go alone, so I talked them into coming with me…”

“See! I told you so!” Mrs. Beard pounced like a hyena on wounded prey now that South Creek had confessed. “You little monster, you never had any good intentions! You selfish, conniving thing, you’re just—”

“Silence!” Elise’s furious roar cut through the tirade. She would not stand for such an attack. “Continue,” she said, her voice softer now, directed at South Creek.

“South Creek…” Fanny stared at her friend in astonishment, a storm of emotions churning within her. Perhaps she shouldn’t be so weak.

“No, that’s not right. It was my idea. I begged South Creek to take me with her.”

“Fanny, dear…”

Elise, who had been looking down with a heavy expression, glanced up at Fanny’s words. A strange light flickered in her eyes. After carefully observing the three children, she thought she finally understood what had truly happened.

“You two little liars! Still putting on an act at a time like this!” Seeing the girls take the blame for each other, Mrs. Beard’s face darkened completely. All pretense of civility was gone. Her lips curled back, and she began to curse them.

“Stop talking…”

“Jack! My baby, you’re finally awake!”

“Where am I? Was I rescued?”

Having just regained consciousness, Jack’s voice was faint and weak. It felt as if he were waking from a long dream, the argument in the room a distant soundtrack. Though he didn’t know the specifics of their conversation, he knew one thing with absolute clarity: it was time to act like a man and make a choice.

“You’re at my house, Jack.”

“That’s right, yes, my child. It’s all over now. You’re safe.”

Placing his hands on the table to push himself up, Jack was suddenly hit by a searing pain. Only then did he realize his body felt as if it had been taken apart and hastily pieced back together. It was limp and useless. Any attempt to exert force sent an electric jolt of agony through him.

“Ugh…”

“What’s wrong?!”

“I told you,” Elise said calmly, “he has multiple fractures. He’s still in the early stages of recovery.”

[That’s right… back then, I…]

Memories slowly returned. With his mother’s help, he managed to sit up straight. Jack took a deep breath and looked at the familiar faces surrounding him.

“Well? Can you speak?”

“Yes. And… there’s something I want to say.”

“Of course,” Mr. Reed said gently. “Can you please tell us what happened, Jack?”

Taking another deep breath, Jack faced the moment he knew was coming. But he wasn’t afraid. His mind had been made up long ago.

“It was me. From the very beginning, wanting to sneak into the city, bringing the others along… it was all my idea.”

“What nonsense are you talking, Jack? You…”

“I know I was the one who started this. So, in the end, I should be the one to take responsibility.”

Mrs. Beard trembled, her face a mask of disbelief. This was not the outcome she had expected. She met Jack’s steady gaze, and as a mother, she knew he wasn’t lying.

“But why—”

“For Elder Brother… and for you, Mom.”

Deciding there was no more to say, Jack turned his determined gaze to South Creek, who sat hesitantly nearby. She froze for a moment, sensing his resolve, before carefully pulling a letter from her pocket. She had secretly picked it up when no one was looking.

“What’s this…?”

Mrs. Beard accepted the letter with trembling hands. She looked around blankly—all eyes were on her. “Elder Brother.” The name was both familiar and foreign. How many years had it been since that name had been a part of her life? And now, to hear it spoken again…

Slowly, she opened the envelope. The first line that greeted her was both intimate and distant:

To my dearest Mother.