"You what

"You what?" Bloom couldn't keep silent. "But… but…"

Faragonda smiled weakly. "I was dying." She sighed and looked up. "Darkar was powerless. For the first time in his existence, he was unable to do anything."

"But how did you survive then?" Flora asked. "What saved you?"

"Baltor."

"Darkar took what he wanted, whatever he wanted. I had become pregnant. Feeling that live inside of me… It made me live. A few months before I would give birth, I woke. Can you imagine what happened next? I turned and looked into those red eyes. All those months I was on the brink of death he hadn't left the room.

"What?" Fera rose. "What are you doing here?" she yelled. Darkar simply looked at her.

"I nearly lost you." A faint whisper, barely audible. "I never imagined would hurt so much…"

Her eyes widened. "What?" She couldn't believe her ears. "What do you mean, my lord?"

"Losing you… I never knew it hurts this much."

It was so strange, hearing him confess that. For him, that was something like a declaration of love. I was shocked. First he made my live a living hell and now he wanted to be a part of it? After that everything was relatively fine. Until Baltor was born. He never looked at his son, never spend a mere second in the same room like he. And when Baltor turned five, he ripped him out of my arms.

"No!" She tried to grab her son. "Don't take him! He is but a child!"

"Don't meddle in things you can't change." With one hand he held her son, with the other he kept her at bay. "You will understand." He disappeared.

"Bastard!" Her voice echoed through the underworld. It would take years for it to be heard again.

I fled into the woods surrounding Magix. Saladin was but a freshman at Red Fountain. He found me and took care of me. I never told any one the truth, until now."