Crimson Rebirth

Part 31

 "I am so sorry, Little Lioness." Volca Starglow stood before her, as if as real as the day he died. He stood a few steps away from her, the landscape around them as if she stood in a cloud. "I never meant for you to get dragged into this...."

 "Dad?" Gene asked, confused, shrinking back slightly as he reached a hand out to touch her, to remind himself that she was real, and that she was still alive. But with that knowledge came the reminder that she was paying for his mistakes. 

 He let his hand drop, those blue eyes she once adored looking down at the ground rather than at her. "You've gotten so big, Lil Lioness..... Last time I saw you, you barely reached my stomach and now look at you...."

 Genevieve remained silent, ever on guard. Her heart swam with emotions, betrayal and grief and hatred and love, all at the same time. He was her father, she loved him, but he used her as a means to fulfill his own greed and she hated him for it.

 "I deserve that look in your eyes, princess." Volca said quietly, barely glancing up at her. "I can feel it drilling into my head. I tried to use you, tried to take your life to elongate my own.... And that was so terribly wrong of me."

 "You're right." Gene finally said. "It was wrong of you. I......." Her breath caught in her throat. "I watched you DIE that day, I was right there when your heart beat its last. You got so damn greedy, so damn power hungry that you were blind to the costs."

 Her eyes fell to the ground, the space between them. "I was the cost."

 "I wanted to protect you, Little Lioness.... I didn't expect the spell to require your death. That damned Fox told me that it would save you, keep you safe forever. When he gave me that spell, I..... I was doing it to keep you safe, to keep you from getting hurt. I wanted to live forever to make sure you had peace...." Volca said sadly, his eyes falling to the same spot her's did. "I didn't want you exposed to a world that wouldn't understand any of us, I didn't want you to grow up and suffer heartache-"

 "Well she did." Came another voice from behind him, an elderly lady with graying red hair and  sharp eyes that could slice through butter. "Look at her, Volca. Look at how much heartache she's endured, all in your idiotic quest for what, Iandokai?!" A cane whapped the back of Volca's head with a satisfying crack.

 "Gran!?" Gene squeaked, her eyes shooting upwards to see her role model growing up walking towards her.

 "Yes, dear." Gran Starglow said, holding her cane by the bottom, the top pointing at Volca once more. "Even now, your apology is full of shit. You can't apologize away most of someone's life, boy! You can't apologize everything that has happened to her away! You can't apologize being willing to risk her life to extend your's for no damn good reason other than your imaginary paranoia!"

 "Go Gran." Gene said quietly, still absolutely surprised.

 "Child I will get to you in a minute." Gran snapped, giving Gene a sound tap on the head. "I don't want to see you in this place again until you've learned your lesson, Volca."

 Her father yelped, ducking from the cane once more. "I had forgotten how much that hurt...." Gene mumbled, earning another close-whack.

 "Now we need to talk, child." Gran said, turning to face her granddaughter. "What's this I hear about wallowing in grief? Didn't I raise you better?!"

 "You did, Gran." Gene said, ducking her head slightly, if anything, to avoid getting hit again.

 "I raised you to be strong enough to let it go. To quit blaming yourself for everything that happens, and what happens when I die? You go blaming yourself again!" Gene ducked, avoiding another cane to the head, but was not fast enough to avoid a smack to the foot. "You won't do anyone any good if you keep blaming yourself!"