Qulia and Yuna sat on the floor, hugging each other.
"Mom, I...I was so scared", Yuna cried.
"It's alright, you're safe now", Qulia tried to calm her down, and wiped away the tears in her eyes.
"Mom", Yuna looked up, "That...that was dad."
Rubbing her eyes, she hiccuped, "I didn't recognize him before, but that was definitely him, right?"
Qulia hesitated. She still felt unsure if what she had seen was real, or if she had just imagined it.
But the broken door, the ice on the floor, it was all still there to prove that it had really happened.
Her husband was back. After all these years, he was really back.
"Yes, sweetie, it was really your father."
That realization stirred strange mix of emotions in Qulia's heart.
Seeing him again made her unimaginably happy.
She couldn't wait to see him, to talk to him.
And yet, she also dreaded it.
What would he say to her? Would he be happy to see her, or would he resent her for hiding the truth from him?
She didn't know. All she could do was wait and find out.
Soon, they heard the faint sound of footsteps, and saw Raymond walking in through the backdoor.
Yuna ran to him with outstretched arms, "Dad!"
Raymond bent down, and wrapped his arms around her in a warm hug.
"My daughter...my dear daughter, I missed you so much!"
He lifted her up in his arms, and then turned towards Qulia, who stood there motionlessly.
Her face remained still, yet her mind was in turmoil.
What should she do? Should she say something? But what should she even say?
Maybe she should apologize to him, or perhaps she should start by explaining everything.
But would he even be willing to listen?
He might be too angry to even want to see her. But perhaps that was only fair.
Qulia flinched, and her thoughts were interrupted, as she felt Raymond's arm wrap around her.
Without saying a word, he pulled her into his embrace.
Qulia's eyes widened, but then she closed them, and tears streamed down her face.
She hugged him tightly, and spoke with a trembling voice.
"I...I missed you, so, so much. I thought that I'd never see you again."
"I missed you too", Raymond pulled them both closer, "I missed you both."
"I'm sorry", Qulia sobbed, "It's all my fault. if only I had done something—if only I had told you..."
"It's alright", Raymond pulled away to look her in the eyes, "It wasn't your fault. Besides, it's all over now. Those painful times are behind us."
"You're back for good now, right? You won't disappear again, will you?", Yuna pulled his face towards herself.
Raymond opened his mouth to reply, but he noticed the sun setting in the horizon.
Just as the warm glow began to fade from the sky, a dim light enveloped his body.
Raymond sighed, and tears welled up in his eyes.
His suspicion was only confirmed when he saw Niko walk out of the woods and approach them.
The boy had pulled his hood over his head, his face covered by unnatural darkness.
He walked towards them with awkward steps, hesitating to come closer to Qulia and Yuna.
Raymond let go of his wife and daughter, and walked up to the Child of Death.
"I assume that you coming here means my time is up", Raymond struggled to keep his voice from cracking.
"What? You mean...you mean you're actually going away again?", Qulia grabbed Raymond's hand.
Niko slowly nodded.
That was the reason he had only given Raymond four more days. Six days was the limit to how long he could revive a soul for.
And now, those six days were up.
he lowered his gaze, wishing he could have given them more time.
"Oh, don't be so down", Raymond said, wiping away the tears in his eyes.
"If not for you, I would never have met my family again, nor would I have learned the truth. You've done more than enough for us already."
Raymond turned around, and kissed his wife and daughter goodbye.
"Qulia, Yuna, you two are the greatest joys I've had in my life, and I'm glad that I got to see you one last time, even if it was for a short while."
They both hugged him again, and Qulia spoke with a shaky smile.
"We're glad too. And I hope that you stay happy, wherever you go after this."
Yuna clutched him tighter as she held back her sobs.
"Take care, both of you", Raymond rustled Yuna's hair, before moving away.
As Qulia and Yuna watched, Raymond body became enveloped in light.
Motes of light scattered out from his body as he began to disappear into a cloud of sparks.
Raymond turned his head to look at Niko.
"Wait, but what about the price for your help? Don't you want something from me?"
Niko raised an eyebrow, and shrugged.
When had he said he wanted anything in return?
Raymond couldn't help but be moved to tears, which glowed brightly before disappearing as well.
"Thank you, I'll never forget what you did for us."
Niko waved at him with a slight smile.
Raymond's body disappeared completely, leaving a scattering of glowing specks behind. Those specks then coalesced again, forming an elegant white flower that floated in the air, its petals suffused with a soft light.
Niko touched it with his finger, and the light gathered into a small, glowing orb.
The flower's petals turned red at the margins, and it slowly started floating down.
Niko caught it with his outstretched hand.
And then, all three of them watched as the orb rose, flying up in a wide spiral as it slowly ascended to the heavens above.
Once it disappeared from sight, he turned towards the mother and daughter.
Walking up to Qulia, he hesitated, before handing her the flower.
She broke into tears, clutching the flower as she sobbed. Yuna hugged her in an attempt to comfort her, but she soon started crying as well.
Unsure of what to do, Niko stood there and watched helplessly as the mother and daughter cried.
After some time, Qulia looked up at him.
"Thank you", she wiped away her tears, "Thank you so much for your help."
Niko simply looked down with guilty eyes.
Qulia shook her head.
"Don't be like that", she patted his head and smiled, "We were able to meet Raymond again thanks to you."
"And now...", she gazed up at the sky, "He can finally rest in peace, while we can live happily without those evil people. We can never thank you enough for that, isn't that right, Yuna?"
The little child nodded, before giving Niko a hug.
"Thank you", she hiccuped.
Niko looked at the two of them with a bit of surprise, and a fleeting smile found its way to his face.
***
Some time later, Niko found himself walking through the woods again. He had a satchel strapped around his shoulders, filled with fruits and some bread. It was given to him by Qulia, who had simply refused to let him leave empty handed.
He looked at the ground, his gaze somewhat troubled. The recent events had left him a bit shaken up, but perhaps that was fairly normal by now.
Sighing, he looked up.
There, up in the sky, he could see something flying through the air.
They were ethereal birds, each resembling a crow made out of a beautiful blue light. Countless motes of white light were scattered throughout their bodies, looking like stars shining in the night sky. They gently flapped their wings, flying through the clouds in solemn silence
They were Death's emissaries, and the motes of light in their bodies were the souls of the dead. The birds untethered the souls from their dead bodies, carrying them to Death's abode, from where they would be reincarnated.
Niko couldn't see them, but he was sure that the souls of Wallace and his servants were up there too. He felt a bit relieved at that.
Niko knew that those people deserved punishment, which was why he had lended his power to Raymond when he went after them. He was sure that Death would punish them for it too once they were brought to her.
But staying trapped in their bodies for decades until the Abyss devoured them was a punishment too cruel to give to anyone.
He should know...
Shaking his head, he looked back up at the beautiful birds.
Niko's eyes widened with awe, and for a moment, he let himself forget about everything else, losing himself in the tranquil sight.
Soon, they all disappeared beyond the horizon, leaving him standing alone in the dark forest.
Looking back down, he sighed quietly, before continuing to walk through the silent woods.