As soon as these words left my mouth, a bush of red hair jumped out of the library.

 As my son approached the dining table, I felt a sting of nostalgia at seeing how big he had already become. His red hair had grown a lot in the last year, now hiding his ears and forehead.

 Maybe I should give him a fresh cut. I pondered whether or not I should really do it, but I liked his hair too much to bring myself to cut it.

The features of his face had started to show, and much to my disappointment, he’d started to look more and more like that idiot of his father. His skin, of the same bronze blades were made of, and his fiery red hair, that seemed to dance in rhythm with the sparkling hearth behind him, only helped burning the memory of the man I loved more and more deeply into my mind.

 You shouldn’t think about him, Metis, what’s done is done. He i- he is not here anymore.

There were many things I wanted to tell him about his dad: who he really was, why couldn’t he be with us… But telling him now would be too dangerous.

 You have to become strong, my dear, so that you can live freely in this world and protect those you treasure in your heart.

 Looking directly at his eyes made my heart ache. They were neither his father’s fiery red, nor the brilliant azure of mine; aside from the black pupils, that sparkled with intelligence, those eyes were completely white. It was not a dull white, though, but a beautiful shade of it, that shone like stars in a moonless night.

I didn’t want to see his eyes lose their colour; I didn’t want to see them reddened and humid after a long cry. Still, I couldn’t help but shiver at the thought of all the hardships he’ll may have to face just because of the blood that ran through his veins.

 Thinking like this won’t help me at all. I need to focus on the good sides! I will protect him!

“I was wondering, mum- he said, bringing my mind back to the dining table- do you know something about the creation of the world? The information on the scrolls is pretty vague, but I’m really curious about it.”

Nice- I, thought- you just had to ask the worst question possible, right, ladybug?

 However, keeping him ignorant would only make him weaker…

 You can do this, Metis! It’s for Ignis’s sake!

He had been asking me this type of questions since he was two. It wasn’t like I didn’t understand his curiosity, since all he had seen from the day of his birth were the house and the garden. Still, his questions had gotten more and more complicated, and I couldn’t help but wonder how could a four-year-old understand such difficult concepts.

 Well, he is MY son. It would be strange if he WASN’T intelligent, I thought, chuckling. Thanking the Creators because at least they didn’t give my child his father’s brain, I prepared to answer the question.

“Those scrolls are pretty vague on the details, you are right. However, if you really want to know how the world was created, you better prepare for a long and boring story!”, I said.

Despite all of my thoughts, I still hoped he would just loose interest in the matter.

“I’m ready mum! - He said, a proud look on his face- I’m not a little kid anymore, I can handle difficult things!”

Says the soon-to-be-five-years-old, I thought with a chuckle.

“Alright; but know that this isn’t a story I’m willing to tell just to anyone! Consider yourself lucky, ladybug!”

“… Was that supposed to be a joke?”

“No reaction, uh… Well, I guess you are still too young to understand what true sense of humour is…”

As an offended expression made its way on my baby’s face, I wondered once again if I would have really been able to tell him everything. I just want him to be a normal boy for a bit longer…

After having hided my insecurities under a veil of horrible jokes I took a deep breath.

“Well, I think it’ time for me to tell the tale!”