Vlad.

Vlad Sol, my name, my position and my sentence, it is rare that I do not remember my duties once someone mentions my surname or my first name in one way or another, otherwise, I only feel the distance from the material in my position and a cloudy memory of better times.

Perhaps the only happy moment I had was with my first wife, May, she was at least energetic, she always left early for her training and when our first children were born, she dedicated all the time she had to training them, if one could say something bad about her, it was that she rarely showed delicacy, either in her attitude or in her actions, which perhaps made her gain the favor of many and it was no surprise that her time with the servants stood out among her most profitable tasks, the strength of two people or perhaps it compensated for my own deficiencies in combat.

“My dear, you must rest, you forget that you have our child in your womb,” he said worriedly.

“Relax, I still have strength.” He held the box firmly and carried it to the top of the shelf. “You see.”

That was more or less our daily routine, me demanding a little calm and her always leaving amidst mockery.

Her sons grew up even in their mother's absence, the first becoming a general, the second her second-in-command, the third becoming the praetor of Runa, the fourth disappearing in the ritual of New Dawn and the fifth dying with her.

“Sir, you must eat.” I push my plate closer, more than half full.

“I already did it, take the leftovers.” He hurriedly finished the paperwork he had pending.

After the first ritual since his death, my father, the head of the family, arranged a second marriage for me. I always felt it was a commendable attempt to restore my good humor, but it was just the other way around. The woman was superstitious and her children ended up perhaps the same way she did, always seeking the favor of the Holy Faith with monetary and collaborative acts, even under the name of the house and since hers had fallen due to bad omens. No one blamed her or her children. In fact, they were the anchor that brought us closer together, the House of the Sun and the Holy Faith.

“Darling, get up early, we have to go to the cathedral.” She looked ready to leave.

“I know,” the bitterness of each morning invaded me and as always there I was praying next to the bed.

“Darling, waiting for the temple is the best,” he mentions, still without enthusiasm.

“I just pray for a better day.” He smiled as he stood up to open the door.

The children entered ready to leave for the temple and I felt ashamed of being the last to arrive at the carriage, I began to wonder if something better would come out of my life and with the fourth child, Alba again claimed my wife, my father had already warned me and even so, experiencing it first hand was still painful, I took my wife's place and began to take all the children to the temple, diligently, thinking that I was honoring her memory even if it was a tedious act.

Time passed with the same problem, my father was already in his final farewell, age and white hair abounded, a sign that Alba was close to claiming him and before that, I understood her last request, they entrusted me again to a woman, now somewhat more eccentric from a merchant family.

Her house was not exactly the richest of all and if it were not for their debts, they would not have agreed to be absorbed by us, but with the great commercial capacity they had and the resources of the sun family, we both saw a new beginning, the girl was at least peculiar, in her fifteenth ritual, two below me and despite the fact that we got along well, there was always that distance that everyone felt and attending to her duties she gave birth to the only son who carried my blood and that of the Ornamento house.

“Children, your mother will be buried soon, and you will come live with me, as we agreed.” Notice how they nodded.

“What will happen to us, Dad?” The words still seemed somewhat fearful.

I hugged everyone, even the older ones. “Your mother was an incredible person. Don’t doubt that I’ll take care of you, as if you were my own flesh and blood.”

I fulfilled it, to the extent that my possibilities allowed me, my wife had left many unfinished businesses, but all seemed to have great benefits, her eldest son took control of the majority and with it three houses that were subordinated to us, but were not absorbed and in each ritual, I always tried to take them for a walk, a meal and to hear their stories, feeling the passage of time, perhaps in the same way that my father felt it, the dryness of the skin, the lack of agility, in sudden movements I felt my bones creak although it was not common.

“Father, here I bring the elections under the criteria you requested.”

“Thank you, son.” I accepted the documents with some hesitation, but at the same time I saw him, the same silver hair as his family and Mara’s berry-colored eyes, and yet he seemed to carry the same spirit as May. “If you need anything, remember to let me know.”

“Nothing in particular, Head of household.”

“You may go.” For a moment, I was reminded of my trip with Sara, and I wondered if I felt the same sadness at the distance. “Let’s quickly review this.”

I took a fairly wide selection of all the papers, and the proportion of the house's development and its resources was considerable. I was surprised by the willingness of a couple to put things in order and join us. I didn't give it much thought; I took the first paper that was at the end and saw the face of my new wife.

"Gladis." I mentioned her name, aware that she was the fifth wife in the family, and with that, my conviction. Once I'd prepared everything, everyone attended my wedding. It wasn't exactly a joyful day, but the new lady of the house was the strictest of all. She raised the dignity of my house considerably. Her family was a family of artisans, which surprised me.

The same day we got married, I looked to have children, which we both understood was the best choice. Many things had happened while we were waiting for their first child, including the fate of Mara's only son and his early addition to the duties of the house.

The boy was the most peculiar thing I have ever seen since the moment he was born, his life has been complicated, he took up the sword of the Saint, if they had told me he was the son of Sara, I would have believed it, but he was the son of Mara, although his abilities to deal with administrative problems were admirable, he was always distant, perhaps in the presence of a closer figure he could be cheerful and I looked for my wife to be the bond that would unite us again, but from what I knew, their relationship was not very different from our own.

The day he chose his name arrived, we felt joy, if it weren't for more direct problems with the defense, May's children would have come, but the joy was not long in coming, plus little Abaddon had fallen asleep before anyone else and the celebration we had with the absent one, ended with the vast majority sleeping in their respective rooms, whether they were shared or not and when I woke up, I hoped to be able to congratulate Abaddon, only to find out that I had to prepare the funeral of two of my older children.

The small cemetery we had behind the Mansion was comforting to say the least, but I didn't expect to have more than the 6 graves already present, longing to be the seventh and now I knew it could be the ninth or perhaps the tenth if Lucios had a fatal encounter in his servitude to the inquisitor.

In the rain that followed the problem, we met and chatted a bit as father and son, something I didn't see often, with almost none of the sons still alive and seriously considering making it part of my routine from now on.

“Son, you should go inside and rest.”

“That's what I would say to the head of the family: if he gets sick, many problems will arise, and paying for his recovery will also be a substantial sum.”

“I guess.” I shook the bottle, looking at the cloudy sky and its few white flecks sticking out from its rounded, drawn-out edges. “Son, do you have any regrets?” I took another sip, noticing the taste of the water gaining strength.

“You should have warned them about this problem.” He sat down on the tombstone on the back. “They were stationed at the South Wall; they would have had a chance of survival if I hadn’t spoken up.” He looked up at the sky as the thunder crashed down, crashing into the nearby bush and the rain extinguishing the sudden fire. “And you, Head of the Family, did you ever doubt your actions?”

"I don't know." And I was honest, I walked away, listening to my son's singing in the rain, tired and not even paying attention.