Erika's perspective
I'm a mother of twins. Beautiful, precious twins… But have I always felt this way? I let them do what they want, give them the freedom to go out, as long as they take care of themselves.
Because… during my childhood, I never had that.
I was such a fragile child that a single blow could break my bones. It was a disease, a silent curse that stole so much from me. My parents, Liv and Sif St. Clair, kept me locked inside the house. And, of course, like any child, I hated it… and I escaped.
The idea of being confined to one place, completely alone, didn't thrill me. Who would want that? No friends to talk to, no one to hear your fears.
When I turned four, I ran away, and because of that, I ended up badly hurt. My parents found me on the street, several bones broken. I never told them, but I'd gotten into trouble with the daughter of another family living a bit far off. The Mortimer house.
As the direct heir of the St. Clair house, I was already at odds with the Mortimer family. But, of course… I didn't think much of those things. Their daughter… I didn't understand her hatred toward me at first.
That same night, when my parents found me, they argued. Their shouts echoed through the mansion. My father was tired of taking care of me, and my mother couldn't handle everything alone. What was a child supposed to do in that situation? I could only hug my knees and listen from my bed until silence finally returned.
The next day, when I went down to the kitchen, only my mother was there. I asked about my father, but she simply told me not to speak of "that man."
Because he wasn't coming back.
Mother stayed with me, but I… felt utterly alone.
She became more overprotective. To the point I couldn't leave my room. The maids brought my meals to me. I so badly wanted to play with the neighbor kids, make friends… but I could only watch them from the window. When they saw me, I hid behind the curtains.
I knew if they insisted I come down, I'd give in. And that would bring more scolding, more rules. More confinement.
I didn't understand she was just trying to protect me. Nor did I know that… I'd one day go to such extremes myself.
When I turned thirteen, that was the breaking point. I wanted, even for a moment, to be with someone else. I snuck out at night.
I didn't expect to run into the Mortimer heir. She and her friends… they were just as cruel. We fought. And though I thought it'd just be a scuffle, I ended up hurting her more than I should've. In retaliation… they broke nearly all my bones.
When my mother found me, I was on the ground. Shattered.
I felt useless. A burden.
Her scolding only deepened the idea already growing inside me. When I finally healed, before dawn… I ran away.
I was a burden to her. Having to manage the house, the business, and on top of that, care for a daughter as fragile as glass… it must've been exhausting. I never appreciated all she did for me. I only complained about the confinement, the loneliness, without thinking of her pain.
But in that moment… I wasn't sorry. In that moment, I only thought of myself.
I took the first ship and traveled from the continent of Aeloria to Veloria. Two weeks on the open sea, crossing the Aelorico Ocean to the Velorico.
I was scared. I'd heard Aelorians weren't welcome in Veloria. And I… was just a child.
When I reached the port, I headed to the nearest kingdom: Millford. With the little money I'd secretly taken from my mother, I covered everything.
For the first time, I felt free. Finally, no rules. No chains.
The journey was smooth. I arrived without issues. Millford was enormous, even bigger than Tyrenhall. You could easily get lost without a map.
But that wasn't my problem. Lodging was. No inn would take a minor without a guardian. Every door shut in my face.
And so, I ended up on the street.
Until a woman found me. She… took pity on me.
That's how I met Lady Floiyo. She gave me food, water, a room… and something I never imagined: a cure.
She discovered my condition. And one night, without asking for anything in return, she offered to free me from that fragile body.
I was so excited… because finally, I could run without fear. Fight without breaking. Play. Live.
I thanked her with all my heart. I felt indebted. And I promised… one day, I'd repay everything she did for me.
That's when I entered the academy. Thanks to Lady Floiyo's help, enrolling mid-year was easy… After all, she was the director back then. With a healthy, strong body, I could finally do what other kids did so naturally. And to my surprise… I was pretty good at it.
Back then, I thought that if I'd stayed with my mother in Aeloria, I'd never have discovered how strong… or how smart I really was.
There, I made friends. Frederic, Lyla, and the current king, Leo.
We were a group of four. Well-known, even standout students at the academy. But though that's how others saw us… when those two arrived, that image changed. Everything we'd built took a backseat to someone I never imagined I'd come to love.
Elias D'Arques and Reginald Rex Dampforth.
Both arrived a few months after I joined the academy. They became the new stars, stealing our spot as top students. But it wasn't just their skill… it was the weight of their names.
Elias was the son of a man who shaped history: Gal D'Arques, hero of the war against the Malevolent God and the world's greatest resource distributor.
Reginald, meanwhile, was the son of Brant Rex Dampforth, a key figure in technological development alongside Elias's father.
I thought they'd be arrogant. Like the Mortimer heir. I thought they'd be insufferable… impossible to deal with.
But they weren't.
They got along with Leo, Frederic, and Lyla almost instantly. It didn't take long for them to join our little circle. For my part… it wasn't that I disliked Elias. What bothered me was how he acted around me.
He flirted constantly. Teased me just to see my reaction. But deep down… that made me happy. It was a feeling I didn't recognize, one that grew without me noticing.
When I looked at him… my body tensed uncontrollably. And when he looked at me, I'd turn away, unable to hold his gaze. Of course, my friends noticed. And they were the ones who gave me the push to confess my feelings.
Two years passed. Two years since their arrival. When we finally became a couple, it started one of the happiest phases of my life.
We graduated. And with graduation came decisions that separated us… but also bound us in a new way.
Elias, Reginald, Lyla, and I formed a group. A four-person squad… Ether-level.
Leo became king through his father's inheritance and married a woman we barely knew: Leticia D'Arques, Elias's sister.
Frederic, meanwhile, took Lady Floiyo's place as academy director.
And then, four years before I got pregnant with Lucius and Isolde, we got a major assignment: the dragon of the Eldrathorn mountains in Gloomhaven, the dwarves' continent.
We traveled for two months by ship. The distance demanded it, but we managed.
They welcomed us… though not all the dwarves were thrilled about our presence. We couldn't stay in their homes; their rooms were too small for us.
The problem was bigger than expected. The dragon had settled over a vital mine: the source of the most important minerals for the dwarves' weapons, tools, and trade. Without that resource, their entire way of life was at risk.
We were already there… so, naturally, we took the job.
But we never imagined it would go so wrong.
Elias was powerful, Reginald a tactical genius, I a skilled healer, and Lyla an unyielding defender… but the dragon was fiercer than we thought. It beat us down.
And then… Lyla fell.
The dragon attacked her mercilessly, tearing open her stomach. She suffered. Until she stopped breathing.
Elias and I… we lost it. Rage blinded us. And in seconds, the dragon was on the ground, defeated. Reginald couldn't hold back his tears.
When we returned to Millford, we held her funeral. And then… Reginald vanished.
As if he wanted to erase the world.
Years passed… and I got pregnant with Isolde.
It was supposed to be just one daughter… but when she was born, we noticed something strange. Lucius hadn't been detected during the pregnancy. It was like… he appeared out of nowhere.
The birth nearly killed me.
And that's when I learned Elias was Lady Floiyo's son.
I had two beautiful children by my side… the best husband I could dream of… and the woman who cared for me like a mother since I arrived in Millford.
It was a happiness I didn't think I deserved.
Watching my children grow… seeing them enter the academy…
But then… Vritra's attack came.
My children were completely alone. With no one to protect them.
I was desperate. I was about to run to find them… but that creature tore across the sky and landed in front of us, interrupting a meeting about Millford's expansion.
Elias reacted first. Then I did.
Reginald was paralyzed… but he chose to act. He knew it was that or death.
We fought. Gave it everything. But it wasn't enough.
Elias could wound it, yes… but that would've destroyed the entire kingdom. And even so… we couldn't avoid the tragedy.
My mind could only think of Lucius and Isolde. Where they were… if they were safe.
And, without meaning to, I thought of my mother.
What would she think of me? Was she still alive? Did she wonder what became of her daughter?
She never looked for me… but I never looked for her either.
Maybe… she, too, wondered if I was still breathing.
When it was all over, the king offered us a place in the castle. We accepted.
But something in Isolde changed. She locked herself in a room… and didn't come out.
Only Lucius could see her. He brought her food. Locked the door. Didn't speak. Didn't eat with us.
Elias and I were worried. We knew it… had marked her.
But there were so many other things too. Meetings with Leo. Vritra. And the return of a name that still weighed on us: Dante.
The one responsible for Leticia D'Arques's murder.
Elias's wound never fully healed… and he trained with such determination that he rose to a rank few reach: General Sergeant.
He even inherited his father's power. But that… wasn't good for anyone.
Leo needed him as a personal guard, an advisor. A friend.
And yet… with all we'd lived through… with all we'd lost…
Feeling that kind of love again, as a mother… finally made me look back.
Made me want to see… my own mother again.