Urei's eyes widened in shock. Not knowing what else to say, she said,"No, you're wrong. My mother is dead." Urei said the word "dead" with as much conviction as she could, but it wasn't much.

      The woman's face remained sad, but the smile disappeared. "Is that what your father told you? I suppose it was for the best," she said softly.

      Urei's thoughts were becoming confused. Her mother was dead, but she was standing here in front of her at the same time. Her father had lied after all. What was her mother? Faced with all these things that she just couldn't understand, or even begin to figure out, Urei burst into tears. Hysterical, she turned her back to the woman who was her mother, but then turned to face her once again. "Why?!?" Urei asked. "Why did you leave us Mama? Why do we have to live out here all alone? What in the name of the Abyss is happening?"

      Urei sat on the ground and pulled her knees up to her chest. She held her aching head in her hands and continued to sob almost soundlessly. When she felt a hand on her head, she looked up to see the woman, her mother, looking at her just as sadly as before. Urei began to cry harder, and the woman pulled Urei to her, holding her close, just as she hadn't been able to do for Urei, ever. Tears spilled down the woman's cheeks as well as she cried for the one regret in her life; that she hadn't been there for her daughter, and hadn't been able to tell her the things she was about to tell her gradually, so that she would have been able to grow accustomed to them, if not accept them.

      The woman pulled away now that Urei's sobbing had been reduced to a simple shuddering now and then. She gently wiped the tears from her daughter's face with a corner of her gown, marvelling at how quickly she had grown, and sorrowful that she would have to charge her daughter with such a task as she would give her later. But she must start slowly with her, and smooth over some misunderstandings first.

      "I'm sorry I couldn't have been there for you Urei. I have regretted that decision all my life, but there were certain unavoidable duties that I had to take care of. I will explain everything to you to the best of my abilities, and of course I will answer any questions you have, if I can." The woman smiled yet again, and said,"Shall we go see your father and brother now?"