Even Lava Scissor flinched slightly.
Ron stepped forward. "What?"
Elius didn't look at anyone.
He continued, now tying the cloth into a final knot.
"I didn't ask for that. I never knew that. All these years… he wasn't there."
He looked down at his hands. Trembled. Then clenched his fists so tightly, the veins bulged.
"When I lost my first tooth, I only had my mother."
Tighten.
"When I was sick, I had to carry myself to the clinic."
Tighten.
"My birthdays? I made my own cake with my mother alone."
Tighten.
"Nightmares? my mother is there."
Tighten.
He raised his head.
"And I am satisfied with that… with only my mother…"
And in that moment, the emotion behind his eyes was unbearable—rage, grief, shame, and something else.
Loss.
"And then he comes out of nowhere and says, 'I'm your father'?"
His teeth clenched.
He looked Lava Scissor dead in the eyes.
"Do you know what that feels like?"
The monster didn't reply. Just stared.
