Reed had no idea how to respond.

Reed's life was marked by turmoil, a perpetual state of upheaval. You could say many things about Reed, but the label of dullness would never be apt. Pulled in two by his own self-loathing and society's prejudiced view of halflings, Reed navigated his existence as a timid child, consciously striving to avoid drawing attention. Conflict avoidance became a predominant strategy, and he invested most of his time in honing his skills. While initially a lackluster elementalist, Reed compensated for this by displaying unwavering dedication to his studies. Unbeknownst to many, Reed could easily be one of the most knowledgeable individuals on the planet in the realm of magical theory.

He was destined, after all, to unravel the mystery of bestowing a demonic core to an awakened conjurer. Reed's path involved merging a human soul laden with guilt and hatred for its offenders with a demonic mana core that thrived on suffering. This potent combination would have made him unstoppable in that particular timeline. The spiritual equivalent to perpetual motion. However, it's crucial to note that this foreseen future never came to pass.

Instead, he found himself grappling with the unsettling reality of having experienced death and been forcibly pulled out of the afterlife. The details of the afterlife remained elusive – had he been within his body or merely connected to it? Vague memories lingered along with fragmented recollections of the events that transpired while Ryan impersonated him. Coming to terms with this complex situation proved challenging. A year had passed during his absence, so he had anticipated that things would have undergone significant changes in his absence.

He didn't expect his half-sister to hug him as soon as they were out of line of sight.

"Welcome back, Brother." Lily mumbled into his neck as she held him in a crushing embrace.

Reed just staggered as she tackle-hugged him, his arms out to the side in surprise. He just stood there, unsure what to do, "Uhhh... what?"

Lily withdrew slightly, yet maintained her grip on his shoulders. Moisture glistened in her eyes with the threat of tears. Her smile conveyed a mixture of joy and sadness. Tenderly, she lifted a hand to brush away a stray lock of hair from his face. "Welcome back? Father is going to be so happy you're alive." she expressed, her words carrying a tone of relief.

Reed raised his hands and gently pushed her away, a gesture that left her appearing hurt, though not surprised. He turned away and raised a single finger, signaling for her to wait. After a moment, he faced her again and spoke, "I am confused. The last words we exchanged, that I remember, were that you wished I was dead."

If Reed had slapped Lily across the face, she couldn't look more hurt. She closed her eyes and nodded, "I... am sorry. I regret that. I regret so many things. I-"

Reed squinted suspiciously, "Why? What changed in the past year?" He pointed back towards the main group, "You know that it was Ryan in my body, not me? Any feelings you have for me are because he was pretending to be me."

Lily seized Reed's hand, gripping it tightly. "No!" she exclaimed, then lowered her voice to avoid being overheard, "No. He tried to pretend to be you, but he failed. Lehman figured out he wasn't you, and Ryan confessed everything." Lily bit her lower lip, a mix of emotions crossing her face, "He might not have been you, but he did a fine job showing us what terrible people we were... how terrible we had been to you." She paused and tilted her head to the side, a concerned expression on her face, "Don't you remember?"

Reed shook his head, "No... I don't."

Lily blinked, "You... took control of Ryan... or... resumed control of your body and attacked father. You said, 'Why couldn't you have loved me while I was alive?' while you punched him repeatedly."

It was Reed's turn to blink as he looked off to the side, "I..." He grabbed the side of his head as there was a sharp pain behind his right eye, "Ow!" He staggered a bit as he was overwhelmed with a sudden rush of memory.

Lily moved in close to hold him up, "Reed!?" There was a sound of panic in her voice, "Are you okay?"

Reed only needed a few seconds, then pushed her away, "I'm fine." He said quite forcefully, "I think I sort of know what you are talking about, but it is all quite the blur to me."

Lily stood there, flexing her fingers as if she had no idea what to do with herself, "Please. Everything has changed. Come home."

Reed turned and stared at her in disbelief, "That doesn't make any sense. Lady Bathory hates the ground I walk upon. How-"

Lily stepped closer, about to grab Reed again, but stopping just short, "No! Look... I mean it. Everything has changed. Yes, everything that happened was Mother's fault, but not Father's. He Regrets everything. He would do ANYTHING to have a second chance to make things right, I think Mother does as well. I understand it was Ryan who saved our family from ruin, but he also showed us what was WRONG with us! I don't want to-"

"Hold it."

Lily stopped talking.

"What do you MEAN, saved the family from ruin?"

Lily backed up slightly, unsure of how Reed was going to react, "L-Lionel had made some bad investments and the family was going to lose the manor, It was likely that Father was going to go to prison for fraud, rather than let Lionel take the blame. Ryan exposed all our mistakes, then... paid off all the family debt." She jogged her head to the side, "Apparently it was all part of a plot by Seawold to gain control of Redcliff. Ryan saved us, but the price was to show us how bad we had gotten."

"I wish he had let you fall."

Lily staggered back as if physically struck. The two just stared at each other. Reed turned away when Lily said, "Why did you spare my life, brother?"

Reed stopped, but kept his back turned to Lily, "You told me I wasn't your brother... that I wasn't really a Ratliff."

Lily clasped her hands together, "I was wrong... and that doesn't answer my question."

Reed closed his eyes as he clenched his hands tightly into fists, "Because I don't hate you enough to want you dead."

"Is that all?"

Reed took a deep breath before continuing, "You are friends with Lilith and if you died, it would make her sad."

Lily bit her lower lip, "There is a lot of bad blood between us. I want to fix it." She walked up closer to his back, "I was willing to die to make up for what I did. Doesn't that count for something, Brother?"

Reed, initially poised to raise his voice, halted at the sight of desperation in Lily's expression. Struck dumb, he turned away without uttering a word. Lily approached him, slowly closing the distance, before tenderly taking Reed's hand. "Someone once told me that life isn't fair. Bad things happen to good people. Good things happen to bad. That's a good thing. It means you aren't a bad person just because bad things happen to you. It also means if you are a bad person, you can just... change," she shared, her words carrying a gentle reassurance.

"I'm trying to change."

Reed looked down at Lily's hand in his, then up at her. She smiled weakly, "I can't fix the past, I can only do the right thing going forward." She squeezed softly, "Ryan helped us, but he's not family. YOU ARE. I'm glad you are alive and even if it takes forever, I will make it up to you..."

"My Brother."

Reed stared at Lily, his attempt to speak was hampered by the overwhelming emotions welling up within him. He was just too choked up to form any words. Finally, he cleared his throat, preparing to articulate his thoughts, but just as the words were about to surface, the queen's piercing shout interrupted the moment.

"MY SON IS DEAD BECAUSE OF HER!!!!!"