Embracing the Darkness

Albert, I won't be returning to the settlement, and I suspect everyone will be relieved… my own mother most of all. But you know that in the decades since we arrived on these accursed shores, my burden has been by far the worse to hers. It's damned unnatural for a child to watch a parent remain young as they grow old. Why I'm one of the handful here cursed to continue aging, I will never comprehend. I tried to accept mother's youth, but after she became Constable, it was impossible. Watching her take command with such vigor has only hastened my decay. Even today, I listened as she and Artificer Kim made plans for some bright future. They don't realize how stupid they sound. Whether we grow old here or not, whether we suffer or thrive, none of us will get the peace of eternal slumber. And without the promise of death, I simply do not see the point in pretending that we are living. I thank you for your friendship, Albert, but I must now turn my back on First Light and embrace the darkness… whatever that may bring. Aethelgard Oakes