He had barely left the castle since Eska fell ill, only really drifting between the dungeon where she had locked herself away, the kitchens, and their room before starting the cycle over again. It wasn't until her symptoms began to clear and the fog started to lift from her mind that he allowed himself to breathe. The first night after she returned to their room with him he slept like the dead, crashing as he caught up on the hours and hours of sleep that he had missed in her absence. He wasn't even sure how long it was that they slept, but eventually when he woke up with his forelegs still wrapped around her he felt like he could breathe easy again. She was still recovering and he imagined she would be for a while, but it would at least allow him to catch up on some of the tasks that he had been letting slide in the mean time.

He spent the better part of the day doing a patrol and reinforcing some of the scent markers that had begun to go stale while he was taking care of Eska and Artorias wasn't well, but on his way around the edge of the pack he noticed the path they had made down to the shore had begun to get overgrown. He usually cleared it out every few weeks or so, but with everything that had been going on he had forgotten about it. With his patrol done he doubled back and started pulling out some of the over grown weeds, vines, and fallen limbs until the path they had marked off with stones down the hill to the Shimmering Shore was clear once more.

Ulric stepped on to the beach and walked toward the edge of the water until the bioluminescent waves were nearly washing over his toes. The date he had planned for Eska on the beach a while back crossed his mind and he smiled softly at the memory. He wanted to plan something else for her now that she was better, but he also intended to follow through with his promise to travel and see the sights of the world with her once she was fully back on her feet. Once Boreas summer came and his position in the pack was fully replaced by Briar's presence here he would take his mate all across the globe if that's what she wished. He had been debating whether he wanted to visit the mangroves with her as they traveled through Boreas, maybe visit his mother's grave, but after all the running he had done from the bad memories he wasn't sure if he wanted to dig them up again now.

Ulric Adravendi

Restless.

That was the easiest way for Ganta to describe the feeling of his spirit. His visits with Roza, Ulric, and Philomena had done little to reassure the man that he could rest. In fact… the opposite result had occurred. Ganta had been unable to find peace, wandering the spiritual realm of Somnium until, at last, he had found a way down to Boreas. But even as he descended to the world he once knew Ganta knew that it would not be the same.

No longer could he feel the sand between his paws as he padded along the shore. He let loose a sigh, gaze turning towards the ebbing waters of the sea. How he wished that his past sins could be washed away with those waters… He took a step towards the waters as he pondered; could a spirit die twice? To vanish completely, to never be seen again? Would that be a far more fitting fate for a man who had broken his own family, cost them everything…?

‘You were a fool then… and you’re no better now.’ Ganta scolded himself.

‘Perhaps if you had tried harder… Philomena wouldn’t have…’

Ganta shook his head and pressed along the beach, his body giving off a light silver glow. He had come across her spirit just before arriving at this beach. Just as Ulric’s last conversation with him went south so did Philly’s. His little girl spat venom at him and fled into the darkness, a lost spirit to be claimed by the night.

How long had he walked, how long had he been on this beach when Ganta noticed the form of another?

...and of course had to recognize his son.

Ganta froze.

Yes, go ahead, his mind thought bitterly, go make his life worse. Ganta sighed, lowering her gaze. If it wasn’t for the news he carried… he wouldn’t have approached Ulric at all. The last thing he wanted to do was trouble the male more… but Ulric deserved to know…

Slow steps were taken towards Ulric and, once Ganta was close enough, he lifted his ghostly gaze towards the brown furred male.

“Ulric,” He spoke softly. “I’m sorry to bother you…” He kept his gaze on the male and lowered his haunches to the sand. “If you don’t want to be near me again after this fine, but… I have some information I feel you deserve to know…” He kept his gaze on his boy and curled his tail around his toes.

Would Ulric even listen?

Ulric was looking out over the waves when a voice said his name, making his ears perk. For a moment he thought that perhaps it was one of the newer additions to the pack that he didn't know well enough to know their voice so when he turned to face whoever it was he had a small, pleasant smile on his face. His silver gaze found the matching silver gaze of his father. His smile slipped away, blinking and giving his head a shake. He had heard about Resin's sudden and brief reappearance, the ghostly figure of the former Aegis roaming the castle for a bit of time, but he had never even considered someone from his own life reappearing like this. But when he opened his eyes again Ganta's etherial form was still standing in front of him on the shimmering sands of the beach and he frowned, his ears flicking uncertainly. The last time he encountered his father in the form of a dream it hadn't gone well, leading him to the fight that had fractured his relationship with his sister and gave him the beginning of the scars that marred one side of his face. If there was anyone that he had no interest in seeing again it was his father.

Even still, when Ganta told him that he had information that he deserved to know Ulric couldn't help but sigh and resign himself to stand there and listen, giving a small shake of his head and looking at the sand between them. He was an older man now since the last time he encountered the smaller, pale man. So much had happened in that time, so much love found and lost, children had and found, loved ones lost... He wasn't the reactive man he once was. He knew now what it was like to have someone worth putting ahead of anything else and holding the few he had close. After taking a calming breath he lifted his gaze back to Ganta's, giving him a small frown. "What is it?"

Ulric Adravendi

Ulric was willing to listen and, for that, Ganta was grateful. The pale man let out a small sigh and tilted his head to the side, as if contemplating how to explain the news he had to his son. “I’m… afraid it’s about your sister…” Ganta said softly. Even as he said those words his heart gave an ache.

“I’m sure it comes as no surprise that she hates me, blames me too for what happened…” Ganta’s ears flicked back as he said that. “As you both should… there’s nothing I can do now to erase the mistakes I’ve made, but I want you to know that no matter what you believe, or she believes, I will always love you both, you are my children… and I pay for what I’ve done every day. I’m without you, without Roza…” Ganta finally lowered his gaze.

“But… that’s not why I’ve approached you.” The man drew in a shaky, yet unnecessary, breath.

“Philomena is no longer among the land of the living…” Ganta explained. “She took her own life… She would barely talk to me about why, but I could only gather it’s because of her lost children…” He furrowed his brow. “Her youngest… is making her way back to Boreas as well.” Ganta lifted his gaze to Ulric, a look of deep sadness with them.

“I’m… sorry I couldn’t do more… I should have been able to.” Ganta shook his head and squeezed his eyes shut. “I haven’t been able to keep a good eye on Momento Mori, our relationship is far more distant than yours and mine, or mine and Philly’s… please don’t let her be consumed by some unnecessary hatred… don’t let the cycle repeat, Ulric, please…” Ganta’s voice wavered. “There has been enough unnecessary death in our family…”