The Resident Eviloves : Connections (Lady Dimitrescu - Resident Evil)

Chapter 2 - Profaned Mourning

Since the end of Miranda's reign, drastic changes had taken place in the village and the whole valley. Moreau being dead and his territory being vacant, the Lycans had invested the place, setting up camps around the lake. Mathias, now assuming his role as head of House Derune, had taken his place on the council of the lords, alongside his wife Alcina Dimitrescu, and their ally and friend Donna Beneviento. Karl Heisenberg was still absent, still on his road trip around the world, but his place as lord had not been removed, even if on the one hand, Alcina was not in too much of a hurry to see him return, which always amused Mathias to hear her say that.

A week had now passed since the intrusion of the group of thieves. This winter had been rather harsh, but now the first days of the new spring had arrived. But despite a small rise in temperature and the melting of a large part of the snow, the region being mountainous, the cold still remained a little. Usually, in winter, Bela and Cassandra were forced to stay cloistered in the castle, their mutation making them far too sensitive to cold temperatures, especially below 0 degrees. But spring having returned, the two women could go outside, but had to put on warm clothes anyway.

Today was also a somewhat sad day for the family, as it unfortunately marks the anniversary of the death of Daniela, who had courageously sacrificed her life to protect those of her sisters.

Quietly, Mathias, hands in his pockets and carrying an acoustic guitar on his back, walked through the middle of the village, heading towards the small adjoining square which served as a crossroads, one of the roads, wooded, leading to Donna's house, the second leading to the ruins and further to the Heisenberg factory, and the third path leading further to another part of the village and the former territory of Moreau.

As he walked among the ruined houses of the village, he saw several Lycans appear from different corners of the alleys or on the roofs, and all of them watching him in the greatest silence. Some even stepped out of his way, bowing respectfully. And to think that a year ago, these creatures took him for game, and now he had become one of their leaders. Fortunately, after Miranda's death, the Lycans had been freed from her grip and submitted to the new order of the lords.

Coming through the gate of the annex square, Mathias noticed that he was not the first to arrive. Bela and Cassandra were already there, seated and gathered around a small funeral stone stele decorated with flowers, which they had wanted to erect here in honor of their late little sister. The two witches turned towards the young man and smiled at him, and he returned it by coming to sit with them near the stele. He could see that they had brought a pack of beer bottles. Cassandra offered one to Mathias, who, although not used to drinking alcohol, decided to take it, to share this moment with them.

_"Where is mother?" Cassandra asked.

_"She also wanted to pay a tribute to Daniela, but in the family crypt of the castle." Mathias replied. "I felt she needed some alone time, so I'll join her later. Besides, you know Alcina has always been more traditional than us."

Daniela totally understood. Bela, after a sip of her bottle, gently placed her hand on the stele.

_ "Little sister..." she said to Daniela's soul. "If you knew how much we miss you. But we wanted to be there, for you, in this day. I remember those evenings, when we secretly bought beers from the Duke and drank them in our rooms... The day where mother spot us doing this... She was so pissed, it was hilarious..."

Cassandra chuckled softly, her gaze pensive at the mention of those happy memories, and took a sip. Mathias smiles too, enjoying listening to the sisters tell anecdotes about their past.

_"To Daniela." said the young man, raising his bottle of beer in homage.

_"To Daniela." Bela and Cassandra repeated in unison, coming gently to shake their bottles with Mathias's, and all together drank to Daniela's memory.