When I came to again, I saw a timber ceiling. The smell of the sea around me was gone. Instead, a smell I couldn’t be any more familiar with welcomed me; it was the smell of the elven forest. The familiar fragrance lingered by the tip of my nose. It was the same as when I woke up in this world for the first time and saw Mommy Vyvyan.
I was at the elven forest except I wasn’t sure where in the elven lands. I wouldn’t be surprised if I was in the Galadriel Tribe’s cemetery. However, before my eyes right now was an oddly familiar ceiling. I’d never been there before, yet I couldn’t help but feel I had been there in the past.
I wanted to sit up, only to discover that I couldn’t budge. I didn’t know how long it had been since I was last awake. All I could recall was Vyvyan shoving Elizabeth away, and they fought in front of me, again. Mommy Vyvyan didn’t hesitate to use magic to smash Mommy Elizabeth into the cabin. She ignored Nier and Lucia, who tried to stop her, and threw them both off the ship. She then pulled me over and took off with Instant Transmission. The immense pressure of utilising Instant Transmission caused me to instantly lose conscious.
Nothing would convince Vyvyan to give up in her current state. Everything would fall on deaf ears; all lives were insignificant. She’d dare to kill anybody who stopped her. She wouldn’t hesitate in the slightest even if it was her old friend or her Lucia.
The sound of footsteps closed in. Mommy Vyvyan opened the timber door in front of me. Her eyes were red, and she wore a gloomy smile. She was holding a steaming bowl of soup. She sat down by the side of the bed and stroked my head: “Son, how do you feel now?”
“I still… can’t move…”
Mommy Vyvyan raised the bowl up with a smile: “That’s all right. I’ll definitely be able to save you as long as you’re alive, Son. I definitely will. Don’t worry. You’ll be fine as long as you’re by Mommy’s side. You’ll survive, as long as you’re by Mommy’s side. Mommy will do everything to save you even if it costs my life.”
“Mom… How exactly… am I…?”
“Have some soup first, Son. There’s only the two of us now.” Vyvyan raised the spoon and blew it. She fed me and revealed a blissful smile. Voice soft, she added, “Just as in the past, Son. Just as in the past. There’s only the two of us. It’s enough with Mommy looking after you. You just need to give Mommy a smile. Mommy will feel fulfilled if Mommy can see your smile. We can continue living, even if it’s just us…”
“M-My…”
“Don’t worry all that, Son.” Vyvyan fed me again before I could finish. The sweet and familiar taste of the soup dispersed in my mouth. She solemnly continued, “Son, you’re living in a dead body. Your body can no longer produce mana, which means that you’re dead as an elf. Son, Mommy doesn’t need the elven throne or the Galadriel Tribe anymore. Mommy just wants you… Mommy just wants you, Mommy’s most dear son. Son, Mommy is your Mommy, and you’re Mommy’s son. Let’s spend our entire life here!”
“I want to go back… to the North… My children…”
“You can’t return in your current state!” exclaimed Mommy Vyvyan. She bent over and looked at me eyes with a serious look. With a broken heart, she explained, “Son, didn’t Mommy tell you? Your body is no longer capable of producing mana. Think about the day you were attacked with the mana dissolving potion. Can you still remember it? You couldn’t even move at the time. You’re in the same state now. An elf without mana is the same as a human without blood. You can’t move anymore, Son! You’re now no different… to a corpse… You’re only meagrely hanging on by a thread, since you’re half-elf… Do you know… how much heart wrenching it is… to see you in this state…?”
I had no response. A deeply seated sense of despair seeped into Mommy Vyvyan’s eyes. I opened my mouth in a dumbfounded manner, but couldn’t utter a word. Her cold tears landed on my face and the bowl in her hands, causing soup to splash. Her hands quivered. She grabbed my shoulder tightly and sobbed, “Mommy can only take you away. You must stay by Mommy’s side. Mommy needs to replenish your mana daily for you to move. Your body is now incapable of producing mana, so you need to let Mommy transfer mana to your every night. That’s the only way you’ll see another tomorrow…”
“Mom…”
“It’s all right, Son. You know that you’re actually a dark elf, right? You’re the same as Mera. We can acquire mana through sucking the blood of others.”
Mommy Vyvyan gently dipped her finger into my mouth and touched my teeth. Quietly, she said, “Ordinary replenishment methods won’t be enough to replenish so much mana. You, therefore, need to suck blood. You need Mommy’s blood. Mommy doesn’t mind. Mommy won’t mind even if you suck Mommy dry. Mommy just wants you to be by Mommy’s side as you were in the past. Son, there’s one more way and that is to give birth to you again, essentially reliving your life. You can choose between these two options, Son.”
“Is there no other way…?” I asked feeling dumbfounded. If it was up to me, I’d choose neither.
“No. Those are the only two methods Mommy can use to protect and save you. There are Mommy’s only two options…”
Mom gently placed her hand on my chest. I didn’t even know if my heart was still beating or not. Mom’s despairing and sad expression was before me. She wiped her tears and sniffled. She picked up the bowl by the side: “Come, Son, have this soup, and then continue resting. You can suck Mommy’s blood tonight. Mommy has a very, very long lifespan. Mommy can wait for the day your life ends. You should live in peace by Mommy’s side. Mommy won’t let you die until that day. Mommy will join you after you leave. Mommy will always be by your side to protect you no matter where you are. Mommy will definitely be there…”
I had never seen Mommy Vyvyan so sad. It was the look of despair and pain a mother wore when she looked at her child who had reached their deathbed before her. Her body couldn’t contain her despair. Her blue eyes lacked the spirit they once had. Her gaze of despair caused my heart to writhe over and over. Reluctance to part and regret echoed in my chest. I could feel my tears slowly rising to the surface…
I didn’t know how much Mom cried inside. I tasted salty tears that were so bitter I shed tears. Mom’s hand couldn’t stop trembling. Her eyes stopped on me; she was unwilling to look away. It was as if she wanted to look at my face every second she could. I had one last mouthful of soup. Choking on my tears, I whimpered: “Sorry… Mom…”
Mom’s body jolted. All her strength left her hands, causing the bowl to drop to the ground and break. She tightly hugged me in her embrace. She wailed on my shoulder while her entire body quivered. She hugged me with all of her might. She was comparable to a young girl who lost her most precious thing. Her wails were loud and showed her distraught. For me, it was a most hopeless feeling. That’s right… She was indeed a young girl who had lost her most precious thing…
Previous Chapter l Next Chapter
