*Gasp!!*
Vyvyan vigorously sat up and panted. She extended her hand to her side, but there was nothing there. Panic-stricken, she looked left and right, only to suddenly discover that nobody would ever lie next to her again regardless if it was the dubious husband of hers or her most beloved child, for they were no longer around.
Vyvyan sat in place. She was comparable to a maiden who lost her most cherished toy. She wanted to hug something but couldn’t. She should’ve been the happiest woman. She was the mightiest, had a harmonious family and had her most precious treasure, which was her obedient and adorable son. Her tribe granted her the mana she possessed, and her husband was forced to be with her. Only her son truly came from within her. He really called her “Mom.”
Vyvyan covered her face with her shaky hands. Her tears were on the verge of bursting. She was in despair. She didn’t know how she was going to live. Everything she cherished was no longer in sight. Everything she loved most had left and to the same place, no less.
Vyvyan actually knew where her husband was. She also knew what he did and went through. It wasn’t hard for her to track her brother. She could sense something as long as she had a blood relation to her target. However, she had no idea where her son had gone, since he no longer possessed his own mana. The mana he currently had was God’s mana. As such, she wasn’t even able to tell if her son was alive or not… A few days ago, however, she sensed her son’s mana once again. He was where her husband last was, though. She sensed him at the elves’ out of bounds area where her husband died.
Vyvyan assumed the dragon took her son. She couldn’t confirm if he had escaped or not. If it was possible, Vyvyan would instantly go there… Although she didn’t have her son’s precise location, she could reach the lighthouse via teleportation. That was the mana hub for the entire area surrounding the forbidden zone.
“But my son left with the determination to die. What would I do after saving him? Would my son die on elven soil or the North?” Vyvyan asked herself. She didn’t dare to go. She didn’t dare to see her son, who would never wake up. She was extremely afraid. She worried, “How am I going to live the day I see his corpse?”
Vyvyan looked toward the North and took in a deep breath.
========
Elizabeth vigorously opened her eyes then drew her sword by the head of her bed. However, somebody hugged her before she could take a swing. Shocked, Elizabeth threw her sword away and caught the person hugging her. Voice surprised, she asked, “Vyvyan?! Vyvyan, what are you here for?”
“I can’t… I really can’t… Elizabeth… I can’t hold myself together any longer… I really can’t… I can’t take it anymore… I want to die. I really want to die… What am I going to do about the elves… after I die…? Living is so painful now… So painful… Why do I… Why can’t my husband and son be with me…? My son… has gone to suicide, right…?”
Elizabeth hugged Vyvyan and let the latter cry in her arms. She let out a soft sigh: “It’s okay. It’s okay. It’s okay, Vyvyan, it’s okay. My son will be all right. He’s not going out there to die; he’s gone off to live. Vyvyan, Vyvyan, trust my son. You’re out of ways, but he has a way. Think about it: when has he ever let us down?”
“But he’s just a kid… He’s just a kid… He’s just a kid… Why does he have to go through these things…? It’s too cruel on him… too cruel… He’s just a kid… It’s all my fault… It’s all my fault… It’s all my fault that he’s suffering so much… It’s all my fault!”
Vyvyan raised her head and tightly grabbed Elizabeth’s arm. Vyvyan was no longer eloquent and composed as usual. She grabbed onto Elizabeth as if she was a terrified child. Elizabeth let out a heavy sigh, and then clasped Vyvyan’s face. In a solemn tone, Elizabeth explained, “Vyvyan, calm down. Calm down. It’s not your fault, and Troy is no longer a child. You’re not the only one who’s currently worried about Troy. Everybody is worried about him right now. He’s not just your son. He’s also Nier and Lucia’s husband, and he’s the father to several girls. We can’t do anything right now, though. We…”
“We can!!!” Vyvyan grabbed Elizabeth’s collar before she could finish and shouted. “I can sense my son’s location. I initially couldn’t, since the mana he had didn’t come from me, but a few days ago, his own mana reappeared. Do you know where he is? He’s in the elves’ forbidden zone. In other words, he’s where Inard passed away!”
Elizabeth’s expression changed at the mention of Inard. She looked blankly at Vyvyan. Vyvyan took in a deep breath and went on, “Since my son wants to live, we must go and rescue him!! We have to go! How is my son going to fight that dragon without our help?! How will he survive?!”
It took Elizabeth a while to pull herself together to answer, “You want to go there to save my son? My son went there with plans to save himself. Wouldn’t you get in his way if you went there now? Think properly, Vyvyan. You can’t save my son, so let him save himself!!”
“Why would he go there if he wanted to save himself? Can a dragon help an elf?! Moreover, that’s where his father died!! You think that the dragon will spare an elf in front of it?!”
Elizabeth lingered. Though she didn’t want to disturb Troy’s operation, Vyvyan was right. Besides, while Elizabeth appeared calm on the surface she was actually suffering within. Every day Troy was still in danger was worrying. She’d run laps between hope and despair every day. She felt her son would appear at any moment, but she was also afraid he wouldn’t come back…
Vyvyan sternly said, “Let’s go protect him, Elizabeth. I, alone, can’t defeat a dragon. Dragons are inherent nemeses of elves. Our magic is ineffective against them no matter how pure our mana is. That’s why it’s impossible for me to slay the dragon. You, on the other hand, can. Call that girl, too. The three of us can definitely slay the dragon and bring my son back.”
Elizabeth went to speak, but nothing came out. The two of them exchanged eye contact for a while before Elizabeth slowly shook her head: “I believe in my Son. Vyvyan, I believe he has a reason for being there if he dared to go there. I believe he would never seek death, so I don’t plan to go. It would be pointless for us to go. We have to let him face all this alone.”
“… I knew it. You’re still a coward just as you were in the past.” Vyvyan shoved Elizabeth back down onto the bed. Vyvyan yelled, “You’re the same as you were in the past. You’re a coward who abandons your child! You don’t have the guts to make decisions, because you’re afraid of bearing the consequences! You’re afraid you’ll be met with pain, so you don’t dare to go and act!! You’re not worthy of being a mother!! You’re doing the exact same thing you did back then, throwing your child away!!”
“What else can I do?!! Just do as you say and rush over there to kill the dragons?! What next?! What next?! Huh?! What are we going to do next? You have a way to sustain my son’s life?! You still have a way to keep him alive? Do you?!” Elizabeth grabbed Vyvyan’s blonde hair and shouted in her face. “What’s the difference between my past self and you right now? Can you not do anything except cry and shout?! Aren’t you the same as I was in the past? What right do you have to call me a coward?! You’re the same as I was in the past! You have no right to come seek me!! What are we going to go there for?! What for?!! Can my son stay alive if we kill the dragon?! How would we do that?!! How on Earth would we do that?!!”
“We should, at least, do something, shouldn’t we?! Are we supposed to just watch my son be around that dragon?! Are we just going to watch him?! I’d rather do something wrong than do nothing!! What do we need to do to calm ourselves? I can only calm down if I see my son safe and sound!!! You coward! All you could do was watch your husband leave, and now you’re going to let your son leave, too!”
Elizabeth stopped talking and slapped Vyvyan instead of arguing. Vyvyan dawdled for a moment, and then returned the favour. The two of them soon began to fight, grabbing each other’s hair and trying to yank it out.
Elizabeth thundered, “You called me a coward! You called me a coward! You think you’re the only one worried about him?! You think you’re the only one who loves him?! You think you’re the only one who cares, Elf?!! I’m very worried about him, as well! I love him, as well!! I want him to come back, as well!! You think I’m inferior to you?! I don’t love my son any less than you do!! I’m not a coward!! I’m not!!!”
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