Abarith
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Chapter 43: A Mother's Love
🕑 Added 2024-11-29 20:33:01 +0000 UTCBack at the academy, Jeremy paced his suite, feeling the suffocating weight of what had happened back at the Valens. His communicator sat on the desk, the screen dark after his failed attempts to call either of his parents. He had sent a message anyway—a brief summary of the bizarre dinner and the conversation with Marcus’s parents—but he wasn't sure if he had done the right thing.
The questions buzzed in his mind like a swarm, and every answer seemed worse than the last. He rubbed his eyes, trying to ease the headache forming behind them. His stomach twisted as he thought about Marcus, who had already shouldered so much pressure. If Edric or Celeste found out Jeremy had spoken, they might take it out on him—or worse, his parents might have already killed Edric and Celeste because of this—and Jeremy wasn't sure how much more Marcus could take.
He wanted to ask for advice, to hear his father’s calm, confident voice telling him what to do. Or even his mother’s sharp, no-nonsense assessment of the situation. Instead, there was only the silence of his empty suite, luxurious but devoid of comfort.
Jeremy dragged himself to bed, the sheets heavy against his body as he lay staring at the dark ceiling. He replayed the Valens’ questions over and over, their implications chilling. He was supposed to join the Seekers—a name that sounded harmless when he first heard it, but which now felt like a knife hovering over his neck.
He remembered when he ran into the Seekers at the library, a group of older students who seemed to share his curiosity about the Pretenders. They had approached him, offering answers and a chance to join them. At the time, it had seemed promising, an opportunity to finally get the truth. But now, after what had happened, he saw the dangers beneath their intentions.
Eventually, the heaviness of the day overcame him, and his eyes closed, dragging him into a restless slumber.
The next morning, Jeremy was woken up by the unmistakable sound of heavy footsteps. He opened his eyes, only to be met with a shocking sight. His mother stood at the foot of his bed, her expression cold. Scattered around the room were a group of familiar older students—the Seekers—slumped, unconscious.
“Mom?” Jeremy croaked, his voice confused. He struggled to sit up, still groggy from sleep. “What… what is this?”
Helena’s gaze never softened. She gestured to the Seekers. “These are enemies, Jeremy. They were going to make you a pawn in whatever scheme they had.”
His breath caught in his throat. He looked at the unconscious faces—students from the academy, people he might have seen around campus. He didn’t know them personally, but they were just like him—young, trying to live their lives in the academy. His voice trembled as he whispered, "Why are they here?"
She stepped closer to his bed. “Because you need to understand, Jeremy. The world we live in isn’t forgiving. There is no room for weakness, no room for mercy towards those against us. And soon, you need all the Essence you can get. Take it.”
He stared at his mother, a chill running down his spine as the realization hit him. "You want me to kill them?" His voice broke, barely a whisper.
“Yes.” Her voice was unflinching. “They are already dead, Jeremy. Whether by your hand or mine, it makes no difference. But this is your chance to grow stronger, to take what you need to survive.”
He shook his head, as if he could shake the memory away, but it was too late. He could still hear Alicia’s voice in his mind—“I’m your sister, please.” He looked at the students before him, his vision tunneling.
“Stop. This… this isn’t right.” His voice cracked. His eyes darted between the figures, and his thoughts spun wildly—There has to be another way. Information. They could have information about the Pretenders. He clung to the thought like a lifeline, his voice barely audible. “They might know something we don’t.”
Her gaze turned icy, her lips curling into a faint sneer. “Information?” She shook her head, almost pityingly. “You overestimate them, Jeremy. What would they know that I couldn’t rip out of the Valens? Whatever they think they know is unreliable, untested. The only choice left is yours.”
He stared at the figures, his mind spinning, the room blurring around him. He thought of Marcus, of Andrew, of his friends—of how the Valens controlled them. His mother was right—they were already dead, weren’t they? But a fire lit in his chest, a rage and a sorrow that he could no longer hold back. The words burst out of him, raw and unfiltered, "So what, because they can't give you answers, you'll kill them like you killed Alicia?" His mouth spoke before he could stop himself, and the tremor in his voice betrayed the fear and heartbreak he felt.
The silence that followed was deafening. His heart pounded painfully, the realization of what he’d just said washing over him like ice. He saw the flicker in his mother’s eyes—was that pain? Regret?—but she quickly looked away.
“If you won’t do it, then I will.”
His breath hitched as he watched her raise her hand. Panic seized him. She was going to do it regardless of his decision. He clenched his fists so tightly his knuckles turned white, his eyes stinging with unshed tears. He felt so powerless—small and helpless in the face of his mother’s unstoppable force.
He turned away, unable to watch. The room fell into an eerie silence, and when he turned back, the bodies were gone.
Her expression was filled with a sadness that she tried to hide. She avoided his eyes, her voice trembling. "You need to understand, Jeremy. I don't want this, but war is coming, and everyone will be engulfed in it. In the coming days, only the strong will survive, and you have to be strong. You have to be strong, no matter the price." She held out her hand, and Jeremy watched as Essence floated towards him.
His eyes widened, and for a brief moment, a thrill shot through him as the Essence coursed through his body. But then, the icy wave made his skin crawl. He felt it seeping into him, foreign and unwanted, and a sense of revulsion twisted his insides. This was something stolen, something forced upon him, and it made him want to scream.
Allocate 106.67 million Essence
"Mom," he gasped, "the academy... they’ll detect this. They monitor Essence when I next enter a dungeon. It’s illegal. They want children to earn Essence on their own."
Her eyes hardened. "That isn’t important anymore, Jeremy. You’ve woken up into a new reality—one where nothing else but strength matters. Within a year, there will be an all-out war, and starting very soon, you and the other students will be sent to fight against the weaker civilizations."
His eyes widened, disbelief mingling with fear. "What? We’re just students! You can't seriously expect us to fight in a war—"
She cut him off. "You must understand, Jeremy, there is no other way. Every able body will be required to secure humanity's future, including you and your friends."
He could feel his face flush with anger and fear. "This isn't fair! We didn't ask for this! We're supposed to be learning, not being thrown into battles!" His voice cracked, the desperation seeping through as he struggled to make her understand. "We're not ready! None of us are ready for war—not me, not my friends." He wanted to make her see how wrong all of this was.
Her eyes softened, a flicker of understanding shining through. "I know. But this is the reality we face now. Soon, nothing but war will remain, and you need to be ready for what's coming Jeremy. You have to be strong. With your amulets, you will grow enough to be stronger than anyone."
His jaw clenched, his chest tightening with a mix of rage and despair. His voice shook as he spoke, every word laced with pain. "I never wanted any of this… I just wanted to make my own choices, not have everything decided for me by you." He could feel tears welling in his eyes, and he fought them back, refusing to show weakness in front of her. He wanted his life to be his own, not a puppet dancing to the Emperor's strings or his mother's.
She paused, and slowly, her expression widened, almost looking desperate. "When I lost Alicia, it felt like part of me died with her. I don't know if Andrew will survive what is coming—his one amulet may not make him strong fast enough to matter. But you... you are my only hope, Jeremy. You must survive. At least one of my children must—“ she cut herself off, incapable to continuing. "And to do that, I have to take every measure, eliminate every threat."
Her eyes hardened. "Marcus's family is one of those threats."
His heart sank further. He imagined Marcus’s face, the shock and sorrow that would come from losing his family. But even more than that, Jeremy feared for Marcus's own life. If his mother could kill the Seekers without hesitation, what was stopping her from deciding Marcus was a threat too?
He stepped forward, his voice cracking. "Mom, please stop... not Marcus. He's not involved in this. He doesn't deserve to be hurt."
She paused, her gaze narrowing slightly. "Marcus may not be involved now, but he will find out eventually. If not now, then in the future. He may become your enemy one day, Jeremy. He could pose a threat."
He shook his head, his heart clenching painfully. His voice was raw, barely holding back a sob. "I don't care. Please, don't hurt him. He's my friend." The word 'friend' hung in the air, fragile and desperate, and Jeremy knew he was pleading for more than just Marcus's life—he was pleading for something, anything to be spared.
Helena regarded him for a long moment, her tone softening into something comforting. She let out a soft sigh, her eyes turning away from his. "Fine. Some lessons always need to be learned the hard way. Marcus will be spared—for now. But remember, your sentimentality will cost you someday."
Jeremy’s jaw clenched, his whole body trembling with a mixture of rage and helplessness. He couldn’t stand the tone she was trying to take, the way she tried to justify everything she’d just done—as if any of this could be made right.
"Just go," he said, voice was strained, almost breaking. "Please... just leave." He turned away, unable to bear looking at her, the tears he had fought so hard to contain now threatening to spill over.
Helena paused, a shadow of pain crossing her features. She avoided his gaze, and when she spoke, her voice was barely a whisper. “I know you hate me right now. And I don’t blame you. But everything I’m doing, I’m doing so you might live—so that at least one of my children will survive what’s coming. I cannot lose you too, Jeremy. Not after Alicia.”
She took a shaky breath, her eyes flickering with a sadness she couldn’t hide. “I will return after dealing with the Valens and everyone else living in the city. I will bring you all the Essence I collect, regardless of what you want.”
Then she turned and left the room without another word. The door closed behind her, and Jeremy stood there, trembling, his jaw slacked in disbelief.
His mother, who had once fought to protect humanity, was now about to destroy an entire city—all because the Valens tried to manipulate him. The room seemed to close in on him, and the truth of her words echoed relentlessly in his mind. The sense of loss swept over him like a tidal wave—this wasn’t the protector he had idolized. This was someone else, someone who would murder without a second thought, even if it meant erasing an entire city.
Luminaris. The name pounded in his skull. Marcus’s home. His best friend’s family, friends—innocent people. All of them gone because of him. Because he sent that message, hoping for guidance. He had reached out for help, and in response, he had signed the death warrant for countless.
His knees buckled, and he slumped onto the floor, his head in his hands. The heavy silence pressed in on him. His thoughts spiraled—how had it come to this? He had wanted to protect Marcus, had wanted to do the right thing. But now, the "right thing" seemed so far out of reach. He had tried to be brave, to help his friends, and instead, his actions had unleashed something monstrous. His mother had given him the Essence of those Seekers, and now she intended to give him an entire city's worth of Essence.
He gagged, the taste of bile rising in his throat. He forced his eyes shut, his body shivering uncontrollably. His sister’s last moments replayed in his mind. And now Marcus… would he see the same look in his friend's eyes if Marcus ever found out what had happened here? That his friend's mother had destroyed his home, had killed his parents—all because of him?
The tears came, hot and uncontrollable, and he let them fall. There was no one here to see, no reason to hold them back. He cried for Alicia, for Marcus, for everything that was about to happen to Luminaris. His shoulders shook with the force of it, and he pressed his forehead against the cold floor, his breath coming in ragged gasps.
Slowly, he lifted his head, staring blankly at the empty spot where the Seekers had been. The room was empty, and so was he—cold, hollow, every ounce of hope drained from him.
What do I do now? The question echoed in his mind, but there was no answer, only the deafening silence of his suite. He knew that when his mother returned, she would bring with her more Essence, more power. Power stained with the blood of people. Power he didn't want, power that made him feel sick. But he couldn't stop it. He couldn't stop her.
Jeremy took a shuddering breath, trying to find something—anything—-that could ground him. His eyes blurred, his fingers trembled. There had to be something, some way to make things right.
But as he sat on the cold floor of his bedroom, the tears still streaking down his face, Jeremy knew one thing for certain: nothing would ever be the same again. He had woken up to a new reality—one where his mother was willing to burn cities for him, and where he had to carry the weight of those ashes.
