966 - Childhood Friend of the Zenith

As events with Shin Ui and Yusa were unfolding in the distance, things were also happening at the park. A woman whose arm was grasped turned to look back. She made eye contact with him. The unexpected situation left both the woman and me momentarily silent. The cold sensation in my hand and the gaze directed at me. It made me swallow unknowingly. I had thought of words to say fervently. But upon facing her directly, I couldn't open my mouth. "Mother." I was right. I knew as soon as I saw her. The woman was undoubtedly my mother. How could I forget? Even after decades have passed, I never forgot her. I thought I had lived forgetting, but now I see she had become even clearer to me. The silence continued. Though her hand remained still, I had to speak somehow. What should I say? My mind went blank. The moment my thoughts all vanished into flames. "There." “...!” A voice was heard. It was my mother's voice. The eyes visible under the sky curved gently. "Is there something you need?" “...” As she pointed to her own wrist, I unwittingly released the hand I was holding. Thump-! Thump-! My heart raced. It was much more intense than before a battle. What should I say? Should I express my longing? Or should I speak words filled with resentment? Or perhaps... No matter how I racked my brain, nothing came to mind. Still, I had to say something, so I managed to speak while looking at her. “…This…” I took something out from my pocket. It was a handkerchief. "You dropped this." "Oh my." My mother received the handkerchief with a smile. "When did I drop it?" When I first saw my mother. I noticed her dropping it as she passed by. I picked it up immediately. I planned to use it as an excuse to speak to her. I tried to speak to confirm it. "Thank you. I didn't know." My mother expressed her thanks with a smile but showed no other reaction. Seeing this, I bit my lip slightly. Was Shin Noya correct? ‘Does she not really recognize me?’ Even with her eyes meeting mine, it seemed my mother did not recognize me. The emotions from this scraped at my heart slightly. Perhaps. ‘Is it because of the spell cast on my body?’ A spell placed on my body. It not only affects my appearance but also the soul itself. Is that why she can't recognize me? Would things change if I lifted it? Such thoughts filled my mind. ‘Hold on.’ I clenched my fist and forcibly held back. It was too big a gamble. Hadn't Noya said? My mother didn’t know me, and if found out, the situation would be dangerous. ‘They said the dragon should be exterminated.’ The existence of a dragon is not to be. They said if discovered, they might kill me immediately. In such a situation. ‘I’m standing here like a madman.’ Even knowing all this, I watched my mother. Even though I knew everything. This was an act driven by emotion, but also a task for confirmation. With trembling eyes, I looked at my mother. The eyes that were smiling at me. The distinct hair visible beneath the sky and the gaze meeting mine. The dryness in my throat made me swallow involuntarily. ‘…How.’ How can eyes that are smiling be so cold? On the surface, they appear incredibly kind. Yet I shivered at the chill lurking within. A void. The eyes looking at me held no emotion. Realizing that, I bit my lips hard. I became certain. Indeed. ‘…Noya's words seem to be true.’ Mother really seemed to not recognize me. I had hoped otherwise, but it seems to be true. Which means. ‘Does that mean all my worries are justified?’ If my mother came to know who I am, it seems an incredibly dangerous situation would arise. I turned my eyes away. I looked at another behind my mother. I knew who it was. ‘Yarang.’ A general known as Yarang and currently said to be the daughter of Mang Gye. In other words, she claimed to be my mother's daughter. Furthermore. ‘…Wi Seol ah.’ The one I believed to be the divine sword. I narrowed my eyes slightly as I looked at her. My mother didn’t recognize me, possibly due to the spell, not realizing I was a dragon seemed a relief. However. ‘Why you?’ Yarang should know about me. It wasn’t anything else; she had directly confronted me. According to the Heavenly Demon, she had been watching over me. Seeing her remain silent jolted various thoughts. Among them, the biggest was. ‘Could it be?’ Is she remaining silent knowing everything? Despite being called the eyes and ears of Mang Gye. Aren't you keeping quiet before Mother? If that is really the case. ‘Why.’ Why are you doing so? If you truly are the divine sword, did you seal your lips for my sake? Is this a reasonable assumption due to the situation? Or is it my earnest wish, hoping for such? In the face of such uncertainty, my thoughts floundered. "There." “…!” My mother’s voice snapped me back to reality. “Is there something else you needed from us?” "…No, nothing…. It's just." I turned my gaze from Yarang back to my mother. "I saw you walking in the park. I was curious about what brought you out." “Oh, I see.” At my words, my mother smiled again. That smile uniquely pained me. “I came out with my daughter for a long overdue outing.” “…An outing.” “Yes. The weather was good today, wasn’t it?” “…Yes.” The weather was indeed clear. Without a cloud in the sky, it was truly beautiful. But. "So, I went out with my daughter for a long-awaited outing." As her words continued, I found myself unable to say anything. She was out on an outing with her daughter. As the mother held Yarang’s hand, memories of walking with my younger sister in the past overlapped in my mind. That's why, “Thank you so much for picking up my handkerchief. I hope you have a great time too.” I couldn't bring myself to stop my mother as she turned away, saying those words. It was because I feared the cold gaze she had sent me. I couldn't even ask her if she really didn't remember me. So, I simply watched her walk away, growing distant. And then, I could feel Yarang's intense gaze on me as she walked alongside my mother. ****************** The woman left the park and re-entered the crowd. Ignoring the sounds reverberating in her ears, she walked for a while. After silently walking a considerable distance, she stepped into the shade of a building. It wasn't because of the heat. She simply wanted to avoid the sunlight and, simultaneously, take a moment to catch her breath. "Hmmm." She exhaled softly. Steadying her breath, she called, "Darling." Yarang responded to the woman's call. "That boy from earlier." "…" "Doesn't he seem familiar?" At the woman's query, Yarang silently observed her. Trying to read her expression, but the woman’s face was obscured by a veil. Her voice seemed languid and kind as usual, but, there was an odd sensation Yarang could detect. Born from this woman, she could sense slight differences. Was it mere curiosity? Or was it something else? While pondering these questions while looking at the woman. “Isn’t it odd? Feels like I’ve seen him somewhere…. But also feels like maybe I haven’t.” She tilted her head, speaking with ambiguity. "Hmmm. Should I uncover my eyes?" Unveiling what she wore would make things clear immediately, but, the woman opted not to do so. There was something she wished to maintain for an upcoming arrangement. However. ‘Hmm.’ It kept bothering her. Perhaps it was because she had come with this physical form after so long. And because she had most of her body sealed with the veil, she couldn't even notice the handkerchief falling, nor the person who picked it up. It’s been a long time since she felt such sensations. The woman relished the comfort that came from vulnerability. Thinking about it, she recalled the one who handed over the handkerchief. ‘Hmm.’ The face was somewhat blurred. Even though she had seen him directly in front of her. Her body’s response time had been deliberately slowed, but still, ‘How strange.’ She couldn’t remember distinctly. What did his face look like? What kind of expression did the boy who spoke to her have? And what voice did he use when speaking? She couldn’t recall any of that. Yet still, an unusual awareness lingered within her. Thus, she asked, “Was he someone you knew?” For some unknown reason, the emotions aroused seemed too peculiar to dismiss as a mere stranger. There was a hint of inexplicable longing in the voice he used to address her, and his response held an unidentified sense of distress. That. That made the woman inexplicably aware of something unusual. So she questioned Yarang. Though she asked if she knew, she was merely inquiring. "..." Yarang gently shook her head in denial. Upon seeing this, the woman looked at her gradually with crimson eyes. "Is that so?" “…” “I see.” She didn't press further after that. She didn’t suspect it was a lie. For Yarang would not dare to lie to her. However, ‘Hmm.’ A strange sense of unfamiliarity was felt. Why is this? She could investigate if curious, no? Without making further inquiries even to Yarang, or attempting to confirm. Originally, she wouldn’t have left things like this. If curious, she would usually confirm. There should be nothing in the world unknown to her. “Hmmm.” She didn't dwell deeply on the peculiar feelings arising within. No, rather, It felt as if something was preventing her from doing so. And yet, ‘…What was it?’ The curiosity lingered. The voice that spoke to her kept echoing in her mind. The woman had no choice but to pause her steps momentarily. *************** After watching my mother leave. I had to hesitate for a while, unable to move. Not having fully grasped the situation, and my mind was too tangled to act. All I could do was painstakingly organize my scattered thoughts, one by one. ‘First….’ Why had my mother appeared here? This question was my initial concern, yet there was no immediate way to find out. If my mother truly was the ruler of this world, Anywhere she appeared should, by nature, not be strange. ‘Still, I need to know how often she appears.’ Better to know than not. I was determined to find this out for sure. Moreover, ‘I don't think she recognizes me.’ Seeing the coldness in her eyes left no room for doubt. The cold gaze was so unlike the way she used to look at me. So I had to let go now. I finally let go of the lingering attachments I barely held onto. The mother I knew truly didn’t remember me, and likewise, ‘Yarang pretends not to know me, even though she does.’ Yarang, whom I perceived as similar to a divine sword, made no mention of me, even as she watched Mother. Does she not know I am a dragon? I wasn’t sure. The essential part was, ‘If Yarang really is… akin to a divine sword.’ I wasn’t even sure if she was the divine sword. Yet if she were the divine sword, Did she truly know about me? Unlike my mother, did she have memories? That was something I wanted to ascertain. ‘…The feeling I get now is.’ An assumption that she doesn’t entirely not know. And a sense of anticipation. Plus a fervent hope. If my mother didn’t remember me, I wished that at least she might be different. ‘Damn it.’ The unforeseen encounter with my mother left my mind in chaos. So although the situation was already complicated, “What’s this situation now?” The current scene before me further intensified my headache. For there, unexpectedly, “Oh, you’ve arrived.” Shin Noya greeted me with a bright smile. The problem lay with what he was holding in his hand. Someone tied up tightly with rope. “Mmmpf! Mmmmph…!!” A general of Man Gye. Yusa greeted me in a rather disgraceful state. Martial Arts, 3 Comments 3.1 / 81 MaxLevelNewbie 2024.09.26 15:06 Report Is the order messed up? 0 Yeon Woo 2024.10.29 16:39 Report The order is often jumbled. 0 LostDentures 6 days ago Report Indeed, it really is 0 Only logged-in members can post comments. 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