This novel has been completed over on Patreon. Go check it out!
Patreon.com/ThatGreatStuff
******
"Sirin, would you come here for a hug from Mom?"
After praising Sirin briefly, exhaustion visibly crept over Cecilia's face. Still, summoning her strength, she smiled warmly and opened her arms towards Sirin.
While Kia and Sirin bore immense burdens maintaining the mental domain, Cecilia herself was far from unburdened. Having finally encountered Sirin, who had long avoided her, Cecilia's resilient spirit began to relax. The fatigue and weariness she had skillfully concealed now surfaced uncontrollably.
Sirin floated in midair, surrounded by Lances of Subspace like an imperial guard. Seeing Cecilia's suddenly vulnerable appearance, a hint of hesitation flickered across her eyes. But with furrowed brows and a cold expression, she rebuked her mother:
"Stop pretending. There is only one relationship between us: enemies!"
"Cecilia..."
"Silence! Do you think I wouldn't touch you just because that idiot protects you? Get out of here! Otherwise, I'll make you understand true pain right now!"
Gazing down at Cecilia, Sirin's icy demeanor radiated rejection, even a trace of murderous intent.
Cecilia swayed slightly, her smiling face paling instantly.
Unfazed outwardly, Sirin's golden eyes trembled subtly, causing the surrounding Lances of Subspace to shiver ever so slightly as well. However, she maintained her frigid composure, hovering motionless in the air.
A momentary haze clouded Cecilia's gaze, as if recalling something, accompanied by deep sorrow. Unconsciously, she took a step forward to approach Sirin, but was abruptly halted by a silver flash piercing through the air.
BOOM!
The Lance of Subspace embedded itself before Cecilia, stopping her movement and snapping her back to reality.
Cecilia shook her head, intending to bypass the lance beneath her feet. Yet, suddenly feeling disoriented, she sank gently onto the ground.
"Mom?!" Kiana bounced in Zeke's arms, ready to rush over and check on Cecilia, but Zeke held her tightly, preventing her from moving.
"Zeke, let me go quickly! How dare Sirin bully Mom—I'll teach her a lesson!"
"Calm down; it wasn't Sirin."
"What?"
Kiana continued wriggling restlessly in Zeke's embrace, still intent on helping Cecilia, yet intrigued by his words.
Zeke looked down at Kiana with a long sigh and said,
"I didn't intervene solely because of your condition."
"Huh?"
"Think about it, using your mental powers continuously has left both you and Sirin exhausted. How could your mother remain unaffected?"
"But...but Mom seemed perfectly fine all this time," Kiana murmured, her eyelashes fluttering slightly.
Zeke gazed into Kiana's eyes and responded,
"Weren't you also pretending everything was normal around her?"
"I..." Kiana opened her mouth, unable to reply.
Zeke continued, "I can only say it's no surprise you're mother and daughter—your actions mirror each other perfectly. Both of you pretend everything is fine in front of the other, hiding your exhaustion. In reality, prolonged activity within the mental domain has drained her energy just as much as it did yours. Unlike you, who have the Herrscher's power to sustain you, she lacks such reserves."
Cecilia was an S-rank Valkyrie, even known as the Silver Bullet specifically designed against Honkai. However, her formidable strength manifested primarily through her physical body and blood; in the realm of the mind, she had no particular advantages or expertise.
Realizing this truth, Kiana paled instantly and hastily grabbed Zeke by the collar, asking anxiously, "Is Mom going to be okay?"
"No immediate danger, otherwise Fu Hua would have intervened. But if this continues, she'll suffer mental trauma sooner than any of you."
"It's all my fault. If only I had noticed earlier..." Kiana sighed with relief but couldn't help blaming herself, gently knocking her head in self-reproach.
But could she truly blame herself? Was it because she, already exhausted, forced herself to appear energetic and thus failed to see through Cecilia's facade? Or was it for not being able to refuse her mother's requests?
Zeke shook his head without saying more. Instead, he gently pulled Kiana's head onto his chest, silently comforting her while keeping watch over Sirin and Cecilia's situation.
"Hey! Y-you better not put on an act right here in front of me! It's useless—I don't trust humans!" Sirin scowled and spat out harsh words, but her body slowly descended to the ground.
Seeing Cecilia slumped over, she furrowed her brow deeply.
"Cecilia isn't acting; I just suddenly feel very tired... Could you come closer so I can get a good look at you, Sirin?" Cecilia forced herself to smile, gazing tenderly at Sirin despite her frailty.
"Don't call yourself 'mom' anymore! You're not my mother!" Sirin stomped her foot, vehemently retorting with a dark expression.
These words pierced Cecilia's heart like a sharp sword.
Cecilia lowered her head, her hands clenched tightly against the floor. After a moment, silent tears began to fall.
"I...I know all too well that I've missed the most precious moments we should have spent together—whether it's with Kiana, you, or Durandal. In my memories, young Sirin still called me 'Mom,' and little Kiana was just a tiny girl. But after waking up from that long sleep, I've already lost so much!"
Crying softly, Cecilia traced the outline of young Kiana's figure with her hands as she spoke. Then, looking up at Sirin, tears continued streaming down her face.
Sirin took a step back. She couldn't quite explain it, but the sight of Cecilia weeping and the sorrow in her eyes made it unbearable for Sirin to meet her gaze.
Sniffling, Cecilia wiped away her tears and managed a forced smile. "I'm sorry; I didn't want to cry in front of you. As a mother, how could I show my vulnerability to my daughter? But...but I truly don't know how to make up for all those missed moments. I wanted to care for Durandal properly, but she is already strong and has cherished friends of her own. I wished to be closer to Kiana, but she is very mature too. Despite sometimes acting spoiled, she never wants to burden me. In the end, the only daughter I thought I might still have a chance to compensate for was you, Sirin."
"...And so, I'm just a substitute?" Sirin retorted angrily, breaking her silence. "Because there was no one else who satisfied your need to atone, you've been relentlessly clinging to me, isn't that right?!"
"No, Sirin! That's not what Mom meant, honestly!"
"Shut up! I won't trust humans anymore; you're all liars and damned sinners!"
"Sirin, I..." Cecilia began, but Sirin's attitude struck her at her most vulnerable point.
Exhausted from days of maintaining this spiritual form, coupled with emotional turmoil, Cecilia's mind went blank, and she collapsed within this space.
"Hey!" Sirin's expression shifted instantly, her body moving before reason could catch up as she rushed toward the falling Cecilia.
"Mama!"
At the same moment, Kiana charged from the opposite direction.
Both girls reached Cecilia nearly simultaneously, reaching out just in time to catch her before she hit the ground.
"Sirin... Kiana..."
Cecilia, supported by their arms, murmured their names, offering them one last pale smile before disappearing from the mental domain.
Simultaneously, in the real world, Cecilia fell into a deep coma.
"Look what you've done! If anything happens to Mama, I'll never forgive you!" Kiana glared furiously at Sirin, then also exited the mental domain to check on Cecilia's condition.
Left behind, Sirin stood frozen, staring at the empty world without any change for what felt like ages.
"I... I don't need..."
She wanted to say she didn't need this fake maternal love or that foolish woman's insincere pretenses—but suddenly, she covered her face and realized tears had soaked her cheeks.