Realm of Monsters-Chapter 704: Children of Veres

Chapter 704: Children of Veres

Though Stryg knew it was only a memory, he could still feel the night air of early autumn brushing on his skin. It was crisp, with traces of summer’s warmth still on the wind. The light breeze swept through the windows of the chieftain’s home. Yet the wind felt ice-cold to Nalindra as she lay in bed, covered in sweat. Her every breath was laboured and her joints ached from the slight movements.

She shifted in bed restlessly. “W-Water…”

“Here you are,” Jahn gently slipped his hand under her neck and propped her up, and placed a cup of water to her lips.

Nalindra took a few slow sips before giving up. “Thank you.”

“Of course.” Jahn laid her head back down and tucked the blanket back over her shoulders.

“...You should be with your sister.”

“No. You need me,” Jahn shook his head.

“She is in pain and alone.”

“She’s not alone. The Mothers are with her. And besides, a man is not allowed in the birthing room.”

Nalindra looked her son in the eye. “Your sister is more alone now than she’s ever been.”

He swallowed the lump in his throat. “I won’t leave you… I can’t.”

“Jahn…”

“You’re going to be okay and so is Aurelia. The Mothers have it under control. She and the baby will pull through just fine. And we’ll both get to see them. You’ll hold your grandson in your arms and give him his first bath, just like how Grandmother did with me,” he tried his best to smile, but it cracked as he stared at his mother’s frail appearance.

Neither wanted to say it, but they both knew Nalindra’s time was short. Her disease had accelerated after her battle with Stjerne. She had held on as long as she could, for the sake of Aurelia. With each passing day, her daughter had grown more depressed and erratic. The pregnancy of a titan child was poisoning Aurelia’s mind and body like a curse.

The Sylvan Mothers believed it was actually a curse and that the baby was damned, cursed by Lunae. Aurelia had broken her sacred oaths by having a child. Everyone in the village knew it, but none dared speak of her sins aloud. Not as long as Nalindra was around. But soon that would change. They already were.

Ever since Nalindra had fallen bedridden, the Mothers had made their move. Using Aurelia’s broken oaths as an excuse, they had convinced many in the village that the children of Veres were not fit to lead them.

Even now, the Mothers had placed several of their own loyal warriors around Sylvan Hall, barring access from any who might wish to even leave a token of support outside the birthing room. They were isolating Aurelia as a show of strength to weaken the Veres family.

The truth was staring Nalindra and her family in the face. Things would never be the same. Her children just didn’t want to say it aloud.

So she would do it for them. “I’m dying.”

“Mom, don’t say that.” Jahn grabbed her hand and tried to put on a brave smile, failing yet again. “Please,” he whispered, “Don’t say that.”

“What do you think they will do to the baby once he is born? Do you think they will spare him?”

Jahn frowned. “They cannot harm him. It is against our laws. He has done nothing wrong.”

“Not in the eyes of the Sylvan Mothers. To them, he is an ill omen. Have you not seen the sky outside? The moon is dark, Lunae’s voice is silent.”

“They would not dare harm Aurelia’s child.”

“And who is going to stop them? Me? I cannot even stand.”

“My sister is an Ebon Aspirant, she can handle herself.”

“Aurelia? Her mental state was already damaged after her lover’s betrayal. The chaos intoxication has only deteriorated what was left of her mind. You’ve seen how she’s been these last few weeks. She hardly eats or speaks. …I worry that after tonight, she will take her own life.”

“Sh-She wouldn’t do that,” Jahn whispered more to himself than her.

Nalindra squeezed her son’s hand with what little strength she had left. “Aurelia cannot protect herself, let alone her child. She needs you.”

Jahn held his head in his hands, his shoulders shaking as he cried quietly. “I don’t know what to do. I’ve always followed your lead and Dad’s. Now Dad’s gone and you’re…” He muffled a cry and sniffed. “I don’t know how to help Aurelia. I’ve tried, I really have, but it’s like she doesn’t even hear me… You expect me to be a leader of this tribe, but I can’t. I can’t even help my sister. I don’t know what to do without you, Mom.”

“Oh, my sweet boy,” Nalindra wiped a tear from his cheek. “You don’t always have to know what to do, you just have to be there.”

Jahn held her hand to his cheek. “Mom… I don’t want you to die.”

“I will always be a part of you, Jahn. But right now your sister needs you, now more than ever.”

He wiped the tears from his eyes and nodded. “I understand.” He walked from the bed and stopped in the doorway. Jahn took one last, long look at his mother. “I love you.”

She gave him a warm smile, tears touching the corners of her eyes. “As do I. Always.”

The door closed behind him with a quiet creak. Nalindra exhaled deeply and grabbed something from underneath her blankets. Stryg recognized the worn leather cover and the arcane writing on the binding. It was his book of memories.

Nalindra ran her hand across the book and channeled what little energy she had left. “This will be my last entry,” she spoke aloud to no one in particular.

“Auri, if you’re listening to this, know that I love you and your brother so very deeply. Take care of Jahn. He is stronger than you think, but he’ll need you as you will need him. If you both stick together, I’m certain everything is going to be okay.

“And if it is you, grandchild, listening to my last words,” she said, startling Stryg. “Then please, allow me to speak the words that have been burning in my mind... I counseled Aurelia to take the elixir, not because I didn’t want you, but because I was afraid she would die before you were even born. I know now that I was wrong. I just don’t want you to grow up believing you were unwanted, because it simply isn’t true. You are the one good thing that came out of all of this. Everything that’s happened… none of this was your fault. Please, never forget that.

“I wish I could see you grow into the great man you are destined to be. You are going to join this incredible world and see sights I only ever dreamed of, but this world—” Nalindra coughed, blood staining her lips and chin. After a few long breaths, she continued. “This world can be cruel and it will try to hurt you. People will say you're cursed, that you’re different, that you do not belong. But I want you to know, no matter what your origins may have been, it does not define who you are.

“No matter what anyone tells you, know that there is nothing wrong with you. You are perfect just the way you are and don’t let anyone make you think otherwise.” Nalindra stared at the ceiling and smiled, closing her eyes for the last time. “I love you. I will always love you.”

Stryg walked over to her, his eyes red with tears, and tried to hold her hand, even though it simply passed through. Her words broke something in him that he had tried to bury so many times.

How he wished the little blue goblin of his childhood had heard her words so long ago, every time he cried himself to sleep, alone, in the dark.

Stryg knelt next to her bed and cried. “I love you too.”

The memory faded away, leaving him in darkness, save for his only companion in this place, the orb of light, a beacon in the dark. It flared brightly and the world shifted into a different room.

The cries of a baby broke him from his grief. Stryg looked up to see a bed crowded by women dressed in simple robes and wearing scarlet laurels upon their heads. He recognized them, they were the Sylvan Mothers of his childhood.

The eldest of the women, the First Mother, took a step back from the bed and turned, revealing a small bundle cradled in her arms; a bright blue newborn, still covered in blood, crying aloud.

A young Aurelia lay in bed, the blankets drenched in blood. “Give him to me,” she whispered in a frail voice, her eyes barely staying open.

The First Mother looked down at her with a cold glance. “No.”

“We must deal with the ill omen child,” said a different Mother.

The rest of their sisters nodded in agreement.

“The child is cursed. He will only bring ruin to us if he stays,” First Mother reached for a dagger lying on the counter.

“Stop,” Aurelia mumbled, though there was little conviction in her voice. The light in her eyes was fading in and out.

A sudden ruckus from outside caused them all to freeze. Screams of pain rang through the air. First Mother frowned. “What is going on out there!?” she demanded.

The door slammed open and Jahn stumbled in. His arm limp and dripping with blood, but his eyes were burning with the rage of battle. With his other hand, he held a spear dripping with more blood. Jahn cast a quick glance over the room, taking in his surroundings. “Auri!”

“How dare you enter this place!?” First Mother yelled.

Jahn thrust the spear below her neck, stopping just as the steel touched her skin. “Give my sister her baby or I will murder you and your sisters where you stand.”

The elder woman’s face went pale and her eyes darted towards her sisters as if demanding them to help her. When she realized they were all as frozen stiff as her, she scowled at Jahn. “You are dooming this village and—”

“—I won’t ask you again,” Jahn said.

First Mother held her head up high and slowly walked back to the bed, and placed the infant on a pillow.

“Now, all of you, step into that corner!” Jahn snapped.

The women complied, though First Mother took her time.

Jahn walked over to his sister while keeping his eyes on the priestesses. “Auri, are you alright?”

Aurelia stared uneasily at the baby who was still crying without end; his chubby cheeks covered in a dark blue blush. “...I’m okay,” she muttered.

“Can you stand?” Jahn asked.

“...I don’t know.”

More shouts of alarm echoed in the distance. The sound of heavy footsteps grew closer.

“Auri, please, get up,” Jahn said.

“Why? Why does any of this matter anymore…” she mumbled.

“I know you’re troubled. I know this has all been hard on you. And I’m sorry I haven’t been there for you like I should have been. But I need you to get up right now. They are coming and they will take your child from you if you don’t fight. We need your magic.”

“I don’t know if I can spellcast… I’ve lost so much blood,” she admitted. She glared at her infant, “He won’t shut up…”

“What?” Jahn frowned. “He’s a baby. They cry. It’s what they do.”

“I hate it…” she muttered.

“Auri—”

A goblin warrior ran into the room, rushing straight at Jahn with his spear. The latter batted the spear away with his own, and kicked the warrior in the gut. The goblin stumbled backwards and Jahn wasted no time in stabbing him in the neck.

Jahn rushed to the door and looked down the hall. “There’s no time, we need to go, Auri. I’ll make a path for you.”

“Why…? Why are you here?” Aurelia asked.

“What? Auri, I know you’ve lost a lot of blood, and things may not make much sense, but I need you to be strong. Your son is in danger.”

“He’s not mine, not really…”

“Auri.” Jahn looked her in the eyes, “Mom is dead.”

“What?” Aurelia's eyes widened, the light within sparking anew.

“Nalindra is dead?” First Mother gasped, unable to hide the excitement in her voice.

Jahn ignored the Sylvan Mothers and focused on his sister. “Mom wanted me to keep you safe, both of you. But I can’t without your help. Aurelia, that child is your son. And he needs you, we need you. So. Get. Up.”

Aurelia gritted her teeth and slowly sat up in the bed. Agonizing pain burned all through her body. Every muscle ached with exhaustion and her vision swam with each shallow breath she took. Pushing her mind past the blinding pain, she staggered to her feet, and picked up the infant in her arms. The crashing sounds of footsteps were right outside the hall now.

“I’ll cover you, go!” Jahn yelled and leapt at his enemies.

Aurelia held the babe in her arms as she stumbled out the door and limped in the opposite direction from her brother. The sound of clashing steel and bodies hitting the wooden planks echoed behind her.