novelraw Chapter 241: The Weight Of A Mother’s Love
Chapter 241: The Weight Of A Mother’s Love
[Thank You Akbeauty87 For Gifting Mirabella A Magic Castle.]
"Say something else!" Mirabella said, looking down at her lap, her ears burning. The legendary coldness of the Dragon Academy’s vanguard was nowhere to be found, replaced by a daughter desperately trying to navigate the sudden return of her past.
Cupcake blinked, her feline eyes wide as she took in this new side of her master. ’I didn’t know about this side of her. To think the Great Mirabella was such a handful as a toddler,’ she thought, a mischievous flick to her tail.
"Ok, let’s see... when you were seven, you asked me to play hide and seek with you. You hid and I seek." Genevieve smiled at the memory, the lines of age on her beautiful face seeming to soften. "You hid in your favorite place in my room—my wardrobe. You even covered yourself with my dresses, thinking the silk would mask you. You were so cute, even then."
She chuckled softly before her expression grew a bit more pensive. "When you were ten, you fought with your best friend, Angela; and even broke her arm. Well, you got a black eye afterward... and—"
"—And you stood there and watched the fight from start to finish," Mirabella completed the sentence, finally looking up. The memory was vivid—the stinging of her eye and the sight of her mother leaning against a doorway, refusing to intervene.
"Yeah... Kids can only learn the hard way. From that day onwards, you were scared of a fight and always tried your best to avoid it." Genevieve sighed deeply, a flicker of regret crossing her eyes:
"If I’d known Galaxy Fall would descend, I would have taught you how to survive. Because of my desire to keep you ’normal,’ you were the weakest in your previous life. You had to train harder than anyone else just to survive the first wave. That was my fault."
"No..." Mirabella reached for the teacup, her fingers steadying. "Thanks to the hardship I faced in my previous life, I know how to navigate this one. I know what’s coming. All thanks to you, Mum." She took a slow sip of the tea, the familiar blend of bitter and sweet acting as a grounding cord to her reality.
"Now, how did you end up here? The Mum I know was an ordinary person. How did you—"
"—Listen quietly, Mira. There are things you need to know," Genevieve interrupted gently. "As I said, I don’t have all my memories. My soul was fractured to ensure your survival, so I will tell you the only parts I still hold."
She smiled, and with a graceful wave of her hand, a shimmering silver mirror materialized in the air between them.
_
Mirabella watched as the surface of the mirror rippled like water, revealing a scene from an era long forgotten. Ten powerful figures stood in a circular formation, surrounding a man whose very presence seemed to swallow the light. Mirabella recognized him instantly—the Demon Emperor, Vassago.
She blinked, staring at a younger version of her mother amongst the ten. The group closed their eyes in perfect unison, joined their palms in a prayer posture, and began a resonant, bone-chilling chant.
Thick, jagged chains of red and black energies burst from the earth like striking cobras, binding Vassago’s limbs. No matter how the Emperor roared or struggled, the chains held firm, fueled by the life force of the ten masters.
"All you Sun members!!! I will have my revenge!!!" Vassago screamed, his voice distorting the space around him. Suddenly, ten miniature suns ignited above him, pouring blinding celestial light down upon the casters.
"With our souls as sacrifice, we seal you, the Demon Emperor... You will be the fourth seal created!"
As the chant peaked, the chains dragged Vassago down into the abyss of the earth, and a massive, white runic seal burned itself into the surface of the soil. Mirabella watched, breathless, as nine of the figures smiled at one another before their bodies shattered into golden light particles, scattering to the winds.
"Did they...?"
She was stunned to see that her mother was the only one still standing on the battlefield, though she looked ghostly and pale.
"This isn’t the starting of my life, Mira. At that moment, I was already 500 years old," Genevieve said, pointing at the beautiful, battle-worn lady in the mirror.
"500 years old?!! You look like you’re still in your twenties!!" Mirabella exclaimed in disbelief. Even in the current era of Galaxy Fall, reaching such a lifespan required reaching the apex of cultivation.
"Yes... After that battle, I was gravely injured by the backlash of the sealing formation. I could only survive because I possessed the Master System. It sustained my life force when my soul should have crumbled. Anyway, after the battle, I went into seclusion for two centuries to heal my injuries. When I finally emerged, I discovered the Sun family was gone. Wiped out by time and hidden enemies."
She exhaled, the weight of centuries in her voice. "I couldn’t just start going on a killing spree without targets, so I searched for my best friend... Lamashtu. But later, she betrayed me, fueled by her own greed for the System. I managed to repel her, and in that conflict, I sealed two of her most dangerous generals: the Crystal Emperor and the Blood Angel."
She smiled at Mirabella, a knowing glint in her eye. "I sense the Blood Angel’s presence on you. Did you unseal her?"
Mirabella nodded slowly. "I was after the weapons you used. I didn’t realize they were guards for a seal."
"Oh... So sorry, dear. I made you suffer. Those useless weapons are too tempting for their own good. Anyway, after that battle, Lamashtu was chased to a higher world—a plane far beyond this one—and I stayed back to guard the lower worlds. I had to ensure the seals held."
She turned her head to Cupcake, who was listening with ears pinned back in focus. "I stayed hidden within the three empires built by humanity. Oh, I also created a small branch in the Dragon Nation, known as the Sunrise Clan... It was meant to keep the bloodline alive. That was where I met your real father... and..."
She sighed, shaking her head sadly as the mirror’s image began to flicker and fade.
"I am sorry, Mira. I don’t have those memories anymore. They were lost when I fractured my soul to leave Galaxy Fall. I would have told you everything about your real father... for now, just know he’s someone very important in the Dragon Empire."
She smiled, reaching out to touch her daughter’s hand, leaving Mirabella stunned by the revelation of her true lineage.