novelraw Chapter 636: The Story of the Mother of the Swamp
Chapter 636: The Story of the Mother of the Swamp
The heretics, who had been wandering the beach for days, chose the height of the storm to attack the ghost prison.
And they had succeeded. The prison’s inmates would either escape or fall into an even more terrible trap woven by the heretics.
Either way, the emergency at the ghost prison would plunge Belfast, which had only just regained some stability, back into chaos.
Anna and Lu Li hurried back to the cliff before the chaos could spread, relaying the news to Jimmy and his sister before setting out to patrol the edges of the Elm Forest to ward off any uninvited guests.
"You're back so soon..." Remi had expected them to return the next day. "Is the problem solved?"
"Mhm."
Anna said that Sara’s consciousness no longer existed, that only memories remained. Lu Li had no reason to doubt her.
Averting his gaze, Lu Li stared out at the curtain of rain at the cave’s entrance.
...
The storm had blurred the outlines of the Elm Forest. In the deepening twilight, the gnarled, dry branches resembled grasping black claws.Anna glided among the withered trees, searching for any ghosts that might have wandered into the Elm Forest.
"Are you going to seal these memories?" Anna asked the black fog that had enveloped the entire manor, addressing her counterpart within.
From the fog that filled the area, the Mother of the Swamp’s whisper emerged. "That was our agreement..."
"I’ve changed my mind. I want to keep the memories," Anna replied calmly, almost like a second Lu Li.
"Why..." The fog stirred, conveying the Mother of the Swamp’s bewilderment.
"Because it wasn't Sara influencing me at all."
Anna had stopped avoiding her own desires. Or rather, Sara had never been resurrected—it was all just a side effect of her own passions intertwining with Sara's memory.
"It was a rich and twisted story, but it can no longer affect me."
Anna had always wanted a body. The influence of the In-Between had once made her abandon that obsession, but her experience in Ellen Royal City had changed everything.
How could she forget the moment she met Lu Li again in a physical body? That face, that body, had filled her with elation, made her blood run faster.
Feelings so passionate they seemed capable of melting her, and exquisite sensations that made her heart feel ready to burst from her chest—even in her eighteen years of previous life, she had never experienced anything like it.
Anna couldn't say whether it was Lu Li who brought her this feeling or if the recovery of what was lost was simply that wonderful, but she had thrown herself into it completely.
Until Prada awakened, destroying everything, yet also granting them shelter.
Everything was taken away again. Deprived of a body, it was as if Anna had lost all vibrant colors—the world was no longer in color.
And so, the once-dissipated obsession took root in her heart. Fueled by Sara's memories, it sprouted rapidly after the issue with Sara was resolved, even taking on Sara’s form to hold dialogues in the depths of her consciousness...
"I... don't understand..." In this regard, the Mother of the Swamp, detached from civilization for centuries, seemed far more naive.
"Read some stories or look into the memories of your servants—you'll find the answer." Anna didn’t elaborate, merely offering that reply.
"I have two personal requests."
"What are they...?"
"Keep our conversation a secret. Let it seem as though we acted according to our original agreement."
"And the second...?"
"Tell me the method of possession."
Anna stopped at the edge of the forest, her bare white feet hovering over the muddy sludge.
In the gloom ahead, the faint outlines of ruins could be seen.
The downpour streamed through her ghostly form. It brought no sensation, carried away no warmth, only highlighting her tightly pressed, pale lips.
I have never deceived you.
Only this time...
...
The fierce storm raged for three days before quieting into a drizzle by nightfall, finally leaving the land.
But its aftermath was still being felt on the cliff.
For instance, heavy, leaden, and impenetrable clouds hung motionless in the sky. A dreadful chill had set in, and the next morning even brought a frost. Everything, except for the fire blazing fiercely in the hearth, seemed to herald the arrival of winter.
Remi looked with regret at the crops destroyed by the weather, redirecting all her concern to Enni.
It was hard to call Enni an anomaly—aside from simple, childlike emotions, she had no other unusual abilities. But she couldn't be called an ordinary tree either, for since taking root in the Elm Forest, she had become a part of its consciousness.
However, she had not yet grown into a giant tree capable of sheltering the cliff's inhabitants. The current Enni was weak—a sharp drop in temperature or a hurricane could extinguish the light within her core.
Enni's little house had been dismantled, leaving only the walls on the seaward side to protect her from the icy winds.
Jimmy was already using the stove, and the woodshed behind the hut was packed with branches broken by the storm. Larger logs were stacked by the cave, making the area resemble a sawmill.
The ghost prison incident could also be considered an aftereffect of the storm—the heretics had clearly not chosen the storm for their assault on the island by chance.
To prevent the escaped ghosts and heretics from discovering the cliff, Anna shortened her daily hunting time and did not stray far from the Elm Forest. However, her haul had increased, and many of the anomalies she caught were large.
Anna needed more bones to scatter along the edge of the forest.
It seemed she had emerged from Sara’s shadow. Although she sometimes froze with a book for tens of minutes without turning a page, Sara’s memories could no longer influence her.
Of course, some residual influence might remain, but what child, after reading a book about heroes, hasn't carved a sword from a stick to run around the streets with, emulating them?
"What is the Mother of the Swamp like?" Remi asked, her interest piqued by the evil god from the mire.
As a "scholar," she hadn't known that evil gods embodying chaos could cooperate with humans, let alone form friendly relationships.
The words had barely left her lips when the surrounding light distorted and dimmed for a moment before returning to normal.
The flames in the fireplace flared violently, and an otherworldly, spectral consciousness coiled in the cave's air.
The Mother of the Swamp had sensed she was being spoken of.
Being an evil god, she could naturally feel mentions of her name. Especially since Lu Li bore her mark.
Lu Li sensed no hostility or corrosive influence in it, so he told Jimmy, his sister, and Adamfiya the story of the Mother of the Swamp.
He told them how he had answered JoJo’s plea and traveled to Tenebrae, how he found Oliver, how the Mother of the Swamp had sought their cooperation, and how they had helped her deal with the Old Mother of the Swamp.
It had been an epic adventure, and Lu Li’s title, 'He Who Heralded the Demise of an Evil God,' was the reward for that experience.
It seemed that even the Mother of the Swamp’s gaze did not waver, as if she too were listening, observing the recent events from a different perspective.
"Can an evil god possess humanity...?" Remi murmured, lost in thought.
Lu Li raised his head as if meeting the ghostly presence of the Mother of the Swamp. "That is connected to another story."
The Mother of the Swamp apparently had no objection to the discussion, so Lu Li recounted her past—the story of Princess Rolan.
His calm voice flowed through the cave. Every inhabitant of the Elm Forest cherished this rare moment of peace.
Everyone, except for Anna.