Chapter 13: Gift
"Who could compel the great heavenly demon?" smiling weakly, Seojun slowly drank the fruit extract and did his best not to vomit it up as he felt the goo on his tongue, remembering again everything that had happened.
"*Sigh* It just happened" Shaking her head as her smile widened, Sujin pulled her son even tighter against her body and continued "How are you feeling?"
"Bad" Lowering his gaze as he moves the bowl away from his mouth, Seojun remained silent for a few seconds and muttered "I keep replaying that scene over and over again..."
"..." Biting the corner of her lips tightly, Sujin closed her eyes in pain and sighed "I'm sorry... I didn't think about how much it would affect you."
"It's okay, it's not your fault" Smiling weakly again, Seojun leaned back on the bed and stared at his mother's grieving face "You warned me about the cruelty of this world, you told me numerous times that killing on the outside is not uncommon and that life is practically worthless... but I guess deep down I just never took the seriousness of your words to heart, after all I'm not a saint to concern myself with what happens to people I don't know, and although I know it's hypocritical, I don't think I would have really thought seriously about it if it hadn't happened to me."
"..."
"Apparently life isn't as simple as I thought, and even though today I'm bored out of my mind, it doesn't take away from the fact that I have peace" Hugging his mother, Seojun buried his face in her toned but soft abdomen and whispered softly "Thank you for everything...today I have peace and a good life because of you."
"..." Opening and closing her mouth as her eyes trembled, Sujin for the first time in her life found herself in a moment where she really didn't know what to say.
On one hand, she feels her stomach filled with butterflies while her heart was overflowing with joy like never before, while on the other hand she was even more distraught knowing that this happiness was because her son suffered because of her.
But while she was still surrounded by those bittersweet feelings, suddenly a great pride flooded her chest, just realizing that her son managed in just one night to overcome traumas that normally take others a great amount of time to leave behind.
'I expected nothing less from my son' With the warmest smile that ever formed on his cold face, Sujin snuggled up to Seojun and gently kissed the top of his head, totally enjoying a happiness that even in his wildest dreams he would never have thought to experience.
But unlike Sujin's happiness, Seojun didn't have it very easy saying those words, having a total chaos of feelings and thoughts in his mind.
Just like he told his mother, Seojun never wanted to face the potential dangers of this life, never giving a second thought to the harsh lifestyle outside let alone questioning whether the blood that usually bathes his mother's body is of innocents or not.
Although it is not pleasant to admit it, Seojun knows perfectly well that unfortunately this is a trait he has formed for as long as he can remember, always closing his eyes to anything that seems wrong in order to preserve himself.
All his life he let himself go with the flow and although his actions often caused him nightmares, he never had the guts to even face his own reality or his own actions, always devoting himself to anything in order not to think and not to be left alone with his own regrets.
But for the first time in his two lives, he did not have the opportunity to simply close his eyes and without realizing it, he ended up covered in the flesh and blood of a man who most likely would have ended up killing him, causing him, whether he wanted to or not, to have to open his eyes to the harsh reality.
He manipulated hundreds of people, his father sacrificed him, he was reborn in a new world and everything indicates that life in this place is infinitely more difficult than in his previous world.
Incredible martial arts, great powers, mass murderers and hardship everywhere.
He went from a relatively peaceful life on a mountain with a bunch of crazies, to a totally violet life on a mountain surrounded by crazies who might want to kill him.
And as if that weren't enough, not only do the crazies he'll have to live with want to kill him, but it's very likely that people outside the cult also have various reasons to want his head thanks to his less-than-rational mother.
With this sudden taste of reality, Seojun was forced to realize that his biggest regret and his biggest dream; to have a happy and free life, is possibly more difficult to achieve than reviving the dead.
But just as he realized how difficult his future could be, he also realized that the peace he had all these years was due to his mother's efforts.
How could he not be grateful?
For the first time in his life, he has a mother figure who really cares about him and is willing to do anything for his sake.
Whether he wants to or not, Seojun learned to love this woman with all his heart.
Her inherent coldness, her tendency to violence, her little smiles and how embarrassing she is whenever she asks for affection.
She is Kang Sujin, the youngest heavenly demon in history and at the same time, his beloved mother.
"Mother."
"Yes?"
"I love you."
"..."
Looking up, Seojun stared at his silent mother and smiled brightly "I'm happy that you are my mother."
With a strange gleam in her eyes, Sujin gently caressed Seojun's chubby cheek and smiled slightly, then squeezed both her cheeks and gently stretched them "If every time I kill someone in your presence you say such sweet words to me, I'm seriously thinking of killing people in front of you everyday"
"This trick is only good once" Snorting, Seojun blinked tenderly at his mother and continued "Mommy..."
"I'm out of milk"
"You're lying"
"Don't you think you're too big?" Raising her eyebrows in amusement, Sujin continued "Children your age shouldn't even want to go near their mother's breast."
"It's never too late to drink milk."
"Yes?"
"Milk is vital for children to grow big and strong."
"Can I get you some cow's milk?"
"I don't want it."
"Donkey milk?"
"Neither"
"Goat?"
"Don't even think about it."
"Of dog?"
"Ugh" With a disgusted face, Seojun huffed in annoyance and rested the back of his neck between his mother's breasts, then looked up and gazed intently at the beautiful face in front of him "Mommy."
"Yes?"
"You don't feel bad about killing people?"
"Should I feel bad?"
"I don't know... maybe?"
"..." Weighing for a few seconds, Sujin shook her head and sighed "It's a long story, but unlike ordinary children, I was never instilled with a sense of right and wrong... killing people is bad? The only bad thing is to be on the verge of death and in front of you there is someone with two pieces of bread and he doesn't want to share it... I don't know if you understand my point."
"It doesn't matter to kill as long as it's for your own good?"
"Exactly" Nodding with satisfaction, Sujin rubbed Seojun's hair and smiled proudly at him "My boy is smarter."
"..." Smiling bitterly at his mother's crazy common sense, Seojun asked "But you never felt remorse for killing?"
"It was them or me" Shrugging her shoulders, Sujin snorted indifferently and continued. For me, killing is no different from breathing. It was instilled in me since before I had consciousness, though when I first killed I felt something, believe me pity or sorrow was the furthest thing from reality"
"What did you feel?"
"Mmmmm... it's hard to explain" Pursing her lips in thought, Sujin murmured "Emotion? Fun? Maybe something similar... I couldn't tell you, since just as it came, it quickly fizzled out when indifference took its place."
"When the novelty wears off, the fun turns to apathy and you just keep doing it out of routine or obligation..."
Raising her eyebrows, Sujin looked at her son in surprise and nodded with a smile "It could be summed up in that."
"..." Staring at his mother's smiling face, Seojun murmured "You've changed..."
"Mn?"
"Before, you never smiled... you just looked at me or hugged me, and if I moved or talked, you seemed to get angry as if I was bothering you for some reason..." Stretching out his small hand, Seojun caressed Sujin's soft cheek and continued "But now you talk a lot, you smile constantly and your hugs are not stiff like they used to be."
"I know" Without losing her smile, Sujin asked with interest "Which version of me did you like better?"
"I like both..." Laughing, Seojun continued "Although you smile a little more now, you're still the same grumpy woman who suckled me every time I was hungry and who hugged me every time I felt cold... but I won't deny that I like that you talk more now, I don't feel lonely anymore."
Gently squeezing Seojun's cheek, Sujin smiled even more warmly and kissed his forehead, then laid him gently on the bed and covered her breasts with her yukata again.
"I have a present for you" Walking to the other side of the cave, Sujin picked up a large wooden box, then returned to the bed and set it down in front of Seojun "Open it."
With interest in his eyes, Seojun sat down on the bed and carefully analyzed the rustic wood, noting with even more interest that the box seemed to measure about two meters.
Grasping the edges of the box, Seojun opened it with some difficulty due to the great weight of the wood and raised his eyebrows in surprise at the sight inside.
Surrounded by what appeared to be straw, a gigantic sword could be seen with a thickness that even surpassed Seojun's, but although the sword was large and long, what caught his attention was the rare crimson color of the metal with which the sword was made.
Not bronze color, not metallic color, let alone wood color.
From the thick sword handle, to the entire blade is a chilling shade of crimson. But strangest of all, the sword just now seemed to glow slightly while strange wisps of dark smoke moved noticeably around the sword.
The whole sword could not be more unnatural to the eyes of an earthling like Seojun.
Crimson metal, unnatural glow, smoke that seemed to have life in it, and a mammoth size for a human being.
"This sword has been in the cult for a few generations" Gently stroking the sharp blade with her finger, Sujin smiled and continued "It was discovered in what appears to be a shipwreck, but we never managed to find out where it came from."
"A shipwreck?"
"Mn" Nodding, Sujin continued "There was this sword, fruits we didn't know about, gold ingots and the odd ornament that we ended up melting down"
"What's that smoke?"
"Aura" Gently rubbing Seojun's hair, Sujin continued "Although we don't know how the sword was made, nor what metal it uses. We do manage to recognize a strong killing intent surrounding it along with a strong aura that seems to come from a natural treasure."
"Oh..."
"You don't seem to understand" Laughing as she noticed her son's disinterest, Sujin continued "This sword is very useful when it comes to absorbing internal energy, as it naturally seems to attract energy around it and the dark aura that surrounds it naturally boosts the energy. But best of all, the aura it contains is practically the same aura we form when it comes to absorbing energy within ourselves"
"Wait, I have a doubt" Frowning slightly, Seojun asked "What is the difference between inner energy and aura?"
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