Chapter 85: The Dispute Over the World Tree IV

Japan, 21st Century, Month xx, Date xx

In a room bathed in the warm morning sunlight, a woman with hair the color of summer gold knelt before her young son. Her eyes were filled with tenderness and boundless love, but there was a trace of sadness that couldn't be hidden behind her faint smile. With trembling hands, she wiped away the tears streaming down her son's reddened cheeks. The boy had eyes just like his mother's—blue, shining with innocence and genuine fear.

"I know, sweetheart... This is going to be very hard for you, but believe me, if you stay here, you'll be safe," the woman said softly, her voice trembling as if each word she spoke was cutting into her own heart.

The boy shook his head, tears still flowing endlessly. "B-but, Mom... It will be so hard to see you again! I don't want to be separated from you!" he sobbed, his voice hoarse and desperate, as if his world had come crashing down.