Rise of the Godking - Chapter 143

A few minutes later, Seline was sitting with her back against the wall of the cavern, eyes open as wide as they could go while she tried to process all the information that had just been dumped on her by the man who had come back alive after touching the crystal and looking dead, for all purposes, until just a little while ago.

He was sitting on the ground in front of her, and from the way one corner of his lips was raised, she could tell that he understood how confused she felt. All the words he said we buzzing around in her head, not even one fitting into any form that could give her enough of an idea of what was expected of her, so after biting her lips for a few seconds, she asked, "Can you explain it again? Slowly, this time. And using simpler terms, if at all possible."

In her life as a slave master, she had never shown an ounce of weakness, but right now, even though she had only seen these people's true personality for a few hours, she had no qualms against admitting anything in front of them. It wasn't really like she could oppose any of them based on the power they had shown so far…but still, it was surprising to see how comfortable she was.

With a nod, the man began to speak as if he had already prepared a different way to let her know about the offer he was putting in front of her. He even spoke slowly, patiently enunciating each word so that she could drive it into her head, and with all the focus that she could muster, she listened as if her life depended on it- which it probably did.

"I wish I could tell you her name, but I simply didn't ask. You must already have heard hints about the true origin of this island. If not, hear me out. You were once free, living in the middle of the Endless Sea, undiscovered and unfettered by any shackles. The Mainlanders arrived and conquered you, and at that time, one of your ancestors died near the Will, transferring her consciousness, her soul, if you will, into the crystal beside us. If we sink the island, she dies. Because you share your genealogy with her, and because you also share her gender, I'm suggesting that you accept her spirit into your mind as these factors increase the chances of her surviving after leaving the Will. I've seen what kind of a woman she is. She will not be able to take over and control your body, in case you're afraid of that, and I can assure you that she's a good person. She told me that by doing this, it would even help you and give you power, but I'm not sure about the specifics. If you agree, you will have one other person in your head, guiding you to whatever goal you wish to reach. If you don't, she dies forever. Your choice. It cannot be forced; if it has to happen, you have to open yourself up, mind and heart. Think, and make you decision."

After she was able to stomach the fact that such a thing was even possible, this was the main thing that she considered. As time passed, she saw more and more that she needed to find out for herself what this woman was like.

"I want to meet her before I choose to do anything. Is that possible?"

The man frowned, then looked in the direction of the elf whose eyes had constantly been on the both of them ever since he had helped his companion, somehow, in whatever had taken place after the awakening. He thought for a bit, then shrugged and turned back to Seline before saying, "Alright. Come with me."

Glancing at the elf, she saw his eyebrows rise just a bit, but forcefully, he cleared his face as if he didn't want to show any of his emotions. The man walked to the crystal and touched it, his body flopping to the ground just like before, and although she felt a surge of panic well up inside her as the irrational fear that she might be subjected to the fate of never waking up sprung up out of nowhere, she made herself step forward, trusting her gut that told her she needed to do this.

The panic did grow into outright fear, though, when she felt her mind and everything she was being sucked away from her physical body. The sensation of existing just as a mound of thoughts was jarring, to say the least, and when she felt soft grass beneath her after a few moments, she hugged herself as soon as she regained control of her limbs.

She could hear two people talking, and even arguing, but she was too busy adjusting to this new form of hers which was trying to mimic the one she had lived in ever since she had been born. It did a good job, but underneath the veneer, she could tell that she was still that mound, albeit clothed in this body that was making a valiant effort, but just falling short.

The argument ended by the time she opened her eyes. She saw the man, first, with an encouraging smile on his face, and then, when her eyes wandered past him to the woman who stood serenely dressed in a green silk gown…a name popped into her head, and tears burst out of her eyes.

"Mother?"

She ran forward, arms and legs moving furiously as if they were afraid that the woman would disappear if she dallied for even a second. The resemblance was uncanny; a small voice somewhere deep within her said that there were a few differences, but she ignored it as all the fears, pain, and sadness of all these years that had been bottled up inside her burst out. They had remained even when the old man had accepted her into the fold of her family again mainly because they had wedged themselves into the deepest corners of her mind, but now, the warmth that was unique to the one individual who was always the most special person in anyone's life had yanked them out, giving them no choice but to blaze for one last time before disappearing, forever.

She collapsed into the woman's arms who was so startled, at first, that she didn't even respond in any way. This didn't register in Selene's mind, at all, as she was completely inundated by the flood of emotions that were coming out in the form of tears, snot, and words that jumbled over each other, not making a single shred of sense.

All of a sudden, a few seconds later, the woman hugged her tightly. Because Seline's face was pressed close to hers', she could feel the tears running down her face, too, and the smile that stretched her lips. She made soothing sounds, then, just like her mother had done when she was a little girl scared of the terrors of the world, and with each second that passed, Seline wished that she could stay here forever.

It was only after long time that she finally stepped back. After the initial flood, her misconception had dawned on her…but she hadn't been able to let go. She looked at the woman's face, again, and saw the differences… but by coincidence or fate, the similarities were still too strong.

No matter how much she wished that she could forget everything and just believe that this was her mother, she forced herself to accept the truth. With her face burning and her eyes threatening to get wet again, she opened her mouth to speak, but paused when the woman's hand rose to her lips. Shaking her head, she said, "I know. But I want to be your mother, or your sister, or… I dunno, I just want to be with you and help you in any way I can. I argued with him because I didn't want to be a burden to anyone…but now, I feel selfish. I don't want to die, not when I remember how it feels to be loved again, how it feels to give love. Will you please accept me into your mind? I promise that I will never do anything to cause you regret. I also understand if you don't want…"

Seline raised her own hand, then, and made the woman fall silent in the same way. Everything that was happening was still too magical, still too complex for her to understand… But one thing was clear.

Whoever this woman was, she couldn't let her die… especially not after she had called her 'Mother'.

She didn't care about anything else. This was all that mattered, so, turning in the man's selection, she nodded… And collapsed to the floor as her mind suddenly went blank.