ஜ۞ஜ

ஜ۞ஜ

*𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫'𝐬 𝐩𝐨𝐯*

"My mother always was the shining ray of love in my life ever since I can recall."

The sweet aroma of freshly brewed jasmine tea wafted throughout the cramped hut that was surrounded densely with towering evergreen trees, their prickly leaves concealing people from detecting this remote place so far out of Vaizel.

"Tell me more. I'm here."

Creamy coffee colors were plastered all over the household, complementing the aesthetic of the forest with the hut that it gave the entire area. Knitted pillows and round shapes were found throughout the hut, giving it a cozy, elderly feeling to it. The smell of jasmine tea and pine held the capability to soothe anyone who passed through the heart-decorated front entrance door.

"As a child, I never made many friends, so my mother was my only friend. Best friend, actually."

"Oh? Was there a reason you didn't make any friends?"

Sipping her jasmine tea delicately, (Y/n) faintly opened her eyes as a distant look was cast in her eyes, her lips set in a firm frown as she drew the china teacup away from her lips. Holding a few seconds of silence, (Y/n) shrugged her shoulders.

"I suppose I was just too... eccentric for them. With always craving to become a Holy Knight and all."

"I don't see why that is so peculiar." Bringing down her china cup, the elderly lady, now known as Tonalli Tesni, stated, on which (Y/n) faintly chuckled, an icy glint passing her eyes. "I mean... I lived in a village occupied with wordsmiths, bakers, and embroiderers. For someone born from a blacksmith family to want to become a Holy Knight—specially with no magic of any kind nor talent or skill—was impossible, and something scandalous." Exhaling at the memory, (Y/n) took another sip of her tea as Mrs. Tesni hummed in following.

"I find how that could be viewed strange. Though if you don't mind me asking... how does this concern your mother?" Jolting in awareness upon hearing her question, (Y/n) rubbed the back of her neck in embarrassment. "I seem to have strayed far from the discussion at hand. I apologize."

Mrs. Tesni only smiled in reassurance. "No need to apologize, dearie—besides, I lent you my ear." Nodding in appreciation (Y/n) peered back down at the murky-looking tea water and whirled it around slightly in her hand, observing as her reflection showed up on the liquid.

"My father never agreed with it. He disapproved of it largely, too. My mother—my mother was different. She supported my childish dream in every way possible. Mother looked like you, Mrs. Tesni; kind and motherly." Hearing the younger woman describe her mother, Mrs. Tesni smiled. "Your mother sounds like a marvelous person. I wonder... what is her work field right now?" Asking (Y/n) this question out of pure curiosity, the elderly lady locked eyes with (Y/n) as she observed how dull the younger's eyes turned.

"My mother's work field used to be embroidery before she died. My mother did very much appreciate knitting away sunrise and sunset for the village children and me. She was also the caring and selfless person, my mother." A few seconds of mournful grief dominated the air as (Y/n) stayed still, staring down at the murky water as she commemorated how her mother would rock away in her rocking chair, knitting outside in the porch as she watched her and the village kids play freely; contently.

"I'm sorry about that, dearie. My, what a foolish question I had asked! With no thought about how you might have felt... do pardon me." Glancing away from her teacup and up at the sorrowful lady, (Y/n) only shook her head and gave her a small smile. "No worries, Mrs. Tesni."

"In the end, were you able to become a Holy Knight?"

(Y/n) shook her head.

"Once mother passed, life became more painful than anything. My father became affected by her death as well as I, and he took it rough. My life just went downhill so fast from there that I couldn't comprehend much... and soon, I was out in the wilderness, alone." Summarizing what had happened, the elder lady only nodded.

"If going to the forest all alone in one cold winter night was a good idea, only time could tell, for it lead me to where I am now." Taking another long sip from her tea, (Y/n) pulled it away from her mouth and kept her lip closed soon after, not trying to start discussion any further, realizing as she had shared too much information already.

After a while of silence, the elderly lady got up and looked down at the younger with a tender smile. "Well, I better go clean these cups now. If you excuse me, dearie." Allowing no room for argument for the female, Mrs. Tesni snatched the teacup and saucer with both hands and speed-walked to the kitchen; the sound of slow running water being heard soon after.

Letting the slow water noises soothe her, (Y/n) let out a deep breath and closed her eyes, leaning down on the comfy sofa as she allowed her thoughts to go blank.

'What if I didn't go into that forest? Well,'

Feeling herself fall more into darkness, (Y/n) allowed herself to as she hasn't been able to peacefully sleep for the past couple of days after she had that dreadful feeling that night in the Boar Hat. So finally feeling tranquility, (Y/n) fell into the darkness.

'things would have surely been much more different.'

˜"*°•.˜"*°• ---- •°*"˜.•°*"˜

The cold, brisk air sailed across the forest's lands as the howling of either wolves or wind echoed throughout the white-clattered range. Snow fell at a hasty pace as it left everything covered with its cleanliness, nothing being able to be seen for its true colors as no one could see even two inches in front of them.

Not even (Y/n).

Huffing in fatigue, (Y/n) leaned on a tree and rubbed her bare hands against one another to create friction, working for a small second before the stinging cold again crept up in her hands, making her wince in discomfort. Shivering in fear and cold, (Y/n) strolled the snow-covered grounds as it went all that way up to her ankles.

Not wishing to give up, (Y/n) continued, searching weakly for any form of shelter around the area; only to find nothing.

Minutes turned to hours as (Y/n) remained searching more and more, but each attempt, each turn—turned to be futile. With the bitter cold reaching up to her sense and numbing her feet, the blood pumping throughout her body could no longer be felt as her legs suddenly gave out on her, making her fall face-first on the snow.

With barely any clothing to cover her shivering and food-deprived body, (Y/n laid helplessly in the snow, not wishing to move in inch as she already accepted this to be her end.

'At least... I die free... huh... freedom...'

Closing her eyes, (Y/n) was ready to give herself up to the bitter icy claws of death, only for the sounds of frightened wailing to sound only a few inches away from her. Bringing her head up hastily, (Y/n) saw a small brown basket settled a few inches away from her. Near enough for her to see, but not nearly close enough to reach out and grab.

Just after hearing the scared crying of the supposed infant, the growling of hungry wolf was heard soon after, and (Y/n) saw that it was only a few inches away from the baby, slowly moving his way towards his destined prey.

'Who the hell leaves a baby in the middle of a snowstorm?! No, now is not the time for this! The baby!' Reaching out her hand towards it, (Y/n) stopped midway as she remembered her own incoming death. 'So what if that baby dies? I could not care less now that I am too bound to death. So it shouldn't matter to me if someone so meaningless and weak were to die, too.' Turning her head away from the baby, (Y/n) closed her eyes as she continued hearing the loud crying of the baby and the growling of the incoming wolf.

Launching itself towards its prey, the wolf was punched back before it could grab the vulnerable infant as it landed on the ground before speedily getting up and looking at the new enemy.

Gasping in both strain and exhaustion, (Y/n) cradled the crying baby inside her arms as she tried her best to bare her teeth at the animal, wishing to intimidate it to back off, only for it to not work as he only bared his teeth more.

'Damn, he got sharp teeth.' Gulping down her fear, (Y/n) looked up at the evergreen tree and back at the wolf before smiling. Throwing the baby up at the tree, (Y/n) crossed her fingers as she hoped the baby would land on one of the tree branches, and thankfully, it did.

Sighing in relief that it found some shelter and a safe space, (Y/n) yelped in surprise as she was tackled down by the enormous wolf as he flashed his bared fangs at her. Catching both the tops of his mouth, (Y/n) tried to move him away from her only for the wolf to stay in place.

'I can't...'

Opening her eyes, an immense, flaming hell blazed dangerously inside her eyes as she snarled at the wolf. A surge of newfound strength and confidence (Y/n) allowed for his fangs to dig inside her hands as she stretched open both ends of his mouth.

With one final screech of war (Y/n) cracked his jaw open and slew the wolf, his head slightly open as you could see a modest piece of brain protruding from inside. Pulling the fangs out of her hands, (Y/n) got up wobbly as she choked in air rapidly, staring down at the dead wolf in astonishment and slight excitement.

"Did I... did I really kill a wolf with my bare hands?"

Wanting to ask herself more questions, (Y/n) knew she couldn't as she heard the wailing of the child that was now stuck up in the evergreen trees. Scrambling towards the baby, (Y/n) fell multiple times as the numbers that she used to have in her legs were gone.

Climbing up the tree quickly, (Y/n) spotted the child and smiled in alleviation. Clutching the infant firmly in her arms (Y/n) scaled down the tree and to the ground, wrapping the little bits of cloth she had around the infant to warm up the child. It worked as it finally quieted down and became sleepy, much to the relief of (Y/n).

Walking through the snow as the snowstorm has now suspended, (Y/n) stared forward as a determined glint flashed through her eyes.

"I'll find you a loving home, little one. I promise."

˜"*°•.˜"*°• ---- •°*"˜.•°*"˜

Waking up from her slumber, (Y/n) eyes shot open as a sense of urgency and dread oozed through her brain.

"The Sins!"

(ɢᴏᴏᴅ ᴅᴀʏ/ɴɪɢʜᴛ ᴍʏ ʟᴏᴠᴇꜱ!)