Chapter 467: Warmth
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 467: Warmth
Blood, tears, pain, wailing... and the sharp, shrill screeching of bizarre bugs. It was like a knife, carving into the girl’s still-tender heart, stroke by stroke.
This young girl, whose features had yet to fully bloom, had celebrated her twelfth birthday only a month ago. A life of poverty made her look thinner and more fragile than others her age, but life and hardship had also made her far stronger than any outsider could imagine.
Yet, no matter how strong she was, her hands still trembled, and she still felt the sting of tears and the grip of terror when faced with the scene before her.
Not long ago, she had fantasized that under the blessing of the Goddess, her mother would get better. She dreamed they would finally fulfill a long-delayed promise: to take the kite that had been lying lonely in the attic for so long—the one that never gathered dust—and fly it together.
But this sudden disaster, this bloody reality, had torn her last beautiful illusions to shreds.
"No, Mama, I don't want to... I can't do it."
Emily shook her head in agony, her face drenched in tears.
Precocious as she was, she already understood her mother’s intent.
The terrifying bug was the size of a fist, but given the precision required for a crossbow, it was actually quite difficult to hit. The previous moments had already proven that.
However, if the target was the woman acting as the bug's host, then at this distance, even Emily could easily land a shot.
If she killed the host, it might create an opportunity for Emily to escape.
"Quick... hurry..."
The woman’s pale, gaunt face grew increasingly distorted. The veins in her neck throbbed like a nest of snakes, and her limbs spasmed violently as she began to shuffle toward Emily in small, jerky steps.
A sharp kitchen knife scraped against the nearby wall, letting out a piercing screech.
"I... I’m losing control... of myself."
Tears streamed down one side of the woman’s face, and she could no longer even maintain a coherent expression. Yet, the light remaining in her eyes was still tender and full of longing.
"Emily, be a good girl."
She said:
"You can do it."
"..."
A heavy silence, louder than any words, filled the room.
Emily lowered her head for a moment. Then, at her mother’s sharp cry, her small body shuddered, and she snapped her head up.
This sensible child ultimately chose to listen to her mother.
She raised the mechanical crossbow, took trembling aim, closed her eyes, and pulled the trigger with every ounce of strength in her body.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—
The remaining five bolts fired in rapid succession.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
The sound of bolts piercing flesh rang out as expected. Each impact felt as if it were stabbing directly into the girl’s heart.
The empty mechanical crossbow suddenly felt incredibly heavy. Emily dropped it in horror and gasped for air, her chest heaving.
The scent of blood hung thick in the air. Emily felt as if her lungs were burning. She forced her eyes open only to see her mother collapsed in a pool of blood.
"Run..."
The woman squeezed one last sound from her bleeding throat.
Emily’s vision blurred instantly with tears, but she had no time to cry. She scrambled to her feet, leaped over her mother’s fallen body, and stumbled toward the other side of the room.
The house wasn't large, and Emily soon reached the front door. She moved quickly, unhooking the three security chains and then the final lock.
Then, she pushed.
Emily’s expression suddenly changed.
This dilapidated door usually creaked and groaned whenever it was opened, but now, no matter how hard she pushed, it wouldn't budge an inch.
It was as if someone had used a steel plate to nail the door shut from the other side.
Emily didn't linger long in the face of this inexplicable anomaly. Seeing that the door wouldn't open, she gritted her teeth, spun around, and ran in another direction.
She snatched up the sharp kitchen knife her mother had dropped and ran to a window.
For safety, the windows of her home were boarded shut, leaving only small holes for light. Fortunately, these ancient wooden windows weren't as sturdy as they seemed.
Emily gripped the knife with her thin, frail hands and hacked at the wooden frame.
Bang.
Bang.
Bang.
Soon, the fragile wood was split open. The hope of escape—the hope her mother had sacrificed herself to create—finally appeared before her eyes.
Without hesitation, Emily grabbed the edge of the window and nimbly squeezed her small, thin frame through the opening.
She had to be fast.
She had to find the Mayor Auntie... if she moved quickly enough, maybe her mother wasn't dead yet. Maybe there was still a chance...
Thud.
Another dull impact.
Accompanied by a sharp pain in her forehead, Emily saw stars and stumbled back several steps.
She had been knocked back inside, as if hope itself had shut the door in her face.
"Eh?"
Emily clutched her forehead, staring at the space in front of her in terror.
"Why?"
Ignoring the pain in her head, she lunged forward, her hands reaching for the empty space of the broken window.
But it wasn't empty.
Though she couldn't see it, Emily’s hands definitely struck something solid.
It was like an invisible wall, firmly blocking her path and completely imprisoning this poor little white rabbit in a cage.
She hammered on it a few times, but realizing her frail body couldn't even make it vibrate, the light faded from Emily’s eyes. She suddenly understood that there was no hope at all.
Everything she had sacrificed her most precious treasure for was nothing more than a futile struggle.
Clap... clap... clap.
At that moment, a slow, rhythmic clapping sounded, like the heartfelt praise of an audience at the end of a play.
A figure emerged from the shadows.
The man wore a tall top hat but was dressed in tattered, ragged clothes, giving him a ridiculous appearance. Under the dim starlight filtering through the window, his face was revealed—unshaven and messy.
"Good, good, good! For a little girl to have the courage to go this far... it is respectable, it is lamentable! What a magnificent scene! It’s so moving I can't help but weep."
The figure marveled, unable to resist pulling out a harp and plucking it excitedly.
As the crisp notes of the harp rang out, the noisy chirping of the insects instantly fell silent. The man moved with a strange gait, almost like a dance, chanting a poem Emily couldn't understand with awkward, twisted movements.
"Who... who are you..."
Emily turned her head stiffly, her pale little face looking utterly pitiable.
"Oh? You don't recognize me?"
The performance over, the figure took off his hat and bowed to his lone audience member.
"I am but a wandering poet. A wandering poet named Marvin Stellimo—at least, that is the name I am using for now."
"Wandering poet..."
"Hehe, do you remember now? Three days ago, we had a fated encounter."
Marvin spun in a circle again, crying out in ecstasy:
"Yes, fate! It was all fate! Fate guided me to discover such a perfect host as you. Well, you are a bit young, but that’s quite alright. I am very patient. I will patiently wait for you to grow up, and in the meantime... I shall cultivate you well."
"..."
Emily trembled. She didn't understand the words Marvin was saying, but in that moment, she knew with absolute certainty... this man was the one who had killed her mother.
"Give my mama back to me!"
Anger finally overcame fear. Emily threw the kitchen knife in her hand at Marvin with all her might.
But how could a knife thrown by a little girl possibly harm him?
"Alas, you mortals simply cannot understand."
Marvin caught the knife casually and tossed it aside, sighing with melancholy.
"But it doesn't matter. I will train you well, and let you, my dear, know... the beauty of this world!"
Creak...
Creak...
Creak...
The sound of grinding joints echoed. Emily’s eyes widened as she saw her mother, who had been lying on the floor, stagger to her feet once more.
She walked toward Emily, her face no longer holding the tenderness from before, replaced only by an expression of utter distortion and malice.
"Mama..."
Emily called out softly, but she received no response.
"Yes, it’s your mama!"
Marvin mimicked the woman’s tone, letting out a sharp, eerie laugh.
"Come into Mama’s embrace. From now on, you two can be together forever."
Creak.
Creak.
Under the control of the bizarre bug, the woman slowly walked up to Emily, who no longer had the strength to run. She raised her twitching hands and reached for the girl.
Squelch.
Then, that familiar, terrifying sound—the sound of something being pierced—rang out again.
Emily closed her eyes, the horrific image from moments ago flashing through her mind.
"Mama, I'm sorry."
The little girl curled into a pathetic ball, waiting for her end.
But after a long time, she felt no pain.
On the contrary, she suddenly felt a hint of warmth.
A warmth she hadn't felt in a very long time.
She opened her eyes in confusion and saw that it wasn't her who had been pierced, nor was it her controlled mother.
It was... that invisible wall.
Pierced by a pure white blade.
The blade tore through the barrier, and a broad, warm hand reached out, pulling her into a gentle, protective embrace.
On the other side, in Marvin’s vision, everything around him had vanished. Through the torn rift, he saw only a pair of furious eyes... burning with raging black flames!