Chapter 40: Mother and Son
Elara looked into his eyes for a few moments, and soon her lips stretched into a wide grin.
"It is," she added as she continued tending the flowers.
Jaden stared at her with a faint smile, inwardly, however, a storm was brewing in him... He himself never had any parental warmth in his life, but the city had planted him with fake memories... in those fake memories, he had a father to prove himself to and a mother to take solace in the presence of.
But the fog that had covered his past and real memories was no longer there; he now knew that he had no parents to ask for warmth from, and that shouldn’t have pained him as much as it did.
Even in the fake memories, he wasn’t that close to Theron, his supposed father in this game, but Elara was different; she was his beacon of warmth, and she was his mother...
A mother he never had but so desperately wanted.
That is why seeing unhappiness hidden beneath her eyes hurt more than it should have.
Suddenly, he felt a soft hand touch his face. He looked up and found Elara looking at him with a smile. It was a faint smile. A genuine smile. A smile which had no distress hidden beneath.
Her lips parted as she asked worriedly.
"Judy... why are you crying?"
Her words hit him like thunder. He slowly lifted his hand and touched his cheek; it was wet with hot tears.
’Ah... When did I?’
"I don’t know..." he replied darkly.
Elara shook her head at his words and added softly.
"You can tell me anything... I am your mother after all."
Hearing her words, Jaden quickly wiped his tears and opened his lips to speak, but right then, the sky trembled, and the sound of raindrops echoed all around them.
"It’s about to rain," Elara said as a few of the raindrops fell on her face.
She grabbed his hand and walked towards the far end of the garden. She pushed through the bushes, and a location Jaden hadn’t seen before came into view.
In front of him was a calm lake in which small fish were swimming, and the water rippled because of them. At the centre of the lake stood a vintage tea house made of white wood, and a small bridge of stone bricks connected it to the ground.
"Wow..." He muttered as Elara pulled him further. They stepped on the bridge, and soon they stood inside the tea house as the heavy rainfall began. The clouds rumbled as thunder crackled in the dark, clouded sky.
"It’s raining heavily; at least we didn’t get wet," Elara added as she sat in a white wooden chair and gestured for Jaden to sit in the chair beside her.
Jaden gave her a small nod and took the seat beside her.
"Now tell me what’s troubling you," she asked with a faint smile.
He looked at her with a complicated expression...
’Should I?’
He didn’t know if he should talk to her about this or not because he still didn’t know how the city would react to such conversations. He thought about how to tell her for a few moments and finally decided on a different method.
’This should work...’
"I had a strange dream..." He began to speak, and hearing his words, Elara raised an eyebrow, but a moment later, she understood why he was saying it like this.
"What did you see in that dream, Judy?" she questioned, hinting that she understood his method.
"In that dream, I was born in a different world... a world without magic and martial arts. I was an orphan, I had no family or friends because I was too busy earning for myself. Then I met my teacher... He taught me how to use a strange box-like object, which he called a camera. Making use of what I had learned, I began earning good money ... I had decided to make friends after I saved enough, but alas, I woke up from the dream..." He spoke with a bittersweet yet reminiscing look.
Elara listened to his words in silence and leaned back in her chair before asking.
"Do you like that dream more than the reality?"
Jaden shook his head and added with a sweet smile.
"I do not... I have you, Father and the people of the city... why would I like a dream full of nothing but loneliness?"
Hearing his questions, Elara bit her lower lip and lowered her head. She stayed like that for some time.
A minute passed, and she looked up at him with a pained smile as she questioned.
"Do you not hate this reality full of dangers?"
Jaden placed a hand on his chin, and a thoughtful look appeared on his face. A few moments passed before he responded.
"No, I hate loneliness much more than those dangers."
Elara looked into his bright blue eyes with complicated emotions running through her mind. She stood up from her chair and hugged him as she added in a low, loving voice.
"You don’t have to worry... Such a dream won’t come true, and even if it does, always remember this mother of yours."
Jaden, still seated, hugged her with a sad smile on his face and replied.
"Yes, I will always remember you. Mother."
Jaden suddenly felt a pang in his heart. He knew that once he escaped the city, they wouldn’t meet again, and that pained him... However, he would have to do it; the lives of others also depended on him, after all.
"Do not allow such emotions to weaken your resolve, Judy... You have to become a great man, after all."
Jaden bit his lower lip until it bled, then said.
"Yes... I will do my best to become someone you can be proud of, Mother."
Elara patted his head and added with a hearty chuckle.
"Heh. I am already proud of you, my lovely son."