173 The Past Of The Skin Changer
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Ninhursag found herself within her own dreams, fragments of the past that surged inside of her mind, and the many things she saw within them.
There was a lot of tragedy to remember, and very little things that made her truly happy from such memories...
However, its not as if she could control her own dreams. She slept without being able to control her own dreams and ended reaching an old, a very old memory.
A verdant and beautiful forest covered whenever the eye could see. The verdant nature, the smell of the damp dirt below her bare feet, and the fresh air, all of it made a wondrous atmosphere that always soothed her heart.
Ninhursag was a little girl back then, no older than three years of age, she woke up every day looking at the beautiful nature around her, and was always soothed by its beauty.
Sometimes she would admire the beauty of the world surrounding her, of the art of life, and everything around her.
Deep within her heart, she couldn’t help but love it all.
It was something inherent in the race that had lived in nature for thousands of years.
.....
The love to nature and all on it, the appreciation of life... the mystique of all things within nature.
The verdant life... the wild beasts... all of it...
“Ninhursag, come eat with us, or you’ll miss on the food, dear.”
A beautiful woman with charcoal black skin covered in artistic white tattoos, having long silvery-white hair, and shiny golden eyes greeted Ninhursag in her dream.
“Mama... Is that... really you?”
The woman was Ninhursag mother.
“Huh? Yeah? Come here with me...”
The woman smiled warmly, holding her dear daughter in her arms, and carrying her with the rest of her family.
A large and burly man greeted her sight, covered in scars, and having a long white beard, a missing left eye covered by an eyepatch, and a strong-looking aura, this man was her father.
“Papa...”
“Oh, there she is, our sleeping beauty...” laughed the man, caressing his little girl.
“Papa! Is it really... you?” asked Ninhursag.
“Hm? Who else would I be?” asked the man.
Ninhursag admired her father’s appearance, his big figure, his strong demeanor, the aura of strength he exuded.
She remembered hi very well, despite all the time that has passed since the last time she saw him.
Was this truly a dream? Or was she having nightmares before?
She often thought about this every time she dreamed of the past.
Sometimes, a person yearns so much for their past that they have dreams of the past.
And wish, deep down, that these were not actual dreams, but reality.
They convince themselves that the future they saw was a bad nightmare, and simply tried to live this dream with their loved ones.
“What’s wrong, little Nin?” asked a young boy on his mid-teens, he had long white hair made into a ponytail and a slim and muscular figure, with shiny yellow-gold eyes.
“Big brother...” muttered Ninhursag, her eyes seemed filled with sorrow as she saw all she had lost...
The entire family looked at the little girl with confusion.
“Why are you crying dear?” asked her mother.
“Is everything okay?” asked her father.
“Nin?” asked her big brother.
“Sniff... No... It’s not okay... You’re not real... Sniff... You all died...” she cried.
“Eh? Died? But we are here with you...” said her father.
“I’ll never die until I see my little girl grow into a strong warrioress!” said her mother.
“And I’ll protect your back, as always,” said her big brother.
Ninhursag felt a strong pain in her heart, as she saw those she remembered every day... those she loved so much... those she fought for...
“You don’t know... how much I miss you all so much...” she cried.
“...”
“...”
“...”
“There’s not a single day I don’t think about you...” she muttered.
Ninhursag felt as if she was going through an agonizing torture more painful than any physical wound she had ever gotten, the pain of the heart and the soul, all of it...
It was very excruciating.
A warrioress like her was able to bear the harshest of wounds and wear their scars like a proud Skin Changer, like her father and brother once did.
But the scars of the mind? The scars of her emotions... such scars had never healed.
“Why...? Why do you keep showing up in my dreams? Just to remind me that I am alone? Without you?” she cried.
“...”
“...”
“...”
Ninhursag covered her face as she began to cry even more desperately.
“I miss you so much... I hate this... I hate everything...” she cried.
“...”
“...”
“...”
“Say something! Even if you’re all dreams... S-Say something!” she cried.
Suddenly, she was hugged by her mother, and then her father, and then her brother from behind.
Their warmth, their love, their care...
It only made her cry even bigger rivers of tears...
“No matter what happens... We’ll never leave your side.” Said her mother.
“No matter where you go or what you do, always remember that you got a family.” Said her father.
“And no matter what happens to you, we’ll always be there, in your heart. As long as you live, we’ll live too, Ninhursag...” said her older brother.
This was the first moment that Ninhursag felt something different.
Did her own dreams... gained some sort of sentience?
After dreaming with them for so long...
Could they truly be her family?
“Don’t leave me behind...” she cried.
“We’ll never leave you behind...” said her mother.
“We’ll always be with you, in everything you do...” said her father.
“Yeah... So don’t ever think about giving up your life for naught...” said her big brother.
Ninhursag hugged her family as she rubbed her face over her mother’s chest.
“Okay... I get it... You don’t have to remind me of this...” she cried.
As she cried, she suddenly heard the faint voice of someone calling to her.
“Ninhursag!”
“Eh?”
“Ninhursag!”
“Huh? Who is it...?”
“Ninhursag, please wake up!”
.....
And then, Ninhursag realized who it was...
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