Chapter 153- Past With A Smile (Part 1)
Ever since young and after the accident that happened to his father, he had seen how ugly a human heart can be if put in the right situation and time.
The friends he thought were the most important part of his life quickly turned on him and exiled him from their lives at the first mistake he did. They destroyed his life and made him the laughingstock of many and the target of mockery and insults from many more.
Since then, Rin had this doubt seeded into his heart that no one in this world was actually good except for his family. It was a debatable thought process that could only apply to those who actually experienced it firsthand. That's also the reason why when the last friend Marcus he had didn't leave him at all, he felt as if he was the only person other than his family that was good.
Maybe it was also the reason for Rin to keep on following him even when he made gruesome mistakes that affected Rin himself.
That belief was broken again when he finally realized that the last friend he had in this world also had a twisted heart that only cared about his own benefit and not the benefit of others. Then, he was sent to this world and that idea was put to the side for a while.
As much as he suffered throughout his life, Rin refused to get broken, he refused to fall for darkness and end up consumed. He saw what cruelty could do to a person and how much it could change them and he hated that.
'I don't even know if I will either consume that cruelty or let it consume me.' He thought as he shook his head and tried to focus on the book in his hand. There was no point in having some philosophical debate with himself now.
His mind quickly cleared and he was able to continue reading.
'It took some time but I was able to get her back to my home. Rophian is also excited about the idea. Because of the nature of our work, we don't have the luxury of settling down and having a family so adopting our own child is the best method for now. I am really happy that I am finally able to feel like a mother. She looks extremely adorable, just like a small doll.'
Seeing a new name, the young man easily determined that it was her husband that she was talking about.
Rin could feel the sheer excitement from Somi's words even though he couldn't see nor hear her directly. The way she was writing that part was so hurried as if she was extremely happy and couldn't control her handwriting properly.
That subtle detail could only make him crack a small smile.
'I hope I will be able to take care of her properly. I have taken care of my little sister before but I don't know if it's the same thing with my baby. I had fought many monsters before and faced countless threats yet I am feeling anxious at the thought of caring for a small girl. This is ironically funny!'
After that, for the next 20 pages or so, the only thing Somi wrote was how her day was spent with her daughter, how she took care of her, the problems she faced when doing so, and all kinds of funny things that Sorophi said or did.
'I can't believe it! I think she said 'Mama'!! I'm so happy! My husband says that she can't speak yet but I don't believe it! She called me 'Mama'! I will take it!' Was an example of what she wrote. It was a wholesome diary about a mother going through her first attempt at raising a child.
Rin also felt warm inside from seeing this. However, in his head, he could only sigh at the thought that such a beautiful family would never be as the two parents were long dead now.
As he was like that, he reached a certain page that made him halt and freeze in his place, his eyes were fixated on a certain paragraph. He didn't expect to see such a sudden thing in the middle of this daily diary.
'Today, my daughter finally developed her mana core enough for me to link it with mine and my husband's cores. That way, we can stay connected and we can also see what our little girl is doing when we aren't at home. She can also see us.'
A mana connection? Rin raised an eyebrow in surprise, it was a form of link that could be created between two parties that can allow them to basically know everything about the other person no matter where they are, it was an extremely strict method to keep an eye on someone that requires the acceptance of both parties. He had never thought that he would hear about such a thing in this book. But, now that he thought about it, it was indeed quite logical. If Somi did indeed connect Sorophi with their cores, it can explain the reason for her dream and what she saw. Maybe she indeed saw what Somi and Rophian did.
However, if that was indeed the case, then… Realization quickly struck him.
Widening his eyes, Rin looked at the little girl in the corner with a complicated gaze.
'Did she see… how they died in the demon realm that day?'
The realization made him frown even harder. Sorophi had most likely seen the way her parents were killed. The link wouldn't be cut off even if her parents entered the demon realm. At least, that's as far as Rin knows.
'Then, if her dream was true… Then, what the hell exactly happened?'
Rin felt his mind explode with thoughts and he couldn't understand any of them. Anyone would simply ask Sorophi but since Rin knew that she either has a form of amnesia because of the trauma or just simply didn't know, he decided not to ask her. Instead, he decided to continue reading.
After that, the next tens of pages were basically all about Somi's daily life, her work, her daughter, and even her wholesome time with her husband. If Rin ignored the fact that she was a freak of nature and a genius above all geniuses, she seemed like a loving mother and wife that prioritized her family over anything else, even her job. She didn't show any ambition for power or control, she just wanted to live a happy life with her husband and little girl.
However, Rin could see that under that veil of daily happiness, Somi was hiding something. She kept saying some sentences along the lines of 'Until that time' or 'Before It happens' or 'After the end of that, we can finally be able to settle down for a long while'. She was anticipating something big from her tone and Rin knew what it was.
'The expedition… She was aware that it will happen months before it does.'
Somi was clearly worried about that expedition, to some extent. She had clearly stated that her life before and after the expedition will change completely. She took that mission as the last major thing she will do before she finally leaves and fully focus on her family.
'She wanted to balance between her high status as a prodigy and her deep love for her family… Yet, sadly, it never came to a happy end.'
Eventually, 15 minutes passed of reading, Rin finally reached the last few pages of the diary, and his dread of seeing how it ends kept accumulating in his heart. He didn't want to know the end but was also eager to see it. How did this story of a family of extraordinary people end up tragically?
Finally, he flipped to the last page, to see a small paragraph written there. The piece of paper had dark spots everywhere. Rin traced them with his finger gently.
'Are these tears?' He asked himself.
Since the book is fairly new and well preserved, even something as easily erasable as tears stayed.
'Today is… No, I decided not to write the date. I want this to be a small letter to you, my cute little girl, Sorophi. Tomorrow is the expedition. I'm going to leave when you still can't even walk properly. I'm going to leave when you still didn't say 'I love you' to me. But, worry not, Sorophi. We will be back before you even know it. You won't need to read this letter at all. However… if we don't… come back, know that I and your father love you so much… more than anything this world can comprehend. We will always watch over you. See you in a few months, Sorophi.'
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let's all keep it up :)
Updat𝓮d from freew𝒆bnovel(.)com