In Mira's mind world
A vast ocean as far as the eye could behold, beautifully reflecting the clear blue sky above.
The sky and the entirety of the mind's world was illuminated by twelve moons aligned in a perfect circle, radiating a sense of divinity.
The power of waves.
She sat atop the mass of water, naked, her face buried in her bosom as she hugged her knees.
Yet she did not sink, the water's surface still, seemingly frozen in time.
A few metres from her, the water's surface rippled.
Water droplets slowly rose from the center of the ripple, quickly turning into a vertical stream.
The stream then morphed into a watery silhouette of a woman.
Her figure closely resembling that of Mira.
"You heard him—he does have a point, you know," the watery silhouette said, having no mouth to speak, yet her voice echoed in the vastness of Mira's mind space.
"I get... it," Mira sobbed, her face still buried, unwilling to look up at her contracted spirit.
"But why must he suffer for our mistakes..." she added, finally raising her head, tears dripping down her face like a stream.
"I am sorry, my child, but sometimes the mistakes of an adult are shouldered by their offspring..."
Thalassia moved closer to her, hugging her trembling figure.
"But..."
"No buts. You should have been aware of this when you accepted him..." She released her embrace, her gentle tone replaced by a stern one.
Sob!
Mira could only sob.
She knew Thalassia was right.
Her selfishness had led to the birth of an innocent child—and now it had to pay for her mistakes.
She continued to sob for what felt like hours, her trembling ceasing after she let out every ounce of tear she had.
"I understand," she rose to her feet—her gaze resolute, yet an undeniable sadness lingered in them.
Thalassia nodded in approval.
Ready for the greatest decision of her life, she closed her eyes, opening them in the real world.
As hours passed in her mind world, barely five minutes had passed in the real world—those five minutes a torment to Aiden.
He had to endure the wails of the infant, each cry reinforcing his desire to end it.
"I understand," Mira's voice resounded behind him, her pseudo-hybrid form discontinued, the fatigue in her eyes returning—now filled with determination.
"I will not keep him..." she stated, her words bringing a smile to Aiden's face.
" You finally get it" He quickly stepped toward the crying infant, his intention clear, only for a wall of water to block his path.
"But you may not kill him either," she added, her expression fierce, leaving no room for negotiations.
"Huh? What do you mean?" Aiden looked at her, confused.
What was she talking about?
"Are you planning on leaving it here?" he inquired, eyebrows raised.
"Yes. Let's leave it to fate... I will not allow you or me to commit another sin," she hissed, her glare sending shivers down Aiden's spine.
"Isn't that worse than killing it?" Aiden thought but did not utter aloud.
This supposed self-righteousness was much more cruel than his intentions.
His would be swift, while hers would be long and probably painful—leaving a child alone in the middle of nowhere.
"This naive girl... her naivety is much more cruel than I am..." He paused, another thought crossing his mind. "Or is she planning on coming back for it?" He turned to her suspiciously.
"Let's leave," she said, sparing one last glance at the wailing infant, a burnt corpse hovering above him.
"I am sorry, Theresa," she mourned the elderly lady, her nanny for as long as she could remember, now left as a charred corpse.
"I promise to give you a proper burial, so please continue to look after him..." A lone tear fell from her eye, memories of her time with the nanny playing in her mind.
Reluctant, pained, she tore her gaze from the helpless child, her heart aching. The sensation of billions of needles prickling her heart, yet she couldn't stay.
She had made up her mind.
Her position was far too great to throw all away for one person. Even if that person was her innocent infant.
"May fate bring us together." She closed her eyes, manually forcing her heartache to stop as she increased the mana flow in her Anima.
Her expression quickly changed—no, rather, her face lost its expression, a defensive mechanism of some sort to cope with her actions.
"I will come back for you later," Aiden followed behind her, uncaring of her woes, his brows furrowed, killing intent flashing briefly in his eyes.
...
An hour after they had departed, Aiden returned, erupting flames beneath his feet as they kept him afloat, levitating above the almost crumbling cabin.
The wails of the child were audible even from where he stood.
"It's time. I'm not as cruel as your mother. I will put an end to your wails," he muttered, his icy gaze fixed on the cabin.
His palm outstretched toward the cabin.
Flames surged from nothingness, converging into a ball.
They rotated with intense velocity, changing color from it's orange hue to a lighter, more powerful yellow.
Gaining enough force, it shot out of his hand, tearing through the air at tremendous speed, reaching it's destination in seconds.
The flames crushed into the roof, the cabin instantly catching fire, burning with the ferocity of hell.
The child's wails muffled by the crackling of wood and surging waves of fire.
"Rest in peace, my son," Aiden clasped his hands together—not out of sorrow, but out of courtesy.
The dancing yellow flames reflecting on his form, seemingly giving praise to their Creator.
Without another glance, he flew away, leaving the cabin to burn, flickering yellow lights overshadowing the brilliance of the three moons.
Creatures nearby had long escaped the vicinity, a few watching from afar.
Meanwhile, the infant lay in the flames, protected by a miniature version of the translucent water dolphin—the will of the elderly lady living on.
His parents might have abandoned him, yet a stranger still cared, even after death.
.
.
.
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A N
The arc is complete, it might have only been three chapters but I think I have conveyed what I intended.
Ok
Off to the next.