The Beginning After The End novel Chapter 71

When we stepped inside the house, the temperature seemed to have suddenly dropped. In contrast to the icy atmosphere, though, my mother’s fiery gaze pierced down at me from the top of the stairs, the corners of her eyes struggling to keep her tears from rolling down her cheeks.

"Hello, Mother, I’m... back?" Cold sweat permeated through my pores as a pressure akin to an S class mana beast weighed down on my very soul.

I had to admit, I wasn’t looking so sharp. My body was a canvas of nicks and scratches and my hair probably looked like it had been struck by lightning repeatedly, as if one strike wasn’t to its satisfaction. The entire back of my uniform was nonexistent from when it was sandpapered away as I fell down the hole.

"Arthur Leywin..." My mother’s voice dripped with frost.

Before she had the chance to say anything more, a familiar voice instantly broke the tension in the room.

"BROTHHERRR!" My baby sister bolted down the stairs past Mother, stumbling on the way down, and took a leap into my chest, her arms immediately clinging around me with the strength of a python on steroids.

"Erk! E-Ellie, it hurts..." my voice came out raspy as I gently patted my sister’s head.

"A teacher came and said you... you were lost," Ellie managed in between sniffles.

My sister rubbed her face against my chest while attempting her almost incoherent string of words, as if wanting to burrow herself inside me.

Sylvie had stirred awake at this point. With her ears drooping down, she consolingly licked my sister’s cheek.

"I know... I’m sorry for worrying you guys...again." I looked up at my mother as I said this, my voice dropping to almost a whisper.

I could tell by her expression that she was torn between whether to scold me or just be happy.

Maybe she would do both.

My father took this chance to walk over to my mother and gently lead her down the stairs, comforting her.

"There’s a time to be angry, Honey, but now isn’t the time. Look, it’s your son. He’s back." My father’s soothing voice eased the tension between my mother’s brows. As her expression softened, so did her will.

Breaking down into sobs, she wrapped her arms around me from the side, triggering a chain reaction, thus, causing my sister who was still wrapped around me to begin bawling her eyes out yet again.

My mother’s sobs made her soliloquy almost indiscernible; she seemed to switch between cursing God to thanking him.

"It’s not fair...

"Why is my son the one that keeps getting so hurt?

"Thank God, you’re safe!"

My father and I made eye contact and he gave me a reassuring half-smile while he gently patted my bawling sister and mother, both of whom were angrily thumping me with their trembling fists, crying.

Their fists didn’t particularly hurt but each shaking strike seemed to gnaw away at me; the guilt ate away at my insides, as I stood there, motionless, biting my quivering lower lip.

It took about a good hour before they calmed down; both my sister and mother reduced to a state of heavy panting and constant hiccups.

Somewhere in the middle of our scene, I spotted Lilia’s mother, Tabitha, peeking from upstairs. I could tell she wanted to come down and comfort my mother and sister but before she could, Vincent pulled her back, giving me a meaningful nod.

Eventually, we got ourselves situated in the living room. My sister’s breathing was still erratic to the point of worry, her arms wrapped around Sylvie. My mother was a bit better as her swollen eyes probed for any serious wounds before placing a gentle hand on my chest.

"... And let Heaven and Earth heal." As she ended her chant, a soft white glow enveloped my body.

Almost immediately, I felt a soothing warmth covering every wound, even the ones I didn’t know I had.

As the healing glow dissipated along with my injuries, I looked at my mother’s concentrated face.

I wanted to ask.

Why could she use her healing powers now?

How was she able to heal Dad when he had been struck by the mage on the way to Xyrus? I still remembered her desperately healing my father as he ordered me to take my mother and run. That was before I’d fallen off the cliff.

But I bit my tongue and forced a smile. My father was right; I should wait for her to tell me first.

My mother let out a sigh before taking her hand off my chest. She stared at me, and gave me one more firm, wordless hug.

We eventually began talking about what happened. My father took a brief moment to tell me how Professor Glory had visited and told them what had happened to me before she had to hurry back. All the while, my sister sat wordlessly on the couch, curled up with Sylvie, as she seemingly stared at a particular spot on the ground in front of her.

On my end, I tried not to make a big deal of what transpired for the sake of my mother. I skimmed over the fight with the minion crawlers, telling them how there was just a bit more than we expected.

Both my parents gave me a face that told me they didn’t believe it was that simple. They knew me too well.

How much was I supposed to tell them?

My mind lingered towards the fragment of the demon’s horn that floated inside the dimension ring I was twisting with my thumb.

The scene flashed through with such clarity, as if plastered to my brain. The dismembered corpses... The river of blood... Alea...

Taking a deep breath, I told them the full story. All of it...