20 Reunion and Goodbye

"ARISE!" A bone-chilling voice erupted from Damien's mouth. As he spoke those words, black mana gushed out of him and enveloped the young women lying on the cloth. The demon lords were slightly surprised when they saw a heart-shaped mass of blackness pounding restlessly, leaking unlimited mana. It appeared to be an infinite source of mana.

[DING!! Host has successfully extracted a Shadow.]

——Damien's mother Pov——

(A/N: A little bit of a back story of our mc's mother)

"One more push, Alea!" A woman who appeared to be in her fifties shouted, urging the heavily breathing woman.

The woman in question lay on the wooden bed, her rough breathing filling the room. Her face was drenched in sweat as she struggled to push the baby.

"ARGHH, Granny Chiyo... I can't... haah, it's so painful," the woman exclaimed, clearly in agony but--

"It's alright, Alea. Just one more push... Do it with me..." The older woman's words earned a nod from the younger woman. "...good... Here we go... 3... 2... 1, PUSHH!!!"

"ARGHHHHH!" the younger woman yelled with her last bit of strength and pushed.

"WAAAAWAAAAAH-" the sound of a wailing baby soon echoed through the dimly lit room.

"Congratulations, it's a boy, Alea," Granny Chiyo took the baby from the village doctor and handed it to Alea.

The boy was covered in blood and sweat, having just come into the world, but she didn't mind as she took him and looked at him. His eyes were tightly shut, and he had patches of black hair on his head.

"Damien... Your name will be Damien. Look, Asher, our baby boy is finally here," Alea said while gazing at the baby.

After 9 months...

My name is Alea Lockheart, a single mother. And let me tell you something: my baby boy is the most adorable thing. He has gem-like purple eyes and fair skin that makes me envious. Ehehe~~ my baby boy is going to be a heartbreaker when he grows up. UmU, after all, he is my son.

"Come on, you can do it~~" I exclaimed and watched Damien, who was barely 1 year old, walking toward me with determination. It seemed like he was finally going to reach me.

"Guuu guuu gaaa," he uttered some words and stumbled.

"Damien, sweetie, are you o-" I couldn't finish my sentence as he got up again as if nothing had happened and continued walking toward me.

"Ah, you made it, MY BABY BOY!" I lifted Damien into the air, holding him in my arms.

"Guuu, Mo-" I looked at Damien as he was about to say something. Was he going to say his first words? Awawawwa, "Mo-Mo-M snore," and he fell asleep. "Hmph, you're lucky that you're so cute." I smiled and admired his peaceful sleeping face. His chubby cheeks were my weakness, and I couldn't resist. I gently extended my fingers and caressed them, feeling their softness.

——4 years later——

"What happened, Damien? How did you get hurt?" I questioned him as I saw him in tattered clothes with a swollen face.

"It's nothing, no need to worry about it." Damien didn't even look at me and hastily made his way to his room.

Again? That cold look? What did I do wrong? Help me, Asher.

Sniff sniff

It hurts, doesn't it? To see your son giving you the cold shoulder and not explaining things.

The next morning, I went to Granny Chiyo's place and asked her about it. What I found out made me angry. "Damien is mixed up with some thug boys who live on the edge of the village. I've told him many times not to go there, sigh." Granny Chiyo informed me. As soon as I heard that, I ran towards the thugs' house.

But my mind went blank when I saw an older guy beating my baby boy. "Asher, I will be using the techniques you taught me." My late husband, Asher, had taught me some self-defense before he passed away.

"Hey, what are you doing with my baby boy?" I shouted and launched myself towards the older guy who had been beating my son before he could react. I landed a kick on his cheek, sending him flying.

"Huuu- Asher, this training is quite useful," I breathed out. Oh yeah, my baby bo- "What are you doing here?" Damien asked me with the same cold look.

"Me? I'm here to save you," I answered.

"Who told you to? Stop interfering in my life," Damien shouted and ran back home.

"Sigh, what has gotten into him?"

The gap between us continued to widen with each passing day, and soon 6 years had passed. Damien grew colder and colder, as if he was possessed.

Until that event happened.

It was like any other day. I was washing clothes near the well when suddenly I heard the sound of plates smashing in the kitchen. I quickly dried my hands with a cloth and rushed to the kitchen to see what was going on. When I arrived, my heart skipped a beat as I saw Damien lying on the ground, motionless.

"Hey, Damien, my baby boy, wake up!" I kept trying to wake him up, but received no response. I picked him up and hurried to the village doctor.

"Sigh, it appears that due to hitting his head hard against the floor, the back part of his brain took a direct hit, causing him to slip into a coma," the doctor concluded. I was devastated once again. Am I going to lose him too? No, no, that can't be right. He's just in a coma state. He isn't dead.

"I will give you these medications that you should administer to him, one in the morning and one at night." The doctor quickly wrote a prescription and handed me the medicine.

"It's going to be alright, Damien is strong," I felt a hand on my shoulder, radiating warmth.

"Y-Yeah," I muttered and took Damien in my arms, making my way back home.

I went up to Damien's room and laid him down on his bed, nursing him throughout the day. There was no movement at all; he just lay there on the bed.

"Ah, the water is warm again. Let me get the cold one. I'll be back soon, sweetie~" I stood up and went to change the water to put on Damien's head.

Creak

"Who are you?" As soon as I opened the door, my baby boy stood there on his two feet again, looking healthy. He looked at me with curiosity and a hint of confusion.

"Me? I'm your mother," I answered simply.

"I'm sorry, but I don't remember you," my baby boy said, looking at me, but there was no coldness in his eyes, rather honesty.

But...

"No! It can't be. Try to remember me, Damien! It's me, your mother!" I couldn't take it, and I kept backing towards the wall as tears threatened to spill from my eyes.

"It's alright, mother. I'm here." Suddenly, Damien embraced me in a warm hug, the hug I had longed for 11 years! Finally, I wept and drifted to sleep.

After that day, I saw a new Damien. A change in Damien, for better or worse, who knows? For now, I want to live like this forever.

Timeskip

"Where is Damien? Is he still playing out so late? But knowing him, he must've already returned home by now." I sat at the dinner table, pondering and waiting for Damien. It was past 10, and I was waiting for Damien to come back home. It was much later than the curfew I had set.

"I'll wait for Damien a little while longer." With that, I continued waiting until it was midnight. I had already drifted off to sleep, and the dinner remained untouched on the table. I hadn't eaten since we always ate together.

Chirp chirp

Groan

"Yawn~ Is it already morning?" I woke up to the sound of birds chirping and the sun already high in the sky.

"That boy should be back by now. It's time for some punishment." I stretched and headed towards Damien's room.

Creak

I entered Damien's room. Everything was in place except Damien. I sighed. "Sigh, where is he? I know he's a strong boy, but I have this uneasy feeling from last night."

I walked towards the window and opened the curtains, but then I froze as I saw a massive gate in the sky. It was breathtaking, the most exquisite sight I had ever beheld. "Wow, it's so beautiful." However, the door suddenly swung open, and a torrent of winged beings began pouring out from it.

"What's happening?!" I was filled with alarm at the sheer number of winged creatures descending from the sky. I quickly shut the curtains, and a thought crossed my mind—my baby boy.

"Damien, where are you?" I rushed outside the house and started searching for him, pushing people aside as they bumped into me. It had all started a while ago when the winged beings unleashed chaos upon the village. I was terrified as I fled from home, desperately searching for my baby boy.

---Zing---

"AHHHHH, HELP ME, ALEA!" A spear whizzed past me and pierced a man's leg.

"I-I'm sorry." I glanced at the man and bowed. I had priorities, and honestly, I couldn't fight against these creatures.

I kept running and shouting my baby boy's name. "Where is Damien? Did they capture him? It can't be ri--?" I couldn't finish my sentence as a spear impaled my back. Huh? Had something struck me?

I looked down and saw the spear protruding from my body.

"Bleegh." I spat out a mouthful of blood. Was this the end? I wished I could have seen my baby boy...

Weakly, I lay on the ground, struggling to breathe. But then, out of nowhere, a black and purplish hole-like thing appeared. 'What's that?' I questioned, but there was no answer. I was slowly losing consciousness. Suddenly, a figure emerged from the black hole. My fading eyes gazed upon the figure that walked with the air of a one-man army. All the angels halted their actions and stared at the figure.

'Is that... Damien?' I wondered, and my suspicions were confirmed as the figure halted and crouched down. He cradled me in his arms, resting my head on his lap while tears streamed down his face. "D-Damien?"

"I'm here, Mom. Everything is going to be alright." My eyes widened slightly because he finally called me 'Mom.' I was overjoyed. Ever since childhood, he had never called me 'Mom.' I could finally depart this world in peace.

"SYS, GIVE A POTION OR ANYTHING, PLEASE!" he shouted into the air, but nothing happened.

All I could do was gaze at my baby boy's tear-filled face and whisper, "Run... Damien." Those were the final words I mustered before my world faded into darkness.

————

(Back to present)

"Hey, hey, what are you doing with that lady's corpse?" Ramiris couldn't contain her curiosity and blurted out.

Damien threw a sidelong glance at the Chibi fairy and replied in a cold voice, "It's none of your concern."

"Hey, how dare--" Ramiris was about to throw a tantrum, but she couldn't finish as Guy appeared by her side and placed a hand on her face to prevent her from disturbing what Damien was doing. Why? Because it intrigued him.

The mana surge subsided, and a figure emerged from it, looking at Damien with confusion and warmth. The figure bore a striking resemblance to the young woman who had been lying on the ground just seconds ago. Now, that same figure stood there dressed in black and purplish mana, resembling Damien's Shadow soldiers.

"D-Damien?" The Shadow exclaimed, looking at Damien, who stood there with trembling hands and tears welling up in his purple eyes.

"Damien? Is that you? You've changed since the last time I saw you. What hap--" Before the Shadow could complete the query, Damien rushed forward and embraced the Shadow. It wasn't warm nor cold, but Damien could feel the warmth of his mother.

"M-Mom," Damien held his Mother, whom he had awakened in the form of a shadow. Damien's mother looked down and saw her little boy who was holding his tears back threatening to spill out at any moments notice. Although confused about what was going on and how her body had transformed into this, or how she had come to be here, she set aside all those questions when she saw her baby boy hugging her tightly.

"There, there, sweetie. Everything is alright," she tried to coax him like a baby. But that was the last straw as Damien finally bursted out of tears as tears streamed down his face. It was as if he was seeing his mother after many years, even though it had only been a couple of hours since she died.

The surroundings grew quiet, with only the sound of a boy's wailing and a female-like Shadow comforting the little boy.

After 5 minutes, Damien finally calmed down and stood up, still embracing his mother. "So, Damien, can you explain to your mother what is happening?" Damien's mother asked calmly. However, she felt a bit afraid of the three people who were looking at them with intrigue. She was curious about how on earth she was alive. Didn't she die? How is she back again? All she could think was that it was Damien's doing. She had a gut feeling.

Damien finally released his grip on his mother and took a step back to get a clearer look at her face. Even though it was composed of purple mana, he could still see the resemblance. "Mom, how do I explain this? Do you remember when I was bedridden after falling down the stairs and ended up in a coma-like state for the whole day?"

"How can I forget that day? I thought I would lose my baby boy," Damien's mother nodded, clearly recalling the day when Damien fell from the stairs and slipped into a coma. She had anxiously looked after him the entire day—it was her duty as a mother to care for her son.

While studying his mother's expressions closely, Damien continued, "That day... something changed in me. I became a different person..." He extended his hands forward and conjured a ball made of his black mana, locking eyes with his mother, whose own eyes glowed. "I awakened my powers that day after falling into a coma. This is called mana, mother... or you can call it magic." He maintained eye contact with his mother, who kept looking into his eyes without any fear for two minutes.

Under normal circumstances, when Damien summoned a shadow, they automatically became fiercely loyal to him and revered him as their god. However, it was different in the case of his mother. He didn't know what made her so special, but he didn't dare question it, as he was engaged in a normal conversation with his mother, even though she was just a shadow.

After five minutes, his mother let out a sigh and said, "Sigh, I knew it. You're just like your father. He also had this weird thing called mana, which he used to show me before you came along."

Damien was surprised. He had no idea his father knew about mana and this world. "Mother, who was my father?" Damien asked, his curiosity piqued. Since birth, he hadn't seen his father, believing that he had died before he was born. Yet, he had fully embraced his identity as "Damien." Therefore, anything related to his father was undoubtedly important to him.

"Your father, huh? He was a kind and gentle person whom I met when he stayed in this village during his travels. He was the adventurous type, you see? He enjoyed journeying to different places and experiencing new things. I fell in love with your father at first sight, and we grew closer until we finally got married and had you. Unfortunately, he died before you were born... he died mysteriously one day. No one knew the cause. I was devastated but couldn't dwell on it for long because I had you to take care of, my baby boy Damien~ That's the name your father chose for you before he passed away," Damien's mother shared, a sad smile gracing her lips.

"I..."

Damien didn't say much as he silently gazed at his mother. He didn't know what to do now. He had awakened his mother to say goodbye, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. Despite battling so many monsters, he realized he was still weak at heart. 'I'm still weak, it seems,' a sad smile appeared on his face.

"So, Damien, are you going to introduce me to your three friends who are looking at me?" Damien snapped out of his thoughts and looked behind him. He had completely forgotten about them.

"Cough, they aren't my friends, mother. I just met them today," Damien coughed, feeling awkward. He had forgotten that those three were still present and had witnessed his vulnerable side.

"What do you mean, Damien~? We are your friends, right~?" Guy didn't miss this opportunity. He walked towards Damien, put an arm around his neck, and smiled innocently.

"My name is Guy Crimson, and I'm Damien's best friend right here~ Isn't that right, Milim?" Guy introduced himself while still keeping his hand on Damien's shoulder.

"UmU, if he's a friend of Guy, he's a friend of mine too. My name is Milim Nava, the dragonoid. Nice to meet you," Milim exclaimed, excited to finally meet Damien's mother, whom she had wanted to fight since laying eyes on him.

"KuhuM, this queen will be your friend, Emo boy~ Be grateful!" Ramiris spoke as she playfully punched her nonexistent chest with her hand.

"Fufufu~ Damien, it seems you've made some unique friends," Damien's mother laughed as she looked at her son. She wasn't oblivious to the names that were just mentioned. They were the Demon Lords who terrorized the world. She didn't know how her son became involved with them, but it didn't seem like he was uncomfortable in the slightest. She was happy that her son had finally made some friends.

Stepping forward, she introduced herself to the three demon lords. "My name is Alea... Alea Lockheart, mother of Damien Lockheart," she smiled and glanced at Damien and the three demon lords.

After that, the five of them sat down and started reminiscing about embarrassing moments from Damien's childhood as Milim and Ramiris sat on either lap of Alea and listened to it and giggled . "You know, one time, Damie--"

"Mom, not that one."

"Shut up, Damien!" the three lords shouted simultaneously, eager to hear more.

"Ehehe, oh yes," Damien's mother exclaimed, continuing to share his childhood memories, which elicited laughter from all three of them.

However, their lighthearted moments were abruptly interrupted by a torrent of angels descending from heaven's gate. The number of seraphs was staggering, their army appearing almost endless.

"Damien, what's happening?" Alea, who was new to this world, asked him. Although she had died at the hands of these angels before, she didn't feel anger towards them. Instead, she pitied them as they seemed like emotionless beings carrying out someone else's dirty work.

"They are called Angels, Mother. They seek the extinction of humanity and they were the ones who killed you," Damien's rage was palpable, but Alea stepped forward and embraced him. "It's alright, sweetie~~"

"No, Mom, they have to pa--" Damien couldn't finish his sentence as he was pulled into a hug.

"Rage will lead you nowhere. I don't want to see you like that again, do you hear me, Damien?" Alea scolded him, not wanting her son to be consumed by anger and wreak havoc.

"I-I understand, Mother," Damien replied, bowing his head.

"Sweetie~~ I-I think it's time for me to return. I worry that I'll only be in your way as you fight and grow stronger," Alea said, looking into Damien's eyes with determination.

Damien glanced at his mother's determined expression and sighed. He knew he wouldn't be able to change her mind. When Alea set out to do something, she wouldn't rest until she accomplished it.

He let out a heavy sigh and hugged his mother one last time. Would this be their final farewell? Who knew? But Damien had a gut feeling that he would see her again in the not-so-distant future.

"You three, please take care of him. He can be childish and bratty at times, but he's a good kid. Please don't hurt him," Alea looked at the three Demon Lords, who smiled back at her.

"Don't worry, Alea. We'll take care of him," Guy reassured her with a smile, waving his hand. The other two followed suit and bid their farewells.

"So, the time has come. Goodbye, Mother," Damien said as he placed his hand on his mother's shoulder and uttered, "Terminate extraction."

[DING!! SHADOW EXTRACTION TERMINATED]

Damien's mother smiled as she began to fade into thin air. Before completely vanishing, she said, "You were the best thing that ever happened to me, Damien. Take care, sweetie~~ and don't forget to find some girls." She winked at him, her voice lingering in the air.

Damien stood there for a while, his gaze fixed on the oncoming tsunami of the angelic army heading their way.

"They're going to pay for killing ALEA!!!" Milim shouted as she transformed into her stampede form and charged towards them.

"Yes! How dare they take the life of such a beautiful soul like Alea! This queen won't spare them!!" Ramiris joined the fight alongside Milim, her determination evident.

"Hey, Damien. Let's go have some fun~~" Guy nudged him and launched forward.

"Yeah, let's go," Damien agreed, heading towards the angels, but not before storing his mother's remains in his inventory. He would give her a proper burial. "Goodbye, Mother."

—————-

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