W1.A2-11: Lena’s Disappointment

"Are you ready, Mom?"

Mom was sitting on a square mat, while I was sitting behind her. Lena was at her side, actively maintaining the pace of the boat to prevent any disturbances.

"Yes." Mom nodded.

I could hear her nervous tone, but not all of it was out of fear; there was also some anticipation and excitement.

Placing my hand on her back, I could feel her warmth through the fabric. Readying myself, I said, "You can start now."

Mom gave a soft nod before raising her hand, which was holding the tiny yellow fruit. Giving it a brief glance, Mom closed her eyes and took a soft bite, making half of the fruit disappear.

Nothing bad happened, nor were there any changes, which made her relieved and scared at the same time. So she opened her mouth and finished the rest of the fruit in one bite.

Still, nothing happened.

Just as she was about to turn to me to inquire about her situation, a sudden, warm current began to move across her body. Even Lena and I could sense it.

But though powerful, it didn't harm Mom in any way; instead, it began to seep into every fiber of her being, making her feel energized as she subconsciously closed her eyes.

"Make sure to connect your will with the flow of energy. Only then will you be able to sense your spiritual powers."

I said softly after seeing Mom get swept up in the flow of energy, but her concentrated expression told me she had heard my words.

A bit uneven at first, the flow of energy began to subside. More accurately, she was taming it. The more quickly she could keep it under control, the more it would prove her talent to be a mage.

And I had to say, my mother was really something to be able to control the mana in the fruit almost instantly after I finished my words. Although it might have been a bit better if she somehow had her talent tested before she got married, it was not too bad, as she would not have developed the tenacious spirit if not for having gone through all these tough years of her life.

Talent was important, but diligence and determination were even more so.

Just as Lena felt everything was going well, a sudden burst of mana emitted out of Mom's body. She swayed a bit, but, fortunately, I was behind to support her. Then, I carefully injected a bit of neutral mana into her body to help her.

Actually, it was not a big problem. Just that Mom's body was not used to being in contact with such an intensity of mana. It was a kind of rejection of another type of energy and would take some time to subside.

It was nothing new, as even some peak magic apprentices suffered from occasional dizzy spells due to overworking with mana. Only after becoming an official mage could this problem be eliminated for good.

"You can rest now."

Mom had opened her eyes, but she appeared a bit disoriented. Taking her into my arms, I gently lifted her up, walking towards the soft bed Lena had taken out.

Covering her with the quilt, I sat by her side.

"I... I am... fine." With some difficulty, Mom finally spoke to me.

"I know." I gave her a smile. "This is totally normal, and you don't have to be afraid, as you will be better after sleeping for the night."

Standing up, I lightly touched her cheek while saying, "Alright. You can rest for a bit. Lena and I will make something good for you to eat."

Mom gave a weak nod before closing her eyes to rest.

...

After having a light supper, Mom went to sleep, and I decided to take the night watch in case the boat deviated from the path. Considering that we had already crossed several other branches and tributaries, caution was required. None of them were powerful enough yet to deviate our route, but we couldn't be careless since it was our first time using this route.

On Lena's insistence, I had to agree to taking turns keeping watch. Sleeping less for a day wouldn't make a difference, but it was good for staying alert.

As the bed was wide enough, my mother rested on one side while I occupied the other. After checking on her to see if she was feeling any discomfort, I went to sleep.

Just as I was about to drift off to sleep, I heard Mom's soft, sobbing voice. Opening my eyes quickly, I found her frowning with tears at the corner of her eyes. Her body trembled, and I sensed a bit of unrest in her flow of mana.

Not wasting any time, I hurriedly moved forward and embraced her. "It's alright. Everything's fine," I whispered in a soothing voice. "I'm here."

Lena looked over and said with concern, "Don't worry. It must be due to her spiritual powers awakening, which may have caused hallucinations and nightmares."

I nodded, as that seemed to be the case.

Her calm face looked beautiful under the dim lights. Seeing her brought a gentle smile to my face. I really disliked seeing her worried. This step of making her awaken her powers was the first step I took to repay my mother for all the suffering she had gone through for my sake. Even without the firefruit, I would have found another method to help her. I not only wanted her to live well but also wanted her to live longer.

The sweet thought of Lena, Mom, and me living together in the future brought a smirk to my face. Coupled with the calmness I felt with Mom in my arms, sleep soon claimed me.

...

I didn't know how much time had passed when a sudden wet sensation on my lips was felt in my sleep.

Before I could even think of it as a dream, I felt a pair of arms hugging me tightly while a restless, soft body collided against me.

A faint but seductive scent entered my nostrils, and I immediately recognized it as the one Lena used.

'This little minx.' A helpless thought came to my head as I realized that she was probably taking advantage of my mother's sleep to tease me.

Not to be outdone, I responded with ever more fierceness.

Grabbing the back of her head, I pressed my lips closer and completed the kiss.

Somehow, it felt a bit different, but I was in no condition to check as my hands had already reached for the bottom.

It felt soft—softer than my hands remembered.

As I gave a squeeze, a muffled moan echoed in my mouth. It was also when I heard a voice.

"You'll suffocate her like that, Dan."

It was Lena who spoke.

'Then who is-'

My whole body froze as an absurd thought flashed through my brain.

Backing away a bit, I opened my eyes in hope and anticipation that it was still a dream.

But alas, there it was, my mother's red-as-an-apple face in front of my eyes. Her lips appeared a bit swollen, while her eyes contained some shame as she glared at me.

"Have you groped enough?" She said it through gritted teeth, trying to sound tough.

Realizing I was in trouble, I gave her a low squeeze to ruin her fake anger strategy and hurriedly withdrew from the bed.

Mom almost moaned out loud due to my action, then glared at me even more fiercely.

Taking a deep breath, I turned to Lena, who was standing on the side, looking particularly amused... and excited?

Ignoring her amusement, I simply gave her a light bump on the head.

"Can't you have given her another perfume?"

Both Lena and Mom appeared speechless but soon understood my reasoning.

"How is that my fault?" Lena said in an aggrieved tone as she rubbed her head in pain.

She then grumbled. "You are the one who was enjoying it."

"Shut it!" Shushing her in a hurry, I turned to my mother.

"Mom, it... it just happened." I tried to justify myself because I did feel a little guilty. "I felt something on my lips, and then..."

"Did it feel good?"

"Huh?"

I was bewildered when I saw and found my mother's expression seemed to have changed as she winked in a playful manner. But her flashed cheeks gave her away; clearly, she was not as calm as she was presenting.

"I know if it was an accident, dear." She said this while walking toward me. Holding my hand, she consoled, "And even if not, it was nothing much, just a simple kiss. Like how you did when you were little."

As I was feeling somewhat suspicious about her calmness, Mom turned her head to the side and whispered, which she thought was audible to me only.

"Wipe that dumb expression off your face and act properly." She chided in a soft tone. "Whatever happened, happened. But we can't make a good girl like Lena think badly of our family. So, let's not talk about this anymore. Understood?"

I nodded subconsciously, but my expression was a bit weird.

Pfft—!

Lena suddenly let out a sound, and when we turned towards her, she burst into laughter.

"You..." Mom suddenly had a bad feeling as she turned to me. "She... heard us?"

"She did, Mom." Rubbing my temples, I let out a wry smile. "We're super humans, remember? Not to mention this quite tunnel; even a noisy bazaar would not hinder our hearing in such close range."

"Well..." Mom's expression turned awkward as she was again embarrassed, though it was not so clear due to her already flushed face.

"Oh, Mother. You're so cute." Lena came forward and held Mom's hand, easing her awkwardness. "Actually, I was a bit surprised." Lena said, "But I knew it was a possibility."

"You knew?" Mom was stunned. "What do you mean?"

"Well, isn't it normal after seeing how close you two are to each other?" Lena spoke matter-of-factly.

"No, no, no, Lena." Mom, after coming out of her daze, hurriedly waved her hand as she spoke.

"You've got it wrong! We're only this close because we have not seen each other for so long. After some time passes, I'm sure this guy will not even think about his old mother anymore. So you can erase all the weird thoughts in your mind."

I was speechless but didn't know how to butt into this... this ridiculous but interesting conversation.

"Really?" Lena asked, but just as my mother was about to express her agreement, Lena said in a sad tone, "That's a disappointment."

"What?" Mom didn't understand. "What do you mean?"