[39.5] Della POV: A Mother's Sacrifice

"No no no NO!" Red cried out shattering my dreams into pieces, "KILL THEM! Go kill them all!"

I covered my ears and squeezed my eyes shut as her painful wails sent an explosion of pain across my forehead.

"We were the same! We started out the same! But you got to stay with your brother and I was taken away all alone! I had no one!"

The explosion of pain causes flashes revealing a life I knew wasn't my own.

I watched as it played out in front of me.

Red wasn't submissive like my brother and me.

She always fought back.

Whenever she would be punished by lashes, she would only fight back more.

Red had a lot of rage in her heart that she couldn't subdue.

The slavers didn't want to put up with her trouble any longer, but since she was an ice attribute, they didn't want to kill her either. So, they extracted her mana.

I could feel the piercing agony as she endured each treatment. After each one, she would collapse due to exhaustion. When she awoke, her mana would be extracted again.

Over and over.

She was barely ever awake.

Her mind became muddled as time went on.

Soon, she was only left with her rage.

Unlike me, she was never saved by the demon woman who wore a long braid.

One day, her eyes fluttered open as she awoke once again. She looked around the crowded and filthy room in a daze. There were many bodies laying curled up on the floor in an unconscious state as a result of their treatment.

Although her hearing was poor, she could hear blood-curdling screams from outside of her room. The door was ripped open, revealing a shadow creature that resembled all of the predators in one.

She watched as the shadow grabbed a man and started to extract the mana forcefully. Each time that the shadow did, the people would wake up and start screaming uncontrollably before their skin turned grey and blue veins surfaced. The shadow tossed each limp body to the side, "Not… Enough… Not enough!"

A small smile started to curl on her lips as she watched him continue to snatch up the people and extract their mana until they were dumped as lifeless bodies.

A small laugh bubbled from deep within her throat, "Heh.. Heh heh haha! HAHAHA!"

The shadow creature stopped and turned to her as if confused by her outburst.

She laughed uncontrollably, "KILL THEM! KILL THEM ALL!"

The shadow creature tilted his head, "You… Are you mad?"

She continued to laugh hysterically, grabbing her sides as he watched her. She crawled to the creature's feet, grabbing at it desperately, "Kill them… Kill them! Please! Kill them all!"

"Aren't I already doing that?"

Her crazed eyes reflected the darkness in the shadow, "I will do anything… Just please… Please let me watch you eradicate them all!"

The shadow hummed, "Hm. I guess even madness has its usefulness. I've been needing a human to do my bidding. Follow me if you dare."

And so she did.

She followed him throughout the desert.

She killed whomever he requested without hesitation. She even ran an organization dedicated to giving him exactly what he asked for.

Eventually, he produced a portrait of a small boy with golden hair. He motioned to it, "I want you to kill him. He's a bit of an eyesore… Carrying that woman's blood. He looks so much like her, it sickens me."

She grabbed the picture and held it up with a bright smile, "Oh! My lovely master! I will do anything you ask!"

Her memories suddenly turned black, but her crazed chanting become louder and louder.

Kill them all!

Kill them all!

I felt as though I was drifting through madness when suddenly, something grabbed me and pulled me out of the darkness.

I suddenly came to and noticed Aldrich was holding me. I blinked in confusion, "...Huh? W-What's happening?"

Aldrich spoke hurriedly, "You were acting possessed and talking about how you had to kill them all."

"Eh!?" I looked down to see a large dagger made of ice in my hands. I panicked and dropped it. I burst into tears, "I can't do this anymore!!"

Aldrich was alarmed by my sudden cry and brought me into his room. He sat me down on his bed and sat beside me to comfort me, "What's going on?! What's wrong?!"

"Oh! I can't take it anymore, Aldrich! Red won't shut up! Lately, she's gotten so bad that she gives me a horrible headache!"

"R-Red? Who is Red?"

"Oh, that's the name I gave the woman whose body I am currently in. She never got a name, but since she likes the color red, I thought it was a fitting nickname."

He blinked, "You mean… That horrible woman?! You see her!?"

I nodded somberly, "I do. I've been trying to block her out, but lately, I haven't been able to. She knows exactly what makes me angry and she keeps prying into my memories! I know I did that to Reika, but that was to help her. Red is doing it to manipulate me!"

"Wait, Della. Slow down. How long have you been seeing her?"

I thought back, "Oh… Um. I think from the very beginning."

The room suddenly dropped in temperature as he stared at me, "From the beginning!? Della! It's been years!"

"I know, but-"

"-YEARS Della!"

I broke out into tears, "I didn't want to worry anyone! I wasn't ever going to tell anyone, but I don't know how to get her to shut up!"

Aldrich comforted me, "We just need to get rid of her resentment. How hard can that be?"

I pursed my lips, "She wants to execute all the slavers in the desert country."

He paused, "Oh… That might be… A little difficult."

Red clicked her tongue, "It would be doing the world a favor. I don't see why you won't do it."

I groaned into my hands, "What am I going to do? I can't stand her constant comments! She never shuts up! I can't sleep. I can't relax. I feel like I'm losing my mind!"

He looked at me with a soft gaze, "Why didn't you tell us? This is very serious, Della."

I looked at him with exhausted eyes, "A Mother must put others' needs before her own. If Reika knew, she would feel even more guilty about the situation than she already does. My daughter pretends that these things don't really affect her, but they do. She buries it deep until it finally explodes. Patrick and I tried desperately to help her, but she couldn't get herself to open up. All we could do was put out the flames… And eventually, it became too much. She was good these past few years, but now she's starting to do it again because that bastard keeps trying to corrupt her. I don't want to add to her troubles."

Red yelled, "HE'S NOT A BASTARD!"

Aldrich reached out to take my hand and give it a squeeze, "You should have at least told me. We could have figured it out together."

I leaned my head against his shoulder, "But we won't be able to figure it out. She won't go away unless we get rid of her resentment."

Aldrich spoke in a low voice, "Della… Do you know why the targets of ghosts die?"

I let out a sigh, "Because the ghost won't stop at anything to kill their target."

"That's not wrong. But it's not the full truth either." He continued, "Usually the targets are driven to madness because there is no escape for them. Eventually, they take their own life."

Red snickered, "Oh. That's good too. Losing you a second time will surely make her succumb to corruption faster."

I picked up my head in a panic, "NO! I won't let that happen!!"

He rubbed my hand to comfort me, "We won't. Don't worry-"

I cried out, "How can I not worry!? I don't want Reika to get hurt again! I just want to be a good mother!!"

He looked a bit surprised, "You are a good mother. You're the best-"

I fell onto his chest sobbing, "And if I have this life I want to live it and not take it for granted! I want to be able to kiss and hold you, [censored] you and [censored] all night long! It's so hard to be this close to you every single day and not be able to do a thing!"

His body went rigid, "What!?!"

Red screamed out, "No you don't! You two can't [censored]! Not with my body!!!"

I wiped my tears and looked up at Aldrich. I paused when I realized the bed and room had been covered by layers of ice.

"What's wrong? You don't want to?" I leaned close to his face, "Do you hate me? Do you find me too repulsive?"

He leaned away from me and muttered, "This... This is a trap. I can't win here!"

I paused and gasped, "Could it be… You've never been with anyone other than me!?"

His expression darkened.

I leaned back and started laughing, "You Marlow brothers are surprisingly innocent."

He turned his head and cleared his throat, "I-I'm not totally innocent… Or have you forgotten about our trip to the ocean?"

I thought back.

Trip to the ocean… That memory is only a blur-

My face lit up, "Oh yeah! I almost forgot for a moment!!! I drank too much wine and attacked you!"

Red nearly fell over, "YOU DID WHAT!?"

A sudden realization came over me.

I grabbed Aldrich with excitement, "THAT'S IT!"

He looked at me in confusion, "What?"

I laughed, "I just have to get drunk! Whenever I do, I never see Red or hear her! A-And! She has no idea what happens either! It's a win-win!"

Red let out a shriek, "How is that a win for me!?"

Aldrich took a deep breath. He shook his head, "That's not healthy either. You'd be solving one problem, but causing another."

I lowered my head, "You're right…"

He continued, "But there's one person who might know what to do. He's a genius despite being such a slob."

"Oh! Are you talking about Marx? Are you sure he would help me?"

Aldrich nodded confidently, "If I lock him in a room, he will."

I looked at Aldrich with a frown, "That's a bit… Isn't that a bit much?"

Aldrich shook his head, "Not with him. His best work is always done when he's confined somewhere."

"Well… As long as he will be okay with it."

Aldrich shrugged, "He doesn't really have a choice."

"Oh, Aldrich!" I threw my arms around him and snuggled close to him, "Let's cuddle tonight."

I felt Aldrich tense up from my sudden hug, "W-What?! Why!?"

"I don't want to be alone. What if I get possessed again?"

"Uh… I suppose that makes sense…" He glanced at the room, "But I'm not sure my room is suitable."

The completely frozen room was damaged to the point of being temporarily inhospitable. I chuckled, "My bed is small, but it should fit two adults."

His expression darkened, "What if Reika sees? She may get the wrong impression."

I spoke nonchalantly, "Oh, she sleeps like a rock. I doubt she would wake up before noon if we were to let her sleep."

He thought for a moment, "That is true."

I pulled him up and skipped to my room as I held his hand. My body felt so light as if a weight was finally lifted from my shoulders.

It feels good to share a secret.