Chapter 264

The familiar park for the elderly—this was where Takumi had sent Kurumi to give food to Seven Sins last time.

The phantom of the 'Ring of Ouroboros' behind Takumi loomed, and it was clear that two 'Sephirot' on the 'Kabbalah Tree of Life' were already lit.

If Mio were to light up the Sephirot, her own power would be divided, and she would grow weaker and weaker. Since she was merely the companion and guardian of the 'Kabbalah Tree of Life' rather than its master, she had to sacrifice herself for the 'Kabbalah Tree of Life' to grow.

However, with Takumi as the master of the 'Kabbalah Tree of Life,' everyone connected to it would grow as the 'Kabbalah Tree of Life' did. This was because Takumi used the 'Teyvat Universe' as the soil for the tree, while Mio used herself.

How could an individual compare to the 'universe'? An individual would merely become nourishment, whereas the 'universe' and Kabbalah complemented each other.

Mio Takamiya's lavender eyes looked off in a certain direction. She extended a finger and pointed, saying, "Takumi, I can feel the adaptor of the 'spiritual crystal' is over there."

Takumi looked in that direction, seeing everything clearly. "The timing is off by one day. Even I can't perfectly alter the timeline within a quantum state of time," he mused. "Nevertheless, the timing is just right. Let's go, directly to where Seven Sins is."

Among all the girls who would become Spirits, Seven Sins had the most miserable life experience. She had never even seen her father, and her mother used her only as a tool to extort child support. Not a single penny had ever been spent on her; instead, she was often beaten and scolded by her cruel mother.

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A few minutes earlier, Nanami Kagano was returning home with her schoolbag. As she passed the small park, she noticed the empty bench where she had met the lady in red a few days ago. Though the lady had given her food casually, it was something that kept her stomach full for breakfast and dinner over the past few days.

There had been a lot of food, and she had finished it only yesterday. It had been so delicious that she couldn't bear to eat it all at once. She saved it, bit by bit, until she had no choice but to finish it before it went bad.

Her stomach growled with discomfort.

"Stop growling, stomach. I'll be home soon. Though there won't be anything to eat there," Nanami muttered as she held her stomach. "I just have to wait until tomorrow afternoon when I can eat at school."

She found herself reminiscing about the food she had eaten over the last few days until she finally reached her doorstep.

Suddenly, she heard the sound of breaking glass from inside her house. Nanami paused at the door and peeked in, her heart sinking at the sight of the mess that greeted her. The living room was in disarray, with broken pieces of a clock scattered on the floor—a clock that her mother must have thrown in her rage.

Her mother was always angry. She would often hit and shout at her, but Nanami had never seen her like this—completely losing control.

She wanted to turn and leave, come back when her mother's anger subsided, but it was too late—her mother had already seen her standing in the doorway. Running away now would only make things worse.

With shaky steps, Nanami walked into the living room. "M-Mom... what happened?" she asked timidly.

The woman, who had torn apart the living room, laughed darkly as she turned to look at Nanami. She vented her rage without mercy. "Heh... your worthless father died a month ago."

Nanami lowered her head, her voice barely audible. "Oh..." She wasn't sad. She had never met the man her mother called her father.

Hearing such an indifferent response infuriated her mother even more. "Do you understand what that means?! Without him, I won't receive child support anymore! Without child support, you're nothing to me—just a burden!"

Nanami said nothing, keeping her head down. She knew the truth—that the woman who called herself her mother had never loved her. To her, Nanami was merely a tool for extorting money from her absent father.

The woman's harsh words cut into Nanami like a knife, and her eyes stung with unshed tears. Every bitter memory from her childhood came rushing back—every instance where she wished for affection and received only disdain.

In her heart, Nanami knew what "mother's love" was supposed to be. She had seen it when she passed by family restaurants—mothers doting on their children with love in their eyes. She envied that so much.

The woman eventually calmed down a little, her anger waning. She looked at Nanami with disdain and sneered, "Look at you, all scrawny and ugly. No one would want you, not even if you worked the streets."

Nanami clenched her fists, her lips quivering with emotion. For the first time in her life, she looked her mother in the eyes and spoke back, her voice dripping with bitter sarcasm. "Well, I'm sorry for being as ugly as you, Mom. Maybe that's why my father—the one I've never even met—didn't want you either."

As soon as the words left her mouth, she regretted them. She knew what would come next.

The woman's face contorted in rage, and she lunged forward, grabbing Nanami by the neck and throwing her to the ground.

"Ah!" Nanami screamed as she hit the floor, but then she could make no more sound.

She couldn't breathe. Her mother's hands were around her throat, squeezing with all her strength.

Nanami's emerald green eyes stared up at her mother's twisted, angry face. She realized, in that moment, that her mother was going to kill her. She struggled, clawing at her mother's hands, but her malnourished body lacked the strength.

Her vision began to blur as her airways constricted. She felt herself slipping away. Was this how she was going to die?

No one loved her. No one cared.

All the sadness she had bottled up over the years spilled out in tears that streamed down her face. But her mother was too far gone in her rage to notice.

Suddenly, a gentle voice echoed in Nanami's mind.

"You are a good girl, a kind girl. No one loves you yet because you are waiting for the love of a god."

"If a god loves you, would you love them in return?"

Nanami's blurry eyes instantly became clear, and she screamed out in her heart.

"I will! No matter what it takes... Please, save me!"