CHAPTER 27

"Mom?" I saw a person standing beside my bed wearing an all-white dress that went down until her knees. I squinted my eyes in attempt to clarify who it really was. My vision was a blur, my mind was hazy, and my body felt new, it felt the same but something new was within it.

"You've come so far darling." I looked back to the person standing beside my bed. I recognized that voice. It was a voice that I didn't hear for a decade or for a very long time. Despite all the numbness I felt, I forced myself to stand up and ran to her.

"Ma." It was all that I could say. I just missed her so much, her hugs and kisses, her voice, her laugh, just her. I missed my mom. I started to cry, and I was trying my best not to let any sob out, but I couldn't help it. I clung onto her and cried even more.

"There there sweetie, why are you sad? Are you not happy to see me?" I looked up and I saw looking down at me with the same smile that held such warmth that only her can give. I smiled even if I was crying and hugged her even tighter.

"Ma, I missed you so much. What took you so long to come back." She motioned me that we bot sit on the bed and I followed her. She looked at me and cupped my face. Her eyes started to tear up, but I could sense happiness from them. Heck do I know if I am the same.

"Dear, you have grown so much. Look at how more handsome you have become! I knew you got my looks." She said exaggeratedly. I laughed at her remarks and so did she.

"So many things happened ma, I wish I could tell you all of them." I said with a laugh. I lied down on her lap and she started to caress my hair.

"Well we can have all the time we want so I don't care if it will take you the whole year to tell me what happened." I smiled at her smelled her scent. It was the same the night she left. Father told me that mom went away to go to a place that she only could.

At first, I was really sad and all I had from her was the necklace that I treasured more than my life. When mom went away, the kingdom was gloomy for what seemed like a whole century. The gates of the palace were closed, the lights on the kingdom were only counted in few and the ocean was in chaos.

I stayed in my room most of the time and whenever I would go out to go to father, I would always hear him cry, maybe she also misses mom. I mean who wouldn't, my mom was the perfect woman there was. She was really pretty, she had hazel golden eyes, a petite nose and rose like colored lips.

Her hair resembled the calmly wavy waters that glimmered under the sun during the day and glowed underneath moonlight. Her hair was like of the color gold just like my fathers. Although I do recall me having the same hair when I was a kid but I lost track of what happened and the next thing I know is that all of my strands turned black, but I heard no word about it.

Nonetheless, now that she's here, I know I'll be fine. I started to talk about what happened during my childhood, what happened when she left to the place only she can go to, then this one time that Nate acted like it was the end of the world where it turns out he was just having a panic attack and then during the Holy Mass where Lucia made us very comfy sweaters that she made throughout the year by knitting them.

I have about sixteen of those. And that one time when father fell on the stairs and I was laughing my soul out, good thing no one was there with us. I remembered all of what happened like yesterday. I told her about the birthdays that I celebrated.

Every year when that time comes, the kingdom would be in full spirit. The people would bake their cakes in honor of my birthday and many events would be held in the palace. Although father wanted that only important people enter the palace during my birthday, I wanted that all the kids from the kingdom be welcome to attend as well as some noble parents.

My mom listened like I was telling her the most interesting story ever. She would laugh from time to time, especially when I told him about what happened to father and the stairs. She had tears in her eyes and so did I.

"How is Nexus dear?" Her eyes showed how much she misses him, and I hugged her attempting to comfort her.

"Well father has been great as ever, although he still brings me to annoying meetings that I find really boring but nonetheless, he's been well ma."

"Ah, that fartface is still the same man that I fell in love with." She said with dreamy eyes.

"As much as I missed you ma, I can't help but say that you look like a teenage girl dreaming about her crush." She gasped and slightly pushed me away from her laugh.

"How dare you say that to your mother! Of course, I look like a teenager, I never get old you know?" She said while striking a pose that made us both holler.

It was just like this. The time I spent with mom always ends up being the happiest moments in my life. And whenever father has the time to join us, just expect that my stomach would cramp from laughing.

The both of them looks elegant and sophisticated in the eyes of our people but to me, they look like a normal couple clowning each other. My father would fart on her and we would run a mile away from him because one time a got to smell some of it, I felt like suffocating.

I know its gross, but it is what makes me the happiest. No not the fart thing. I meant the times when we get to be a normal family away from the eyes of our people is the moments I treasure the most. They would then fight like kids, they would bicker and let me choose who is the best parents and I would say both, but they would just force me to pick a single one.

We would play cards and then mom would always loose and she would not talk for a minute and then we would be surprised the moment after to find her crying. I was only four when my mom left, and it was the saddest part of my life but now that she's here, all is well.

"Ma, we should go and visit father." She looked at me and her smile vanished.

"Alex, where is the necklace that I gave you." I touched my chest and I felt a bump. I took the necklace out from the garment I was wearing and showed it to her. She smiled and touched the pendant.

"Always take good care of this darling." I nodded and smiled.

"Ma, can we go now?"

"Sweetie, mama has to go now." I looked at her in confusion.

"Wha- but why? Ma, you just came back and now you're going to leave me again?!" I started to cry and started to run to her but the more I wanted to get close to her the more she got farther.

"Ma! Don't leave me!" I cried and kneeled on the ground begging for her to not go.

"I never left you baby, I will be always with you." Her voice started to echo, and she started to disappear. I kneeled there crying while the woman of my life started to vanish.

"Wake up Alexander, the serpent is preying on you!"

"Gah!" I sat up abruptly from the bed I was in and was breathing heavily. My eyes were damp, and the beating of my heart was very chaotic.

My throat felt dry and everything around me felt really hot. I looked around and it was black, no lights were to be seen aside from the dim red fire that was in front of my bed. It started to get brighter and brighter.

I heard a growl that made all things tremble and before I knew what was happening, the ball of fire came to be a serpent with sharp fangs that was dripping blood

.

"We meet again, Alexander." I screamed but no voice came out from my mouth and nor could I move. I was in a dark place with no one to help me, alone with the serpent that preyed on me.

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I was in another class with Hade and Apollo, it's been two weeks, but Alexander was still not awake. The sun was high up since it was still ten in the morning. While listening to our professor who was talking about creatures that I do not believe in.

A bolt of lightning hit the academia's ground and the grass caught fire. It startled us and when we looked out the window the sun was blocked by another celestial object.

"A blood moon." I heard our teacher say. I looked up and the sun was blocked by a red bloody moon. The lights started to get dim and the temperature dropped. I suddenly felt fear and murmurs were filling my ears.

I looked over to Apollo who also had the same reaction as me. I was about to look up again when we heard Dianes' voice.

"Kaval! Apollo! Alex is awake!"