Chapter 6 - Mother

After realization hits Maiden, after she convinced herself that she is in an otome novel that was once written by her mother, she feels comfortable and weary at the same time. Comfortable, because this is her mom's work, imagination, and ideas. Her emotions are in here. And weary, since these specific events did not occur in the story. And it makes her worry about their safety, especially since she was the one who saves this prince.

Soon after the healer left, she sensed her mother who seems to be thinking seriously.

"Mother, what's wrong?" her mother's worried face turns to her and then tried to smile.

"Nothing Pheia. It's just... I think we're in danger." She said while grabbing Pheia's hands and holding them firmly.

"I think keeping the Prince here can cause danger in our lives. You know how dangerous it is. We cannot afford to lose our lives just by protecting that Prince. And.... after a few days, I know that House Edame's guards will come and arrest us and sentenced us to death! Pheia, you must listen to me, we should go and escape, it is the only thing we can do to help us stay alive." Pheia furrowed her brows at her mother's words. Knowing her words are reasonable but how can they run in this kind of situation? She doesn't know what to do and, she doesn't even know where this world's safe place was.

"Mom...Mother, maybe we can run, but we can never hide forever. If what you said is true, that House Minders will be sending troops to arrest us, then wherever we go, we can be convicted as criminals. I'm afraid there is no such place as secure as you expected." she butted out. "Besides, I didn't know what exactly is going on in here..... It's never the same.", Pheia murmured.

"What did you say 'never the same'?" Pheia almost choked herself at the realization of how keen her mother's hearing are. She never thought she could hear what she'd said.

"Nothing, mother, nothing." Pheia turn around, trying to escape the situation.

"I know. These were never the same." before Pheia even says a thing, Joan walks out and heads towards their room.

Why did she say those words? Do we share the same sentiment?

"Mother wait?!", she run towards her as she was closing the bedroom door. "Do you know what was happening? Do you know everything about this?", she emphasized the word 'this' pertaining to the otome-thing at hand.

She grabs Pheia's hand and leads her to sit at their bedroom mattress. "From the time you woke up from that accident, I thought something was odd. I raised Pheia since she was a child. I know what things were running down her mind. But when you start asking discreetly about the things around you, exercising every day which is something that never in Pheia's life would do, and the pain in your head. Everything says it all. You might have the same face and body but I know you had a different soul. I knew it... because I am one." Pheia faces her with shock at what she said.

"W-what do you mean you are one?" That's the only question left her brain to process.

Maiden heard her sigh and said "I am certain that you are not Pheia and I am not Joan either. I am from a world called Earth where people uses cellphone, where people have no power but technology, and where people have human rights. That's where I came from." Maiden stared at her, wide-eyed. She came from EARTH?!

"I am also from there," Maiden exclaimed excitedly. But if she's not Joan then where is her soul? "If you were not Pheia's mom then where is she? What happened to her?" Maiden asked her while she tried to keep her composure intact.

"She died together with her husband at a massacre ten years ago. All of the people in that place experienced the cruelness of those leading houses. When I woke up as Joan, I am covered with blood, my body's full of cuts and bruises. I am quite thankful that someone noticed me alive among those corpses and help me heal my wounds. They help me stand in this life and eventually that person who took care of me died afterward and left Pheia with me. I, soon come to know that that person who helped me cure my wounds are the loyal attendants of Pheia's parents, and also the one who saves Pheia first. Pheia is not this one's biological daughter. Although, I treat her as one but she never was." She said while glancing at Maiden's troubled face.

"The one's massacre is that the...."

"Yes, it is.. the Holocaust Massacre. It's where the massacre of those innocent people out of someone's ambition and greed." She once again sighed showing sadness on her face. Maiden doesn't know why but her heart aches to see Joan in this state. "I never thought that something like this will happen, I--wrote it not this way." She sorrowfully said.

"Mother? W-what do you mean by that?" Maiden nervously asked her. Why did she say "written"? Does she mean that... SHE'S MY MOM?

"It's because I am the author of this story, Elementals: Burning Metal. I am the source of this story, I mean the creator. I never once imagine that I will be inside of this fantasy world I created. I am---" before Joan can even finish her sentence Maiden hugs her. She hugs her very tight while she felt hot tears streaming at her cheeks.

"Mom, I missed you. Mom, you're here." For a couple of seconds, Maiden felt all worries I've felt before, the negative feeling that has been inside of her, and the weary things she feels while in this world, vanished at full speed.

My mom is here. She's here.

"P-Pheia? What's wrong with you?" She asked Pheia while returning her longing hug confusedly. "Why did you call me mom? Pheia?"

Maiden loosened her hug and look at her mom with still streaming hot tears. She stared straight at her eyes, hoping to show her real self. "Mom, it's me, Maiden."

She watched her mother as she registered what Maiden said. And when she thinks she'd come to realize, her eyes widened and began to water. She slowly caressed her cheeks as she also stared at Maiden's eyes. "Maiden? Is this really you?". Maiden nod while leaning against her mother's palm. Searching for the warmth it exuded just like before. "Yes, it is me, mom. Your baby girl. Your princess."

After she answered, she burst into tears and grab Maiden for an embrace. She cried hard while saying things like how she missed her daughter, how she longed for her and her father, and how sorry she was for leaving her early and alone. "I'm sorry Maiden, I'm sorry we left you alone. I'm sorry if we have just given in to your uncle's greedy request. He might not have done that to us."

"Wait, mom? What did you just say? What 'uncle's greedy request? Whose uncle?" Maiden asked as what she know is the cause of their death was because of their business enemies. Why come there's an uncle? I only knew one uncle and it's... Wait, wait, wait....

Maiden stared at her mom, her eyes seem to hold contempt in them and as she looks at Maiden it softens and turns into her gentle ones, immediately. "So after our death, he hadn't told you? Hah... That greedy bastard." She laughed mockingly at that person she was referring to.

"It's your father's brother, Brook Calibre. He wants your father to hand him our corporation but your father refuses. It's the empire your father nurtured alone so how can he hand it so easily towards his brother? Your father thought of some ways to not hand the corporation to Brook but it failed. Until Brook has no patience anymore and gives your father a week of deadline or else he would slowly destroy each company our corporation has. He even threatened your father of our lives. But your father still stands... until that night came." As she is storytelling, Maiden can see different emotions swirling and showing in her mother's face. When she talks about the part of her father she can see and feel the love and passion in her eyes but when she mentioned her uncle Brook's name the hatred suddenly comes ashore.

"Uncle Brook? How dare he? He told me a completely different ploy. I trusted him! Damnit! I even followed all his commands because I thought I was punishing the right people. I didn't know that the real snake is just binding right at me! That monster!" Maiden stands as fits of anger lurks inside of her.

How can that bastard be so heartless?! How can he kill his own brother?! How can he turn me into some killing machine when in fact those I've killed might be innocent?! How can he?!

A lot of things passed through her mind and she can't hide her full expression anymore. She might have killed innocent people while under her uncle Brook's influence.

Adela's brother might be innocent. How can I?  She slumped back at the bed. Staring unknowingly at the floor thinking how to possibly bring out the good in the situation. "Maiden, don't blame yourself. It was your father and I's fault why you've gone through those things." her mother said while trying to snap her out of her trance.

"No, mom. It's not you and father's fault. It's none of our fault. We are just victims of uncle Brook's schemes." Maiden sighed as she found it useless to be angered anymore. She have her mom now, anyway. "And even if I take that to heart until the end, it's no use. We are in a completely different world. I can't punish nor kill Uncle Brook. Or even searched and find evidence whether those people I killed are innocent or not. I can't even compensate them if they're indeed innocent." Maiden paused. "What we have to do now is to know how to deal with this current problem. We should forget about those sad pasts. We have to live for today, mother." she said resolutely. She glanced at her mother with a reassuring smile. "We should live for this world you've created mother. We should find ways to escape our fate."

Her mother nods as she agrees with her resolution.