Rise Of The Dual Bound Sovereign

CHP 6: Memory Fragments (1)

A panicked voice suddenly shattered the quiet atmosphere. Azrael was pulled out of his thoughts and turned toward the source of the voice.

In the distance, Nana was hurrying toward him as fast as her aging legs could carry her.

The moment Azrael saw her face, his heart skipped a beat. Her eyes were red and swollen, and tears streamed uncontrollably down her cheeks.

A sense of unease immediately rose within him. He quickly pushed himself to his feet.

"Nana... what's wrong?"

"Y-Your mother..." Nana's voice trembled. "Your mother..."

Her entire body shook as she struggled to continue.

"Nana, what's wrong with my mother?" Azrael asked, his voice becoming noticeably urgent.

But Nana couldn't answer. She lowered her head as tears continued to pour from her eyes.

The moment he saw her reaction, a terrible premonition gripped Azrael's heart. Without waiting for an explanation, he immediately turned and sprinted toward his mother's room.

—-------

Azrael rushed into the room, his breathing ragged. His gaze immediately landed on the figure lying on the bed.

Helene looked peaceful—so peaceful that, for a brief moment, he thought she was merely asleep.

"Mom..." Azrael called out softly as he approached the bed.

There was no response.

"Mom?" he called again, his voice trembling slightly. He reached out and held her hand, only to notice that it was colder than usual.

His heart clenched painfully in his chest. Tears began to well up in his eyes as he tightened his grip on her hand. With his other hand, he gently caressed her face.

"Mom... It's me, Azrael. Wake up."

Still, there was no response.

At some point, the tears he had been holding back began to roll down his cheeks.

"Mom..." he called once more, his voice cracking. But no matter how many times he called her name, Helene remained motionless.

The last shred of hope in Azrael's heart shattered. His mother was gone. She wasn't coming back.

Despite all the promises he had made to her about finding a cure, despite all the humiliation and suffering he had endured over the past two years, he had still failed.

Azrael leaned forward and pulled her frail body into his arms, holding her tightly as he sobbed uncontrollably.

*Clink!*

A metallic sound suddenly echoed through the room. Azrael lowered his gaze and spotted a silver, mirror-like pendant lying on the floor beside the bed.

It seemed to have fallen from his mother's hand.

Wiping the tears from his eyes, he bent down and picked it up. The moment his fingers brushed against it, the sharp edge of the pendant nicked his skin causing a drop of blood to fall onto the pendant's surface dying it red.

The pendant immediately began to glow with a faint crimson light.

Azrael's eyes widened. Before he could react, a powerful force suddenly seized his consciousness. He felt as though his very soul was being dragged into the pendant.

The room around him blurred and twisted. Then everything went dark.

When light returned, Azrael found himself standing beside a tranquil lake. Gentle ripples spread across the water's surface as a cool breeze swept through the surrounding forest.

Azrael glanced around, taking in his surroundings, when his gaze suddenly landed on a man not far away, leaning against the trunk of a nearby tree.

The man was grievously injured. A deep gash stretched across his chest, while an arrow had pierced straight through his thigh. Blood soaked his tattered clothes, staining the ground beneath him.

Azrael's expression changed the instant he saw the man's face. Even though it was smeared with blood, he recognized him immediately.

The man was none other than his father, Severin Valcroy—the head of the Valcroy family. Or rather, a much younger version of him.

Just then, the sound of light footsteps and soft humming drifted into Azrael's ears.

He turned toward the source of the sound.

A beautiful young woman carrying a basket filled with freshly picked fruits was making her way toward the lake while softly humming a familiar tune.

Azrael froze.

He knew that song. It was the same lullaby his mother used to sing to him when he was a child.

As the woman's face came fully into view, Azrael felt his heart tremble. It was his mother. A younger, healthier, and far more vibrant version of her.

She looked nothing like the frail, sickly woman he had watched suffer day after day.

As she drew closer to the lake, her eyes suddenly fell upon the injured man beneath the tree.

She gasped in shock, causing the basket in her hands to slip from her grasp and tumble to the ground. Fruits scattered across the grass, but she paid them no attention.

Instead, she hurried toward the injured man, concern written all over her face.

"Sir, are you alright?"

The man didn't respond. His eyes were barely open, and he seemed far too weak to speak.

"W-Wait here... I'll go get help," she said hastily before turning around and running off, nearly stumbling in her panic.

The scene blurred once more.

When it became clear again, Severin was lying on a bed inside a spacious room. His complexion had improved considerably compared to before, and he now looked nothing like the bloodied, half-dead man by the lake.

Knock. Knock.

"Come in," Severin said.

The door slowly opened, and Helene stepped inside carrying a bowl of steaming soup.

"I thought you might be hungry," she said softly as she walked over to the bedside.

A gentle smile appeared on Severin's face. "You didn't have to go through all that trouble."

"It's no trouble at all," Helene replied with a smile of her own. "Besides, cooking has always been one of my favorite things to do.”

Severin accepted the bowl of soup from her and smiled faintly. "Thank you."

"For the food?" Helene asked with a small smile. "I already told you, it's no trouble at all."

"No." Severin shook his head. "Thank you for being you."

"Huh?"

"If not for you, I would have died back then and wouldn't be sitting here drinking this delicious bowl of soup.” He said while staring straight into her eyes.

Unable to withstand his intense stare, Helene lowered her head slightly. A faint blush gradually spread across her cheeks.

"You gave me a second chance at life," Severin continued softly. "I've spent a long time thinking about how I could repay you, but the current me can barely take care of himself, much less do anything for you."

He paused briefly before adding.

"How about this? When I fully recover, I'll take you away from here."

"What?" Helene looked up in surprise. "I can't just leave my family. Besides, there's no need for you to repay me. I only helped you because I wanted to."

Severin gently set the bowl aside before reaching out and taking her hand into his own.

"Wanting to take you away from here isn't my repayment."

Helene froze.

"The reason I want to take you away is because I want you by my side."

His voice softened.

"My repayment will be letting you experience a world far greater than this small village. I want to show you places you've never seen before, give you a life you deserve, and make you smile every single day."

The blush on Helene's face deepened. She instinctively tried to avoid his gaze, but Severin gently lifted her chin.

Their eyes met. For a brief moment, neither of them spoke. The atmosphere between them grew strangely intimate.

"I love you, Helene."

Before she could react, he slowly leaned forward and pressed his lips against hers.

Helene's eyes widened.

Then the scene shattered.