Chapter 7: Chapter 5.75: Back to the Present

The visions ended as Lia's previous life met its end. 

Slowly but surely, everyone present began to stir and awaken.

First was Corinna, that much goes without saying. Next were the twins followed by the maid shortly after. Finally, Caelenia and Silvania were the last.

And Lia, the victim of everything they had just witnessed? Sound asleep. Who could blame her? She had no reason to review her memories alongside the others; she lived through them after all. And now that the bug in her mind had finally been quashed, the last few hours have been the best sleep she's gotten in nearly a week. She did drop her slate though, but the fox was safe and secure. 

Indeed, the memory viewing took just under two hours to complete. The night is still young. When Corinna last used this spell, the process took far longer, several days, even. But in this instance, Lia herself did not live a long life, so not much time was needed.

Among the first to react was Mira, who quickly wiped her tears and prepared tea for everyone. She actually had to make several pots because they kept ending up too salty. By the time she served everyone their cups, the others had also gotten themselves ready...not. 

Silvania was bawling, Caelenia was doing her best to keep it in but conjured several rainstorms in the process, and the twins were practicing their absolute, utmost willpower to not go over and blow up Ciella. Not that they could, of course. They don't know the coordinates of the planet, so navigation would be quite hectic. 

The chaos was about to resume, but the girls witnessed something so shocking, they immediately froze. Running down their mother's cheek was a single tear. Corinna herself didn't realize it until one of the girls pointed it out. 

 

"*Sniff* M-Mother? Are...are you crying?" [Solestia]

"It's just a single tear, dear. Something just got in my eye is all." [Corinna]

 

True to her word, she rubbed her eye and no other tears came out. Of course, no one was convinced. 

 

"Well, why don't we all take the rest of the night to digest everything. Lia's already asleep, and I doubt any of you would want to wake her. I'd also appreciate if one of you could take her to her room. We'll continue this tomorrow." [Corinna] 

"Of course, Mother. Good night." [Lunestia]

"Good night, Mother." [Solestia]

 

The other two were unable to voice out their farewells and instead flocked to their little sister. Now, all of them had an enormous amount of thoughts and questions regarding what they just saw, but their mother's voice had a very unusual coldness that none of them had ever experienced in their entire lives.

Once she was alone, Corinna let out a deep breath and veeeery slowly released a small amount of her aura. Something she will never tell her children is that what the sisters saw of Lia's life were only the fragments that Lia herself remembered. The rest of the memories were repressed and locked up at the back of her mind to never be unsealed again. 

As a result, what the girls and maid saw were maybe 60% of Lia's entire life at most. They only really know of the incredibly crucial turning points in her life, a few side moments, and a summary of the details behind each of them.

However.

What Corinna saw was not the ridiculously summarized version, but the full thing. Every. Single. Second. She witnessed everything from birth till death. 

 

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She saw how Lia, believing she got kidnapped or something, tried to sneak back into human society only to find her 'parents' in the middle of burning anything and everything related to her, including her one and only toy: a small fox plushie from a gift shop. Lia was heartbroken. Not from being kicked out nor from hearing her 'parents' calling her a monster or a demon mage. She was heartbroken because she saw her one and only friend in that entire life go up in flames. That was only the beginning.

 

Later, Corinna watched as Lia made her first kill. It was not a monster, nor a mage, it was a human female. She was shot on sight, and more followed after she asked for a hug. The bullets didn't do much, though. Lia's aura was running rampant, and combined with her specialty of enhancing her body with mana, the shooter herself was at more risk of something ricocheting back. Which did happen. One bullet bounced back into her thigh and another through the shoulder. Fortunately for the shooter, she was using a low caliber handgun, so the bullets didn't go very far in. Unfortunately for the shooter, Lia's aura was very suffocating in the smaller tunnel, and Lia literally killed her just by walking toward her. That event only worsened Lia's image of humans, causing them to be labeled as 'big meanies' in her head. 

 

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But those recollections were only at the surface of it all. In fact, most other repressed memories were of similar detail: mostly Lia's growing hatred for anything that talks, humans and mages alike. For her, those events were nothing significant. They were insignificant enough for her short term memory to just file them away. Now, underneath that hard surface, the near impossible shell to crack, lay only a series of episodes that basically star a certain individual: John. With great difficulty, Corinna went through them. 

 

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A month passed before Lia ran into the group of mages, or more specifically, John. Not long after the two met and began their adventures, John became Lia's only emotional support. The two scavenged for roughly four years, and Lia was approaching adolescence. Corinna could identify certain feelings Lia felt toward John that could very vaguely be categorized as love. She had finally found happiness after getting thrown out. 

But like all good things, that happiness ended. The two were out on another adventure, business as usual. This time, they were recommended a spot by a mage named Adam who allegedly found a prewar map of the region. What he didn't tell them was that there was another group of scavengers heading that way. A firefight broke out, two against ten. The two held the line, but just as the enemy began to falter, a mutated scorpion unburrowed from the ground. Both sides were overrun; the enemy numbers were culled down to four with a single swipe of its pincers, and the rest were pierced by its stinger. Lia and John did not attempt to run as they would never make it. So, they fought. It was going well, one of its pincers even got blown off with a well-aimed mana bullet, but Lia let her guard down and was about to get stung. Instead, John pushed her out the way and stabbed into the scorpion's face with his manasteel knife; the two got each other at the same time. 

He managed to evade at the last second, but even a small glance from the stinger injected enough venom to kill him. He was on the ground in severe pain, and yet all he did was smile for the child. At John's own request, Lia begrudgingly cut off his head. Respite did not come, however, as another scorpion unearthed itself. Then another. And then another. And then some more. There were two distinct colors and shapes to their exoskeletons. The previous scorpion did not come to defend its territory; it was simply a scout. This was a turf war, and Lia was at the front of it. 

She made it out, though, since the scorpions were busy fighting each other, and she brought John's head with her, letting out tears the whole way. She was tired, hungry, and thirsty. She hunkered down in a cave and cried herself to sleep while cradling the severed head. When Lia woke up, the head was gone, reduced to bones. In its place was a plant that featured translucent, glistening leaves with visible mana lines and a crimson red fruit at the center. Indeed, this was how Lia found the plant that fed off of flesh and blood. At that moment, she wanted to scream and cry for her John back, but her hunger betrayed her. Instead, she plucked the fruit and took a bite, then another. Soon, the entire fruit was consumed, but it was not enough. 

This plant...this meal was grown from John's blood, sweat, and tears, and she would not let it go to waste. Every part of the plant, from the leaves down to the roots, would be consumed. Sure, some parts were obviously inedible and made her nauseous, but she ate them anyway. She did not leave until the entire plant disappeared. Her own tears had long since dried. Lia buried the skull and left without saying anything. Staying there and mourning his death would do nothing.  

From that day on, Lia's heart would be shut off forever...if forever ended with the present day, anyways.

 

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Based on her own calculations, Corinna estimated that the three main segments of Lia's previous life were in intervals of four years each. In other words, Lia passed away at the age of 12. The first four were in the loving arms of her 'parents', the next four were with John, and the last four were spent in the library basement. 

Corinna did not just witness these events either. She felt and lived through each moment just as Lia did. The confusion, the despair, the anger, the anguish, and most of all: envy. For what, you ask? She was envious of anyone who could say they love their parents, or anyone who able to enjoy life, or even just anyone who has been hugged. Of all the things she could remember clearly, Lia could easily count the number of hugs received in that life on no hands, excluding the infantile stages of course. She spent almost her entire life seeking a hug and wondering what they felt like, but not even John was able to fulfill that role. 

But above all, she was envious of anyone who was born with a body they were comfortable with. She didn't learn it until she began studying in the library, but she was transgender, and she spent eight years dealing with dysphoria with no mental support system. And don't forget this all began when she was four years old. 

This entire process was...extremely painful, even for Corinna. Thus, she opted to spare the others of it and gave them the fragmented version. It's a wonder how Lia even lasted that long. 

Now then, that's enough reflection for the mother. Time to act. 

She finished off her tea, then formed a knife with her hand, and chopped through the air. 

*CREEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAKKK*

Space deformed, creating a large crack in front of her. The entire building was filled with an aura cold as the void, but only for a moment. Corinna forced the spatial crack open and walked through it. Her destination? The moon that orbits Ciella. Unlike her daughters, she knows the coordinates of the planet, where its solar system is located, the age of the planet, the age of its star, and so much more. All she needed was a name, whether it was the star or any of the planets. 

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For the first time in who-knows-how-long, Corinna lost her cool. The actions of Lia's 'parents' were...unforgiveable, to say the least, the administrator should never have let the world come to that state, and worst of all: Lia's former take on life was very reminiscent of Corinna's own view when she was young. She does not want anyone to end up like she did, no less her own daughter. Sadly, the slave drivers disguised as mages had already perished, but Lia's 'parents' remain unknown. 

You could call it giving one final chance for the planet. Once on the moon, Corinna expanded her sight and looked for Lia's 'parents.' She already knows their presence from Lia's memories, so it did not take long to find them. Upon zooming in and focusing, Corinna saw something that made her feel...really fucking angry. 

The demons who called themselves parents, the ones who suffered from famine and were little more than bones were...fat. Very fat. Fatter than the most expensive cows you could eat before the war. There were many children around them. They were not human though; they were mages. The two blobs of fat were living happily, smiles all around, as if the walking husks that were the children did not exist.

Looking closer, Corinna could see the taller ones fanning them while smaller ones spoon fed them prewar rations. They were also wearing collars that sucked up all mana in a certain area. She couldn't bear to watch any more. In fact, she was almost glad they threw Lia out if it meant dodging that. 

Corinna looked around for a bit in an attempt to erase the walking blobs of fat from her memory. She could see the immense discrimination between mages and humans, witnessing actions that would earn several war crimes and place them on a watchlist. Next door, in the remnants of the neighboring city, there was a self-proclaimed church that just hung several child mages and burned the parents at a stake shortly after.

There truly was no more hope for this planet. Once more, Corinna cut a hole in space, and this time, she reached in and dragged out a man with crumbs all over him. 

 

"Well! I-if it isn't Your Grace! U-uh, haha, what brings you here to my humble abode? " [Man]

 

Messy bed hair, crumbled clothes with crumbs all over, eye bags deeper than a racoon, you'd think this guy was some homeless person off the streets. But, the fluffy black wings and faintly glowing halo above his head are clear signs of his status. He is, believe it or not, a Seraph, a type of Celestial. 

And he is supposed to be the administrator for the planet of Ciella. Actually, since there is only one habitable planet in the solar system, you could say he is, by extension, the administrator for the entire system. 

 

"You know why I'm here." [Corinna]

"Ah! Y-yes, yes, I, haha funny story, actually, during the planet's formation, the first administrator, my very ancient predecessor, actually forgot the unseal the mana in the atmosphere! Haha, can you believe that!? A-and by the time I got here, civilization had already developed! HAHAHA, isn't that such an amusing tale!?" [Seraph]

"I didn't come here to hear you shitty excuses. Why didn't you follow protocol and reset everything if you knew things were wrong when you were appointed this task? You had tens of thousands of years to do something, yet you didn't...care to explain?" [Corinna]

"N-now, now, h-how about one last chance, yes? I swear I'll do my job properly this time! I...I j-just need a moment to reset! PLEASE!!!" [Seraph]

"You lost all your chances 12 years ago. Those snacks better have been worth it." [Corinna]

 

Before he could run, Corinna took her dragon form and swallowed him whole. She also ate the moon in the process, but that's irrelevant. If that lazy sack of shit had just done even a single task properly, Lia would not have had to suffer so much. 

She then floated over to the star. It was a common variant: a dwarf star that, because of its ability to produce mana alongside everything else, took on a very light, bright blue tint to it. Despite its color, much of the energy produced was converted to mana rather than heat, allowing a habitable planet to exist within a reasonable distance from the star. 

Not that any of that mattered anymore. Corinna flew on a direct course through the star's surface until she reached the core, taking care to not hit the planets that were the size of pebbles to her. Finally, she has a moment to vent all her frustration and anger on something. She released her full aura, took a deeeeep breath, and sang the system's final requiem. She screamed. Really. Fucking. Loud. So loud, that the shockwave destabilized the core and forced out a large amount of gases from the core. 

The internal pressure dropped significantly, and gravity was able to take over, collapsing the rest of the star. The next moment, one of the most fascinating things in space happened: the star went nova. The blast, of course, was nothing more than a warm bath for Corinna. It would reach Ciella within a few minutes, and soon after, the rest of the system. Given a few years, it would even reach some of the neighboring stars. 

Before the planet disintegrated, Corinna flew over to the library Lia lived in and collected all her favorite books. She ended up grabbing most of them, only leaving out a handful of things that pertained more to...suggestive and nightly content that Lia couldn't even understand and ignored. She also left the hard drive containing all the shows and movies; Lia always preferred reading over watching. 

Once the goods were collected, Corinna went over to Lia's final resting place: her favorite mountain lake. There was something that Corinna needed to confirm with her own eyes, first, before heading back. 

Upon arrival, she found no corpse. Instead, in the very spot Lia laid down, was one of the flesh-eating planets that she so admired. But that was not what Corinna was there for. It happened to be night time, the same time Lia choose her end. Corinna looked around and took in the sights. 

There was only one other thing Lia loved aside from books: sightseeing nature in its purest form. During Lia's final moments, she described the vista as something enchanting and beautiful. In reality, only the opposite exists. 

 

The clear water reflecting the gentle moonlight, only disturbed by the occasional ripple.

The water is murky, rancid, full of acid, and reflected nothing. 

 

The light breeze brushing against the lush trees; the rustling leaves and branches conducting a wonderous melody.

Those trees are charred and blackened with soot, and the leaves are dried husks that fall off with the slightest touch.

 

The ambience of nature, mixed with the hooting of owls and howling of wolves.

The only ambience here is the near absolute silence from the lack of animals. 

 

The radiant moon illuminating the night sky alongside its faithful companions: the stars; the shining stars, ever-abundant and brighter than all else!

This is the one thing that remains accurate, for the night sky is actually clear, and distant stars will always look like distant stars. 

 

The rest of them...were delusions, mirages forged by Lia's mind as some form of coping mechanism, an escape from reality taken literally. Perhaps that is what angered Corinna the most, the fact that Lia was forced to alter reality for herself in order to find some enjoyment in her life. 

But that didn't change her love of landscapes and wildlife. Nor did it take away from her admiration of the stars and night sky. This solar system is located slightly under 300 lightyears from their home.

Until then, Corinna would give her daughter the real experience with everything. Over her incredibly long life, Corinna has collected enough books to fill up the actual royal palace of Dragon's Peak. Save for the main hall, everywhere else is covered with books. Lia would have a field day there, no doubt. 

There is also no lack of nature back home, and if there is, both Caelenia and Silvania would be more than happy to make more for her. Corinna also found Lia had a fondness for working with her hands and making things. Whenever she needed a break from reading and sightseeing, she would do some woodcarving or fix up the library from the bottom up. 

They certainly do not lack for materials, so Lia may craft to her heart's content. And now that she had a girl's body, she can play dress up and wear and act and do whatever the fuck she wants. No one will stop her. Not even the sky is her limit. 

The previous life...no longer exists. Nor will anything else connected to it in a few minutes. Now that punishment has passed and the goods have been collected, Corinna would return home with many gifts for her daughter, including a very special one for her 300th birthday, which just so happens to be when she is considered an adult elder dragon.