Volume 5 Chapter 4 Reminiscence 4️⃣
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
When I opened my eyes, I found myself lying on a bed I didn’t recognize.
The sheets beneath me were softer, smoother than any I’d ever used before, and something warm, something gentle was wrapped around my body.
It felt… really nice.
A part of me wanted to stay like this a little longer, to sink back into that comfort—but the morning sun was already pouring into the room, filling it with light. It was time to get up.
Still, what was going on?
”Mmm…”
My sleepy mind tried to piece things together.
Last night… Mama had used some kind of magic I didn’t understand. We’d performed a ritual together. Her burn had disappeared… and then…
Ah, I must’ve fallen asleep right after that.
My thoughts gradually came into focus, and I began to remember the events of the previous day.
And then I noticed what had been embracing me this whole time.
It was Mama.
Still completely bare, Mama held me tightly. I was the same.
”Mama…”
The word escaped my lips before I could think. I wrapped my arms around her in return.
Her body was soft and warm, and there was a gentle scent clinging to her skin.
”Oh… you’re awake, my boy.”
She looked into my eyes and smiled.
The horrible burns that once marred her face were completely gone. Yesterday, behind that mask, she had looked like something out of a nightmare. But now, with her expression so open and gentle—she looked beautiful.
”Good morning, Mama,” I said.
”Good morning, Soyuz,” she replied, and planted a soft kiss on my cheek. “Come on, get up. Let’s have breakfast.”
Taking my hand, she led me from the bed.
And from that morning on… my life changed completely.
Unlike the days I spent locked away in a dark room, I was now free to roam the mansion.
I still wasn’t allowed to go beyond the estate’s boundaries, but I could go into the garden as much as I wanted.
It was huge—more than enough room to run and stretch. That alone made me incredibly happy.
I was also told I could read any of the books in the mansion.
Most of them were difficult, written in the language of magic, but I read them again and again, slowly starting to understand.
When I told Mama about it, she said with a proud smile,
”You’re so smart, my boy. I’m sure you’ll be able to use magic too. I’ll teach you sometime.”
I really hoped so.
Mama did all kinds of mysterious work. One room in the mansion was filled with strange machines and shelves lined with vials—some medicines, some poisons.
She warned me not to go in there alone, but if I showed interest, she’d teach me.
Studying magic and medicine—things most people could never even dream of—was incredible.
I felt truly lucky to be her child.
But, of course… not everything was as wonderful as it seemed.
A new collar was fastened around my neck.
Unlike the crude leather one I’d worn before, this one was silver and sleek. Embedded in the center was a gem—a deep crimson, like frozen blood.
”This is a collar that allows me to use Geass on you,” she said, her tone briefly turning cold. “If you try to escape or betray me… you know what will happen, right?”
Her eyes flashed—just for a second—and I knew. I’d been raised in the slave shack. I knew the terror of a Geass.
And the Geass that Mama—a genuine magician—could cast? That was on a whole different level.
As she adjusted the collar, her voice softened just slightly.
”Swear that you’ll never betray Mama… and that you’ll never leave her side.”
”I… I will never betray Mama… never leave her side!”
Sweat clung to my skin as I forced the words out.
The gem on the collar pulsed with a faint red light.
The Geass had been placed.
Once again… I became Mama’s ‘thing.’
* * *
And so, I became both Mama’s child… and her slave.
It was a strange life.
But honestly? I think I was happier than most slaves.
I ate delicious meals every day. I didn’t have to do hard labor. I could study whenever I wanted.
Even though Mama was often busy or away from the mansion, when she was home, she’d teach me about magic, medicine, and poisons.
Apparently, I didn’t have much talent for magic. I would never be a mage like her.
But I had a sharp memory. I picked up the principles of herbs, mixtures, antidotes, and dosages quickly. That seemed to impress her.
During the day, I studied, exercised, and—
At night, I ate warm food, bathed… and then—
”My dear boy, tonight as well.”
”Yes, Mama.”
We would lie together on the bed, embracing closely.
By nighttime, her beautiful face would begin to show faint signs of the burns again—the curse returning.
It seemed the ritual to heal her with my life didn’t have permanent effects. The curse crept back every day.
That’s why we had to do it—every night.
”Soyuz… Will you lend me some of your life?”
”Yes… Please take it.”
She would draw a shallow cut into my palm with magic—painless—and let the blood flow.
Onto her skin, onto the places marked by the curse.
”Ahn…”
”Hyaah…!”
She sometimes let out strange noises.
My body would tense every time, heart fluttering, but oddly, I didn’t hate it.
Instead, I felt warm.
I felt closer to her.
I loved her even more.
I would hug her tight—warm, happy, and at the same time, somewhere deep down, confused.
Mama, her expression satisfied, would sometimes touch my body gently—playfully.
She’d laugh when I twitched and giggled.
It tickled.
Even I laughed along.
I never knew how long those moments lasted.
But by the end of each ritual, I always ended up falling asleep—like I’d simply drifted away.
That was how each of my days ended.
* * *
It was two years later that I noticed something strange.
I had been ten years old when Mama brought me to the mansion.
Now, I should be twelve.
But—
My body hadn’t grown.
Not in height, not in weight.
Other boys my age would’ve started changing already.
But me… nothing.
Mentally, I was learning quickly.
I could now use basic magic. I understood pharmacology well enough to purify simple medicines on my own.
I’d even become Mama’s assistant.
And yet… my body remained forever young.
When I finally asked Mama—
”Every night, I’m taking your life, you know.”
She said it so casually, with that familiar gentle smile.
Apparently, I wasn’t just offering some vague energy. I was giving her my future life.
If she used my current life, I’d wither and die.
So, she was taking it from my future instead.
Which meant… I’d never grow.
”But you know, dear,” she whispered with that sticky, soft voice, “in a way, isn’t that the same as gaining eternal life? As long as you stay with me… you’ll live forever.”
Her smile deepened, just slightly.
And I realized then—
This woman is a terrifying witch.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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