Chapter 751: Turns to ash

[TRIGGER WARNING: THIS Chapter CONTAINS DISTURBING AND GRAPHIC CONTENT. READ WITH CAUTION.]

CLANG!

Zoren’s hand froze, staring at the knife that had stabbed straight into the plate. The plate split in half from the force, and the blade was just a few centimeters from his fingertip. Slowly, he moved his gaze to his mother.

Naylani closed her eyes and clenched her teeth, tears pooling beneath her eyelids. As tears streamed down her cheeks, she opened her eyes to look at him. Her son looked back at her, and he didn’t even flinch.

"I’m sorry," she whispered, biting her quivering lips to stop them. "I’m sorry."

"..."

"My hand slipped," she explained. "I’ll get you a new batch of snacks, okay? Don’t be angry... please. Mom wasn’t thinking — I was careless."

"..."

"I’ll be back." Naylani quickly dropped the knife on the broken plate, picking up its pieces and the fruit that had spilled. When she had scooped everything up, she rushed out of the attic.

Meanwhile, Zoren followed his mother’s figure with his eyes, keeping them fixed on the door. After a moment, he jumped off the sofa and approached the door. He slowly opened it, making it creak loudly. Peeking through the gap, he carefully stepped out to follow his mother downstairs.

When Zoren arrived in the kitchen, he quietly hid behind the entrance. He could hear her muffled sobs, and when he peeked, he saw her crying in distress. Naylani ran her hands through her hair, then rested her hand on the kitchen sink where she tossed the broken plate.

"..." The young Zoren tilted his head to the side, watching how his mother looked at the knife in her hand. He pressed his lips together before looking away, resting his back against the wall.

He stayed there for a while before peeling himself away from the wall. As he took a step away, he started humming again, only to stop when he heard his mother’s faint cries.

"No, no, no, no! Stop!"

The young Zoren paused and looked back at the kitchen. He didn’t move to check on his mother; instead, he continued humming as he resumed his steps. He only stopped when he walked past the mirror in the living area. Halting, the young Zoren slowly turned his head, only to see a growing smirk that didn’t fit a boy like him.

*******

[PRESENT TIME]

GASP!

"Mr. Pierson!" Doctor Tan called in a panic, almost kneeling beside Zoren as he tried to shake the latter awake. When Zoren’s eyes popped open and gasped, Doctor Tan felt the overwhelming tension in his chest disperse.

Beads of sweat formed on Zoren’s forehead, and his complexion was paler than usual. His eyes looked a little distraught, and his chest moved up and down heavily.

"Hah!" the doctor huffed faintly, almost feeling his knees weaken. "Mr. Pierson, are you alright? I’ll check your vitals first."

Without wasting a breath, Doctor Tan checked Zoren’s pulse before flashing a light in the latter’s eyes. When he noticed an anomaly in Zoren’s eyes, he moved it away and looked at him.

"Mr. Pierson?" he called. "How’s your eyesight?"

Zoren blinked ever so slowly, his eyelids twitching slightly as he did so. When his gaze refocused on Doctor Tan, he nodded slightly.

"I’m fine," he said, propping his elbow on the reclining chair he sat on.

Meanwhile, Doctor Tan slowly straightened his back while keeping all his attention on Zoren. "Are you sure?" he asked again. This time, his tone was seeking honesty.

"Yes." Zoren nodded and pinched the bridge of his nose. "My head hurts, though."

Doctor Tan assessed Zoren’s figure before huffing and turning to the specialist he had invited into his office for Zoren. The specialist sat on the one-seater couch, nodding reassuringly at Doctor Tan. Only after that did Doctor Tan calm down and return to his seat.

Just now, Zoren hadn’t looked well during the session. Although he hadn’t convulsed, he was grinding his teeth so hard and gripping his hands that it was alarming.

"Mr. Pierson, how do you feel aside from the headache?" asked the specialist, lowering his head to see Zoren’s face better.

Zoren didn’t answer immediately, as if he had to think about how to respond. When he peeked at the specialist, he only said one word:

"Scared."

"I see." The specialist then noted something down in the notebook on his lap. "What did you see?"

Zoren went completely quiet as he closed his eyes. "Nothing."

"Mr. Pierson, you have to tell me what you saw so we can discuss it and move forward together," the specialist argued sternly, not surprised by such a response from patients like Zoren. "What did you see? Did you find something that could help you with your recovery?"

Again, Zoren didn’t answer immediately. He kept massaging his brows until he snapped his eyes open at the specialist.

"I don’t want to talk about it for now," he said. "I... need time."

"Time for what?"

"Time to process things," Zoren breathed out. "I didn’t see the memory I was looking for; rather, I saw something very unpleasant."

A moment of silence followed his remarks as both Doctor Tan and the specialist kept their gaze on Zoren. Seeing the look on their faces, Zoren let out a shallow breath and cast Doctor Tan a glance.

"It’s... it’s my mother," he confessed, knowing this should be enough explanation. "It was her, who I saw."

Hearing Zoren’s excuse, Doctor Tan quickly understood his dilemma. He cast the other doctor a look, signaling him in the most polite way that it would be better to give Zoren the time he was asking for. Seeing this, the specialist nodded at Doctor Tan before shifting his attention back to Zoren.

"Okay, but since you do not want to talk about it now and I do not want to force it, I’ll be handing you this notebook," he said, offering a notebook to Zoren with a smile. "Writing down what you saw or how you felt will help you. Once you’re ready, I’m here to listen and read what you wrote in that notebook."

Zoren nodded in understanding, gazing down at the notebook in his hand. "I’ll try," he whispered. "But I have to tell you there’s not a single word I’d like to write about her."