Chapter 15: City of spirits Finale.

My house wasn’t particularly special. It consisted of 5 rooms; A kitchen, A living room, 2 bedrooms and a bathroom. It was small, but my mother was very proud of it. Speaking of my mother.

“YES! RIGHT THERE! DEEPER!”

“You could at least try to keep it down, mom.”

The rhythmic squeaking of the floorboards rang through the house. A sigh escaped me. I get why mom has to do this. Food has to get on the table somehow, and this is the best way of doing it, but still, a part of me wishes she did something else.

I went upstairs and into my room. My room wasn’t anything special. Unpainted walls, a bed, a wardrobe and a desk. Only the bare necessities. Don’t get me wrong; I would love to decorate, but we simply didn’t have the money to waste on that sort of stuff.

I walked over and touched a grey stone embedded into the wall. A large crystal in the centre of the ceiling lit up. It was a Glow Crystal, a form of cheap and cheerful lighting that is nowhere near as bright as the academy's mana lighting, but it did the job well enough.

I walked over to my desk and picked up a book I borrowed from the academy library. “Advanced Applications of Unique Flora and Fauna.” It was about as interesting as it sounds, but it was key to an assignment I was writing. No better time to get some reading done. I took the book and climbed into bed.

“FUCK, YOU'RE SO GOOD!!”

Just ignore it, apollinaris, just ignore it. The constant banging of the headboard went through my room, making it difficult to concentrate. She really couldn’t have picked another time to do this, could she?

“YEAH! I'M…ABOUT…TO..COME! ARGHHHHHHHH”

“ME…TOOO…AHHHH…FUCK.”

“Finally,” I said rolling my eyes.

“Oh, David, I swear you have the best cock in this place♥.”

Don’t let her fool you, David. She says that to all her clients. I sighed. Thinking about it, I really Shouldn’t be this okay with this. I'm pretty sure most people would be freaked out and disgusted by this, and for a time, I was, but now. I'm just indifferent. This was normal for me.

I slapped closed the book, climbed out of bed and left the room. Maybe I’ll be able to concentrate if I get something to eat. I walked into the passageway when Suddenly Mom’s door swung open.

“I gotta tell ya, Angel. You are probably the best Whore going around in this place. I can't wait to see ya- ”

He immediately paused when he saw me. The happy smirk he had instantly disappeared, replaced with embarrassment.

“You don’t need to tell me, Hun. I know I'm the best,”  She yelled proudly from inside the room. A few seconds later, she came out of the room wearing a tiny mini-dress. Mom and I looked pretty similar, except she had bright blue eyes and ruby hair, whilst mine were both brown. Mom always said I took my hair from my father, but I couldn’t confirm that, seeing how I've never met him.

“What, cat got your tongue? Why are you all quiet all of a sudden.”

“Errr, mom. I’m home.”

She snapped her head in my direction. Her face lit up when she laid eyes on me.

“YOU’RE BACK!!”

“W..WAIT NO-“

She dove into me and gave me a crushing hug; dammit, how could I forget!

“MOM...YOUR….CRUSHING”

“I'vemissedyousomuchyou’veonlybeengoneforthedaybutitfeelslikeyearshowwasyourday?Didyoumakeanynewfriend?Youlooktirediseverythinokay?Wannnatalkaboutitoverdinner?Haveyoumetacuteboy?”

“GAHHH, mom, slow down.”

Her titanic hug stopped me from moving. I need to get out before she cuddles me to death. Luckily the solution has been stood confused for the last couple of seconds.

“MOM…I…CANT…NOT..IN..FRONT..OF…HIM” Mom instantly looked over to the confused man and frowned. She instantly let me go and started forcing him out of the house.

“OUT, YOU! MOM AND DAUGHTER TIME!” she yelled as she started pushing him down the stairs. The man tried to protest, but mom was not having any of it. She managed to manhandle him down the stairs and out the main door.

“NICE TO HAVE YOU. SEE YOU LATER.” He didn’t even get to reply before the door slammed in his face. Mom was back upstairs in a split second, giving me another bone-crushing hug.

“MOM…PLEASE..STOP..YOUR…SUFFOCATING….ME”.

“BUT I'M JUST SO HAPPY TO SEE YOOOOUUUU”

She squeezed me harder, forcing air out of my lungs.

“PLEASE, MOM,” I begged, but she ignored me. A few minutes of suffocation later, she finally let me go, and without missing a beat, she dragged me into the kitchen and started cooking.

“So, how was school?” She asked nonchalantly as she poured some water into a boiling pot.

I let out a deep sigh and sat at the dining table. “It was fine,” I lied. School was definitely not fine. I got into a fight, was suspended for a week, and the queen's head of security hates me for defending myself against his daughter. so all in all not really fine. But, of course, I'm not gonna tell her that; it's clear she already worries enough about me already.

“That’s good, honey.”

Mom continued cooking up a storm. She chopped a myriad of different types of mushrooms into the soup. It would have been nice to have something else besides mushrooms, like potatoes, turnips, or literally any other vegetable, but we can't; That stuff is way too expensive, so we have to settle with the stuff we can grow here, like mushrooms. Mom sprinkled some seasoning into the stew, then ran over to the cupboard and pulled something out.

“IS THAT?”

“yep,” She said proudly.

In her hand, she held an Onion. I repeat, AN ONION!

“Mom! how did you get that!? They are extremely expensive.”

She winked. “Mom's secret, I'm afraid. Now, Are you ready for the best soup of your life”

“You bet”

I shot off the dining table and started helping with the cooking. The last time me and mum did this was when I was a child. I grabbed a wooden spoon and started stirring the soup. I don’t know how long we cooked for, but it was the most fun I've had in a while.

Some time passed, and eventually, all the food was ready.

“All done,” I said proudly, as we plated up the food together. It wasn’t the most gourmet food around, but it was still good for what it was. Roasted mushroom with a side of sweet and sour onion mushroom soup. We also had a type of rice made from dried and ground-up mushrooms.

We both sat down and started eating. My hand instantly grabbed a spoon and dove right in. I don’t know where mom learnt to cook, but she honestly should start up a restaurant; this tastes way too good.

“How’s the food, honey.” She asked smugly.

“Too nice, must eat now.”

“It's nice to know you're enjoying it.” She took a spoonful and started eating herself. We both ate in silence. Only the sounds of cutlery clanging with the plate could be heard.

“So good!”

“That’s nice…..so when will you tell me what you are hiding from me?”

I stopped mid-spoonful. Shit, quickly say something.

“Errr…ahhh..What do you mean? I'm not hiding anything.” I said, continuing to eat.

“Honey, please, you may be talented at magic, but I'm talented at being a mother. I know when you are hiding something. So please tell me. I'm your mom; you don’t have to hide anything from me.

Man. I really didn’t expect to get found out this quickly. I really can't get anything past her.

“Sorry, mom”

“It’s fine. I forgive you. Now tell me what's bothering you.”

I sighed and put my spoon down. “Well, today at school…..”

Minutes passed as I dumped everything onto her. Mom never once stopped me; she just nodded and listened, comforting me when I needed it. Sometimes I forget how amazing she is.

“And that’s about all of it.”

Mom got off her seat and gave me a hug

“you poor, poor thing. It's going to be okay.” She pulled me into her chest.

“Is that it? Aren’t you mad at me for getting suspended? Or for fighting?”

“Mad at you? What for? You were just Sticking up for yourself and showing those guys your not a pushover. Whilst I do understand what your principal is saying. I highly disagree with you being forced to apologise. Remind me to file a complaint with him. He wouldn’t make a pure spirit apologise, so neither should you. ”

She hugged me tighter and started caressing my head.

“But the most important thing is that you're not hurt. I don’t know what I’d do if you were hurt.”

She pulled me into her chest and held me even tighter, but it was different from earlier. It wasn’t suffocating at all. It was actually pleasant.

“I don’t know if I've told you this. But you are the most important thing to me in this world, you know that. And no matter what you do, I could never do to make me stop loving. You are my one and only precious daughter, and I would rather die a million times  than see a single scratch land on you.” She started petting my head. I could tell She meant every single word she said.

“Thank you, mom, for everything. I promise to-“

“Shhh….. shhh…shh….. I don’t do this because I want payment. Your happiness is enough for me.”

We didn’t utter a single word after that. We just stayed there and enjoyed each other's company. Some time passes, and we eventually let go of each other.

“Feeling better?”

“Y…yeah. Thanks,I needed that.”

“Good, now help me tidy up.”

I humbly obliged. In short work we had the entire kitchen cleaned and all the dishes put away.

“I know what we can do.” she yelled as she dragged me into the living room. I walked over and closed the curtain before sitting on the sofa. Our living room was simple; it consisted of a fireplace, a sofa and a chest my mum was currently rummaging through. In the centre of the room was a large old rug. Mum said she got it from her parents. However, I don’t believe that. Mom never liked answering my question about grandma and grandpa. All I was able to find out was that they didn't get along. I wonder what happened?

“come on. It has to be in here somewhere…….EUREKA!”

She pulled out an old storybook she used to read to me as a kid.

“Mom. I'm 18. I'm too old for that.”

“Nonsense. Come, let momma read to you” She said, jumping onto the sofa. She tapped at the side of her, signalling for me to sit down next to her.

I sighed and shuffled down closer to her. Mom instantly wrapped her arms around me and pulled me close.

“Now, In the moon kingdom a long time ago….”

I sat there and listened to mom read me the story. Even though I'm 18, I would be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy this. Mom had a knack for storytelling. Each word that came out of her mouth flowed into one, turning into a lullaby. Soon my eyelids started to become heavy as I started to fall asleep

Some time passes……

*BANG*BANG**BANG*

I jumped awake.

“What the fu-“

A hand quickly wrapped around my mouth.

“Shhh… it's just me.”

My heart rate instantly dropped. It was just mum. The lights in the living room had been turned off, putting us in pitch-black darkness. I sent mana to my fingertips, hoping to make a light source. Instead, all I got was a thin sliver of dimly glowing mana. This was probably the best I could do right now. My fight with mercy had taken everything I had, and my body still hadn’t recovered. I am in no condition to fight.

Mum got off from behind me and went to the door. She peaked through the peephole and cursed.

She quietly tiptoed into the centre of the living room, where the rug was. Mom swiftly pulled up the rug revealing a hidden trapdoor.

“Mom, what’s this? When did we?”

“No time for questions. Get in.”

She pulled up the door. Leading to a small dug-out area under the house.

“Mom, why do we-“

“Not, now, Apollinaris, just do as I say and get in.”

Just who was out there? That my mom was this panicked. She always hangs around big scary gang members, and they’ve never made her act like this. Who the hell could be out there?

“Mom. Who is it?”

“Pure spirits. Wearing royal guard armour. If they are down here, then it can't be anything good.”

“If that’s the case, Then you should come in here. I can-“

“Nope, it would be too suspicious if no one answered.”

*BANG**BANG**BANG*

Her head snapped back to the door.

“They are very eager to get in here.”

“That’s why I should be up there to defend you.”

She shook her head.

“Honey, even I can tell you are in no position to fight. And besides, they are the royal guard. You can't beat them.”

“I can try…”

She shook her head again and lowered the trap door.

“No matter what you hear. You don’t come out, you understand.”

I wanted to protest, but In no time, she had shut the trapdoor and rolled the carpet. I heard her stand up and walk to the main door.

“Why hello, how can I help you fine- OW, WHAT THE HELL! YOU CANT JUST BARGE INTO MY HOUSE LIKE THAT” She yelled.

“An informant has told us that your daughter Is home. Please call her immediately. She needs to come with us. She has committed a serious crime against someone of high importance.”

“Daughter? HAHAHHA, I don’t have such a thing. Now that I've answered your question. Get the fuck outta my- ”

*SMACK*

“Quit lying!” A different voice yelled.

My mom tumbled to the ground and screamed in pain.

“you see, rookie. This is the only thing these people understand. No point being gentle with em’ ”

There was another thud, and my mother screamed again.

Every fibre of my being burned with rage, and yearned to jump up there and murder this fucker. But the words of my mom kept ringing through my head. But how did they find me? I don’t think the principal would have told them. And the local gangs wouldn’t be seen dead talking to a pure spirit. Who could it be? Fuck, this is annoying. I swear I'm gonna find out who told them and gut them like a fish.

“Commander, Parnell. I don’t agree with the way your –“

“LOOK, ROOKIE, I’m the one in charge here. So we go by my rules, you understand. Trust me; violence is the only thing these Mushy’s understand.”

“…….Yes, sir.”

“Good, now be a good little soldier and search this place for the girl. We have a very reliable source who says she lives here. Check upstairs whilst I interrogate this mushy.”

“yes, sir”

I heard a bunch of footsteps leave the room.

“Now, You stupid mushy. Tell me where the girl is”

My mom grunted.“What… girl?”

“I know you know what I’m talking about. Stop trying to be smart. It doesn’t suit your kind.”

“I don’t know what you're talking about. And even if I did! I wouldn’t tell scum like you!”

The man let out an evil chuckle. “A part of me was hoping you would be difficult. it gives me an excuse to do this the hard way.”

Suddenly the sounds of repeated kicks and punches rang through the floorboards. My mother screamed in agony.

“TELL…ME… WHERE…SHE…IS”

“I....have...no..clue...what... you... are... talking ....about.” She managed to spit out through the beating. The beating continued for a while. My mother's screams never once dying down during It.

Suddenly another set of footsteps entered the room.

“Sir. That’s enough. I’ve searched upstairs and the perimeter.  The girl is nowhere to be found.”

“tch, useless. Go wait outside Whilst I finish the interrogation. You don’t come in no matter what you hear. You understand, rookie.”

“But”

“That’s an order! Quit being difficult.”

There was a loud sigh. “Yes sir.” He said as he left the room.

“Now, with him out the way. Let’s have some fun.”

I heard the sound of unzipping. And something heavy and metal dropping to the ground.

There were the sounds of a struggle as mom desperately tried to fight him away.

“Gotcha, ya slippery bitch. I'm gonna enjoy destroying that cunt of yours. “

“Wait, NO!”

I covered my ears, Trying to block the sounds coming from above me, but it didn’t work. I could still hear everything. I was used to hearing my mom having sex, but this was different. Those weren’t my mother's usual screams. They were something else, something that echoed nothing but pain.  My body collapsed and curled into a ball. Every part of me wanted to do something, anything to help. But my mother's words always stopped me. This was happening because of me. This is all my fault. If only I didn’t fight mercy, if only I just accepted becoming her slave, this wouldn’t be happening.

“NOT...SO....TOUGH...ARE....YOU.....NOW.....MUSHY.”

Mom never stopped begging and screaming for him to stop. But it all fell on deaf ears. Minutes, hours, I don’t know how long it went on for, but it all felt like an eternity. Eventually, the room fell silent. Only the sound of heavy panting could be heard.

“not so …..tough…… are you........ bitch”

Silence. No sound came from my mom.

“……Hey bitch….. you awake........FUCK!”

The sounds of stumbling followed as he scrambled to get his shit together.

“Sir? What happened? I heard you-OH MY GOD!”

“WE ARE LEAVING NOW, ROOKIE.”

“SIR, I'M GOING TO HAVE TO REPORT YOU FOR THIS. “

“YOU WILL DO NO SUCH THING! IF YOU EVEN THINK ABOUT REPORTING ME, I ASSURE YOU, YOUR CAREER AS A ROYAL GUARD ENDS RIGHT THERE AND THEN; YOU UNDERSTAND! I HAVE FRIENDS IN VERY HIGH PLACES. DON’T FORGET WHO GOT YOU THE VERY JOB YOU HAVE NOW”

“SIR, YOU CANT-“

“DO YOU UNDERSTAND, ROOKIE!”

“…….. Yes, sir.”

“Good, now let's get outta here.”

“But, what should we do about the girl.”

“Nothing. we’ll just pin the blame on one of the local gangs. and besides, it's one stupid Mushy; nobody is gonna care.”

The two of them hastily left our home, and for the first time in a while. Silence filled the room. The silence nearly drove me to madness as I waited to make sure they were truly gone. Eventually, I couldn't stand it any longer and forced open the trapdoor. I lept out of the hole and into the living room. The living room was destroyed entirely. Blood covered every surface of the room. The furniture was torn to shreds and covered in red stains

“A…po…l..i…nariiis”

My head snapped towards my mother's voice. She laid face down in a puddle of blood on the sofa. Her mini dress had been torn completely, revealing her battered bleeding skin. One of her legs was broken and bent into an inhuman position. A thick puddle of white stuff formed below her. I ran towards her, tears streaming from my eyes

“MOM!”

I was by her side in no time, turning her over so she could breathe better. But doing that revealed Her completely unrecognisable face. Her eyelids had swollen so much that they completely blocked off her blue eyes, leaving a tiny hole for her to see through. Her cheeks were completely black and blue and swollen, and her hair had been ripped out from the roots.

“Apo..lll” she said weakly.

“DON’T TALK. WE NEED TO GET YOU HELP.”

“wai-“

Before she could even finish the sentence, I was outside.

“HELP!!!” ANYONE!!! MY MOM IS HURT!!! SHE NEEDS HELP!!!”

It was nighttime, but I didn’t care. I bolted down the street screaming for help, hoping to get any attention But instead, I saw people looking at me through the windows. I approached some of them, but they just shook their heads and closed their curtains. Some didn’t even do that; They just watched me instead. My legs buckled, and I started begging them to help. Begging them to offer any small amount of aid, but they all turned their backs on me.

“FUCK ALL OF YOU!! I HOPE YOU ALL BURN IN HELL!! COWARDS!!!!”

My blood boiled with anger. These fucking cowards are too scared to stand up for their own just because pure spirits are involved. This was a waste of valuable time. I rose to my feet and bolted back home. In no time, I was back in the living room.  Mom was still alive, but Her condition was getting worse. She needed help, and quick. Think Who can help us right nome. I looked  towards my mother her breathing was becoming more laboured. She needed help quickly. Suddenly, the name of someone I could always trust came to mind.

“Mom, I'm going to take you to Mr pigden. He can help.”

“….ple..ase….st…op”

“Enough of that, mum. We'll get you healed up, and we'll act like this never happened, so don’t worry.”

I Lifted her into a princess carry, and bolted out of the house. He said he didn’t live far from here. I have to hope he’s still awake. We charged through the back streets and down several streets I’d never heard of.

“Come on! Where is it! It has to be here somewhere!” I kept walking down the road until a dimly lit street sign came into view. “Chanterelle lane”

“That’s it! Where nearly there mom! Just hold on!”

We bolted down the road and down the street. 1….2….3….4….5 There it is! And the lights are on too. This couldn’t get any better. I bolted over to his door, Laid mom to rest on the side and started banging on his door.

“MR PIGDEN. HELP!!! MY MOM IS HURT, AND SHE NEEDS HELP.”

We waited at the door for any sign, but nothing came.

“MR PIGDEN, PLEASE!!! I KNOW YOU’RE IN THERE! MY MOM IS GONNA DIE!!......please…..i need her. ”

Tears started streaming from my eyes. She can't die here, not like this. Then, suddenly, the sounds of keys rattling went through the door. Hope filled my heart as Mr Pigden opened his door. Finally, mom was going to make it. I went over to pick her back up. However, something was off. The security chain was still connected.

“Mr Pigden, can you undo the chain? We need to come in.”

There was silence. Why is he not letting me in?

“Mr pigden?”

He peaked his head through the gap. “I’m sorry, I can't help you, Apollinaris.”

“Wh- wh- what do you mean? You have to help us. My mom, she’s gonna-“

then it suddenly clicked with me. And the relief I felt was instantly replaced with a burning rage.

“it was you! YOU TOLD THEM!”

He looked away.

“WHY! WHY DID YOU TELL THEM?! WHY DID YOU LET THIS HAPPEN TO US?!”

“I'm sorry, Apollinaris, but I had to tell them. They threatened to kill everyone in the moon spirit district. And besides, we can't fight back against them. They are stronger, smarter and better than us.”

“You're telling me everybody decided to sell us out.”

Mr Pigden nodded. So that’s why they refused to help. They were in on it.

“You see. It was either you or us. We all can't die because you decided to fight a pure spirit. I know you understand.“

“Understand?! All I understand is that you betrayed us and sold us out! You were like family to us. How could you do this? We would never sell you out like this!

“ I know you wouldn’t…. I know. And I am deeply sorry”

Without further word, he closed the door.

“YOU STUPID OLD FUCKING GEEZER. I HOPE YOU DIE PAINFULLY AND ALONE”

I took out all my rage and anger on his front door. Repeatedly kicking and banging on it, leaving dents and boot marks

“YOU FUCKING TRAITOROUS SENILE OLD FUCK. FUCK YOU AND ALL THE BASTARDS THAT LIVE IN THIS PLACE”

My hands bled, and my feet stung. But I still kept on attacking his door. This anger had to go somewhere.

“Apollinaris….. stop”

My fist stopped mid-strike. Tears of rage and sadness streamed down my face.

“It’s okay… let's go..home.”

“Ok….mom…”

I lifted her into a princess carry and started making my way home. The entire walk was a blur; I could barely concentrate on anything else except mom’s deteriorating body.

“Apollinaris…..”

“Yes, mom”

“Put me down. Please”

I set her down against a wall. Her condition had gotten worse. All the colour in her body had long since disappeared.

“I'm so sorry…. I don’t think I'm gonna last much longer.”

She slowly raised her hand and rubbed my cheek. My hand gently supported hers

“Nonsense, mom. You will; I just need to-“

She weakly shook her head.

“No. There isn’t any more time, and you know that.” My mom continued rubbing circles into my cheek.

“Apollinaris, listen. Go back home to my room. I hid a box of money. Use it to get out of the city. Forget about this place and start anew.”

“But,”

“Apollinaris, please…….. Please do that for me.”

“Ok, mom. I will.”

“That’s good to hear…your safety…… Is all that matters to me………… Apollinaris……………. thank you…….. for being in my life…….…..i………..love……………..you ”

Her hands stopped drawing circles and went limp in my arms. She was gone. Mom was gone. But strange enough, it wasn’t sadness or sorrow I felt the most. It was something else. Something more unforgiving. Something vengeful. It was a feeling I couldn’t ever hope to calm down.