CHAPTER 126: OPHIS’S MOTHER: PART-2

"What the F---"

"Language, girl. You should watch that tongue of yours."

Leo felt strange hearing those words coming from a little girl... even if he knew she was much older than she looked, it still sounded so bizarre and out of place!

Ophis stared at him with the strangest look, her pink eyes narrowing in disbelief... That was what he cared about right now?

Not the fact that he had just forced open a casket that no one... literally not even her terrifying father could open?!

Her heart thundered violently in her chest, pounding so hard it almost hurt. She rushed closer to the casket, her voice trembling and breaking apart as she whispered.

"M-Mommy?"

Inside lay a figure.

A woman’s body rested within, grey hair spilling freely across her shoulders like threads of fading silver. Her skin looked shrivelled, dried and sunken like fruit left out far too long under the sun, yet despite that decay, her form carried a strange dignity.

She wore a gothic black dress, its fabric clinging tightly to her frail frame as if death itself had tried to dress her in final elegance.

"No... more like a mummy," Leo muttered under his breath, eyes roaming the corpse-like body with uneasy curiosity.

Ophis’s eyes trembled violently as she stared at her mother after such a painfully long time... she couldn’t control her emotions, not even for a second, as her tears slipped down her cheeks without asking her permission.

Leo glanced at Ophis for a moment, then lowered his gaze to the woman who seemed to be not showing any kind of reaction whatsoever. No twitch, no sign of breath, nothing.

Was she dead?

It certainly looked that way to him, but the scent told a different story. She wasn’t smelling of rot or decay. Instead... there was a strange fragrance, like a beautiful rose blooming from the body itself.

Ophis, with trembling hands, reached forward and touched her mother’s wrinkled cheeks. She could feel everything... those wrinkles etched deep by time, that sturdy skin so rough, so hardened... Her fingers lingered there as her eyes shook even harder, her body struggling to hold back a sob that clawed at her throat.

Leo hesitated for a few seconds, his lips pressing tightly together, before finally asking, "Is she... alive?"

Ophis nodded faintly, her trembling eyes locked on the woman. "Y-Yeah... she is."

Leo raised his eyebrows in mild surprise, a small breath leaving his lips. He didn’t think anyone could still be alive even after this—wait... then again, he had just freaking seen that damn Dracula coming after him even after getting smashed apart and blasted into pieces.

Vampires... they really were sturdy, weren’t they?

Leo let out a weak sigh, rubbing the back of his neck. Just thinking about Dracula was enough to make his stomach twist, enough to make him feel worried about what the hell was going to happen in the future.

Anyway,

"Wake her up then?" Leo asked curiously, tilting his head slightly. However, Ophis only shook her head, her voice low and heavy as she explained,

"Once we enter the sleeping state... It’s impossible to wake us up until we wake up ourselves."

"...Okay? Then she will wake up when?"

Ophis bit her lip hard, her fangs pressing against the skin until it nearly broke. "...Don’t know."

Honestly, her mother had been locked inside the casket for such a long time... who could possibly know when she might wake up? Maybe another decade... maybe even longer, perhaps an eternity more.

Ophis bit her lips hard. Even though every part of her heart screamed that she wanted to hear her mother’s voice again, to hear just a single word from those lips... still, this was better, wasn’t it?

At least now, Ophis could see her mother all the time. Unlike before, when she could only sit and stare at the sealed casket from afar, helpless, praying that it would one day open. Now she could touch her, look at her face, and wait. As for waking up... she would wait as long as it took.

She had already waited this long... she wouldn’t mind waiting again.

"Maybe try to call her?" Leo suggested, scratching his cheek as the thought occurred to him. It might have been foolish, but he remembered stories—how mothers would always respond to their children, no matter the circumstances, no matter how deep the sleep.

What about fathers? Well... that was another story. Better not to think about that.

Ophis nodded slowly, leaning closer as her trembling voice called out. "Mom, it’s me... your daughter. Can you hear me, Mom?"

She called again, her voice growing weaker yet more desperate each time. Again and again, until her throat burned.

But no... she wasn’t waking up. Not even a twitch in her fingers, not even a flutter in her eyelids.

Nothing seemed to happen.

Ophis finally let out a long sigh, forcing a soft smile as she glanced back at Leo. "It’s fine... I will wait for her to wake up." She smiled again, this time more tenderly, as she gently tucked strands of her mother’s hair back into place, her fingers moving with reverence as though she were touching fragile glass.

Leo stared at her for a few seconds before nodding. ’Looks like that so-called Mother-Child Connection... is just bullshit,’ he thought with a sigh. Still, he didn’t want to crush her hope, so he stayed quiet.

"Anyway..." he said, clearing his throat, "you can sleep on the bed, okay?" He gestured toward his own bed.

Ophis nodded but quickly turned her head with a flicker of curiosity in her eyes. "What about you? Where are you sleeping?"

"The bed, obviously. Where else am I supposed to sleep?" Leo blinked in confusion, as if her question had been the strangest thing he’d heard all day.

"The bed is big enough for the two of us... unless you want to hog the entire thing for yourself, of course."

Hearing that, Ophis’s face turned beet red. Her lips trembled before she exploded, "Y-You!! How dare you try to say such a vulgar thing!!"

"...." Leo blinked blankly, completely lost. ’What the hell is she talking about?’

Just as he was about to respond, the door slammed open.

"VULGAR?!!!" Valra’s furious voice thundered through the room as she stormed in, her expression burning with outrage. She had heard that single word and instantly assumed the worst, as if something unspeakable was happening right before her!

Her eyes zeroed in on Ophis with blazing fury. "What are you doing to him?!"

Ophis blinked once, then closed the casket quietly. Her eyes glinted dangerously as she patted the bed beside her, her lips curling into a taunting grin.

"Of course, he and I are sleeping together in the bed, right?" she said, her tone dripping with mischief. Her cheeks carried the faintest blush; she was embarrassed, sure, yet she still looked directly at Valra as if trying to provoke her on purpose.

Valra’s face drained of all colour. "S-Sleeping together?" She spun to Leo, her voice shaking with disbelief. "Are you insane?!"

Leo blinked again, "What?"

Valra nudged her eyebrows, her voice sharp with disbelief. "Look, Leo, even if you think this thing looks like a child—" she pointed straight at Ophis.

Veins bulged on Ophis’s forehead... feeling offended at being called this thing.

Valra, however, wasn’t done. She pressed forward, her voice firm but trembling with jealousy. "Still, she is a woman, and... as your girlfriend, I couldn’t possibly let you sleep with her!!"

Leo looked back and forth between them, utterly lost in their argument.

Sure, Ophis might be older than she looked, but... honestly, Leo didn’t feel anything romantic toward her. At most, she was like a strange little creature he wanted to protect.

A cute one, yes, but also cunning, sly, and unpredictable.

Still... there was no way in hell he would ever do anything nasty to a child... Would he?

Leo sighed, dragging a hand down his face. "If you think I would do anything—"

"No, it’s not that I doubt you," Valra cut him off. Her gaze snapped like fire toward Ophis. "It’s this little rat..." she hissed.

Ophis’s face twisted, her fangs glinting as she growled furiously, like a cat ready to throw itself into a feral fight. Her nails dug into the sheets as she glared back at Valra without fear.

Now there were two women growling at each other, practically sparking like thunderclouds.

Leo rubbed his forehead, feeling the pressure splitting his skull. He really needed to rest... he honestly suffered a lot today, didn’t he?

"Then everyone..." he muttered, his voice tired and flat, "let’s just sleep together." He ended with a small shrug, as if the whole argument wasn’t worth it.

Both women froze. Their heads whipped toward him, stunned into silence.

Valra’s face turned scarlet, her eyes going wide. "T-T-Together?" she stammered, her voice trembling in shock.

Leo nodded slowly, dragging his tired body toward the bed. "I mean... it’s already midnight. Let’s sleep," he said, his tone exhausted as he slumped down.

Valra bit her lips nervously. She hadn’t planned this at all. Honestly, she had only come tonight to visit him... maybe to steal a kiss, nothing more.

But sleeping together in the same bed?

She never expected it. She never even imagined it. And yet... the thought made her heart race wildly.

Honestly... it was more than she could have asked for.

With slight hesitation, Valra moved closer to the bed. Her eyes flicked briefly toward the casket near the bed.

Of course, she had noticed the mysterious woman inside before Ophis closed it again; she wasn’t an idiot.... She asked about it.

Since Ophis’s mother was no longer sealed away, Ophis didn’t need to hide her existence anymore. She explained the situation in brief, her tone strangely calm for someone lying on the same bed as her rival.

Finally, they settled in... Leo on the left side, Valra on the right, and right in the middle... Ophis.

Actually, Valra had tried to lie beside Leo, hoping to at least claim her rightful spot as his girlfriend, but Ophis jumped straight into the middle with a wicked grin plastered on her face.

Damn this rat!!

It felt less like a romantic night and more like... one strange, awkward family forced together.

Still!

Valra’s face burned red, her blush refusing to fade. Her heart pounded so fast she thought it might explode out of her chest. She couldn’t believe what she was doing—sleeping in the same bed with a man... With him!

She couldn’t think straight. None of Ophis’s taunting words even reached her anymore.

All she could feel was her racing heartbeat, her nervous breaths, and the growing weight of expectation curling in her stomach as her eyes darted toward Leo... who lay there silently.

"L-Leo... Tomorrow, we have school," Valra whispered, her voice timid as she slowly leaned toward his head, as if trying to get closer, her body burning for some reason.

But before she could, Ophis slid her arm out and blocked her with a mischievous smirk. "School?" she repeated, her tone mocking yet curious.

"Tsk." Valra gritted her teeth as she shoved Ophis down and turned her gaze toward Leo... only to see him already sleeping soundly, his breathing steady and face peaceful as if nothing had happened at all.

Valra sighed heavily, shaking her head in frustration.

Ophis, however, only smirked, her eyes glinting with mischief. She leaned close to Valra’s ear, her whisper low and teasing.

"Oh my~ Did you think something naughty would happen tonight?~"

Valra’s entire face turned beet red, her breath hitching in her throat. Ophis’s grin stretched wider, like a predator enjoying the torment.

Ophis was going to love this night.

Heheh~

Meanwhile, above them, on the roof of the house, a cloaked figure sat silently. The night’s breeze tugged at her dark cloak as she gazed at the half-moon with a tense expression hidden beneath her hood.

’So... the Fallens have really invaded our world... ah?’ A voice echoed faintly in her mind.

The cloaked figure nodded once, ’Yes, Master. I have seen it with my own eyes... three of them. And especially that black-armored woman... she could have killed me easily. From the looks of it, it seems Leo and that woman are close together. I fear... he might do something reckless again.’

’Hmm....’

Only a low hum answered.

A gentle breeze swept across the rooftops, carrying the stillness of the night.