Chasing Dreams (Discontinued)

Chapter 218: Wounds That Last For Generations

I am not a hero. I fight for my family and no one else. Their existence brings me salvation. Without them, I would be nothing—just another tool without purpose meant to be used at someone else's expense.

Suzume tried to breathe. She mustered up the little fibers that remained of her strength and fought desperately for her last breath.

Fighting to live felt like taking part in a losing battle. Each time Suzume gasped, her throat swelled, squeezing out air like a clenched fist.

Not like this! For the love of God, not like this!

Suzume's eyes flashed, melding into her erratic visions. She desperately tried to make sense of her surroundings, but everything felt too intense.

A faint glimmer burned Suzume's retinas and caused her to wail in agony. Suzume's cries were strange and almost difficult to listen to. She sounded like a victim slowly being murdered.

"If this continues she won't last much longer!"

"I know. I didn't think that the side effects would be this severe."

Suzume attempted to piece the voices together. But the voices raped her ears like blaring sirens.

"M-!" Suzume went to speak, and a deafening screech became her words.

Gradually the pain was too much. Suzume screamed and begged for someone to help her.

Renji! Renji, oh, please help me! I can't do this any longer! I'm not strong enough to carry your child! Please get this fucking baby out of me!

Suzume sobbed for hours. She cried until she felt her eyes dry out. But the noise of despondent weeping never ceased.

Eventually, Suzume rolled over to her side and rubbed her stomach.

Anji! Please stop this, don't do this to Okaasan (Mama). All I'm doing is trying to keep you safe. I don't understand why do you hate me? Why do you keep hurting me? You know that I love you, don't you?

The throbbing continued. After several hours of conversing with Anji, Suzume decided that the pain was too much to bear. So she began lashing at everything around her.

The intense light proved to be excessive for Suzume's frail eyes. At some point, her eyes stopped processing things like sight.

"Hold her down!" Suzume heard a man scream. His voice sounded soft as if he wasn't used to yelling. "Give her the mifeprex!"

"Absolutely not!" Suzume recognized the next voice. Despite its surreal roughness, it was undeniably feminine.

Maija? Maija is alive? I knew it! She is too tough to kill. Why is Maija here, and where are we?

"Quiet Suzu." Maija hissed. "You barely have the strength to speak. Let alone stand and fight your way out of this place. Besides, if you push yourself anymore then..." Maija didn't bother to finish.

"Lay a hand on her then I'll kill all of you." Maija declared.

"I expected you to be brash, but this, no, this is idiotic!" Suzume heard the man shout. "If we let this go on for any longer, then Suzume and Anji will be lost! Look at her! She's dying! You've heard all of the warnings yet chosen to ignore them! The blood of the devil CANNOT mix with the blood of the dragon! Fumiko blood is toxic to the Fujiwara!"

"The only reason why you could bear a child is because of your lineage. You are special among Fujiwara, Maija. It's due to your direct connection to Homura, as well as the resilience found in Vermillion bodies."

"Suzume is not like you!"

Suzume heard the voices hollow. They didn't sound as loud as before. An eerie silence crept up on her like a monster lurking in the shadows.