A Matter Of Understanding

Regret Has The Scent Of Ashes

The shadows invaded her mind. She could feel her consciousness slide into another's memories, just like back at the cloud of souls in the Cat Kingdom. However, this time, it felt...different. She was unable to move and her head refused to budge, rendering her unable to look around. The only thing she could see was a dense fog, which somehow felt warm and cozy.

Arising from the mist, she saw a warm smiling face looking at her. Through her body sparked a feeling of tender, heartfelt love that she almost didn't remember.

She couldn't recall the last time someone embraced her like that. That kind of infinite love and tenderness, she only knew one creature capable of giving it.

A parent. A mother.

The loving face caressed her cheek and kissed her forehead, carrying her into what felt like a crib, and tucked her with the blankets. After that, she just stepped back with the same smile and suddenly the dense fog in the room vanished.

As the brume faded away, she was able to fully see the room she was in. She could move around as well, like in her other visions. She was in which looked like a dining room, with a table, chairs, a TV... She could tell from a sweet smell that food was being prepared in the nearby kitchen. She looked behind her. A baby dressed in blue sucked his thumb, half asleep in his crib.

She stared, trying to figure out who he was, but babies all looked the same to her. Giving up, she turned her head to the other side, and finally noticed the person who carried her over: a woman who started peeling some potatoes over the kitchen counter. Her silhouette felt familiar, but Chise was unable to recognize who that person was.

The longer she stared at the woman's back, the more she was losing her mental balance and falling right into the peaceful, safe, comforting feeling that woman inspired. Chise remembered Mariel's power, which made her feel like her mother, but this was a whole new level. It felt almost real, and...

It felt too good to be true.

The door opened with a loud bang. The noise came from a hallway at the end of the room. Excited footsteps cascaded towards the dining room.

"Mom! We're back!" a cheerful voice announced.

A little girl entered the room, threw her backpack onto the floor and came running towards the crib. Chise could swear she had seen that girl somewhere.

"Corey, I'm back!" she yelled, "School was so fun! I wish you'd grow up quicker! We could come to class together!" The baby was startled by the shouting, but rather, he laughed and tried to reach out for his sister. Probably. At any rate, he flailed in her general direction.

"Audrey! Be careful!" the woman from the kitchen warned, "You are too energetic for a newborn baby! Let Corey sleep, he just ate. Why don't you come here and tell me everything about your day instead?"

"Okay!" the little girl exclaimed and ran to her mother, launching into an excited monologue about her school day.

Corey? Audrey? Could it be... Those were the names of Miss Belmont's children, and that woman that felt so familiar...was she Miss Belmont herself? Was Chise simply watching through... Corey's eyes?

What was the last thing she could remember? She was... She was in, the cemetery running towards that kid... then the ghost attacked, and... she felt a cold pain in her head? How did she end up here? They were so small, young. Was she really in another memory? It felt like a memory, but Audrey was dead in the present, and he should be too young to remember this, right? This couldn't be it.

Before she could continue with her thoughts, she heard more footsteps and a tall masculine figure appeared at the frame door, visibly tired.

"Oh, honey. You're all sweaty," Miss Belmont said, looking at the figure. Audrey stopped telling her story as the figure appeared. "Tough day at the bakery?"