CH13: Slow Life Manticore

Irisia Haldervania... A name bestowed upon me hundreds of thousands of years ago by the ancestors of the Ferial bloodline of the Haldervania family tree. I served as the lapdog and guard for the demons of the cursed succubus bloodline. As far as I can remember, I have protected them all this time, but because of how hard it is to conceive a child, the Ferial household was slowly being extinguished by the passage of time.

My memories from the past are hard to recall. It seems like I am also getting old. The last duty I had taken as Irisia was to protect the remaining Ferial demons; however, it seems like I had failed. The remaining Ferial family members, Rethurnia Hartel Ferial and Seibal Yurt Ferial, died due to my failure. Hannathema, Rakhasha, and Melithus... I don't have the courage to face them anymore after the death of their parents. And I can't ever forgive myself for choosing to protect my master's children in exchange for my own kid's lives.

I don't blame those kids, however; they are just as important to me. But I couldn't handle the thought; seeing their faces reminds me of how my own kids died at the hands of Fragmentors and Lunarists. But... It's all in the past now... it's been almost three hundred years since it happened.

My eyes opened from a deep sleep; the goblin is still in his slumber... peacefully sleeping and burying his face in my fur. He would often murmur... "Aku... Aku..." in his sleep and giggle, but I don't mind the noise. In fact, I find it... cute.

I need to lay him down without waking him up. I want to stay this way, but if I don't move, then the goblin won't have anything to eat. Sweet dreams, goblin.

His birthday is about to come, and I need to think of a suitable name for him. But... I'm not his real mother. Is it acceptable for me to be the one who'll name him? I feel like I don't deserve it. What if the goblin doesn't like the name I'll give him?

I started the day the same way... during the day I would go out to fetch some food. Upon my return, I need to purify the meat and cook it as best as I can to at least make it acceptable for a child's palate. I also had to bathe him, but often times, he would run away and hide like a pup. I had to watch over him as he played, then ease him down if he cried. He is truly a crybaby, and often times he would try to suppress his tears, leaving a silent sob.

The early days were not easy. The boy would often poop and urinate wherever he pleased. He often would crawl away from the cave, and I had to chase him. He loves playing hide and seek, but I always catch him hiding behind some rocks. And I had to admit, I love all of it. Maybe, this is what I've been looking for all this time... just a normal life.

I knew he is different from the rest of the goblins. He's smart and innocent, caring and sophisticated. He's abnormally smarter than a normal cub, and it came as no surprise that he is actually a prophet.

As months go by, he has already learned magic on his own without anyone teaching him. Trained his body without anyone telling him what to do. I'm worried, I feel like someday, he's going to leave me behind... but it's fine... I don't want him to get stuck on this dead floor with nothing but surrounded by rotting monsters. Someday, he's going to be an adult, and I must brace myself for the day that we will part.

However, I'm worried. I'm afraid that I can't raise him right. What if I fail to teach him the life skills he will need? Will he be an upright person when he grows up? Am I a mother to him?

I still have lots of things to do. But do I have ample time to do it? What if I die today? Will he be all right?

The future is quite terrifying... still, I dream of seeing him grow up. I shall live until that day when I can be proud of myself for raising him right.

However, the Queen's spawn are on the move and tried to ambush me in order to steal my little goblin away. Is it because they figured out that he is a prophet? I almost... lost him. And they also know what I am, a Grim Reaper. If the humans know more than that, then it means the damnation of the world itself. I need to extinguish them as soon as possible before the balance of realms gets disrupted and the fabric of reality gets shattered.