Outrun – Cyberpunk LitRPG
Chapter 253

Mother stared at me, her green eyes crinkling. She watched me eat-

”Caw!” A cry came from the distance. For a moment, the whole world seemed the shatter into shards. Everything splintered like I was looking at stained glass.

Had- had her eyes always been green? My head pounded fiercely. What was I doing again-

”Are you not going to eat?” Her voice- it was tinged with something. It was like a mirror’s reflection trying to speak. Sounded close, but there was just something off-

”Th-thank you for the meal.” I went back to eating. It was octopus soup. A bit of a weird dish for breakfast. It felt even weirder when the octopus limbs writhed in my mouth as I chewed on them. Still, Mother made it for me, so I had to eat it all up. I wasn’t thankless.

”Good girl.” Her hand stroked my cheek. The move felt… possessive. Ugh- my limbs. It felt like dozens of needles were pricking me all over my body. The walls of the apartment seemed to collapse in on themselves as darkness and plants surged-

I blinked. My mom’s caring grey eyes looked down on me in concern. “Are you alright, Shiro?”

”Y-yeah. Just- the nightmare…” I looked away. My stomach hurt. Was the octopus expired? I didn’t feel too good-

My mom smiled happily, stroking my hair with a tender caress. “Well, you’re awake now, aren’t you? With me?” 

I closed my eyes tightly, pushing down the rising feeling of unease. If only we could stay like this a moment longer, everything would be fine. I grabbed her hand, holding it to my cheek. Her warmth- it made the pain in my head just fade away.

Mom leaned forward, laying a big kiss right in the middle of my forehead. “If there’s one thing I hate, it's seeing my darling daughter in pain.”

Strangely enough, it did feel better. My migraine seemed to fade away, albeit slightly. ”You really mean that?” 

Mom took my hands into hers, softly stroking my much smaller hands. “Chek! No matter what the future holds, as long as you’re happy? I’ll be happy too.” 

My mom grabbed the bowl and spoon, heading off to the kitchen. Her back seemed to shift as she walked. She glanced over her shoulder, green eyes watching me. “You’ll eat another bowl, right? My good girl.”

I stared into her green eyes. I didn’t have the heart to tell her that the soup was disgusting. ”I guess.” 

“Caw!” A diseased bird flew by the window, battling against the storm. It was massive, the size of a bus at least. My head throbbed as memories came back. They hit me like a truck, even as I tried to deny them. Just- just a little longer.

I guess I never realized how much I missed her. After her death, I threw myself into one thing after another as if trying to out run the pain and grief. Why did I do that? It only made this moment all the more difficult. I didn’t want to leave. Not yet-

A voice seemed to cry out my name. The world around me froze for a moment. The headache. It returned in full force.

「Re-re-re-」

I shook my head. Don’t take this from me too, you bastards-

Deep breaths… it wasn’t their fault… not really… My anger shifted- toward the thing keeping me here. To the beast wearing my mom’s skin and parading it around. That bitch really thought she could just do anything, huh? How dare she- how dare she!

Once I get out of this, I’ll- I’ll-

The whole world fractured again, splintering even further. I stared into the fractures. What do I even do in this situation? How should I even react? It was just so- ugh- my emotions blended together into one turbulent storm.

I sighed, staring down at the table… At least I could see mom like this. If the cost was just eating a few bowls of octopus soup, then- then that wasn’t so bad? I could eat a few more. Just- just pull me into a hug once more. One last hug. My eyes stung.

Mother brought me another bowl. The fractured world repaired itself. What was I thinking about? “Here you go, my hungry girl.”

I lifted the spoon, drinking the soup as I looked up at her. She truly was beautiful. Even- even like this. I paused for a moment as her eyes shifted back to grey. “Mom…”

“Chek?” She tilted her head cutely, the smile that she usually wore returning with full force. Unlike the corporate smiles I saw everywhere, hers held true warmth. The kind of warmth that fully conveyed her love.

”No- n-nothing.” I looked away, tears leaking down my cheeks. I forced myself to eat another spoonful. Intense longing choked me. A sob caught in my throat, barely held back form ruining the moment. Why was I so sad?

A warm hand stroked my cheek, and her face pulled into confusion. She didn’t ask though, instead continuing to just sit there with me. The sobs fully broke through. I couldn’t hold it anymore. Just having her by my side was enough. Mom… 

I kept eating, breaking into tears with each bowl. I felt off. My entire body felt uncomfortable, paralyzed almost. It was like if I’d drank a bottle of pervider venom, except I could still feel an uncomfortable worming underneath my skin. My limbs were twitching erratically like they wanted to throw something off. Was this a seizure?

Mother brought back another bowl, her eyes green. Unlike when she sat by my side, a stalwart barrier of understanding and warmth, she now stood a bit further away with confusion all over her face. “What’s wrong? Why do you cry?”

”Caw!” The world fractured once more.

Right… I closed my eyes, looking down at the soup she just brought me. Was this truly what I wanted? Is this what she would’ve wanted? I- I didn’t belong here. Not really. I didn’t deserve to still be hiding in her memory even as the world burned around me.

“Are you not going to eat?” The confusion turned to anger in a split second. It was an expression my mom rarely wore, though it flowed freely from Mother.

This wasn’t even real to begin with. She wanted me to be happy, right? Sitting in sorrow like this wasn’t true happiness. It was just- just hiding. Cowering. Like I was still that small kid who’d just lost her parents. How filthy.

”CCCAAAWWWW!” The diseased bird cried again from beyond the boundaries of this- this illusion? This dream? Vision? The entire space shook uncontrollably. I didn’t know why Corvin was helping me all things considered, but… well… once a traitor, always a traitor?

I took a deep breath, my mind feeling oddly light. I looked up at her- at her grey eyes and gentle smile. “Mom… can I stop eating?”

She looked over me. ”Chek… what’s gotten into you lately, Shiro? You feeling alright?” 

I took the opportunity to memorize every detail of her face- A fog seemed to cover her features. Nothing but her beautiful smile and grey eyes was discernible. Right- she was never really here in the first place. Is this all I could remember of her? I’m such a worthless daughter.

”I- ugh- I just need n-need to get some fresh air.” I shook my head, refusing to cry anymore. Once all this was over… yeah, then… maybe… “Can I- can I go outside?”

“Chek.” As if listening to my silent pleas, she pulled me into a hug. The warmth made my entire body relax. I hugged her back tightly. A hug I never got to give. ”Stay safe, Shiro. If someone offers you candy, come get me?” 

“Ok, mom.” I smiled brightly as I stood up from the table. My weak, childish body rapidly grew up. I was back to myself- my scarred cyclops self. What would she think, seeing me like this? I looked up to see her one last time-

The apartment had faded away until it was only the door. Mom alongside it. Something pulled at me, staggering me back away from the door. Insight constantly droned against my mind. My skin felt tight, my muscles bruised. My bones ached and throbbed like I was still going through my growth stages.

I looked down at myself, feeling unsteady on my feet. Vines writhed all across me, a few of them inserted into my skin. They pumped something into me like IVs. Each pulsation of the vines sent a sick feeling throughout my entire body. My veins and skin looked an unnatural shade of dark green.

My skin looked tight- dehydrated. Almost as if it was turning to bark. My hair became increasingly brittle with each moment that I stayed here. A vine was lodged deep into my throat, constantly feeding something into me-

“Gah!” I coughed and sputtered, ripping out the vine. I felt sick as I felt it rip back up my throat. A sickly green goo trailed behind it. I took an unstead step toward the door-

The vines pulled and tugged on me, drawing me back into their sickly embrace. No matter how much I struggled, it felt inevitable that I’d be pulled back to her- 

A single scarlet feather brushed past my cheek, slamming into the mass that held me hostage. The vines sagged slightly, allowing me to crawl forward. I refused to look backward for even a moment. Slowly- slowly I crawled for the door.

A voice, a pitiful imitation of what could’ve been, spoke from behind, “Why- how- you! You rotten bird! How dare you betray me!“

A cackling caw came from somewhere, though his form was impossible to see in this darkness. Corvin, definitely Corvin. “Why wouldn’t I?”

”If you do this! Do you even know what you’re attempting-“

”Of course.” The guttural voice of the greater sprite mocked She Who Grows. “Who do you think came up with this entire scheme in the first place? And once it’s over? The age of a new Crow will begin!”

Feathers wreathed in a ruby red arched from all over the black space, severing vines and freeing me from Mother’s embrace. It felt… intentional, almost. Then again, I stood before the two monoliths as a mere ant. There was no telling if either one of them truly recognized me as they started fighting.

I staggered to my feet, limping for the door. Sharp feathers cut off anything approaching me, and with each step the vines weakened. Mother was losing this fight. Horribly, too. Was she always this weak? Or did something happen?

For a moment, I was tempted to look back.

「Re-re-re-」

… Thank you. Their words were limited, but I could feel the desperate cries for me to escape. Right… there wasn’t anything here for me. At least, not any more. I twisted the doorknob of the door.

I couldn’t quite bring myself to smile, but the heavy weight on my heart lifted slightly. At the end of the day, no matter how much a part of me wished it wasn’t true, mom was already dead. It’d all been fake from the beginning. I was doing the right thing.

Without a moment longer, I stepped through-

— — —

I tumbled off the altar, collapsing to the ground as I returned to consciousness. My body felt stiff, but my injuries were mostly gone. Mostly. My head still felt incredibly foggy. 

My stomach felt bloated too. I could still feel her. It was a feeling I doubt I’d ever forget. Although she didn’t writhe against my mind anymore, the phantom sensations of vines threading through my limbs like the strings of a marionette haunted me.

I swiped uncomfortably at my skin, rubbing off thick green sap. I was absolutely covered in the stuff. Where-

My eyes fell on the egg. It’d cracked at some point, ooze constantly leaking from within. An eye pressed against the gap, staring unseeingly into space like whatever was within had been entirely paralyzed. Vines lay limply around the crack shell, like it’d been desperately trying to escape when the paralysis hit. It was a deeply haunting sight. 

Whatever had been in there- She Who Grows had taken over at some point, devouring the unborn child within. And she had the audacity to call herself Mother? Nausea hit me once more. I forced myself to look away and check on the rest of the situation.

The tree had gone through a massive change while I was asleep. Parts of it were on fire, and the number of plant monsters had multiplied exponentially. Only, they stood stock still. The cult's strong backing had frozen up, leaving them to fight alone. Fight against the invaders slowly closing in on this place.

From the entry into the hollow tree, cultists screamed. Zenith, the cult leader, constantly shouted orders at his followers as magic whizzed from him. Spores flew, exploding into cluster bombs in the distance.

The sounds of battle broke through the space, and explosions constantly sent tremors through the earth. Magic and projectiles exchanged, both sides trying their best to wipe out the other. For the moment, there were no eyes on me.

”Caw!” A bird cried out, feathers and scarlet magic ripping through the cultist. Corvin desperately tried to get into the hollow tree, not stopping for a moment.

Just what happened while I was out?