Unwilling to Wake

Tiamat's actions were full of maternal love, but to outsiders, they appeared incredibly tragic.

"So that's what the dream was like."

Bai Mo sighed inwardly. Tiamat's mental state was already quite bad; the long exile and loneliness had likely worn away the reason and mind of this Primordial Mother Goddess.

That's why Mery could address the problem directly and create a dream that would captivate Tiamat, the creator goddess.

It's a dream riddled with flaws. Even a fool would know that neither the gods of Sumer nor the monsters bred by Tiamat could possibly live in this marketplace.

But at the same time, it was also a dream that would allow her to live with her children, a dream she didn't want to wake up from.

Just as you can't wake someone who's pretending to be asleep, Kingu can't wake Tiamat from her own immersion in this dream.

He could only end this dream by killing Gorgon, who was connected to the power of Tiamat.

In the end, what truly imprisoned Tiamat was not Mery's illusion, but herself, indulging in illusory warmth and unwilling to wake up.

Looking at Tiamat, who was happily interacting with her "child," Bai Mo was suddenly overwhelmed with a sense of sorrow.

As if sensing Bai Mo's thoughts, Tiamat stopped communicating with her "children" and turned to Bai Mo to ask:

"By the way, what's your family situation like? It must have been tough leaving your parents at such a young age."

Come visit me more often when you have time! I think you and Ereshkigal get along really well.

Bai Mo didn't reply. He ignored Tiamat's previous words and glanced at the back of his right hand without making a sound.

Why is it Ereshkigal? Could it be that she can sense the Servant's contract?

Fortunately, we were outside earlier and didn't rush to summon Ereshkigal.

Just as Bai Mo was pondering, Tiamat seemed to realize that he was avoiding her question.

She pressed further, "Does that mean... you don't have a good relationship with your parents?"

Faced with such a direct question, Bai Mo couldn't simply ignore it.

"When I was fourteen, I had a falling out with my parents. Luckily, I met kind people who took care of me and helped me grow up."

Bai Mo's tone was calm and even, revealing no emotion whatsoever, as if he were recounting an old story that had nothing to do with him.

This calm, however, made Tiamat somewhat somber. She slowly put down her cutlery and began to speak softly:

"Is that so? That's not good, so young..."

"It's nothing. In some ways, I'm actually better off after leaving."

Upon hearing Bai Mo's words, Tiamat's eyes visibly dimmed.

"After leaving their mother... did the child actually... live a better life?"

Tiamat muttered to herself.

Manaka placed her hand on Bai Mo's hand, their fingers gently hooking together.

"It's okay, let's forget about the unpleasant past. We'll be together from now on..."

*Smack! Bai Mo pulled away from Manaka and then smacked her head again.

This interruption seemed to wake Tiamat; she turned her head and changed the subject, saying to Bai Mo:

"Speaking of which, what exactly is your relationship with Manaka? Companions? Lovers?"

When Tiamat uttered the word "lover," a hint of unnatural worry flashed across her face, which Bai Mo noticed.

"That's of course..."

"For now, we're companions."

It's impolite to interrupt someone, but Bai Mo still stopped Manaka from continuing.

He didn't want to create any unnecessary misunderstandings, nor did he want the atmosphere here to turn into a meaningless family drama.

After being interrupted, Manaka showed no sign of annoyance. She picked up her chair and moved it closer to Bai Mo.

"That's right, they're companions."

Manaka spoke with a gentle smile, deliberately emphasizing the word "companion," adding a strong sense of ambiguity and making their interaction seem like the playful banter of lovers.

Tiamat breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Oh, that's great. After all, Manaka's personality is terrible, and she's always hanging out with bad monsters."

Mom is worried she'll turn into a bad kid, like having early relationships. She thinks it's best to correct her personality flaws first.

Upon hearing Tiamat's words, Manaka paused in her soup-drinking motion, forced a stiff smile, and looked at Tiamat.

"Yes, she's a bit too extreme."

Bai Mo nodded in deep agreement, and Manaka pouted her lips in dissatisfaction at the strange harmony.

"After all, Manaka is almost turning into a bad kid. If she turns into a bad kid, no one will love her anymore."

"I don't need anyone's love in this world, not at all."

Manaka tossed her short, golden hair, her tone full of disdain.

Perhaps my former self, that girl who never observed her own destiny and always had expectations, would have had some expectations.

But now, all she longs for are the people around her.

Every life is unique, but in this world, people always make comparisons.

It's inevitable to yearn for other lives, but people are most afraid of comparison.

In some ways, she was the same as Shiki. It was because Shiki encountered an unexpected fate that she envied her greatly, and at the same time, she put her own previous fate behind her.

Hearing this, Tiamat looked at Manaka with some worry, her face full of unease.

"Thank you for your help with this child. Although she's a bit clumsy and sometimes acts like a naughty child, there's still hope for her. Please believe me."

Bai Mo pressed down on Ai Ge, who was breathing heavily and Manaka somewhat agitated, and said:

"We're here to take a look too. We believe that Manaka will eventually face reality."

Besides, it's getting late, and we should leave. How can we leave this area?

For some reason, Tiamat fell into an eerie silence after hearing the word "leave," and the previously harmonious atmosphere instantly turned cold.

"Leaving... you're leaving so soon? You're leaving me..."

"That's right, we have to go."

An eerie silence fell over the dining table. The food in the remaining twelve bowls had stopped steaming and remained untouched throughout.

The cold food seemed to be silently telling a story.

"I see, I understand. After all, you're from out of town, and you have things you need to do."

"I'll take you away from here, please come with me."