Abyssal Chronicles

A new picture of Mengxi will come out with the next chapter. Let me know if you like it, because I might change the story’s cover based on your feedback. Leave your thoughts in the comments of Chapter 01 to tell me if you want it as the new cover or not.

"Brainwashed? Youlan... what are you talking about?"

"What am I saying? I’m just stating the truth."

"Nonsense."

"Heh, is that so..."

Youlan nonchalantly tilted her head, her icy gaze locked onto Yumo. After Yumo’s reply, there wasn’t a hint of gentleness in the deep blue eyes of the honey-haired girl. Instead, there was only a blazing fury and a suffocating resentment.

She glanced at Yumo’s dress, noticing the emblem of the Black Rose family on it.

Youlan smirked, letting out a disdainful, albeit slightly frantic, snort.

"Did I say something wrong? Look at what you’re doing now. Look at what you’ve been doing these past years! Living like humans for no reason, teaching me and my siblings to do the same, trying to suppress our demon nature. Why do this? We aren’t humans! Why learn their worthless way of life?"

"..."

"Moreover, you’ve adopted human orphans, played family games in the Winter Forest: occasionally letting humans into the forest, launching attacks on yourself; trying to control the number of abyssal demons to prevent human extinction, even freezing the ’ancient demons’ that have guarded you for so long in the northern Frozen Tundra. Continuously cultivating humans, suppressing our abyssal demon powers... What are you doing? Aren’t you our mother? Why suddenly start helping those insects? You should be annihilating them!"

Staring intensely at Yumo, Youlan’s tone was filled with accusation and slowly took on a hysterical edge.

"..."

"And now, you even play the role of a teacher, teaching those humans about the demons weaknesses. You’re even close with that damned Girl of Destiny? She’s your enemy! Our entire race’s enemy! ...Besides, the aura on the Girl of Destiny is so nauseating. That power is like a deadly poison to us demons... Why didn’t you react after coming into contact with it? How can you allow that disgusting aura to linger on your face and turn a blind eye to it?"

"..."

"You once said our purpose in this world is to turn it into a paradise for abyssal demons. Not to nurture some ’chosen ones.’ Why did you suddenly change your mind and forget our original dream? Letting some nonsense ’chosen ones’ hunt us down! Even trying to kill you! What are you thinking? What are you thinking?! WHAT ARE YOU THINKING AHHHHHHH!! I, I, I... I just can’t understand!!!"

Youlan was continually bombarded with questions, and as she spoke more and more, the eyes of the honey-haired woman gradually displayed a cold, bloody inverted cross.

The increasingly agitated Youlan suddenly raised both hands to clutch her head, releasing roars that were heart-wrenching.

"Were you brainwashed by that goddess?! Why has your personality changed so drastically?! Why?!"

Emotions that she had suppressed for a long time seemed to burst out with her roaring at this moment, creating waves of terrifying energy that ground the surrounding broken corpses into dust.

Fortunately, to prevent others from disturbing the conversation between them, Youlan had set up a massive barrier around them as soon as she appeared. Nevertheless, the mere residual force in the sound was enough to shake the classroom apartment not far behind Yumo to its foundation...

In Yumo’s perception,

Although Youlan was known for her crazed bloodlust, she was relatively silent and reserved.

Seeing the daughter, who was always reticent in her memories, aggressively questioning her this way, Yumo couldn’t help but retreat. At this moment, Youlan’s overpowering aura completely suppressed Yumo.

The black-haired girl pursed her lips, her body shaking incessantly.

Simultaneously,

As Youlan’s questions reached her ears, Yumo showed a look of confusion.

’A change in personality?!’

"I’ve always been like this. What change are you talking about?"

And,

’Abyssal Demon Paradise?’

Shrouded by confusion, Yumo finally couldn’t help but ask:

"When did I ever talk about the Abyssal Demon Paradise?"

"When?!"

Seizing on Yumo’s words, Youlan’s expression changed drastically, looking at the black-haired girl in disbelief. After a moment of eerie silence, the honey-haired woman’s anger and madness were gradually replaced by emotions of disbelief and sadness.

"That... You told me yourself. Don’t you remember?"

"Told you?"

"Yes! You said it when we were on the Frozen Tundra! You... really don’t remember?"

Youlan sounded kinda desperate.

Her words seemed to carry a plea, begging Yumo not to deny her statement.

"..."

However, Yumo chose to remain silent since she genuinely didn’t remember saying such a thing.

As Yumo stayed mute,

Seeing Yumo stay quiet, Youlan gave a sad but beautiful smile. She looked down and hid her eyes, shaking her head like she was giving up.

"Sigh, looks like you really don’t remember. Maybe I was just getting my hopes up. You wouldn’t forget something like this... saving people, holding back demons, and letting the Girl of Destiny go. No way, just no way..."

"Could it be, that back then, when Goddess created you, she made a mistake?"

"Switching souls... No wonder you slept so long and don’t remember the old promise..."

"No wonder the followers of Asumos are always so unhurried... they got the inside information from the Goddess..."

"It seems, that ’magic stick’ wasn’t lying this time. This is a trial set by the Goddess. The Goddess supports a puppet to cultivate the chosen one..."

"Hehe... so... that’s how it is... that’s how it is... hehe, hehehe..."

Looking at the woman, who kept muttering to herself, surrounded by a bizarre aura, Yumo felt at a loss. Her heart was increasingly filled with doubts due to the words whispered by Youlan.

’Goddess’s creation?’

’A promise?’

’Asumos?... a plan?’

’What is she talking about?’

Although she was confused, when Yumo saw Youlan scratching her face with her sharp nails, drawing blood marks, Yumo couldn’t stand it anymore. No matter how disappointing or crazy the other party was, she was, after all, her eldest daughter, the first child who accompanied her after coming to this world.

With mixed emotions, Yumo reached out, trying to comfort the mentally disturbed Youlan.

However,

"Pia~"

Accompanied by a crisp sound, a blood-colored thorny whip mercilessly struck Yumo’s hand, stopping her action.

After all the self-talk, Youlan seemed to have realized something. She slowly raised her head and looked at Yumo.

The woman’s deep blue gem-like eyes, at this moment, no longer showed any traces of sadness but only chilling murderous intent and hostility. Her sharp gaze even made Yumo shudder.

If previously Youlan’s gaze held a hint of respect amidst the coldness,

Now, that hint of respect was gone.

Looking as if she’s seeing a sworn enemy, the only thing in Youlan’s eyes was hatred.

"Don’t touch me! Stay away from me!"

"..."

Hearing those words, Yumo felt a deep sadness in her own blue eyes.

"Youlan..."

"Don’t say my name like we’re close!"

Youlan shouted in disgust.

Lowering her hands, Youlan glared at Yumo with bloodshot eyes. The thorny whip also started acting up, showing its hostility toward Yumo.

"Now, I understand... You... you... you’re not my mother. You... are an imposter who took over my mother’s body. An inferior soul that the Goddess placed in my mother’s body when she was weak. You damn imposter!"

...

Youlan roared angrily again and again.

Each word, like a blade, stabbed Yumo’s heart.

Yumo: "..."

...

...

...

...

—I’m sorry, Mother...—