Protagonist? Antagonist? I Reject Both

Chapter 127: True Memories

Chapter 127: True Memories

In the heart of the Ice Crystal Palace, Irina lay upon a bed of ice, surrounded by a group of dedicated cultivators who looked after her infusing qi as they began the process of extracting the Yin gu along with the poison residing in her body.

As Irina slept, her consciousness delved into a tumultuous battlefield, where memories waged war against each other.

Amidst the chaos, she witnessed fragments of her past, moments where she had unknowingly turned away from her son, Leon.

"Where am I?"Irina muttered as she walked over to the empty void.

She didn't know how she appeared but as she started thinking what was going on, memories flashed in her eyes.

In a brief scene, she destroys a vase which she throws over Leon who doesn't dodge, and lets it crash on his forehead.

The scene gave her a jolt making her shiver as she watched herself dealing with Leon.

.....

Tears streamed down Irina's face, her voice trembling with a mixture of anguish and anger as she unleashed her pent-up emotions upon her son, Leon.

"You're nothing but trash, Leon," Irina's words cut through the air like shards of glass, each syllable dripping with bitterness. "You're useless, a burden, a stain on our family name."

"Mother, I.."

"Shut up! Don't call me a mother. I feel disgusted."

Leon stood before her, his heart shattering with every word that fell from his mother's lips. He longed to defend himself, to plead his innocence, but he found himself rendered speechless by the sheer weight of her condemnation.

"You're destroying everything we've worked so hard to build," Irina's voice cracked with emotion, her eyes blazing with a fierce intensity. "You're a disappointment, Leon. A failure."

"A useless and worthless guy just like that damned father of yours."

Leon's chest tightened with the weight of his mother's words, each insult cutting deeper than the last. He wanted to deny but no words escaped from his lips seeing her mother's sudden outburst.

He had always strived to make her proud, to live up to the expectations she had placed upon him, but now he felt like nothing more than a hollow shell of the son she had once loved.

As Irina's rant continued, Leon could feel the crushing weight of her disappointment bearing down on him, suffocating him with its intensity. He wanted to scream, to lash out in defiance, but he remained rooted to the spot, his spirit broken by the harsh reality of his mother's score

At that moment, as Irina's words echoed in the cavern of his mind, Leon felt as though he were drowning in a sea of despair, his very existence called into question by the one person he had always looked to for love and acceptance.

"Get away from here trash. Your presence itself is soiling my eyes. I wish I wouldn't have given birth to a useless guy like you. I wish you didn't exist."

...

Irina who saw the brief exchange and abuses almost collapsed. Her face became as pale as a sheet of paper seeing this and she clenched her head tightly.

"No, this can't be. Lie, this is a lie. I may be angry with him but I can never call him trash.No matter how bad I am and how senseless I am, I can never do that."

"I can never say all those cruel words."

"NEVER!"

"It's not possible!"Irina's voice grew louder as she screamed in a blank void ignoring all this.

As if wanting to refute her denial, many scenes from the present to the past flickered in her eyes.

As Irina closed her eyes, the memories flooded her mind like a relentless tide, each one more painful than the last.

She saw herself, just moments ago, hurling insults at Leon, her harsh words cutting deep into his fragile spirit. She remembered the look of hurt in his eyes, the way his shoulders slumped under the weight of her disapproval.

But even as she relived that recent encounter, older memories clawed their way to the surface, each one a damning reminder of her failings as a mother.

She saw herself, ignoring Leon's cries for attention as she buried herself in her work, dismissing his need for affection as nothing more than a nuisance.

She heard the echoes of her voice, scolding Leon for his perceived shortcomings, belittling him with cruel words that left scars on his tender heart.

And then, as if in a cruel twist of fate, Irina found herself transported back to a time long ago, to the moment when Leon was just a child, full of hope and innocence.

She saw herself, standing over him with a scowl on her face, chastising him for his mistakes and shortcomings, crushing his spirit with every word that fell from her lips.

At that moment, Irina felt a wave of regret wash over her, her heart heavy with the weight of all the pain she had inflicted upon her son. She realized, too late, the damage she had done, the irreparable harm she had caused.

Irina's loud voice echoed like a wounded shriek of a beast.

"IT'S NOT ME!"

"WRONG!"

"Everything shone here is wrong," Irina denied.

No, she refuses to accept all this.

Since last year, she had been feeling hollow and empty, thinking about Leon. And at the same time for some reason, a forced irritation will swallow her every time she thinks about her son.

But after Leon departed, her mood became worse and worse. She felt something was missing. It is not that she missed her son but rather some moments that she wasn't able to recall

"I understandSomething or someone messed me up. All of this is a lie."

Irina's eyes burst with light.

The pain of her neglect pierced through her, but amidst the darkness, a glimmer of hope emerged, a white orb, beckoning her to break free from the shackles of manipulated memories.

As she tried to recall her memories, she found a wall or mental barrier blocking her but she repeatedly hit it off despite the soul-wrenching pain threatening to tear her mind.

"BREAK!"

CRACK!

With determination fueling her, Irina shattered the barriers imprisoning her true recollections. And there, in the clarity of reality, she saw the moments she had longed to embrace once more, the loving interactions with her beloved son.

Like floods from broken dams, precious memories etched deep in her heart flowed into her consciousness.

In one scene, Irina stood beside Leon as he bravely embarked on his first day of kindergarten, holding his hand tightly as they faced the unknown together. Another memory painted a picture of warmth and tenderness, as Irina lovingly fed Leon with her own hands, cherishing each moment shared over a meal.

Their conversations echoed in her mind, filled with laughter, curiosity, and the unwavering bond between a mother and her son. They talked about everything, their words weaving a tapestry of love and understanding that transcended any obstacle.

"This isn't enough. I want to see the scene. I want to immerse myself in it."Irina murmured, holding her pulsating head.

Soon a bright light unfolded pulling her into an unknown.

.....