"You should abort the child," Diago said with a stern look.
Qu Wren just chuckled and punched his hands away. "Quit joking brother. I can't abort my baby…"
"You should. Or else it will….. Claim your life," Diago said and squatted down next to him. He gently cupped his cheeks, "I know you want this child but this child could be the death of you."
Wren smiled a little and patted Diago's shoulders. "I know you are worried, but I am string. I am a cultivator now. How bad can a child be? I can pop it out just like sea horses do." he cheerfully whispered.
Hearing this, Diago started sobbing silently. "Wren…. It's your doctor's suggestion…" he dropped the scroll down and hugged his brother's waist. "I don't want you to die, Wren. So please….. please abort the child."
Wren's heart stopped for a second. He reached out for the scroll, but another hand beat him to it.
Hachin unrolled it and read the other side as well. His frown deepened. He glanced at Wren sadly and nodded.
"But…. We could work this through…. I can ask the elders if there is a way to… to save us both. There should be a way. The elders must have a way," he desperately whispered. His stomach lurched at just the thought of losing his child.
He wanted to stand up, but his brother hugged him tighter. "My baby.. I won't give it up. This is a life. I can't just throw it away. I can't!" he pushed Diago away.
"Darling wait, I will come with you." his mother held his trembling body carefully.
"It's no use. This prescription, it's our elders suggestion," Diago said, sobbing loudly and hugged his brother's anxious body tightly. "Wren, please calm down."
Wren went still. His taunt body loosened. "Elder….. said that? Why…. Why can't I have my baby? It's just a child. What did it do?" he silently cried, hugging his brother tightly.
All the joy he felt for the baby's arrival washed away, leaving behind an unbearable ache. He held his aching heart and sobbed loudly. "But it's my baby… it's my baby." he collapsed onto the ground and curled himself up.
His mother immediately pulled him over onto her lap. "Wren, Wren darling, calm down, please. We… we can find a solution, I assure you. So calm down. Please, please….."
"mommy…" Qu Wren hugged her tightly. "I don't want to kill my child….."
Wren cried for a long me before he slept off because of exhaustion.
By then, their elder brother Ren returned hurriedly. The entire family, including Hachin, sat down to have a deep discussion.
"Give me that report." Ren said curtly.
Sniffing slightly, Diago handed it to him.
Ren read through it thoroughly and sighed. "This is really bad… the child is cultivating inside of him." He grumbled, holding his aching head.
Immediately Diago started sobbing again and their mother softly cried on his shoulders.
Only Hachin did not known what the true meaning behind those words. "What does that mean?"
"The child is cultivating inside of him. Since the child can't take in natural energy from the outside world like us, it can only take Wren's energy. Wren is just in foundation stage cultivation. In a month or so, the child would have taken in all of his cultivation. After that...."
"What happen after?" Hachin anxiously whispered.
"The child will start eating away Wren's life force." Ren said and sighed loudly. "I have seen this twenty years ago. My lieutenant, Bunsi's wife, got pregnant. The child, just like Wren's, started cultivating in her womb. He tried so hard to prolong their lives, but. In just a month's time she became skin and bones and in two months….. She passed,"
Hachin gasped out loud.
"We can't let Wren have this child! We can't" Diago shouted, wiping his tears vigorously.
"Calm down, your words are stressing him. We have to approach this subject delicately..... From now on, no one will talk to Wren about his child. Not a word. About it,"
They all nodded.
"And don't use sensitive words like baby or `abortion. Don't even cry in front of him, got it."
The family agreed to this.
Wren gently leaned against the door, sighing. He glanced down at his stomach and gently caressed it. "I am not giving up on you. Not yet….. I have to find this Bunsi he might have a way to save my baby," he mumbled to himself.
He jumped back onto the bed and pretended to sleep again.
"I have hope now….. I will never give up. Never," he resolutely whispered and closed his tired eyes.