Jin followed his little sister as they rushed out of the mini library.
As soon as they arrived in the kitchen, Jin felt his heart beat wildly.
He could see his mother collapsed on the kitchen floor.
What made Jin more scared was the fact that he could see some black particles along with their mother's aura.
The black particles had a repulsive feeling to them as they seemed to be the opposite of aura.
And since aura came from the life force of a living being, then the black substance that seemed to be the opposite of it could only be…
Jin didn't dare to think any further as he spoke to his little sister, "Grab a pillow in the living room and make sure that Mother's head is elevated. Keep watch while I call Aunt Ida!"
"Hic… Mhm!" Tanya nodded as tears streaked across her cheeks.
Jin rushed out of their house and navigated the streets, running towards Aunt Ida's house.
Since it's nearing the day where the demon beast wave occurs,their father was out hunting demon beasts.
It was the perfect time to hunt since it was also during these times that the demon beasts in the Stygian Forest became restless.
"H-Hey, that's Jin, right?"
"What!? Leo's son? Are you sure?"
"Yes, I couldn't be mistaken. That white hair and sickly complexion of his are still the same as ever…"
"Where do you think he's going?"
…
The people on the streets recognized Jin immediately. They were startled to see him since he was always cooped up in their house and didn't go out to play unlike his little sister.
After a few minutes of running, Jin arrived at Aunt Ida's house.
He took an instant to organize his thoughts and fairly calm himself.
Then, he raised his hands and knocked on the door.
Creak~
After a few seconds, he saw a girl only a few years older than him with a head full of ebony hair.
"Oh, it's you Jin! I thought it was Tanya. Why have you come?"
"Sister Ella, this is urgent. Is Aunt Ida there?"
The woman called Ella frowned as she noticed the desperation mixed in Jin's expression, "What happened?"
"Mother collapsed. Please help me call Aunt Ida." Jin replied curtly, his tears threatening to fall out in any second.
Hearing his words made Ella's eyes widen. She immediately rushed inside the house shouting, "Aunt Ida!"
After a minute or two, Jin could see a woman who seemed to be in her late 40s.
Aunt Ida rushed out of the house and said to Jin, "Take me to Tiana."
* * *
That evening…
"It's still weak…" Aunt Ida, who was checking Tiana's pulse, said with a grave expression on her face.
She had been on Tiana's side since they arrived earlier.
Aunt Ida already tried all sorts of medicine she knew.
Tap! Tap! Tap!
Rushing footsteps could be heard as the door opened suddenly.
"Hon? Hon!" Leo's desperate cries rang over as he rushed on Tiana's side.
Seeing his wife sleeping with weak breath, Leo had a crestfallen expression on his face.
He turned to look at Aunt Ida and said with a husky voice, "What happened?"
Looking at Leo, who looked as if he was about to cry, Aunt Ida shook her head and said softly, "The children said that she suddenly fainted in the kitchen. I checked and had been with her since noon, I tried all the medicines and methods I knew but…"
She paused for a moment and continued, "It's as if her body gave up after years of enduring. You also knew about it, right? That she had been getting weak since she gave birth to your twins."
Looking at Tiana, Aunt Ida also had teary eyes. Although they weren't blood related, she had seen Tiana grow up with her own eyes and treated Tiana like her own daughter.
"No…" Leo said in a desperate voice as he cried inaudibly.
Aunt Ida spoke in a soft voice, "I think there's still a chance. If you could go to the Adventurer's Guild and look for a priest…"
"No, don't."
Aunt Ida and Leo suddenly looked at Tiana who had spoken.
"Hon, don't worry! I'll get high ranking priests to treat you, okay? It'll all be fine…" Leo spoke with difficulty as tears fell out of his eyes.
Tiana looked at her husband and shook her head, "It's a waste of money. We're still saving for our children to attend the Training Center, right?"
Leo replied with a desperate voice, "No, don't worry about money! I'll work triple, no, not just triple. I'll work many times more!"
Tiana giggled and said, "You idiot, don't say nonsense. Who'll be left to take care of our son and daughter? Besides, you're a warrior specializing in aura, right? And since aura came from life force, I'm sure you can feel it too, right?"
Hearing his wife's words, Leo cried harder.
Tiana turned to look at Aunt Ida and said, "Thank you, Aunt Ida. You've always taken care of me. I know you're tired, so please rest first."
Aunt Ida stubbornly shook her head, "I'm not tired at all. Though, I suppose you two would need some time for yourselves. I'll be outside the room with Ella and the children first, so just call me if you need me."
Click!
Closing the door behind her, Aunt Ida walked on the hallway with tears falling from her eyes, "Damn it. I'm older so I should be the one who dies first. Damn it. Damn it. Damn it. Damn it…"
Aunt Ida kept walking through the hallway while whispering the words "Damn it" with a husky voice.
'Why not take me instead. Tiana is still too young… She still has a lot of years left in her. Why not me…' Aunt Ida thought as she cried her heart out.
* * *
Hearing Aunt Ida's husky voice in the hallway, Tiana giggled, "She's always so hard with her words but she's really soft-hearted."