It was a snowy, cold winter evening on my fourth birthday.
The last rays of sunlight had already hidden themselves below the horizon, but rather than celebrating my birthday in the cozy warmth of my home with my family, I was with my mother, setting foot on the white, cold world.
I was holding my mother's hand, and we were walking on a narrow road winding through the snow-laden forest—a path most would avoid at this time of the year.
-crunch
We arrived at our destination while I pretended to be lost in my thoughts and watched my steps on the snow, fascinated by the squeaking sound of the snow beneath my feet.
『Golden Glitter Shoreline』
A 'magical' lakeside location well-known to the locals for witnessing the beautiful show of fireflies softly circling the trees close to the shoreline after dusk.
However, instead of a beautiful sight of fireflies, what greeted us at that moment was nothing but a vast expanse of snow-covered terrain and a frozen lake with a delicate sheen of ice sealing the water beneath.
There was not even a single forest insect around us, let alone fireflies.
"Are you happy now, Lunar? Is this what you wanted to see?"
My mother's voice carried a tinge of frustration, and though I understood the reason behind it, I pretended to be lost for words.
"...This..."
Nevertheless, she understood what I wanted to say.
"Different from what you expected?"
"Umm..."
"I already told you there would be no fireflies at this time of the year, but you've been pestering me to bring you here for the whole month. So, tell me, was Mom right or not? Do you realize your mistake?"
"… Yes."
Finally, after her 'harsh' scolding, I stepped back in shame and nodded docilely, apologizing like a guilty child who was afraid of punishment.
"Sorry, mommy. I made you come here."
Upon hearing my 'sincere' apology, my mother's expression seemed to soften, and she gently ruffled my hair.
"It's alright, sweetheart. Since today is your birthday, I'll forgive you this time, but it's the last. Also, when I take you to meet an uncle later, you have to behave yourself, okay?"
Despite the gentle smile on her face, the shadows cast by her upon me gave away the vicious darkness concealed within her heart.
I was aware that the 'uncle' she mentioned was the slave trader she intended to sell me to. Nevertheless, I feigned ignorance and expressed gratitude for her 'kind-hearted' gesture.
"Thank you, mommy. I will do as you say."
"Good boy."
She nodded gracefully, patted my head once more, and then turned around.
"Let's go now. It's getting late."
Her intention to leave this place was clear, and I, too, desired the same.
I smiled in agreement, and my mother, catching the hint, understood that I wanted to leave too.
However, she failed to grasp that, though I wished to leave, it was certainly not with her.
Subsequently, the moment she turned around and took one step forward, the smile on my face faded, replaced by a cold indifference.
At the same time, something invisible suddenly grabbed my mother's leg.
"Woah!"
She abruptly lost her balance, tripped, and fell face-first on the ground.
Thud!
"Ugh! Cough! What the hell?"
Grumbling under her breath, she tried to stand up, but before she could, a large rock from the shoreline, weighing approximately five to ten kilograms, inexplicably flew into the air and directly struck her head.
Bang!
Everything happened so fast that my mother couldn't even register what was happening, and she lost consciousness immediately.
Regardless, the stone's movements didn't stop; it once again began to hover above her and hit her again, as if afraid of her getting up.
Crack!
This time, my mother's skull cracked, but the stone's movements persisted, and it descended with even greater force each time.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The stone's impact was brutal.
Smash! Splash!
Blood mixed with brain matter splashed around, dying the white snow red and signaling my mother's demise. It was only after her head turned into an unrecognizable lump of flesh that the stone's movement ceased, and it plummeted onto the snow with a thud.
My tensed muscles finally relaxed; exhaustion washed over me, and I slumped onto a nearby boulder to catch my breath.
"Huff… Huff… There's more physical exhaustion than I expected."
Even though psychokinesis was reliant solely on the spirit, unless the soul could become independent of the body, it would still require some physical consumption.
'The physical consumption should have been negligible if I were an adult, but since I am still just 4 years old, it is really draining.'
"Phew~!"
Having assessed my situation, I took a deep breath, stood once more, and prepared to complete the remaining post-processing tasks.
With no time to spare, I swiftly got to work.
Firstly, I manipulated the large rock once again with my Psychokinesis, smashing it onto the surface of the lake.
The ice covering the lake was thin, and with just a few hits, I managed to create a sizable hole.
Following this, I removed my mother's clothes and used them as a makeshift rope to tie her body tightly to the rock. In the end, after collecting all the blood-stained snow and other incriminating evidence, I disposed of it in the lake alongside my mother's corpse.
I stood by and watched as everything sank to the lake's bottom, then concealed myself behind nearby bushes.
Like a watchful hunter, I waited there silently and patiently, hidden in the shadows.
Time passed, hours slipped away, darkness enveloped the surroundings, the temperature plummeted, and despite wearing multiple layers of sweaters, my young body still shivered from the cold.
Nevertheless, I remained composed until I noticed the hole I had created on the lake's surface had frozen over once again.
'I'll need to dispose of the body properly later, but for the next few months until spring, this should suffice.'
Despite being a local attraction, few people ventured to the lake, especially during the winter, as it nestled deep in the Whispering Woods just outside of Conifer Town.
Even for me, this place was hard to remember at first, and had it not been for my repeated readings of the novel spanning decades after Kaori's death, I might have overlooked this spot.
"Fortunately, everything worked out in my favor, and I didn't have to take extra risks."
A sigh of relief escaped my lips. I stood up, stepped out from the bushes, and took a final look at the lake where my mother's lifeless body had sunk.
There was no hate, anger, contempt, or joy in my heart for her death; I felt nothing for this foolish woman.
Her future was bleak; if I hadn't killed her here, she would have died at the hands of the man she trusted so much either way after he was done with her.
'Too bad; actions have consequences, and in this cruel world full of deceit and betrayal, you were still so naive, Mother.'
My mother had no aspirations, and her heart was corrupted.
She was willing to do anything to be with 'that man,' not for a chance at eternal life, but to live a rich, luxurious, easy life.
'With such a mentality, how could you obstruct me, Mother? You never stood a chance! Mother, attempting to hinder my path, you became the first to die by my hands, but don't worry; you will never be the last. There will be more to come. I will ensure you have good company up there.'
Having bid my mother a final 'greeting' in my heart, I retrieved a small map from the inner pocket of my blue jacket—a detailed map of the area near the Whispering Woods and the outskirts of Conifer Town that I had asked for as a birthday gift from my father last year.
A red dot on the map indicated a location not far from where I was at the moment.
Gazing at it, my eyes gleamed with determination.
Then, stowing the map back in my pocket, I turned around, waited no longer, and traced back the steps from my memory of a few hours ago, successfully leaving the forest.
"Finally, it's time to go and meet my new mother."