SSS-Rank Awakening: My Talent Multiplies Everything novel Chapter 84

Chapter 84: Every Family Has A Secret.

Kael’s eyes lingered on his mother lying in the hospital bed, her skin pale and wrinkled.

Her once healthy figure had withered until she looked painfully thin beneath the hospital blanket.

Countless tubes ran across her body.

Monitors surrounded her from every direction.

The rhythmic beeping of the machines confirmed she was still alive.

Barely.

Kael felt his chest tighten.

The image before him was completely different from the woman he remembered.

His mother had always been beautiful.

She shared many of the same delicate features as Lyra.

She had always smiled warmly whenever they came home.

She always made sure they had enough to eat, even when she herself skipped meals.

Whenever either of them got hurt, she would gently rub their heads and tell them everything would be alright.

Those memories remained vivid.

Almost painfully vivid.

Yet the woman before him felt like someone else entirely.

Mana sickness had stolen nearly everything from her.

Even his future self rarely came to visit after Lyra died.

He paid the medical bills.

Worked himself to exhaustion.

Made sure she never lacked treatment.

But visiting...

That was another matter.

Every time he came to the hospital, he would stop outside this very room.

He could never bring himself to enter.

The guilt was too overwhelming.

He couldn’t face her.

Not after Lyra’s death.

Not after everything that happened.

Even now...

Those same emotions clawed their way back into his heart.

His feet felt heavy.

His breathing became uneven.

Every instinct screamed at him to turn around.

To leave.

To wait outside.

Anything except stepping closer.

Then...

A warm hand gently wrapped around his own.

Kael slowly turned his head.

Lyra stood beside him.

She wasn’t saying anything.

She simply held his hand tightly and gave him a small, reassuring smile.

That single smile struck harder than any monster ever could.

Kael suddenly understood something.

He had been fooling himself.

What did defeating powerful monsters matter?

What did gaining unimaginable strength matter?

If he still ran away when it truly counted.

His future self had abandoned them.

He had sworn this life would be different.

Yet over the past few days, what had he actually done?

He had given Lyra gifts.

He gave her money.

He smiled.

He joked.

Somewhere along the way, he’d started believing those things meant he was finally becoming a good brother.

But standing here...

Faced with the woman who had sacrificed everything for them...

His first instinct was still to run.

How pathetic.

How disgustingly hypocritical.

He hadn’t changed nearly as much as he’d convinced himself.

The realization left a bitter taste in his mouth.

He didn’t deserve Lyra’s unwavering trust.

He didn’t deserve the warmth of the hand holding his.

He certainly didn’t deserve that smile.

At this moment, Kael had never felt more ashamed of himself.

He wanted to kneel before his mother.

He wanted to apologize.

For everything.

But not yet.

There was still something far more important that had to be done first.

Kael slowly looked up before forcing a faint smile onto his face.

"I’m okay now."

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