168. Reconciling with the Past

When Maya died, Mina changed, she became despondent, and her view of others turned black and white. Only a few were colored, and those she deemed to be gray were nothing but an enemy or bastards trying to make use of her.

Mina had been without a mother for a long time. There was her master, and she did manage to fill most of the void in her heart, but Maya’s presence still managed to carve out a chunk of Mina’s emotions.

Now that she saw Maya, her tears were like a flowing waterfall; it was never-ending. She couldn’t stop it, for the emotions within her was running wild. 

“S—since… Mama died… I-I’ve found it hard to…” Mina tried to tell Maya about her life; she wanted Maya to understand what she had been going through what happened to her life.

She wanted her mother to know of her life.

Hearing Mina’s broken words had Maya shushing her affectionate daughter, “You don’t need to force yourself to speak, Mina. You don’t need to tell them to me. I have been watching you all this time, how you grew up, you learned Magic, learned to fight, and even how you fell in love… you don’t need to speak. I know what you have been through… you may not know of it, but I’ve always been there for you.”

Meeting her mother once more was something she couldn’t express in mere words, but her tears alone spoke volumes of her experiences. 

Maya need not hear her words, as she already understood what kind of emotional baggage Mina had been dragging all this time. 

It took a long time for Mina to let it all out… but only tiny sniffles remained after a while.

“Have you calmed down now, Mina?” Maya’s calm voice echoed in Mina’s ears, who was buried in her mother’s bosom.

She nodded her head as she made sounds to confirm that she was now fine. Maya laughed at the sight of this, “You are all grown up, married, have two daughters, and another on the way… yet you are still a child.”

“This is only for Mama to see…” She replied but remembered something and added, “And for my Darling as well.”

Maya hugged Mina tighter, “Hoooh, it appears my daughter is getting stolen from me—” she complained with pouted cheeks.

Mina raised her head to explain herself, “Well… he’s the one I decided to be forever, and like Mother said, I didn’t have to hide anything to someone like that. And he was the one I married, so is it not fine?”

“Well, I did say that, and I was like that with Liron too, so I supposed that’s understandable — why don’t you tell me what kind of rascal stole my daughter away.”

Maya’s words became the key to the dam that held Mina’s stories about her life with Colt.

There were many parts, how they met, how she found him interesting, and how she saw what others couldn’t… she told her the embarrassing moments, which she confirmed Maya made sure not to watch.

There were times when her jealousy took over.

When she was with him when he was troubled. 

When she accepted his past when she gained daughters.

When her life was endangered and was saved. 

And when they were simply living their lives.

All of these happened in the span of half a year, yet all of these were enough to confirm her emotion. 

Hearing her words managed to make Maya smile, “He sounds like an absolutely wonderful person. Though he has too many connections with women — and even risks his life far too many times…” Maya went from praising Colt to critiquing whatever she could find wrong with him.

She was acting like a true Mother-in-Law, but she sighed at the end of it all, “…but, despite everything else that I say about him, he’s still the one making my daughter smile. I have seen him and watched him grow. And at the end of it all, the only thing I see wrong with him is that he’s too kind… are you going to be okay with such a husband, my daughter?”

Mina failed to contain her giggling, “Well, he is indeed too kind of his own good… but that’s one of his many good points I love about him. He is humble and always does his best for others, he’s not perfect, but he’s my imperfect husband. My role is to support him when he is down and hold him up and show him the way when he is down and lost. Mother the children that we have, and take good care of them. That’s my job as the wife of a husband who is doing his best.”

Maya and Mina had no more words to say to each other. This was it; they were fulfilled, and there were no longer stories to be told. 

“I thought that I would have so many to say to you, Mama, when I see you, but… it appears that there is little to nothing. All the stories I can say began with my meeting with Darling… I’m sorry for not living the best I could for you, Mama… I wallowed in my own sadness, and only now did I realized that I only got to truly live not long ago.” 

“Well, what is wrong with that?” Maya said with a chuckle, “If you had lived a long life of sadness, that could also mean that you might have lived the saddest parts of your lifetime. If you are living now, then embrace it and just keep moving forward. There is no need for you to go back in the past and wallow in your sadness, you can remember them, but in the end, you are not living in the past, but in the present.”

Mina nodded her head, “I understand, mother.”

By this time, Maya and Mina stood up from the viewpoint, and soon, three Goddesses appeared nearby.

They were wearing their golden robes and held onto their golden staves, and as the mother-daughter pair looked at them, Goddess Root asked, “Are you sure you don’t want to talk anymore?”

The Goddesses had sensed that their conversation was over and came here to inquire.

“You know that you can take your time here, don’t you?” Goddess Root added.

Mina held her mother’s hands still, but even as she did, she shook her head, “I have nothing more to say and the time we have spent here is something that will remain in my heart no matter what.”

The Goddesses smiled as Goddess Root tapped the ground and a Gray Door appeared.

“That leads to the Mortal World. Once you cross this door, you will wake up back in your and Colt’s bedroom.”

Mina and Maya hugged each other one last time before Mina went to the Gray Door. Maya watched as Mina twist the doorknob and open the door. Mina didn’t immediately exit as she first took in a deep breath and turned around with a broad smile.

“Mama… I forgot to tell you something I’ve been keeping in my heart for the longest time…”

When Maya died and left her lift, there was something she failed to say to her. Now that she saw her here, she wanted to say it before leaving her, “Thank you… and I love you.”

Maya’s mouth opened, and as she smiled at her daughter, she answered, “I love you too.”

Mina’s tears fell once again, but her smile never disappeared. She turned around and walked with pride towards the door, and as she did, she woke up with tears streaming down her face. 

When she opened her eyes, she looked at her side and found Colt sleeping beside her. 

Colt woke up and saw Mina crying. He felt something amiss and quickly asked, “Is something the matter?” he was panicking, but Mina simply shook her head.

“It is nothing; I’ve just realized how lucky I am to have met you… Darling, I know that I have said this a lot of times, but I love you.”

Colt sat on the bed and wiped Mina’s tears away, “I love you too.” He leaned in to give his wife a kiss.

Thus, the night came to an end as Mina and Colt returned to sleep, hugging each other. 

And Mina's heart had never been filled with such joy, and the world around her was as colorful as could be.

Seyer_Jad