428 Aptitude Exams 1.2 (2/2)

I can't believe, I've been touched by an angel with love.

Let the rain come down and wash away, my tears.

Let it feel my soul and drown my fears.

Let it shatter the walls for a new sun.

A new day, has come…”

As soon as he finished the lullaby, Eva's hand turned cold. Her gaze turned dull but she's still wearing that peaceful and loving smile on her face.

Raven's whole body was trembling. A sorrowful air was emanating out his body. And as if the sky was mourning with it him, dark clouds formed and started pouring rain, hiding away the bitterness that Raven's tears were.

He didn't move, he just clutched his mother's body close to his body as if he was trying to see if he could transfer some warmth into her cold and lifeless body. Yet he knows that this won't work…it'll never work.

Raven wasn't aware how much time passed since then, he could only feel that the rain stopped and his tears eventually stopped from pouring, leaving only a cold, desolate and lonely feeling on his face.

He gently placed his mother down, he tore a large portion of his clothes to cover her body. He then lifelessly stood up and got to work.

Using nothing but his bare hands, he started digging the soften soil not too far from his broken home. Raven felt nothing at this point. Even if he could tell that his arms were aching really bad, nothing was more painful to him that losing his own mother.

The pain he felt when she died on his arms was too much that it made him senseless. He couldn't care less whether someone comes and kills him right now, he might not even realize he was already being stabbed and sliced to pieces.

He managed to dig deep enough even with just his bare hands alone. He then leapt up, washed his hands on a nearby pool of water due to the rain recently, picked up his mother and descended on the pit he dug just now.

”I can't even give you a coffin. I'm just the worst child aren't I?” Raven could feel the stabbing pain on his chest as he said this. His voice was choked and broken. He gently placed his mother down, took some of his belongings and buried them with her. Most of these items held great meaning to him and some were even important for protecting himself but he didn't hesitate to leave it behind.

”Thanks for everything Mom. You're the best.” Raven tried putting on a sweet smile but it turned out to be wretched due to how much pain he felt. ”I wish we could be mother and son again during our next lifetime.”

With a trembling body, he chewed on his lips to prevent his sobs from going out. He then pushed the soil and slowly buried his mother using his own hands. Every action was laborious and painful, it brought him great pain and suffering but he had to do it.

Once he's done, he took a slab of stone nearby and etched some words using a dagger. It reads:

”Grave of Evangeline Buford Valorheart.

XXXX - XXXX

You'll forever be missed.”

After erecting the tomb, Raven sat in front of the grave for seven days straight. He didn't eat anything, he didn't sleep, he didn't even stand up from his seat. He mourned for her, alone.

He could feel his heart slowly being covered in frost and if this goes on, there's no doubting that he'll revert back to his old self.

By end of the seven day mourning, a sigh escaped from his lips. His eyes brightened and a string of words came out hoarsely from his dry and parched lips.

”I know none of this is real. My mother is alive and well, so is my Father. I even have twin sisters peacefully growing up back at home. My friends are well and my lover is also alive and well.”

”But even though I am aware that none of this is real, I still allowed to continue. I didn't break this illusion because I want to be reminded of my true purpose, the very reason for my struggles and why I seek to reach the peak. I want to etch this event to my memory and remind me to never falter and hesitate. Because if I did, then all of this will turn into reality, and that is something that I don't want to happen.”

After a while of silence, a smile emerged from his lips as he spoke once more.

”Now that it served its purpose, then this illusion shall end here.”

*Crack!*