Chapter 186 - Undine

"Your mother?"

Rynold, surprised, didn't know what else to say. He could only repeat what the child just said in complete and utter dumbfoundedness.

In hindsight, though, the reveal wasn't all that surprising. Rynold just wasn't in the state of mind to think clearly right now. He was exhausted. Hell, he was sleepy even. But there wasn't time for that.

Taking a full second to recover, Rynold soon stood up. He had initially found a spot to crouch and hide. But none of that mattered as Rynold was about to go up to this strange creature. One who had a power level much higher than his own.

As he got closer, he could sense it. The power was a magnitude higher than Rynold's own. He felt tense as he approached. Rynold wouldn't dare do anything that would offend this strange yet powerful creature.

Otherwise, he'd be screwed.

"Hello," Rynold stood tall as he looked up. The creature was much taller than he was, to the point where its head was just a few meters from the ceiling. "I heard you called for me. A pleasure to meet you," Rynold ended with a pleasant anecdote.

As he said that, his thoughts were in complete disarray. Rynold was now standing in front of the creature, with a direct and straight view of its appearance. What got him in awe, however, was what he saw once he got there.

The creature's main body was transparent. Well, translucent seemed to be a more accurate description. Not only that, but its skin seemed reflective as well. The light coming from the ceiling seemed to bounce off the glossy, semi-transparent skin of the creature.

With the creature being as tall as it was, Rynold had to raise his head relatively high. Rynold didn't have to exert so much effort into trying to figure out someone's face before.

And, what he saw had somewhat surprised him.

The creature's blue hair nearly reached its waist as the hair itself seemed vibrant and alive. What's more, it was like the ocean. Rynold even saw a wave flow from atop the creature's head down to the end of its hair.

However, that didn't seem to be the only noticeable thing on the creature's face. Where the eyes should be were two blue beads that shone underneath the light. It shone brighter than the creature's reflective skin as if they were two pearls hidden in the ocean.

Overall, Rynold thought the creature's appearance was mystic beyond compare. It was something Rynold hadn't expected to see. It was at this moment that Rynold second-guessed himself that this creature was no creature at all.

'Huh.' Once Rynold's eyes were there, something caught the corner of his eye.

The light coming from the ceiling didn't originate from an artificial source. The roof emitted light. Rynold thought it was strange for it to do something like that, especially since they were deep underground. Whether there was some reasonable explanation or just very confusing magic, Rynold was impressed by the very sight of it.

"Uh..."

Even though Rynold had introduced himself, there was an awkward silence around them. It was a bit weird. In this current situation, Rynold didn't know whether or not he should talk. Luckily, it didn't seem like he had to as the child walked up beside him.

"She says she's happy to meet you too," the child came up and spoke in a pleasant tone. Turning his head to the kid now, Rynold's faced turned slightly perplexed.

"Err... Is your mother shy or something?"

Against his better judgment, Rynold asked a rather offensive question. Well, he asked it quietly enough for the creature to ignore it. Or so he hoped.

"Not really," the child dismissed as he chuckled slightly, "As an Undine, she can't talk like we do. She communicates via telepathy as most Spirits do."

Rynold nodded as he understood but soon double-backed to the child. He wasn't surprised by what he just said but by how he said it. Kids don't ordinarily talk using words like that.

"Something wrong?" The kid asked Rynold with an honest expression. It was then that Rynold came to realize he had accidentally expressed his confusion.

"No," Rynold turned his face into a smile, "Just surprised you remember your mother is all. You did say you don't remember anything and freaked out."

Not knowing any better, Rynold decided to test things out. His words were his tools to initiate an experiment on the child. He would essentially make it so that he would observe how the child would react when facing an uncomfortable situation.

It was a bit underhanded, Rynold admitted, but it was one way for him to get answers. Fortunately enough, though, a voice popped in his head that would soon explain everything.

"He can't control his abilities," a serene-sounding voice entered Rynold's mind. Immediately knowing who it was, Rynold turned to the Undine with a raised brow.

"I wish you would've said something sooner," Rynold answered as he smiled haughtily. He made sure he wasn't overstepping his boundaries, but he wasn't going to be so passive as to ignore the things right in front of him.

"Mother?" The child suddenly called out from Rynold's side. To which, the Undine responded with a gentle smile and some pleasant words.

Well, at least, that's what Rynold guessed what happened. He wasn't so powerful to hijack someone's telepathic conversation, after all.

After a few moments, the child turned calm. He then entered a separate cave connected to the one they were in now. Rynold glanced as to what that room was but failed to see anything.

Moving on from that, though, Rynold turned back to the Undine. He was tired, sleepy, and disfigured. But, he still stood tall as he talked to the Spirit.

"First things first," Rynold reinitiated the conversation, "Is your son going to be okay?"

Starting with a genuinely caring question, Rynold wanted to establish his standing on the situation. He wanted to make sure that the child was alright. His condition wasn't the easiest to treat, after all.

"Yes," the Undine answered with a somewhat saddened expression, "My child has yet to control his abilities. I am only capable of giving guidance to his condition, but words have their limitations, especially in situations we can not understand."

Turning his head to where the child had gone off to, Rynold frowned slightly. He was feeling sympathy for the young child. Not that he could offer anything to alleviate the condition's difficulty, anyway.

"Can you tell me more about it?" Rynold asked as he turned his head to the Undine once more. He was sympathetic, sure. But, his curiosity took the better of him.

"I suppose," the Undine looked down on Rynold with a sign of doubt on its face. To which, Rynold ignored and focused on what the Undine would say next.

"He is born of a human's blood and that of my own, the details of which I will not disclose. Thus explains my child's physical condition."

Ending with a lackluster remark, the Undine seemed to have drifted off. The creature was keen on not letting Rynold know any more than he already did. In which case, Rynold found it to be a bit suspicious.

Choosing to ignore it, though, Rynold proceeded to ask some questions regarding the situation. Whether the Undine would answer them or not, Rynold could make a better guess based on the creature's reactions. That said, Rynold would soon be disappointed by what he would find out.

"And you've never found a way to fix it? He's been alive for how long now? Five or six years? And he's living in agony all this time?"

Rynold tone turned slightly accusatory as he asked the Undine of the child's condition. He didn't mean anything by it, of course. But, Rynold wasn't really in the mood to go about in a roundabout manner.

"Clearly not," the Undine's voice turned a bit annoyed and unimpressed. "My son has been living fine all this time. In fact, he enjoys his time here. His physical conditions have only been a problem that solemnly occurs."

"Huh."

Replying in a not-so-confident manner, Rynold had half-expected this. It wouldn't be anything strange for the Undine to be lying. But, at the same time, seeing as how the child seemed unaware of his condition made the explanation stick.

"Alright," Rynold nodded and raised his hand to his chin in thought. After a brief moment of silence, Rynold then spoke with an expression of seriousness.

"I saw his other form," he said with a hint of difficulty in his eye, "It was hostile — the exact opposite of that kid's personality. From where I was standing at that moment. In the heat of battle. That thing would've killed me."

With Rynold's declaration, the Undine fell silent. It appeared that the creature didn't know what its child was capable of doing. With that, Rynold continued.

"Listen. I'm not trying to tell you how you'd raise your kid. But. He has to know. Who he is. What he is capable of doing. One way or another, he'd find out about it eventually. I'm not going to wait around and see if the kid would end up in some messed-up situation and know about it then. And, even then, it might already be too late.

"So, I'm asking you to do right by your son and tell him. You don't have to do it now or anytime soon. But, it has to come from his mother."

Rynold knew he was overstepping his bounds. He knew it perfectly well, and that was why he was doing it intentionally. The sole reason for doing so was simple.

It was a lie.

The kid's entire life was some sheltered mess that he couldn't leave. What's worse, he was living in denial. Rynold wouldn't usually speak out about things like this. But, right now, he felt like he had to. Especially considering the kid's alter persona, Rynold knew this was the right thing to do.

However, the Undine didn't share the same sentiment. The creature had been skeptical of Rynold's presence. And, thanks to the rather out-of-the-line declaration, the Undine now had more reason to be against him.

As an enraged expression appeared on the Undine's face, Rynold felt calm. He expected that his comment would be ill-received. So, before things would proceed in the wrong direction, Rynold suddenly spoke out.

"You're free to do whatever you want," Rynold raised a hand to stop the Undine from talking. "You are his mother, and, ultimately, your decision is up to yours alone. All I'm telling you is what you needed to hear. No more, no less. The fact of the matter is that the kid is not my problem. He never was. I'd assume responsibility if there was no other choice, but now he's back with you."

Drifting off mid-sentence, Rynold turned around and headed to where he entered. But not without mentioning a few last things before leaving.

"Motherhood is tricky. There's no denying that," Rynold mentioned as he took his first steps to the door, "All I'm offering is an option. But, hey, it sure is nice to see a mother trying to protect her son."

With steady steps, Rynold headed towards the door but was stopped not soon after. Waves of water suddenly flushed out and circled the walls of the room. Then, it headed towards the door and formed a barrier. It had all happened too fast.

'As expected of an Undine. Water Spirits are nasty to fight against.'

But Rynold wasn't scared. He was more shocked than anything else. That's because if the Undine had wanted to kill him, the creature would've attacked him head-on. There was no need to block his way out at all.

Turning around once more to face the Undine, Rynold wasn't at all impressed. He stared at the Undine's aghast expression as Rynold stood still to see what it would say next.