Decisions

-----Kaede's POV

We didn't do much after our meeting yesterday, and with Yui now going out to meet with the queen, the rest of us have some down time in order to prepare. But after answering the knock on the door, I was pleasantly surprised to see the person on the other side.

Kaede: "Mom?"

Lilith: "Morning~"

I was beyond happy with our catch up the other day, but even still, seeing mom visiting once again felt like a blessing as we embraced each other.

Kaede: "What are you doing here so early?"

Lilith: "The queen said it would be fine for today, but I do need to get back before nightfall."

Maybe it's something to do with Yui? Well either way, I'm happy to see mom again as we continue to embrace each other for a few more moments before parting.

I close the door behind her as she takes off her coat.

Mell: "Lilith!"

Suddenly, Mell tackles into mom's waist, almost bringing mom to the ground with how much force Mell put into it. I guess Mell still isn't used to her new body so she hasn't learnt how to control her speed or strength. But thankfully it doesn't seem like Mell's having any issues with mom's smell, and in fact, seeing the two of them hug each other warms my heart.

Lilith: "You're getting quite strong now, hehe."

Mell: "Sorry!"

I walk up to Mell, gently patting her on the head, reassuring her that it's alright. She beams a smile up at me before letting go of mom. Well, I was wondering what to do today while Yui's gone to the capital, but it seems like my plans have now been decided.

Mai: "Ah! Perfect-"

Suddenly, Mai floats through the roof before landing down on the wooden floor. Just as I thought It'd be a relaxing day just to kick back and do nothing but enjoy my time with mom, Mai just had to come out of nowhere.

Mai: "I waited for you to arrive."

Lilith: "Me?"

Mai: "Yes."

Kaede: "Can't you save it for another time?"

Mai: "It pertains to another way to get rid of the mana-sealing crest."

Just as Mai announced such a thing, Fleur, Faye, Sicily and Lillian all entered into the main room, all of whom are now standing still at Mai's announcement. Even I was shocked to find out that Mai has found another way besides turning mom into a vampire. I would've thought it'd take months if not even years to find another way.

Lilith: "So a way besides me not becoming a vampire?"

Mai: "Correct. Although in my opinion this new way that I found out may be more dangerous..."

Here I was trying to contain my excitement at potentially helping mom at living a normal life again, but to hear it's more dangerous than the vampire idea? I can't imagine what it is that Mai's planning.

Lilith: "But isn't mana ineffective?"

Mai: "Yes, any attempt at altering the crest with mana would just result in feeding the crest."

Sicily: "So then..."

Kaede: "It's a way to remove the crest without magic?"

Mai: "Correct."

Yeah... I'm not liking where this is going, not one bit. And noticing my gaze, Mai looks at me as if she knows exactly what I'm thinking. But I pray that the next words coming out of her mouth isn't what I think they are.

Fleur: "Then how?"

Mai: "We cut it off."

YUP! I fucking knew it!

Kaede: "That is NOT happening."

Even mom was shocked at the idea, seeming to be stunned, not even able to say a single word. Everyone else had the same look, wondering if Mai was actually being serious or not, but I know full well that Mai was being 100% serious about this.

Mai: "This would be the only other way to guarantee the crests removal."

Kaede: "You do realize that the crest covers her entire back, right?"

Mai: "Yes, that's why I'd much prefer having Lilith become a vampire instead."

Kaede: "That's not happening either, we've gone over this."

Mai: "Well, then this would be our best bet."

Lilith: "Selene."

Mom finally speak, but her words didn't come from out of fear, but as if she was trying to calm my anger that I've been directing towards Mai. I know I shouldn't get mad at Mai since she's just trying to help, but to hear that these are our only two options really just pissed me off.

Sicily: "Couldn't you just heal her back?"

Kaede: "Ah-"

Mai: "I'm afraid that wouldn't be possible. As long as the crest is attached to Lilith, Kaede's magic will just be absorbed."

Wait, but didn't I succeed at healing some of the redness on her back when I attempted to heal mom? Sure it didn't heal her scars completely, but it definitely did something. Either way, it's still beyond risky to attempt such a task. Skinning mom's back? I've healed a lot of wounds over the years, but that might be too much, even for me...

Faye: "This has got to be a bad idea. And we don't even know this would work. The crest could very well be deeper than just the skin."

Mai: "From what I can see, no. It doesn't reside past the skin. But you're right. This is just a theory."

Kaede: "No. Why can't we just leave it be? Isn't that an option?"

It was then that Mai looked at me in a way that frightened me, as if what she was about to say would send me over the edge.

Lilith: "..."

And what made it worse was that mom also seems to have an idea what Mai is planning on saying.

Mai: "Selene. Humans house vessels, right?"

Kaede: "Yeah?"

Mai: "They're attached to the heart, gathering mana in order for the body to function."

Kaede: "Yes. I know as much."

God, this suspense is killing me. I don't know what Mai's planning on saying, but I know it's something bad. Just get on with it already!

Mai: "...Lilith's gathering less and less mana each day."

Kaede: "What? What does that have to do with-"

Then it hit me... Unlike monsters like me, humans need mana gathered by their vessels to survive. So if one's vessel were to seize up and unable to gather mana, then she'd-

Kaede: "She'd die?"

Mai gives a nod as I feel my heart sink to the bottom of my stomach. I look over to mom, but she doesn't react one bit to Mai's declaration, as if she knew all along.

Sicily: "Wait! How? You're saying that Lilith's thing isn't working properly?"

Mai: "It'd be more accurate to say it wants to work properly. But with the crest being active for so long, her vessel has likely accepted the fact that gathering mana is useless, essentially refusing to supply Lilith with mana needed for her survival."

This is basically the equivalent of a pacemaker breaking, or maybe even a cancer? Having something in your body that's meant to benefit you, but ultimately leads to your death. Wait-

Kaede: "Is it possible to remove the vessel?"

Mai: "I wish it were that easy. I would only be able to remove vessels from humans if they were newborns. But even then, I couldn't do that while being stuck down here."

Sicily: "So it's not a physical thing?"

Mai: "No. But I will say that even if I did manage to remove her vessel, her body would still need mana in order to live as it's the only means for her to gather mana."

Hearing that made me think of the possibility of some sort of life support system. Maybe if mom could gather mana indirectly through other means such as runes, or maybe even me supplying her with mana, then maybe mom would live. But then that just boils down to the original problem... The crest. I highly doubt that would work if that crest still remains.

Kaede: "Hah~"

Lilith: "It's okay."

It was then that mom held my head, gently stroking my hair to calm me down, but it only makes me begin to tear up at the thought. It's almost like she's accepted that she's going to die. And if that's the case, then I'd just much rather turn her into a vampire instead. Fuck carving out her skin or leaving the crest be. I don't want to see mom die. But as I affirm myself of this decision it only makes me tear up even more as I end up gripping onto mom's shirt for some extra comfort, staining her shirt in my tears.

Mai: "You see now why I'd prefer you to turn your mother into a vampire, right?"

Kaede: "..."

Fuck off, this whole situation is bullshit. But I know I can't be angry at Mai. If she didn't help me realize that mom is actually dying then I would want to kill Mai myself for hiding such a thing.

Lilith: "I won't force you to do anything you don't want."

Mom continues to gently pat my head as I continue to cry into her shirt, shaking my head side to hide as if to deny everything.

Kaede: "How long?"

Mai: "Maybe a year. Maybe less."

That's not enough time... I was hoping maybe mom would have a couple more decades to live, but to hear that we have potentially less than a year to spend together... We've spent too many years apart for me to be happy with this. We've only just reunited properly and now I hear she's got a year to live? Fuck that.

Mell: "Mom?"

And as if to try to comfort me more, Mell also hugs me from behind as I continue to clench onto mom's shirt. Love sure is a scary thing, huh...

Kaede: "-kay."

Lilith: "What?"

Kaede: "Okay... I'll do it."

I finally find the courage to lift my head away from mom's shirt before looking into her eyes. I can still feel my tears dripping down my cheeks, but those were to be the last ones coming out of me. I'm not going to let this be a sad departure, no. I'll save her, and live a happy life with my family.