Extra's Death: I Am the Son of Hades

Chapter 423 Nightmares, Meeting Mother

Chapter 423  Nightmares, Meeting Mother

"It must be that woman, right? She is the one who stole you from me. She—" "You can stop now." Neo placed his hand over her hand. Her fingers were cold and trembling. "King Morgan would never talk like this." "Why wouldn't she? What woman won't get angry when the man she loved betrayed her?" He made no move to stop her nails from digging into his skin. "You aren't King Morgan." "Hehe, that's easy for you to say. If I'm not her, then who am I?" "My nightmare. My…" Neo closed his mouth. She was his longing. He wanted to repay her for all she had done for him. "You betrayed me." "I learned to move on." "So that's the excuse you will use for forgetting me?" "I never forget her, or anyone else. The memories of my past lives are still vivid within me." "I hate you." "Please don't say that with that appearance." "Haha, your voice isn't even shaking," she said. "Do you even feel anything seeing me die?"

The strength behind her nails slowly diminished. Her breathing grew weak. As they talked, her body eventually grew still, and she no longer moved. Neo remained still with King Morgan's corpse in his hands. He knew this place was a nightmare, and the King Morgan before him was a figment of his imagination. But. It hurt. Losing her again made him feel that long-forgotten pain. Neo blinked, and the scene around him changed. He appeared in a desolate world. Maggots wriggled everywhere he turned. Giant thousand-eyed pillars stood in the distance. Something struck his abdomen. His body flew back and crashed into a giant boulder. "What…" He struggled to breathe. A giant maggot pressed him against the boulder. While Neo tried to resist the monsters, dozens of thin maggots attacked him. They crawled inside his skin and ate his nerves and muscles. Neo tried to generate World Energy. But it was as if he was no longer a Heavenbreaker. The giant maggot roared and flung him around. His body rolled against the cracked earth before coming to a stop eventually. He tried to stand. The pain from the maggots eating him from within turned his mind into a mess. They ate his energy and blood, making him feel as if he was being hollowed out. His situation was taking a turn for the worse quickly. The thousand-eyed pillars attacked. His head started to throb painfully. He was being assaulted by unimaginable physical and mental pain. Nonetheless, Neo moved. "Why the fuck is my life so full of shit?" He placed his hands on his knees and stood up slowly. The giant maggots were rushing towards him. He had to fight. No matter how much he was hurt, he couldn't rest. This was no time or place for that. He gritted his teeth and prepared to face the incoming attacks. The scene around him changed again. Neo appeared in an alleyway. A flickering streetlight was his sole companion in the night. He looked down. The tiny maggots eating from within disappeared. He was wearing different clothes, and there was no injury on his body. "This place is where I asked the question about my bloodline curse from Primogenitor." Suddenly, he heard a sob. Neo stiffened. He knew the identity of the voice. Mira. His mother's reincarnation. "Fuck." Neo moved towards the source of the sound. This world was made from his nightmares. The last two nightmares changed after he confronted them. It made everything clear. He had to face his nightmares if he wanted to escape this world. It was easy to find Mira. She was alone in the house. Her knees were pulled against her chest. Tears slipped from her swollen eyes. "Mother…" Neo stood outside the house. He knew he had to face her. That was the only way to leave this nightmare. But he needed courage for that. Courage he didn't have. He had escaped when he heard her sobs back in his world. Her cries made his heart wrench. They were too painful.

"Fuck." His mother had saved him when he was dying after seeing the fourth vision of Sphinx. And yet here he was, afraid of meeting her. "I'm fucking shit." He suppressed the trembling in his hands and rang the doorbell. Mira reacted instantly. Perhaps, she thought it was George—her boyfriend—who rang the doorbell. She wiped her tears and opened the door. "Y-you?" She wiped her tears and opened the door. "Y-you?" "Hi," Neo said, trying to smile. "I don't know if you remember, but I am—" Mira shrieked. She swiftly moved back with a fear-stricken expression. Neo froze. Only then did he recall the medical report of Mira that Henry showed him. *She had trauma from mystical monsters because of the Labyrinth incident.* Seeing him, the person at the center of that incident, triggered her memories. She began to hyperventilate. "Mom—" "Don't come near me!" Mira slapped his hand away that was trying to support her. It took her a moment to realize what she had done. No matter how afraid she was, she understood who Neo Hargraves was. She couldn't insult a person of his standing. "I-I'm sorry," she said while trying to stop herself from shaking like a leaf. "It's okay. I was the one at fault for appearing without notice." Neo left. He walked without thinking and ended up stopping on a bridge. "What am I even doing?" He covered his face with both hands. The first nightmare with King Morgan ended after he spoke to her without hiding his emotions. The second nightmare of his battle with Velkaria ended when he decided to confront the maggots even though he was incredibly weak. The pattern was clear. He had to face his nightmares head-on. But. It was easier said than done. The gaze of his mother, the one who saved him long ago and treated him gently, now looked at him with fear. It was as if she was staring at a monster. "Fuck, I'm feeling like killing myself." Neo extended his senses. Unlike what happened in reality, Henry did not come to solve the misunderstanding. George—his father's reincarnation—was missing too. Without any support, Mira's mental state only got worse. "I'm beating the shit out of that Tartarus asshole after I leave this place." Neo moved back to Mira's house. As much as he was reluctant to meet his mother, he needed to leave this place. He had to be quick. Elizabeth did not have much time left. Neo could not afford to be late due to a nightmare that wasn't real. He rang the doorbell. Mira was not as surprised as before when she saw him. "Is there something you need?" she questioned. "It was a misunderstanding." "Huh?" "Dad—I mean, George. He didn't cheat. The woman you saw was a healer. She came to fix up George after he was beat up in training." Neo's words brought an avalanche of information. It took Mira time to process all of it. "How do you know that?" she asked, gripping the door's handle with force. "George must've sent you to cover for him…." She stopped speaking, realizing that was impossible. Neo Hargraves was the heir of the Hargraves Corporation, the Ruler of the first-year Demigod Academy students, the Champion of Shadows who cleared the Shadow Trial, and Clan Leader of the Great Clan of Death. He was not someone George could use as a shield. "How do you know all about the affair?" "As I said, it was a misunderstanding, not an affair," Neo spoke, then added. "Brother and I were keeping an eye on your family's situation." "…what?" "You are my mom, and George is my dad. At least, your original reincarnations are. That's why we kept an eye on you. We were worried about our parents." Mira blinked, stupefied. If she was surprised before, she was now stunned. Neo knew everything he said was not an easy pill to swallow. "Mom." He took a step towards her. Mira retreated instinctively. "W-what are you doing?" "Can you let me hold your hand? I want to prove what I said." Mira stared at his outstretched hand. She was still afraid of him. But his words were too shocking to ignore, and for some reason, she did not feel like he was trying to take advantage of her. She placed her hand over his palm lightly. Neo used Intent to transfer Springbloom's blessing to her. The blessing healed Mira, physically and mentally. She was able to calm down and think clearly. "This power… it feels familiar." "It's my mother, the Goddess of Spring, Persephone's blessing." Mira opened her mouth and closed it. Neo chuckled. "It's okay. Take your time. This type of information isn't something one can come to terms with in an—" Neo's surroundings changed. He had conquered his third nightmare. "Where am I now…" Neo noticed he was floating in space. Countless maggots were eating his body. His blessing repeatedly regenerated him, but the maggots did not stop. He grabbed them and crushed them.

The maggots became fierce upon seeing his resistance.