Chapter 351: Merisa x Sofia

After some sharp words from Merisa, Maria just went completely silent.

Her head stayed lowered, unmoving, as if something heavy had been placed on the back of her neck. Tears didn’t slow, didn’t stop ..they kept falling, one after another, soaking into nothing, because there was nowhere for them to go. Merisa’s words hadn’t just hurt her. They had gone straight through her defenses and struck the most sensitive part of her existence, the place she never let anyone touch. It wasn’t anger that broke her. It was the fear.. The shame.. raw, humiliating, suffocating shame the kind that makes even breathing feel like a mistake.

Merisa just looked at Maria with disappointment and said nothing.

Her gaze lingered only briefly, detached, distant, as if Maria’s pain was something unfortunate but unavoidable. Then she looked away, as though the matter had already been decided in her mind.

Sofia frowned when she saw Maria like that.

She hadn’t expected this. Something about it didn’t sit right with her. Slowly, Sofia turned her head toward Merisa, her expression tightening.

"Don’t you think you’re going overboard with this?" Sofia asked, her voice controlled but edged with disbelief.

"I only said what the truth is," Merisa replied calmly. "There is no need for someone of my level to belittle her or argue with her."

She shook her head lightly, almost dismissively, her tone remaining flat and unemotional, as if this entire exchange was nothing more than stating facts.

Sofia stared at her for a few seconds.

Then she shook her head too .slowly, disappointed, as if something she had been holding onto finally cracked.

"You know," Sofia said, her voice quieter now but heavier, "back at the royal competition... when I first saw you... I actually felt sad for you."

Merisa’s gaze returned to her again..

"I could tell something was wrong between you and my husband," Sofia continued. "Even though I didn’t know what it was, but I knew it was definitely something big.. A misunderstanding or whatever. So i thought i should do something about it.. thought that maybe if I tried.. even just a little things could get better."

"I even tried to resolve it in small way. Like i thought if I made small moves, if I didn’t push too hard... maybe you two could come closer again. That’s why I asked him to invite you to the marriage."

"And when he rejected it... when he said he doesn’t have a mother or family..." Her brows furrowed. "That’s when I knew whatever was between you two was far bigger than I thought."

She inhaled softly.

"And at that moment... I actually felt more sad for you. Hearing those words from your own son denying your existence like that.. I could tell it hurt you too. I could also see it in your eyes. You do care about him. You want to be in his life."

Sofia looked directly at Merisa now.

"But now... seeing how you are..."

Her voice hardened slightly.

"I don’t think he was wrong to say those things at all."

Merisa’s expression didn’t change.

"You literally said he would be better dead," Sofia continued, her disbelief growing, "even while knowing he’s standing right here. Even while knowing he can hear every word."

Her voice sharpened.

"How could you say something like that? Do you not care about his feelings at all? Do you not care what it does to him to hear that from his own mother?"

She paused, then asked quietly but firmly:

"Like really? Are you even his mother?"

The question hung in the water.

"How can you be so cold?"

Merisa listened without interruption.

She didn’t bristle or snap nor did she deny emotion..

"I did not say he would be better dead, nor did I say I want him to die," Merisa said calmly. "What I said was that it is better to be dead if he continues to be disgusting and dirty people around him."

Her eyes remained steady.

"That kind of son is not needed is what i said."

"I did not say it to him," Merisa continued. "As you heard from my conversation with this girl, he has improved. He has moved on. He is turning into a better man. He left behind whatever bad mistake he made."

Her voice lowered just a fraction.

"He is not disgusting. He is not dirty."

She paused.

"It was a mistake. He was young. He didn’t know anything. It is acceptable to me."

"I punished him," Merisa said plainly. "Yes, maybe I did too much. And yes, there are things I regret.. things I didn’t do, things I should have done differently."

Her gaze shifted briefly, almost imperceptibly.

"But after everything... things are finally back on track and i was right.. He turned out to be better.. Even though at same time some worse things happened too."

She looked back at Sofia.

"What happened... believe me... I never wanted it to happen. There were things I had no control over. And I am very sorry for that."

Then her eyes sharpened slightly.

"And as for you saying I don’t care about his feelings.. do you think I would be here if I didn’t?"

Sofia stayed silent.

"I stopped you in the middle of your journey," Merisa continued, "because where you were going, there is a Great Saint peak-ranked Serpent waiting in Ocean Black."

Her tone grew firmer.

"And he wants to go there too."

She looked over them briefly.

"Looking at you now, you would get hurt. All of you."

Her gaze returned to Sofia.

"I stopped you for his sake. So he wouldn’t be harmed."

She finished without emotion.

"The only reason I came here... is to take him back with me, so I can protect him."

And with that, she fell silent again.

Sofia heard her words and, for the first time since this confrontation began, a faint but visible surprise crossed her face.

It wasn’t shock.. it was the kind of realization that comes when scattered pieces suddenly align. Slowly, Sofia began to understand what was actually happening here, and that understanding didn’t bring comfort. From Merisa’s words, it was clear she wasn’t here to destroy Razeal outright. She wasn’t here out of blind cruelty or random dominance. She was here because, in her own rigid and twisted way, she believed she was protecting him.

"Protect him?" Sofia repeated softly, disbelief creeping into her voice.

She turned her head slightly, her gaze sweeping across the scene in front of her Razeal, Maria, Aurora, Levy, Yograj all of them floating helplessly, their bodies frozen mid-motion, restrained by Merisa’s power like insects caught in invisible amber. No one could move. No one could intervene. No one could even step closer.

Sofia looked back at Merisa, her eyes sharpening.

"I don’t think this is the right way to protect someone," she said firmly. "I don’t see even an ounce of consideration in this.. Like Really?"

"And even if what you’re saying is true.. even if your intentions are really about protecting him what about his feelings?" Sofia continued. "What about the words you said earlier?"

She clenched her jaw slightly.

"Even for me, just standing here as a bystander, those words felt cruel. Saying someone would be better dead... even if they were a bad person, even if they committed a crime... that’s still too much."

Sofia shook her head.

"I don’t believe you’re naïve enough to not understand that those words wouldn’t hurt him. To not understand that they would cut deeper than any punishment ever could."

Her gaze locked onto Merisa.

"To me, it looks less like you said it out of necessity... and more like you said it because you wanted to hurt him."

There was a brief pause.

"You talk about like you are being right. About being a proper mother. About justice. But you don’t seem to consider how it feels on the receiving end of your words."

Merisa didn’t look away.

"His feelings?" she said calmly. "Yes. I knew it would hurt him."

"That’s the only reason I did it."

The words landed like a blade.

Sofia froze.. Huh?

Merisa turned her gaze slowly, deliberately, toward Razeal. Her eyes were cold, emotionless, unreadable as if she were looking at a stranger rather than her own son.

Sofia went completely silent.

For a moment, she didn’t even know how to react. Her thoughts tangled over themselves, unable to make sense of the contradiction standing in front of her. On one hand, this woman claimed she cared. On the other, she openly admitted she had chosen to hurt him on purpose.

"What...?" Sofia muttered, genuinely confused now.

"What kind of logic is that?" she thought, her chest tightening. "You say you care... and then you say you hurt him intentionally?"

"You wanted to hurt him.. Woow?" Sofia asked aloud, still trying to understand. "So why spinning things? Isn’t it straight that you don’t care about his feelings after all?"

Merisa shifted her gaze back to Sofia.

"No," she said evenly. "I do care about his feelings."

Her fist clenched slightly at her side.. a small movement, but the first visible sign that something beneath the surface was tightening.

"I did it because i just.. wanted him to understand that I have feelings too."

"Like.. What about my feelings?" Merisa continued. "Do they not matter?"

"I still had the heart to say that he would be better dead if he continued to be disgusting and dirty.. Specifically which he clearly is not now. But hearing something like that from a mother...is still hurtful? But..?"

Her eyes hardened.

"This boy," she said, "when he left the empire, he left a letter."

"In that letter," Merisa continued, "he said that if we came looking for him, someone would die. Either him... or us."

Her gaze didn’t waver.

"Tell me. What is the difference between that and saying he will kill me? His mother?"

Sofia’s lips parted

"Do you think I didn’t feel hurt?" Merisa asked. "Do you think I don’t have emotions?"

Her voice lowered.

"And let’s go further. If I said he is not my son... would he feel hurt?"

She didn’t wait for an answer.

"He stood in front of everyone and said he has no mother. No family.. Literally."

Her eyes sharpened.

"Tell me.. do I not exist?"

The silence grew heavier.

"And if that wasn’t enough," Merisa continued, "imagine this."

Her voice still stayed calm

"If his sister had a wedding, and she didn’t invite him. And when asked, she said she has no brother. No family."

She paused.

"And he was standing right there, hearing it."

Her gaze pierced through Sofia.

"Would that not hurt him?"

Sofia just closed her mouth.

"That is exactly what he did to me.. And i was his mother."

Merisa’s expression remained controlled, but her clenched fist trembled faintly.

"I do not show my emotions," she said. "But that does not mean I do not feel them."

Her voice dropped to something quieter, heavier.

"I felt hurt too."

She looked back at Razeal.

"And he did it knowingly."

"I am simply letting him know how it feels."

For several seconds, Sofia couldn’t speak.

Her mind ran through everything Merisa had said, over and over. Logically.. she could see the symmetry. The mirrored cruelty. The exchange of wounds. It wasn’t senseless.. it was retaliatory. Cold but... Does make sense.

And that made it worse.

"I... Well." Sofia began, then stopped.

She forced a smile.. thin, strained, unconvincing.

She wanted to defend her husband. She had to. But the ground beneath this arguments felt unstable now... Like aren’t they just on same level this way? But anyways she atleast have to do something.

"He’s still young," Sofia said at last. "He might have resentment toward you. He might have said things he shouldn’t have."

She looked directly at Merisa.

"But you’re supposed to be the mature one. You’re his mother."

"You should handle this carefully... And atleast little Gently."

She shook her head.

"If you respond the same way he does... what’s the difference between you and him?"

Her eyes flickered.

"And still.. Even if ignoring that all.. Saying something like.. you would choose right and wrong over your son’s life..."

Sofia exhaled sharply.

"That was overboard. That was too much to say."

"No it wasn’t.. I was just letting him know how it feels," Merisa said again, her voice steady, cold, unshaken. "And it was in no way overboard."

Her eyes lifted slightly, purple light faintly flashing within them, sharp and serious now, no longer passive or neutral.

"You don’t know what kind of mistake it was," she continued, her gaze unwavering. "If you did, you wouldn’t be standing here questioning my words. You’d know that what I said was right."

A brief pause followed, heavy and suffocating.

"And I’ll still say it," Merisa added, her tone lowering, sharper now, more final. "If he repeats that same mistake... I will kill him. Myself.. I already gave him chance once."

The moment those words left her mouth, the atmosphere shifted completely again.

The already tense, awkward silence turned cold, dense, and dangerously serious.. like the air itself had frozen. The water around them felt heavier too. Even the restrained bodies floating midair seemed to feel the weight of her declaration.

Sofia’s forced smile vanished instantly.

All traces of mediation, patience, and restraint drained from her expression.

"Alright," Sofia said slowly, her voice losing its softness. "That’s enough."

She lifted her chin, her gaze hardening as she stared directly at Merisa.

"I’ve already given you enough face because of who you are," she continued, her voice turning chillingly serious. "But saying you’ll kill my husband right in front of me?"

Her eyes narrowed.

"I think you should control yourself."

The shift in Sofia was unmistakable now. No teasing. No confusion. No hesitation. She was no longer trying to mediate.. she was drawing a line.

Merisa didn’t react with anger.

Instead, her expression remained unchanged, almost indifferent, but her posture shifted subtly as she slowly crossed her arms. There was a faint glint of interest in her eyes now not irritation, but curiosity.

This woman, restrained and powerless, still dared to say such words.

Merisa studied her calmly.

She didn’t raise her voice.

"It’s not overboard at all," she replied. "I’m serious."

"The main punishment for someone who did that is already death," Merisa continued evenly. "There are no exceptions. No in-betweens."

She tilted her head slightly.

"So me saying that isn’t wrong. That act itself is wrong... Getting angry on me is useless."

Her eyes flicked briefly toward Razeal before returning to Sofia.

"If I stood beside him simply because I am his mother," Merisa went on, "because I love him or care for him, and ignored that... I would only turn him into something worse."

"And not only that," she added, "I would deserve to kill myself."

"I live by rules," Merisa said. "And there are things in this world that cannot be ignored. Cannot be overlooked. No matter who commits them."

Her voice was calm, but unwavering.

"He would receive punishment for that crime. Simple as that."

She paused briefly, then continued.

"But that doesn’t mean I don’t care about him."

Merisa’s gaze didn’t soften, but there was weight behind her words.

"I think any woman.. any person in my place would do the same."

Sofia opened her mouth to respond, but no words came out.

Her brows furrowed, confusion swirling in her eyes.

"What...?" Sofia finally said. "So you think it’s wrong too?"

She shook her head slightly.

"The way you’re saying it.. killing your own son you’re saying it too.." Sofia continued. "I.. it sounds... too easy for you."

Her voice faltered.

"I don’t know," she admitted. "If my brother did something wrong... would I kill him?"

She paused, visibly conflicted.

"I don’t... I..i really don’t know."

"You’re making it sound so simple," Sofia said quietly. "It.. it just sounds too wrong."

Merisa looked at her and shook her head slowly.

"Killing your own son is morally wrong," she said. "Yes."

Her tone remained measured.

"But one day, when you grow older, you’ll realize this world isn’t simple either."

She lifted her eyes slightly.

"There is a difference between wrong and wrong."

Sofia looked up again.

"Someone sells child medicine to fulfill their lust," Merisa continued. "Another sells his own body just to feed his family."

Her voice was steady, deliberate.

"Both are wrong. But they are not the same."

She let that sink in before continuing.

"Killing a child is wrong," Merisa said. "But during war, when one family wipes out another... leaving the enemy’s child alive is naïve too."

"That child will grow up. And that child will bring more destruction. More innocent deaths."

She paused.

"That too is wrong."

Her gaze locked onto Sofia.

"But it is a different wrong.. Somethings are necessary."

Sofia’s breathing slowed, her thoughts spiraling.

"Just like killing your son is wrong," Merisa said quietly. "But knowing your son might become the reason countless others suffer..."

She stopped mid-sentence.

Didn’t finish it.

Didn’t need to.

She simply looked at Sofia.

"There is a difference between wrong and wrong," Merisa repeated. "And time will force choices upon you."

Her arms remained crossed, her presence overwhelming.

"You only need to decide," she said, "which wrong you can live with."

She exhaled softly.

"This world isn’t a fairy tale or all Strawberry," Merisa added. "Experience teaches you things kindness never will."

"If someone still thinks I’m wrong," she concluded calmly, "then they’re simply naïve. Living in an imaginary version of life. Not understanding how this world truly works.. Because choosing not to do will only maake you regret it more.. One will only understand once they experience it themselves."

Sofia stood there silently.

Her mouth opened slightly, then closed.

She didn’t know what to say.

Because the terrifying part wasn’t Merisa’s cruelty.

It was that, logically... disturbingly... Merisa hadn’t said anything that was objectively wrong.

Her explanations made sense.

Her reasons were consistent.

And that realization unsettled Sofia more than anything else.

She could feel herself being pulled, just slightly, toward Merisa’s logic.. as if she was getting influenced by her.. and that frightened her.

Sofia didn’t speak.

She just stood there, conflicted, restrained, watching a woman who was ruthless, honest, cruel, and terrifyingly rational.

And she didn’t know anymore which side was right.

"What exactly did he do?" Sofia finally asked.

Her voice wasn’t accusing. It wasn’t defensive either. It was genuinely confused. Up until now, she had thought this was some extreme clash of personalities.. pride, resentment, ego. But listening to Merisa speak, seeing how far she was willing to go, even to the point of calmly talking about killing her own son, Sofia could tell this wasn’t something small. Whatever it was, it wasn’t a normal mistake. And that realization unsettled her deeply.

From Merisa’s words alone, it felt like she truly believed she was being merciful.. even while saying something as horrifying as killing him. That contradiction disturbed Sofia more than anger would have.

"No... don’t," Maria suddenly said from the side, her voice breaking the moment Sofia finished speaking.

Her head was still lowered. She hadn’t lifted it once since Merisa’s words earlier.

Both Sofia and Merisa turned their gazes toward her.

The silence that followed made Sofia’s curiosity burn even hotter. Maria clearly knew. And whatever she knew, she didn’t want it spoken here. That alone told Sofia it wasn’t something simple.

She looked back at.. Merisa.. Now she wanted to know what it was even more.

Merisa looked at Maria for a long moment, then slowly shook her head.

She floated a little closer to Sofia, closing the distance with deliberate calm, her presence pressing down without force, like the weight of authority itself.

"Don’t worry," Merisa said quietly. "He will tell you himself."

Her gaze flicked briefly toward Razeal before returning to Sofia.

"And I’ll make sure he does."

"But before that," Merisa continued, her voice lowering, "you should know this."

Her expression softened.. just a little. So little it would have been easy to miss if one wasn’t looking closely.

"He did get better," Merisa said. "He’s a sensible child... He always was actually."

Her eyes lingered on Razeal for a fraction of a second longer than necessary.

"From childhood, I can see that he changed," she continued. "As this girl just said.. He no longer is like that."

That softness.. that acknowledgment shocked Sofia more than anything Merisa had said so far. This was the first time since Merisa appeared that her face didn’t look carved from stone.

"So when you hear it," Merisa said, "don’t judge him too cruelly by his past. Except that one mistake there was never anything bad about him.. I still trust him he will take good care of you."

She paused.

"But in the end, the decision is yours," she added. "You have that right."

Her voice was steady again now.

"Just remember this," Merisa finished. "He was never bad at heart."

Sofia looked at Razeal instinctively.

He was still restrained, floating there, unable to turn his head, unable to move.. but even so, she could feel the tension radiating off him. She didn’t know what he had done, but hearing Merisa speak like this made her chest feel tight.

Sofia nodded slowly.

She didn’t say anything. But she decided she would ask him later.. no matter what.

"Alright.. Enough of this," Merisa muttered quietly. "Let’s talk to that stupid boy now."

She floated back, repositioning herself slightly to the right, until she was directly in front of Razeal close enough that only a hand’s breadth separated them.

She studied his face silently.

"All right," Merisa said. "I’ll let you speak now."

With a subtle shift of her power, she released the telekinetic restraint from his neck upward.

But the moment his mouth was free, Razeal spoke.

"Leave."

His voice was cold. Flat.. And empty of any hesitation.

His crimson eyes locked onto her with unmistakable hostility.

Merisa only sighed.

She shook her head slightly, disappointment flickering across her face.

"You know," she said quietly, "First.. I thought you behaved like this because you believed we didn’t love you."

Her eyes narrowed slightly.

"But after what you did in the Empire... after you tricked us into leaving by manipulating the situation..."

She leaned closer.

"I understood something," Merisa continued. "You know very well that we love you and care about you."

Her voice dropped.

"And you used that."

Her gaze sharpened.

"You used our feelings for you," she said, "to your advantage."

She searched his face.

"Why?" Merisa asked. "Why are you even doing this to us?"

Her brows furrowed, frustration breaking through her composure.

"Even knowing we care about you," she pressed, "is your hatred really that deep?"

Her voice trembled slightly now, just barely.

"That you’d try tk hurt me at every chance and corner.. you get?"

Her breathing grew uneven.

"Today," Merisa said suddenly, her voice cracking, "you almost died."

She raised both hands abruptly and grabbed Razeal’s collar, her fingers shaking as they clenched into the fabric.

"Yes, I saw it," she whispered. "When you attacked that Supreme-rank monster in the arena..."

Her eyes glassed over.

"After the explosion," she continued, her voice shaking openly now, "only your skeleton was left."

Her grip tightened.

"I thought you died."

She stared straight into his eyes.

"Is your hatred for me so great," Merisa demanded, "that you’d rather almost die than come back to me? To your only family?"

Her expression twisted with confusion, anger, and pain.

"Why are you doing this?" she asked, her voice strained. "Don’t you understand that what I did... was the only right thing to do?"

Her face scrunched, frustration overwhelming her composure.

But Razeal didn’t answer.

He only stared back at her.

Then, slowly, with unmistakable disgust in his eyes, he spoke.

"Don’t touch me."

Merisa froze.

Her hands stilled against his collar.

Her eyes widened slightly, caught off guard by the look he gave her not anger, not hatred, but pure revulsion.

"W.. what...?" she whispered.

Before she could react further, Razeal’s voice rang out sharply.

"Levy," he said loudly. "Do it."

The command cut through the air like a blade.

----