Artus stirred awake as the wagon lurched to a stop. His face was deep in her warmth but she was gentle enough to keep him from suffocating to death. He had his doubts before, but after surviving the sudden blackout, he knew that he could trust her not to sell him or kill him in his sleep.

Everything else is still under strict evaluation.

"I know that you are already awake, but you can snuggle as long as you want pumpkin," she chuckled.

Artus snapped out of it and sat up. "Don't call me pumpkin, please," he begged.

"I'll call you whatever I want, pumpkin," her eyes challenged him.

Artus rolled his own. He is far too old for this but she didn't know that. That reminded him of the question of why she didn’t have much reaction from his sudden huge change. The way he spoke was enough to tell the difference because he hadn’t even tried to hide it.

But no news is good news to him and so he let the matter go for now.

"Are we there already?" He decided it was better to change the subject and looked around.

"Nope!" she answered jubilantly. "Not even close."

The answer is obvious. There weren't a tiny bit of signs of civilization around them. It was all trees and shrubs and they weren't even on a proper road.

"Then, where the hell are we? Where are we even heading?"

"At first, I wanted to bring you back to his home," she snorted. "Maybe say some short goodbyes or something, but on second thought, I rather not. Who knows who else knew about you or his plans for me. And so, here we are!" She held both of her arms apart.

"Why are we here, mother?"

"Ah, there it is, the awful tone came out. I missed my sheltered little pumpkin, Artus. He is so sweet and kind. Always mommy this and mommy that. They had to ruin the joy for me."

He groaned. He almost forgot that she should be around her forty if he had to guess. And he knew how forty-something mothers liked to act like they weren't appreciated enough.

Well, unless he got it all wrong. His old-world-mother was weirder than the others but a little bit less crazy than this one. And the woman in front of him wasn’t even his real mother.

"Okay, you win, I'll just follow your lead, honorable mother, but why did we stop?"

"Because this is where we part with Bob," she said before she swung her legs off the wagon.

Artus followed her lead and jumped down on the other side. He had almost eaten dirt for lunch but managed to recover on his own.

Nusia was looking at him in worry when he turned towards her. She was worrying like a mother should have been, but he couldn't help it to see the flaws in her motherhood.

"By Bob, you mean the hairy thing?"

"Yes!" she perked up as if she wanted to cheer him up. "Unlike you, I'm afraid she is not mine to take. And she also got a tag that his owner could trace."

"So we butcher Bob and eat him, her?" Artus met Nusia's shocking act with a shrug. "Your son hungry, dear respectful mother of mine. You dropped my gruel back there."

The lady chuckled. "Anyone who eats Bob's or any of his kin's meat would end up shitting themselves for days, and might even die from it, but I guess you don't know that," she sighed as her facade faded. "That's why it was safe to let Bob find her own way back on her own in her own time," she patted the huge furry animal on the back.

She worked with the harness of the animal while he took a better look at the six-hoofed animal. The hair on its body made it look like a bison, but the number of feet and the antlers had made it clear that it was nowhere close to the other.

Maybe higher gravity had forced the animal to have three pairs instead of two.

"There is no way to cure the beast's meat?"

"There is, of course, but not worth the time, for me at least," she patted the freed animal. "Go on, Bob, I promise not to let the mean Artus anywhere near you anymore."

The animal moo-ed in reply before it sauntered away.

"I'm not kidding about being hungry, mom," he quipped.

"I know Artus, you are always a little cranky when you are."

"Then what's for lunch then?"

The lady walked towards him smiling and ruffled his hair. "Call me Nusia, Artus," she said with a little sadness in her voice. Even a fool knew that the lady was serious about it.

"It's about time for you to grow up and become an adult," she said before she turned around towards the back of the wagon. “You already are inside anyway, thanks to them.”

"What do you mean by that?"

"Your first lesson, estranged son of mine," she said as she stopped to stare into his eyes. "All adults are equals. Men or women. Children or their parents. Literally in every way."

"So, I don't have to call you mom anymore?" he joked.

Nusia chuckled. "Not unless you want me to call you pumpkin."

"No please," he chuckled at the tease level threat. "So, Nusia," his mother's back paused for a second before she recovered. "You are not really my birth mother, aren't you?"

-

His nonchalant question froze her on her feet. Nusia grasped the backpack in her hands.

"How- how did you know?"

"I don't really," said the little boy as a matter of fact. "But you had just confirmed it."

"But the things I told you-"

"I know it's all true," he cut her off. "You might not be my birth mother, but you have taken good care of me, that's sincere enough for me."

The damned Awakening had robbed the boy from her. She should have been there when the other he woke up. She could have sorted off all his confusion.

But times like this Artus had reminded her that he was a grown man. Regardless, he is still so sweet, caring, and understanding, just like his mother. Those were the few of many other reasons why she had fallen in love with Catherina. Artus's womb mother.

Nusia just didn't know how to tell him about her or what she had been through. She turned around to face him with a small backpack on her back.

"It's fine," he said after he saw something in her face. "You can tell me about her when you're ready. What's in the backpack?"

Her mind was pulled back to the things at her back. There was nothing but a few blankets and random stuff but it would have to do. They had to disappear from the public eye until Artus had become self-sufficient enough. She took everything from the wagon while she was sorting out the turbulence in her heart.

"Everything we'll need," she mustered a smile while giving an answer to the little boy's sudden change of topic. "Let's catch some fish for lunch."

"Okay," he laughed. "Best plan as any."

She was elated by his easy-going attitude. He is much like the second Artus, the only part she liked about the old man.

'Joan, Ben, Edia, and Haren, I'm sorry for everything. I'm sorry to be angry at you all because of the burden left behind by our failure. Who would have known that had led me to Catherina and Artus? The best thing that had ever happened to me,' Nusia lamented inside her heart.

They even had handed their [Core]s to her.

"Hey, it's fine if you still want me to call you mommy," said the little man who was trying to console her. "Nothing changed as far as I'm concerned."

"No, Artus," she said to the little man. "Don't call me that in front of others if you want to be respected as a fellow Awakened person."

"But why?"

"Because, little man, decisive action is very hard when things get harsh. And it always will. Other people's lives will be at risk in your indecision."

"Is it always that bad? I still could use some pampering," he chuckled.

Once again his words made her mind go blank. The next thing she knew, she was already hugging the boy hard in her bear hug. She will give him all the pampering he needs regardless of what he calls her.

It was then when she recalled what her own mother had said to her long ago.

"Our ties are not severed but forged anew. Stronger than anything else could ever be," she repeated to her son. "This is the last time you'll refer to me as your mother, understand?" she added as his mother for the last time.

The boy's body shook as her eyes became wet. The pain of the server is necessary for what may and will come someday sooner or later.

She didn't want him to sacrifice his or others’ life for her when the time comes. It is also a weakness others will use against them. He will understand this in time as she does.

She let him go from her arms. "Let's catch some fish, shall we?"

"Yes, ma'am," he shouted along before he paused. "Ma'am is allowed, right?"

Of course, he could call her that. Nusia almost slapped herself on the cheeks. It was the closest thing after mother.

"If you wish to serve me," she quipped.

"It will be my honor, ma'am," he chuckled.

She tried to look serious but a huge smile still stretched across her face.

They would be using their feet from now on but the boy should have figured that out a long time ago. Bashker might be an annoying prick that deserved more than a quick death, she promised herself that, but Artus got most of his smarts from his so-called lord-father.

'I better prepare him for that eventual reunion too,' Nusia mused.

"Ma'am, I may require footwear with the jungle tracking and all," he said from her back.

Nusia froze. She swore that she would never live up to being his mother.

And maybe she should stop trying so hard.