Today is my birthday. I decided to celebrate it at home. I do have the money to rent out the whole restaurant, but why would I do that when I have a Dad who can cook better than any chief?

My house is pretty small. You can fit 10 people in it at best. For me, that is plenty. I invited 4 people to my birthday: Naty, Master Theo, Mary and… Naty’s father… Natan! Right… Why is he so forgettable?.. Lance is unfortunately out of reach and… Honestly, I would invite AL too, but… I can’t…When is AL’s birthday by the way? I need to ask him.

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So, with me and Father that would be 6 people. I bought some fancy china in packs and decor for the dining room. We usually eat in the kitchen, but today is a special day.

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The table was all set, and the guests were about to come. Father is still in the kitchen doing some dishes fo-

*Knock-Knock*

Ah! Here they are!

I ran to the door and opened it.

“Happy birthday Mixen!”

It was Naty and her family.

“Thank you! Come on in!”

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Naty came in the dress that I bought her.

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I think it slowly becomes a bit tight on her…

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We are growing after all.

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I’ll buy her a new one some other day… 

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She’s pleasant to look at… 

Like a masterpiece of a sculptor.

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Why are you fidgetting all red?

Mm? She’s coming to me? 

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“M-Mixen… here… Congratulations.”

Naty is holding a small box.

“Oooh, is this my present? What is it?”

I took the box and carefully opened it.

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It’s a necklace. A silver necklace with a small ruby in the middle.

“Thank’s Naty, it’s pretty.”

As I said that, Naty’s face relaxed and turned into a smile.

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Were you worried I wouldn’t like it?

“It’s not only pretty, but it also has some enchantments.”

It was Mary who butted in.

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Enchantments?

“Is this an artefact?”

“Ah, no. It’s just a charm.”

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Aren’t charms just a scam?

“Naty is still an amateur so she can’t use even third circled ones. I did them.”

Wait, maybe it’s not the same charms as in my previous world.

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Then what can it do?

“... What are those enchants?”

“It’s just simple calming and luck enchants.”

“They are still great enchants… Aunty, I knew you could do a bit of magic, but I never knew you were a magician.”

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Her face just hardened a little… Is it a sensitive theme?

“Haha, no, I’m just a healer who had a bit of talent in magic. I can use fourth circled spells.”

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That laugh was forced…

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I’m not going to ask about it. 

We all have secrets…

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But I’ll keep it in mind.

“Mary, I’m curious, how do charms even work.”

Natan?

You have been living together for more than 14 years.

How have you never asked that before?

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But I’m curious too.

“Ah, Charms can be created only by those who can use third circled Light spells and up. It’s just like casting a buff, but not on a person. Some materials can hold the effect of a spell in it, and provide a weakened version of it to the wearer, but wears off over time. The higher is the quality of the material the longer it will last. Mixen’s necklace is made from silver, so it will last for about a year. Mixen, I will redo the enchants on your next birthday, okay?”

Hm…

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Ah, my new sword is probably made from a similar material.

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Can I enchant it too?

“Sure, thanks!”

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Father is still cooking something, so I lead them to the dining room.

Although Master isn’t here, I think it’s okay to start eating. 

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It’s already noon and I ate nothing so far.

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“Ummm, Mixen? Is someone else coming? Why are there 6 plates?”

“Yes? One more person is coming… Though he is a bit late…”

*Knock* *Knock*

“Ah! Speak of the devil! Here he is!”

I quickly went to the door and opened it.

“Master!”

“Hello, I hope I’m not too late.”

“Of course not! Father is still doing some dishes!”

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“...Your father is?”

“Yes?”

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Why are you surprised? It’s tasty, very tasty.

“*Cough* Anyway… Here, just like you asked.”

He handed me a small box. 

Probably the elixir is inside.

“Thank you, Master Theo!”

I lightly hugged him and led him to the table.

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Why everyone is looking at him like that?

“Mixen… May I ask who is he?”

Naty broke the awkward pause.

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Wait…

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Have I never introduced them?

“This is my Master!”

“You mean like… One in a lifetime Master?”

“Yes!”

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“And why do I hear about it for the first time!”

“Huh? I never told you?”

“No!”

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I guess I never did.

“Then… Master, this is my childhood friend Naty, Her mother Mary and her father… Natan.”

“Pleasure to meet you.”

Need to clear my throat for this one.

“*Cough* My Master’s name is Theodore Miller. A Grandmaster Battlemage, a genius scholar and a great alchem-”

*Thump*

Ouch.

“Stop praising me so much! People will get the wrong idea!”

“But it’s all true!”

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“Maybe in your eyes, it is… Anyway, this old man’s legs hurt from standing so much.”

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…You are stronger than me muscle-wise though?

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We all started eating. 

Naty asked Master a lot of questions, like how we met or why he chose me as his disciple. Master looked at me with a meaningful look… Probably is asking if it’s okay to tell them.

I nodded, Naty already knows most and I think Mary and Natan can be trusted.

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After he told them about everything, they had some questions for me…

“Mixen, I never knew you were so talented in magic! Why do you keep it secret?”

Mary took the lead.

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But I can’t tell.

“I have some circumstances. Besides, I can barely use third circled spells because of my lack of mana.

“I see…Your lack of mana holds you from progressing… I could… Help… I’m a healer after all.”

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You have plenty of mana… 

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I’m not risking it.

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Sorry, you aren’t enough.

“I appreciate it, but it’s okay. I’ll figure something out myself.”

 “I, umm-”

“Darling! What does the part of not telling lies mean!?”

Naty, if you were my Father’s daughter, you would get hit on the head.

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And why doe that matter?

Master just was really curious about Sixth Sense, so he came up with that oath.

“What’s wrong with it?”

“Does that mean that you can’t lie to your Master at all!? Do that with me!”

Why the hell would I do that?

“No? I can’t live without lying at all. Besides, the oath that I gave to Master included only things related to magic. I still can lie to him.”

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This is a really strange dialogue.

But everyone lies.

And not all lies are meant to harm people.

“...Hmpf!”

Why are you puffing your cheeks now!?

It’s an obvious answer!

“Give me it!”

“Give you what?”

“Give me a book of your master! I want to see just how much of a genius he is!”

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He’s right there you know?

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And why does she look so cute when she’s sulking? 

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I would punch anyone who dares to say such things about my Master in my face… 

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But…

I can’t get angry at her.

“... I should have an introductory book in my room.”

I recently started collecting every book that Master wrote. He says that they are just collecting dust in the library anyway, so I can keep them.

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After I brought the book, I and Naty went to the couch near the entrance to read it.

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But then…

*Boom* *Boom* *Boom*

Someone violently knocked on the door.

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Who might it be?

I didn’t invite anyone else?

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I was close to the door, so I opened it.

“You little rascal! How can you forget about me!? Come here!”

Valeria?!

She didn’t wait for me to invite her into the house and just stepped inside.

Moreover, she infiltrated my personal space and started violating my cheeks!

“Valeria? Why are you here?”

“Misha! Long time no see. Your son didn’t invite me to his birthday! Can you imagine that!? And why didn’t you invite me anyway!?”

“Well…”

“Hey! I was there when he was born! He’s like a nephew to me!”

“That’s true… And thank you for your help so far…”

Oh, sh*t! This might be bad!

“No problem, it wasn’t much.”

“It was plenty for us.”

Phew. That could have gone wrong.

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And stop stretching my cheeks already!

“Sap i, le me go!”

“Ah right, sorry, they are just like a stress-reliever.”

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Don’t come near me anymore.

“*Sigh* Anyway, I’ll bring you a plate, take your shoes off and take a seat, there is a free chair near Father’s seat.”

“Sure.”

As I was taking the plate I could still vaguely hear the dialogue nearby.

“Good afternoon to you all, My name is Valeria Softflower. I am Michael’s old friend.”

Naty already knows about her, so I hope she wouldn’t act weird near her.

“Valeria..? The world is such a small place…”

“Mister Theodore, glad to see you in good health. Heard you finally found yourself a disciple?”

Do they know each other?

“Ha! Indeed I have! And he’s way better than that girl of yours!”

Is there some bad blood between them?

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I hope it’s not serious.

“Excuse me, Miss Valeria.”

“Yes? But you do know that you are supposed to introduce yourself before anything right?”

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Her parents are right there you know?

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“I-I’m sorry… My name is Naty, I’m a student at Magic University… Are you working as the Vice-Director of noble part of the University?”

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Poor Naty… To break the awful atmosphere in the room, she sacrificed herself…

I need to go there quick.

“Ah… You are a commoner… I’m sorry for the pressure. I indeed am. You are a friend of Mixen right? You can come to me if you have any troubles okay?”

Why her behaviour towards commoners is so much different from when she talks to nobles?

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Okay, I have everything, time to go back.

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“Here… Do I need to introduce you to everyone?”

“I already did, but…”

She looked at Mary and Natan.

“Ah, My name is Mary, he is my husband Natan. We are Naty’s parents. You could say that Mixen is our family’s friend. I’m sorry for the late introduction.”

The way Mary acts today is a bit weird…

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I would say she’s too stiff?

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“Pleasure is all mine.”

“Now that we are done with the introduction let us continue eating. Father is almost done with the second batch.”

“Your father is cooking? No wait, I almost forgot to give you your present! One second… Here.”

She took a small box from her pocket.

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What’s with the small boxes today? Are they in fashion?

“What’s this?”

“Open it.”

As I did, I saw a small ring inside.

I say small, but it’s still too big for me.

“A ring? Isn’t it too big?”

*Thump*

Father hit me while bringing plates to the table…

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How did he do it?

“It’s rude to say that about a gift.”

“It’s okay Misha, besides, that is not just a ring, it’s an artefact, so it can change size.”

No way!

I know how expensive artefacts can be!

You can’t just casually gift this to a commoner!

“Artefact!? Isn’t it too expensive for a present?!”

“I didn’t buy it. A friend of mine is trying to create a new kind of artefact, he gave me this experimental one to test a long time ago. It was just a decoration in my room, so don’t worry.”

“E-Experimental? Can this… Explode?”

“What? No! It’s totally safe… I think…”

Reassuring…

“Anyway, it needs blood to make you its owner”

Ah, that is useful.

Those kinds of artefacts are almost impossible to steal, so usually even if bad people know you have it, they won’t go for it.

I quickly bit my finger.

And as it absorbed my blood it gave off dim light and changed to fit my finger.

“You’re quick.”

“You said this was a gift.”

“I haven’t even told you its function.”

“There are no bad artefacts in this world… As long as it isn’t a cursed artefact… This isn’t one right?”

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“...I’m surprised you even know of cursed artefacts. But it isn’t one.”

Oops, they are very rare after all.

I did a lot of research on artefacts before, so I do know of them, I can even tell them apart with my Sixth Sense… but I just made a connection without checking just now…

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This is a one-time thing I swear.

“Anyway, the function of it is similar to that of a Space Pocket. But the way you use is different, you need to pour a little bit of mana into it to take something in. And you needn’t worry, you don’t need to spend mana to sustain items inside. Oh, and I have no idea how much space is inside, I didn’t test it.”

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Didn’t you get this artefact just to test it? 

How can you call yourself a friend?

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Ah, who cares, I got an artefact because of that.

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And the one I wanted to buy at that.

“This will be useful, thanks!”

I decided to test it later and just went to eat.

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I don’t want to eat Father’s food cold after all.

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As we were eating, my guests were talking with each other and asking various questions.

We already knew that  Master Theo worked for a Duke before, but… It seems that Valeria worked for the same Duke after Theodore retired. And in his attempts to make Duke’s granddaughter his disciple, he lost to Valeria, and she was the one to take her in.

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Ah, isn’t she the one who was looking for Leon? 

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Stop!

Agness Windborn!

She has wind affinity!

How can Valeria, who has Fire affinity take her in as a disciple!?

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I need to ask her.

“Valeria.”

“Wat du o ant?”

Why is a noble speaking while eating?

“You have Fire affinity right?”

“*Gulp* Yeah?”

“Then how can you teach Agness, if she has a Wind affinity?”

“Ah that… It’s a not well-known fact about me but…”

She cast a small wind ball in her hand and quickly dissipated it. 

“I have a double affinity.”

“What!?”

I quickly checked with my Sixth Sense…

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Now there is two… Red and yellow…

I clearly saw only red before!

How can it be!?

“Surprised kid? I was too when I first saw it.”

“I still don’t understand your point, Mister Theodore. I know about your eyes, but my dual-affinity is the same as the others. When checked with a Magic Sphere, there are two colours. Why do you say it is not normal?”

“It is as if it appears only when you use it. It is not normal.”

“But I became a Grandmaster of both elements though?”

“...That’s true.”

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If Master doesn’t know the reason, then I will not find out either.

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We had a lot of talk about different things after. But soon came time for the cake, so I and Father went to the kitchen to properly make it. 

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That’s when Naty took her chance.

Although Father probably can’t hear it, I do. 

She started asking Valeria about her and Father’s past.

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Valeria didn’t say much but did say something.

When Naty asked about my mother, Valeria said that she was “an unfortunate woman who died while giving birth”.

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Naty didn’t ask further.

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When we brought the cake, Father also took out alcohol… Though I was against it.

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Valeria got real happy, and Natan for some reason too…

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The rest of the party was a mess… 

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The clatter of glasses that gets on my nerves.

The tone of their voice that was changing chaotically.

The expressions that became twisted and ugly.

The words that didn't make sense.

The behaviour that didn't match their image.

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I hate every bit of this.

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I need to leave before I snap.

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I said that I don't feel that good and went to my room.

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“And why are you here?”

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“... To check up on you.”

“As I said I just have a bit of a stomach ache. Nothing serious.”

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Why are you looking at me like that?

“...Are you okay?”

“I said I am!”

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Why did I raise my voice?

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“I’m sorry… Didn’t mean to.”

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“You aren’t okay…”

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Yeah, I’m not.

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I hate drinking parties.

They bring up uncontrollable rage in me.

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But…

That is a thing from my previous world.

I can’t tell Naty about it.

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“Can you tell me why?”

Why do you even care so much?

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How far child’s curiosity can stretch?

“I can’t.”

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“I… I know about your mother.”

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I heard.

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“...And I know more than you do.”

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Why…

Why does she have to bring this up?

Today was supposed to be a happy day… And overall it is…

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But…

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Why do my eyes feel wet?

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And why does my heart feel so empty…

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Mother…

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I try not to think about it…

I try not to think about my previous world.

I always try to leave it behind and enjoy this opportunity… a new life.

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Because if I think about my first life…

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It wasn’t bad if you look from the side…

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But the ending… The ending is what defines it all.

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And mine… It was the worst.

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Sudden death.

No warning.

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I didn’t say goodbye to anyone.

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And my Mother… She already was an old woman… 

I was the only one who she had… 

And she was the only one I’ve got… 

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Who will take care of you Mom?

Will you forgive me for coming late from work?

Your cooking was awful, but can I taste it once more?

The lullaby you always mumble under your breath, can you sing it again?

When I was a child…

I remember you always sang it with your angel-like voice while embracing me until I fall asleep… It felt so good…

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Please…

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Can you do it one last time for me?

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I know I’m not a child anymo-

Yes. 

Just like that.

Thank you, Mom.

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It’s warm…

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Just like I remember it…