Before long, you returned to your father's bedside together with the medical team from the Interastral Peace Corporation.
You prayed to Lord Amber, hoping that his followers could awaken your father…
"Brother… will Dad be okay?"
She watched as the medical experts operated various advanced medical devices, yet the instrument displaying her father's brain signals showed no response at all.
She could not help but grip the corner of your clothes tightly, her heart filled with anxiety and unease.
"…"
You remained silent. Her father was going to die. Perhaps she already knew the answer, but simply did not know how to face it.
She only clutched your clothes even tighter, as if they were a lifeline.
This treatment, the most expensive in the universe, lasted an extremely long time.
At least, that was how it felt.
After all, waiting for an imminent outcome is the most agonizing thing of all.
You sighed softly, looking at Herta's mother, who stood there silently, gazing at her husband's face.
This time, you might disappoint her. After perceiving Harmony, you had become extremely sensitive to the energy of everything around you.
There was no trace of "vitality" energy in her father.
"The treatment is over. We did everything we could…"
said the representative of the Interastral Peace Corporation softly.
"The patient's brain has suffered trauma that is far too severe. Unless we… replace the brain."
"There's no need. Thank you."
Herta's mother's expression was very calm, even carrying a faint smile, as if she were declining a cup of coffee in a starship cabin.
The Interastral Peace Corporation's medical team left with their equipment, leaving the family of three in silence.
For a long time…
A prolonged silence, like the span from the Big Bang to the heat death of the universe.
You and Herta watched as her mother gently stroked her father's cheek.
"Drip…"
You heard the almost inaudible sound of a tear falling. Herta's mother cried in a very low voice.
Little Herta said nothing. She only held onto your wrist.
She had not wasted these past two years; she had long been waiting for this outcome.
Perhaps at the moment she learned the truth, she had cried somewhere no one could hear her…
Your own eyes filled with tears as well. Seeing Herta's silent mother left you at a loss.
"Click…"
A soft sound broke the silence. Herta's mother disconnected her father's respirator…
And the tube supplying vital elements. Her slender back suddenly slumped.
"Mom!"
You shouted.
"Xiao Bai, he's already gone, isn't he? Let him rest in peace…"
You did not know whether it was an illusion, but the tone of Herta's mother at that moment seemed to carry a little more of her usual gentleness.
"All right, let's go out. Don't disturb Dad, okay?"
She took your hand and little Herta's hand, leading you out of the room and into Herta's bedroom.
It was the second time you had entered that room, but at that moment you had no time to notice anything else. You only looked at Herta's suddenly changed mother, a flash of unease crossing your heart.
Herta's mother sat down gently on a chair.
"Come… Xiao Bai… Herta."
She called softly, as always, pulling you gently onto her knees and opening her arms to hold you both, one on each side.
"Thank you, Xiao Bai, for working so hard for him for more than a year…"
You remained silent. In your view, not doing so would have left you full of regret.
You only listened quietly to Herta's mother's words.
"Thank you… child…"
Herta's mother leaned forward slightly and kissed your forehead with her cold lips.
The moisture in your eyes finally turned into a hot tear that streamed down, burning so much you could not open your eyes.
"Don't cry, child. In my heart, you have always been wonderful."
Her fingers, which had grown somewhat rough recently, gently wiped away your tears. You felt her palm, equally cold, and your heart clenched.
Her life force was fading, nearly exhausted…
"Mom… what… what's wrong with you?"
You asked in alarm.
"Child, good child, don't worry. He's very lonely and doesn't like to talk. Before he goes too far away, I want to go and keep him company…"
"No, Mom…!"
Herta's eyes were red, tears pouring down like beads from a broken necklace.
But…
"Don't cry, my child. Forgive Mom's selfishness. I truly want to stay and take good care of you, watch you grow up, have your own career, then start a family and have children…"
"But…"
"I can't hold on anymore…"
"Herta…"
She leaned forward with effort, laboriously placing a kiss on Herta's forehead.
Her face gradually turned pale, her breathing grew weaker. Having taken an overdose of poison with the will to die, she was already… beyond all salvation…
"Xiao Bai…"
"Mom is the most incompetent mother in this world, but before Mom leaves, I still want to ask you one thing."
"Mom, say it, say it…"
You agreed repeatedly, sobbing uncontrollably.
"You are not our biological child; you are the child that he and I adopted…"
"I don't know where your biological parents are…"
Herta's mother's voice grew softer and softer, so soft that one had to lean close to her mouth to hear her.
"I know, I know, but… they were so good to me. I always regarded them as my real parents…"
You had never felt such grief before. Your words were hysterical…
"Yes, I can see that, Xiao Bai. You are a very, very good child. We also regarded you as our own… flesh and blood…"
"But now…"
"I… want to entrust my only daughter…"
"To you…"
"Please… take good care of her…"
Herta's mother used all her remaining strength to place Herta's small hand into yours…
Then she gently curled her fingers, holding Herta's little hand.
"Just as… he took care of me… take good care of her, Xiao Bai…"
After saying her final word, Herta's mother tilted her head and stopped breathing…
"Mom!"
You and Herta cried out in unison, wailing in pain…
…
That was the most unforgettable rainy day of your life. You held the funeral for your father and for Herta's mother…
The rain on Azure Star lasted unusually long. You and Herta stood silently, dressed in plain clothes, before the two tombstones.
Little Herta nearly fainted several times, and you supported her…
The immense pain in your heart made it almost impossible to breathe. Your mind seemed to stop thinking. You did not know how long you stood there that day, how long you stared at the still-wet black lettering on the tombstones.
After that day…
Only two people remained in the house: you and little Herta. Both of you were submerged in the immense pain of losing your closest family, drifting through day after day in a daze…
You do not know how long those days lasted, but in your memory, it was a very, very long time…
A life like that occupied a significant part of your memories…
Until one night, there was a knock on your bedroom door…
"Brother, I can't sleep…"