Chapter 26: Evelyn Walker

06 January, Year 203 of Awakening Calendar. The morning was much calmer than the night for Leon. He had to take extra sleep to give rest to his mind after that terrible pain. Fortunately, sleep helped him cope with the pain. But he still needed to wake up for the classes, so after getting refreshed, the first thing he did was to absorb the Energy Orb. Since it was from the Level 09 Monster, he got quite a lot of Essence and reached Level 08. He exhaled the foul air built up inside him and thought, ’I feel stronger, but it’s not enough. Not enough at all.’ Still, Leon was quite happy with his progress because he knew he was leveling up very fast. Even if it came at the cost of terrible pain, he still considered it worth it. He smiled looking at the number displaying his Level. The feeling of being stronger was definitely addicting, but nothing new. After all, even in his past life he had always kept his physical health good and visited the gym every day despite his hectic schedule. He dressed up in his uniform since he had decided to visit the cafeteria for breakfast before going to the classes. As he opened the door, he got a call from his mother and closed it again. Mom was more important than anything for him. He sat on the bed and accepted the video call. A hologram appeared before him featuring a middle-aged woman with delicate features and a worried look on her pretty face. Her ash-brown hair cascading down her shoulders contrasting with his jet-black hair. But he had inherited his emerald green eyes from her. Currently, those mesmerizing emerald eyes were filled with worry, and one could even see dark circles under her eyes, which made Leon sigh in defeat. She was Evelyn Walker, his only parent who raised him all by herself. Before she could say anything to him, Leon spoke, "Mum, those tears are expensive so why do you always waste them so easily?" Evelyn puffed her cheeks hearing him and quickly formed some hand signs to communicate with him, ’Is this how you talk to your mother? What is that academy teaching you?’ "Apparently to rebel against our worrisome parents," Leon chuckled softly and said. Yes, his mother couldn’t speak, and they had tried everything to bring her voice back, but even with Earth’s advanced technology, nothing worked. Still, it didn’t affect the two of them since they had long since learned to communicate in silence. And Leon never saw it as her weakness or anything. If anything, Leon respected and loved her a lot for what she had done for him and Silver. She was truly the reason Leon and Silver were what they were today. Of course, the doctors had suggested her to use AI, but Evelyn didn’t like the idea of having another voice for her, and Leon never forced her for it. They were fine with sign language. Evelyn stared at him for a moment before shaking her head with a helpless smile, ’You don’t need to learn that from anyone.’ "Huh? Why?" ’Because you’ve always been rebellious.’ "Hey! Don’t slander me now. I’ve always been an obedient son," Leon protested. Evelyn rolled her eyes at him, ’Then, stop being dramatic right in the morning.’ "Then you also stop worrying about everyone and worry about yourself for a moment," Leon said. "I’m assuming you heard about Silver, right?" She nodded with a gloomy look on her face. "She will be fine, Mum. You know how good she is, and her luck is always good. Remember the number of lotteries she won? Heck, even in our bets she never lost." Evelyn chuckled and nodded, ’Still, I can’t help but worry about her. She’s got a kind heart and I don’t want it to get tainted by the Primordial Expanse.’ "You know it as well as me that it’s impossible unless you’re willing to keep her at home all her life," Leon said. "Also, have some confidence in our little Silver. She is strong both mentally and physically. She can take care of this." Evelyn nodded slightly before asking, ’What about you? How are you doing?’ "You finally decided to ask that? I thought you forgot you have a son here," Leon grumbled to himself. Evelyn extended her hand as if wanting to knock on his head through the screen but pulled it back realizing the situation. But Leon just smiled and knocked on his head lightly. She smiled at her son’s antics, ’Where did you learn to be so dramatic? It’s definitely not me, so I wonder if I exchanged you with someone else by accident.’ "I was born in a village, Mom. Believe it or not, I am your blood," Leon snorted. ’Of course, you are. Even if you’re the worst son out there, you’re still mine,’ Evelyn sighed. "And then you say I didn’t take the dramatic side from you," Leon rolled his eyes. Even as he said that, he was still smiling because it proved he was her son and that made his heart proud. He loved this woman who was so gentle and kind, yet became strong enough for him. He wanted the world to know that he was the son of this amazing woman. The two of them continued to talk about random things, but it was mostly just Leon talking since he wanted to get her mind out of worry. He knew she would continue to worry for Silver and make her health worse. She was that kind of mother. So he wanted her to relax a little and have some trust in them. It wasn’t like she didn’t have confidence in them, but she just couldn’t help but worry about them even if they became adults. The talking was also for him. His mental health had really been bad for the past few days because of his experience in the dungeon and also because of Silver getting chosen by the Primordial Expanse. Talking to his mother relaxed his heart and mind. He couldn’t hear her voice, but her words still soothed the terrible pain of death. Evelyn seemed to understand his concerns and also spent her time talking with him. Her daughter was already fighting for her life, and she couldn’t do anything to help her, but she could at least help her son. They were her world and also the reason for her life.