Bloodhound's Regression Instinct-Chapter 253

Chapter 253

Lorena chewed her lip, recalling the task Yan had assigned her just moments ago.

“How on earth am I supposed to revive memories?” she wondered.

Lorena rarely spoke in a weak voice, but now the command weighed heavily on her mind, leaving her clueless about how to proceed.

“Memories...”

If she had spent most of her childhood with her mother, Helena, perhaps it would be easier. But Lorena hadn’t seen Helena since she was five years old, so there were no memories to speak of.

Then it happened.

“Ugh!”

Helena winced, squeezing her eyes shut.

“Mom, what’s wrong?”

“My... my memories are fading,” Helena replied weakly.

Each time her memories vanished, it took an emotional toll, leaving her face pale.

Helena held Lorena’s arm and apologized, “I’m sorry I couldn’t be there for you when you were little.”

Tears welled up in Lorena’s eyes as she looked at Helena, whose face seemed ready to collapse at any moment.

Meanwhile, Yan and Theo battled colossal monsters. Lorena, though not yet at their level, sensed the urgency of the situation.

But she couldn’t just sit there idly.

Summoning her mana, Lorena shouted at Yan, her voice raw with desperation.

“What am I supposed to do? I have no memories of my mother to draw upon!”

Her anguished cry shook Helena’s mental realm.

Yan, narrowly avoiding the monsters’ claws, replied, “We’ll find a way! I want to send Theo too, but unless he can handle both monsters, we won’t survive.”

It was a somewhat reckless response, but Yan’s determination was clear.

“Do whatever it takes,” Lorena resolved. “Even if I have to use my gums when my teeth fail, or break through walls with my bare hands.”

With determination, she grasped Helena’s trembling hand.

Then, closing her eyes, Lorena mustered strength and exclaimed, “Maximus!”

Maximus—the teddy bear Helena had lovingly crafted for her when she was born, a cherished companion throughout her childhood.

Lorena couldn’t recall the moments Helena spent making Maximus, but she remembered clutching the bear for years.

Helena, her face weary, stared at Lorena as if questioning her sudden outburst.

“Maximus? What are you—”

Before Helena could finish, Lorena blurted out, “Thank you for making Maximus!”

Even at her age, receiving a handmade teddy bear was a precious gift.

Lorena blushed, but Helena’s eyes widened.

For Helena, it wasn’t just about Maximus itself; it was the memory associated with it—the promise she’d made long ago.

“Ah...”

In that moment, Helena’s gaze shifted from Lorena to a distant past—the Helena who diligently knitted in her room during pregnancy, humming tunes, and vowing to create cherished memories for her child.

Helena hadn’t forgotten Maximus; the memory was safely tucked away.

But memories flowed like a river, one leading to another.

“Dear, come out healthy. Mom will love you so much.”

Her heartfelt promise echoed vividly.

Helena glanced at Lorena, but her gaze wasn’t fixed on the present. Instead, she saw the young Lorena, the one she’d carried during pregnancy, knitting with determination.

The contrast between the knightly image others saw and the blushing Duke Beowulf, who held her tenderly as they both drifted into sleep, was truly beautiful.

A tear escaped Helena’s vacant expression, trailing down her cheek.

Seeing this, Lorena grabbed Helena’s shoulders, bewildered.

“Mom, why are you suddenly—”

But Helena couldn’t respond. Not all her memories had resurfaced yet.

* * *

As Helena unleashed the floodgates of memory within Lorena’s embrace, Yan and Theo teetered on the edge, battling the medieval monsters.

Helena possessed the ability to regenerate her body within her mental realm, but Yan and Theo lacked that privilege.

“Whoa!”

The monster’s claw missed Theo’s skin by a mere sheet of paper. Yet, the fabric snagged on the claw, disintegrating into dust—an infuriating sight for Theo.

He shouted at Yan, “Can’t you use that thing you used earlier?”

“If I could, I would have already!” Yan replied.

The “Dragon’s Breath” spell Theo referred to had been effective when they fought outside. But here, within this monochromatic domain, mana flowed sluggishly. Moreover, Helena, the owner of this mental realm, lay unconscious behind them. Disturbing her memories was out of the question.

Their only option was to immobilize the monsters within this confined space.

And then it happened.

A burst of green light erupted from the black ground the monsters stood upon. It was as if life itself had found its place.

Like a rising sun dispelling darkness, the once colorless earth now glowed with vibrant green.

“Lorena must be doing well,” Yan thought.

The monster howled, lifting its foot from the glowing ground just in time.

But Yan, the ever-vigilant hunter, seized the opportunity.

With a sly grin, he slid between the monster’s legs.

The creature, too massive to react swiftly to Yan’s nimble movements, couldn’t evade his attack.

“Sunbathing time,” Yan quipped.

He rose, channeling all his strength into Ascalon—the sword aimed at the monster’s ankle. The creature was too slow to deflect the blow.

Serrated leather yielded with a satisfying sound as the monster’s body leaned toward the glowing ground.

And when its scaly torso touched the radiant earth...

Sizzle.

The undead-like form began to smolder.

Yan knew he’d been right—the monsters couldn’t step onto the illuminated ground without their bodies igniting.

“Yan, they can’t touch the light!” Theo shouted.

The same weakness applied to these seemingly immortal beings.

Theo, not one for Yan’s calculated tactics, preferred instinct and intuition in battle. Yet, he understood the significance of this newfound vulnerability.

“Why didn’t we know about this colossal weakness?” Theo wondered aloud.

No need to keep dodging; they could take the fight to the monsters.

Theo, a seasoned fighter, joined Yan in leading the offensive.

“Ha!” Theo swung his blade, and the monsters reeled.

With each reversal, the illuminated ground expanded, etching Helena’s forgotten memories back into this surreal world.

* * *

Helena could recall everything.

Her marriage to Lord Bacchus Beowulf, the man who had proposed to her.

The two children she bore—Theo and Lorena—whose existence brought her immeasurable joy.

These memories were the brightest moments of her life.

Yet, alongside them resurfaced darker memories—ones she had deliberately buried.

“From now on, you will enter the Beowulf estate and ensure their unwavering loyalty to our cause.”

“Use your body to seduce the guardian deity of the North. Henceforth, I shall call you ‘Lust.’”

Helena hailed from a humble family, but she risked her life to join the Dragon Soldier project, hoping to change her wretched fate. She excelled, even as her comrades fell, and graduated with distinction.

She became part of a secret organization, unknown to all but the Emperor himself. Her mission: marry Lord Beowulf and continue leaking information and secrets from the Beowulf family.

Through a series of coincidences orchestrated by the Emperor, Helena ascended to the position of Lady Beowulf. But as time passed, her loyalty to the Emperor waned, replaced by love for her family.

When she bore Lorena, she became more than just a pawn; she was the Lady of the Beowulf estate, not just in title but in heart.

“It’s time to atone for my sins,” Helena resolved.

The forgotten memories resurfaced, revealing the shadow beneath the light. As long as she existed, the insidious sloth would persistently seek opportunities.

“I can’t endanger my children. I’ll never hurt them again.”

The solution was simple: extinguish the light, and the shadows would naturally fade away.

With determination etched on her face, Helena turned to her daughter, whose eyes reflected concern and innocence.

Whom did Lorena resemble to be so beautiful?

As Helena brushed her cheek, she whispered, “I truly love you, my daughter.”

The cryptic words unsettled Lorena. She sensed an underlying gravity.

Helena’s faint smile held secrets.

Lorena reached out to touch her mother’s hand, but...

Zap!

Helena’s mental realm flooded with blinding light, like a flash grenade.

Yan and Theo, battling monsters in the distance, shielded their eyes.

The regenerating creatures screamed and disintegrated.

Amidst this chaos, Lorena’s outstretched hand met empty air.

“Mom?” she called, but Helena was unresponsive.

Then, a second burst of light.

“Mom?”

Lorena’s scream echoed as Helena’s mental realm shattered.

They returned to the cold reality, away from Helena’s surreal world.

And there, a weary voice reached their ears.

“You nearly died... Or perhaps it would have been better if you had. No more responsibilities.”

It was the voice of Sloth.